Why is Catholicism better?

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Lokadottir

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Hello ladies and gentlemen! I noticed that a previous thread about paganism was closed. Let’s try this again. Let’s see if we can all manage to be big boys and girls and play nice! (To be perfectly clear, this includes myself and all are welcome to call me out if I behave poorly.)
So something that bothers me about Christianity is its monopoly on truth. Can anyone explain how this makes sense. I don’t take issue with you believing its true. I believe my own to be true but I’m also aware it is indeed a faith. I have found it to be true through spiritual experience but that can only apply, logically, for me.
Why the insistence that Christianity/Catholicism has it right?

(To clarify I’m not Wiccan and I have listed my religion specifically you can look it up its not too hard I promise!)
 
Lokadottir said:
Hello ladies and gentlemen! I noticed that a previous thread about paganism was closed. Let’s try this again. Let’s see if we can all manage to be big boys and girls and play nice! (To be perfectly clear, this includes myself and all are welcome to call me out if I behave poorly.)
So something that bothers me about Christianity is its monopoly on truth. Can anyone explain how this makes sense. I don’t take issue with you believing its true. I believe my own to be true but I’m also aware it is indeed a faith. I have found it to be true through spiritual experience but that can only apply, logically, for me.
Why the insistence that Christianity/Catholicism has it right?
(To clarify I’m not Wiccan and I have listed my religion specifically you can look it up its not too hard I promise!)
Click to expand...
God is One, therefore the Truth must also be One.
 
mmmm…
See I feel an answer about why your doctrine is better that relies on your doctrine is weak at best.
I don’t believe in one God so your argument becomes illogical to me. Your defense of your faith relies on your faith. I believe this is fine as long as you don’t present it as the end all be all.
Logically speaking (because objective truth is discovered through logic) how can you know?
 
In the end, if you’re willing to study metaphysics, Monotheism is actually more logical.
There is One Creator, Eternal and All Powerful, Unchanging, and is in need of no help
because God is GOD. To show that I’m not SO biased, I was a Pagan myself, so I get
it, you know? Pagan gods are not really gods it seems, more like super beings which
are limited to a certain extent, can die, lose, get sick even, but if those are the beings
which you want to lay you’re soul upon, go ahead, but I fail to see the logic there.
 
Firstly, I’d like to apologize if I appeared to accuse you of bias. My only intention was to state that I found your response unsatisfactory and why. Secondly, I’m aware of Thomas Aquinas’s argument for monotheism. Personally, my reasoning for my faith is the sort used for relationships: I have formed fulfilling relationships with my Gods. I don’t see my faith like a business investment. Thirdly, even accepting the logic that leads to monotheism, why does Christianity/Catholicism, without a doubt, have it right?
 
God, the one true God, is known by experience. It is an interior light. Someone prayed that we would receive it, and it was gifted to us. Others pray to Him and receive the light. It is a personal thing. It is not an intellectual thing, per say, though it can be understood through reason. After all, this God invented reason.

By virtue of its teachings that say that love is sacrificial, and giving, and the highest form of all being, and most of all that it comes from external sources as opposed to ourselves (which is a no-brainer), makes it truth. No other religions teach that. It is the best one by any standard.

This is something you have to figure out for yourself. I think you are just baiting people on this forum to talk what amounts to nonsense in the long run. We are made for God, and God alone, and He condescended to dwell with and among us and in our souls, if we only let Him. If you choose not to allow Him in, why, that is your business.

For my part, I say, don’t knock it til you try it. I have also delved into many other quasi-religious philosophies such that you purport and have found them lacking in comparison. Faith is a gift, and it is deeper than what is seen from the outside. Happy hunting. I hope you find the true light.
 
Catholicism goes back to the Apostles. The word Catholic is derived from the Greek word meaning “universal”. The word universal has two ideas, the idea of one and the idea of ALL.

The first recorded use of the word Catholic is found very early in Christian literature. We find the first instance in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch who was a young man during the time of the apostles and the second bishop of Antioch following Peter. Ignatius was immersed in the living tradition of the local church in Antioch where the believers in Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). He was alive early enough to know the apostles and was taught and ordained directly by the apostles.

Within a few short years of the Resurrection, the followers of Jesus began calling themselves “Christians” (Acts 11:26), and by the end of the first century, the word “catholic”-meaning “universal”-was applied to the Church.

The idea of different Christian denominations would have been unthinkable to the early Christians, especially in light of Christ’s pronouncement on one shepherd and one flock (John 10:15), and his prayer that his disciples remain one (John 17:22).

It was only human weakness and sinfulness that brought about the religious divisions that afflict Christianity today. The Orthodox church drew apart from Rome off and on over several hundred years, finally separating in the eleventh century.

The various Protestant denominations date back NO EARLIER than the sixteenth century, when Martin Luther decided he didn’t like some church teachings and King Henry the VIII wanted to get divorced.

These churches can trace their roots back to Christ only through the Catholic Church. Many denominations today claim as their rule of faith the Bible Alone, ironically relying on the Catholic Church for it’s canon.

Not to mention the Saints who performed 1000s and 1000s of miracles through Jesus throughout the centuries. Why is Catholicism better you ask? Go sit in a Catholic Church or an Adoration Chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament in silence for an hour. Your question will be answered.
 
To Ceil-1
You are entirely correct it is a gift. A gift that was given to me in Catholicism (I once was Catholic) in concentrated shots on rare occasion and only then. As a result I was a bit of a spiritual meth addict. I moved to paganism and found the fulfillment one finds amongst friends or after going on a walk. (and yes I tried praying to Jesus it wasn’t working out great) I have knocked it but only after trying it for over a decade.
Of course love is sacrificial and giving! It is a motif throughout literary history and folklore! People forget this but one only need look to mothers to be reminded.
If by “baiting” you mean asking logical questions because claiming a monopoly on truth means there must be clear objective logic for it, then yes I am. I don’t mean this aggressively. I could genuinely bait you and have a good bit of fun but I only ask to understand why people believe they managed to get it right but no one else did.
 
Well, see, that is where you fail, miserably, in selling your religion.

You would bait me and “have a bit of fun” denotes that you are not humble (nor charitable) in your thinking. This lack of humility is why Jesus could not get through to you before, and why you rejected your Catholicism. It takes humility to accept the true God.

The problem, here, is that your soul cannot be united with God after your death. You must do so while in this life. So while you are tooling around showing us Christians how smart 'ya are, and how dumb we are, you are feeding yourself to the enemy of your soul who wishes to fool you into thinking you are smarter than you are. (And smarter than God, apparently).

Think about it. All this supposed intellect came from this God whom you so roundly reject. And you think you are the logical one?

All your intelligence will not cause you to live forever. If it did, then you may have some argument. But, no matter how smart you are, or what marvels you will be working for us here on earth (better get going, time is ticking, and things are getting pretty bad), you will still end up dying. And then what? All your smarts will die with your brain. What’s the point of it all? You think you are smarter than me, so tell me all the secrets of the universe.
 
Ceil-1 said:
Well, see, that is where you fail, miserably, in selling your religion.

You would bait me and “have a bit of fun” denotes that you are not humble (nor charitable) in your thinking. This lack of humility is why Jesus could not get through to you before, and why you rejected your Catholicism. It takes humility to accept the true God.

The problem, here, is that your soul cannot be united with God after your death. You must do so while in this life. So while you are tooling around showing us Christians how smart 'ya are, and how dumb we are, you are feeding yourself to the enemy of your soul who wishes to fool you into thinking you are smarter than you are. (And smarter than God, apparently).

Think about it. All this supposed intellect came from this God whom you so roundly reject. And you think you are the logical one?

All your intelligence will not cause you to live forever. If it did, then you may have some argument. But, no matter how smart you are, or what marvels you will be working for us here on earth (better get going, time is ticking, and things are getting pretty bad), you will still end up dying. And then what? All your smarts will die with your brain. What’s the point of it all? You think you are smarter than me, so tell me all the secrets of the universe.
Click to expand...
👍 I could not have said it better myself.
 
Lokadottir said:
Hello ladies and gentlemen! I noticed that a previous thread about paganism was closed. Let’s try this again. Let’s see if we can all manage to be big boys and girls and play nice! (To be perfectly clear, this includes myself and all are welcome to call me out if I behave poorly.)
So something that bothers me about Christianity is its monopoly on truth. Can anyone explain how this makes sense. I don’t take issue with you believing its true. I believe my own to be true but I’m also aware it is indeed a faith. I have found it to be true through spiritual experience but that can only apply, logically, for me.
Why the insistence that Christianity/Catholicism has it right?

(To clarify I’m not Wiccan and I have listed my religion specifically you can look it up its not too hard I promise!)
Click to expand...
Hi Loka, and welcome to CAF.

I do not believe you are insincere with your question, but I think you have a pre-conceived answer in mind, that being we can’t possibly convince you. And you are probably correct, in that it is not your intention to be convinced.

This may lead to a interesting back and forth that may or may not get heated, but from my POV, I don’t think it is in the best interests of the Church to try to convince those who do not want to be convinced. When we try to, we look pushing and arrogant.

So, I will close with this; I will not accuse you of being “bad”, or use any names to describe you in a perjorative way. I only wish for you to know that I pray the Spirit move in your heart, so that convincing becomes possible.

Jon
 
Ceil-1 said:
Well, see, that is where you fail, miserably, in selling your religion.

You would bait me and “have a bit of fun” denotes that you are not humble (nor charitable) in your thinking. This lack of humility is why Jesus could not get through to you before, and why you rejected your Catholicism. It takes humility to accept the true God.

The problem, here, is that your soul cannot be united with God after your death. You must do so while in this life. So while you are tooling around showing us Christians how smart 'ya are, and how dumb we are, you are feeding yourself to the enemy of your soul who wishes to fool you into thinking you are smarter than you are. (And smarter than God, apparently).

Think about it. All this supposed intellect came from this God whom you so roundly reject. And you think you are the logical one?

All your intelligence will not cause you to live forever. If it did, then you may have some argument. But, no matter how smart you are, or what marvels you will be working for us here on earth (better get going, time is ticking, and things are getting pretty bad), you will still end up dying. And then what? All your smarts will die with your brain. What’s the point of it all? You think you are smarter than me, so tell me all the secrets of the universe.
Click to expand...
👍 The Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, and that is the Church that Jesus founded. (Catholic Church of course) That is in the Bible which I don’t know (yet)
your feelings about.
Mary.
 
The leader of Christianity died and rose from the dead. What other group of people claim this?
 
kaneata said:
The leader of Christianity died and rose from the dead. What other group of people claim this?
Click to expand...
To expand: in Christianity, God chose to die for His people. AFAIK, this is unique to Christianity. In many other religions, people are expected to died for their god.

Jon
 
JonNC said:
Hi Loka, and welcome to CAF.

I do not believe you are insincere with your question, but I think you have a pre-conceived answer in mind, that being we can’t possibly convince you. And you are probably correct, in that it is not your intention to be convinced.

This may lead to a interesting back and forth that may or may not get heated, but from my POV, I don’t think it is in the best interests of the Church to try to convince those who do not want to be convinced. When we try to, we look pushing and arrogant.

So, I will close with this; I will not accuse you of being “bad”, or use any names to describe you in a perjorative way. I only wish for you to know that I pray the Spirit move in your heart, so that convincing becomes possible.

Jon
Click to expand...
True but I don’t want to convince you or be convinced. I want us to peaceably change ideas and do so with respect for each other.
 
Ceil-1 said:
Well, see, that is where you fail, miserably, in selling your religion.

You would bait me and “have a bit of fun” denotes that you are not humble (nor charitable) in your thinking. This lack of humility is why Jesus could not get through to you before, and why you rejected your Catholicism. It takes humility to accept the true God.

The problem, here, is that your soul cannot be united with God after your death. You must do so while in this life. So while you are tooling around showing us Christians how smart 'ya are, and how dumb we are, you are feeding yourself to the enemy of your soul who wishes to fool you into thinking you are smarter than you are. (And smarter than God, apparently).

Think about it. All this supposed intellect came from this God whom you so roundly reject. And you think you are the logical one?

All your intelligence will not cause you to live forever. If it did, then you may have some argument. But, no matter how smart you are, or what marvels you will be working for us here on earth (better get going, time is ticking, and things are getting pretty bad), you will still end up dying. And then what? All your smarts will die with your brain. What’s the point of it all? You think you are smarter than me, so tell me all the secrets of the universe.
Click to expand...
Again the trap of using a doctrine to defend itself. Also do not treat my intelligence as if it were and impediment. And my goal is not to live forever. Death is natural and in my belief my soul will move on, regardless of a set of rules. Do not seek to incite a fear of death mine is not so vehement as to follow one belief system for no reason but that.
 
Oh wow welcome to CAF just noticed your new here. I’ll answer your question a little later to day.🙂
 
Lokadottir said:
Firstly, I’d like to apologize if I appeared to accuse you of bias. My only intention was to state that I found your response unsatisfactory and why. Secondly, I’m aware of Thomas Aquinas’s argument for monotheism. Personally, my reasoning for my faith is the sort used for relationships: I have formed fulfilling relationships with my Gods. I don’t see my faith like a business investment. Thirdly, even accepting the logic that leads to monotheism, why does Christianity/Catholicism, without a doubt, have it right?
Click to expand...
Don’t worry first off, I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t just a
Paganism-Hating Christian with no idea and so forth, just thought it
would put what I say in a certain light.

Now assuming Monotheism is true, why Christianity? Because it is historically verifiable.
Josephus wrote of Jesus’ resurrection, Eusebius wrote of the grandchildren of Saint Jude
Thaddeus (relative of Jesus) thereby proving Jesus is of the House of David, Jesus proph-
ecied that the Temple would be destroyed, in less than a century the Temple was no more
… we are so fortunate to have all this evidence.

Now why Catholicism? Well Jesus did found his Church on St. Peter who had successor
after successor. Protestants then thought their way was better, and each new Protestant
religion after the prior morphed further and further away from the First Church established
by Jesus. Even Protestants will admit that their sect was founded by men, while historic-
ally Catholics can say that our Church was founded by Jesus.
 
Lokadottir said:
Hello ladies and gentlemen! I noticed that a previous thread about paganism was closed. Let’s try this again. Let’s see if we can all manage to be big boys and girls and play nice! (To be perfectly clear, this includes myself and all are welcome to call me out if I behave poorly.)
So something that bothers me about Christianity is its monopoly on truth. Can anyone explain how this makes sense. I don’t take issue with you believing its true. I believe my own to be true but I’m also aware it is indeed a faith. I have found it to be true through spiritual experience but that can only apply, logically, for me.
Why the insistence that Christianity/Catholicism has it right?

(To clarify I’m not Wiccan and I have listed my religion specifically you can look it up its not too hard I promise!)
Click to expand...
A thing cannot be both true and false. Christianity and Paganism are contradictory (“there is one God and there is not one God” cannot be true, among other things).

So if we’re right, then you’re wrong, and vice versa.

And we believe we’re right, obviously. So…
 
Iron_Donkey said:
A thing cannot be both true and false. Christianity and Paganism are contradictory (“there is one God and there is not one God” cannot be true, among other things).

So if we’re right, then you’re wrong, and vice versa.

And we believe we’re right, obviously. So…
Click to expand...
Perhaps. But as we’re all going off faith we can’t be sure so I acknowledge we all have an equal chance of being right or wrong but this is my guess.
 
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