50 Catholic Converts:

4/16/2017 9:44:03 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
visitingfriends Evansville, WI 77, joined Jan. 2011	50 Catholic Converts: Notable New Church Members Over the Last Century COMMENTARY Matthew Bunson The Church around the world welcomes thousands of new Catholics at the Easter vigil. On average, more than 100,000 adults enter the Church in the United States every year. They come from every walk of life and every age group. Some arrive in the Church after many years of personal struggle, and some come at the very end of their lives. Others are moved to become Catholic because of the examples of saints, priests, religious, and exemplary laypeople and family members who give witness to Christ Jesus. In the end, of course, they reach the same conclusion as another famous convert, Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman: “Regarding Christianity, 10,000 difficulties do not make one doubt.” And to be sure, many converts are encouraged in their own journeys to Catholicism by the models of more famous converts. Movie stars, poets, novelists, musicians, philosophers, scientists and even queens were convinced in their consciences that they must become Catholic. They were sinners (as are we all), and, as with such a diverse and interesting group, they have very different temperaments, personalities and foibles. The dazzling variety is itself a microcosm of the many different people who enter the Church every year — and also a helpful reminder that everyone is called by Christ and that no past, however dark and troubled, makes us unwelcome to God’s loving embrace of mercy and forgiveness. Here are a few of the most notable converts over the last century: Mortimer Adler (1902-2001): American philosopher and educator, he discovered St. Thomas Aquinas in his 20s and became a figure in the Neo-Thomist Movement. Cardinal Francis Arinze (b. 1932): Nigerian convert baptized at the age of 9 by Blessed Cyprian Tansi. He became the youngest bishop in the world at the age of 32 and was later named a cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Francis Beckwith (b. 1960): A philosopher and theologian, he was elected president of the Evangelical Theological Society but converted to Catholicism in 2007. Tony Blair (b. 1953): British Labour Party leader and prime minister from 1997 to 2007, he was the youngest prime minister since 1812. His wife, Cherie, is also Catholic. Cherry Boone (b. 1954): Daughter of the famous evangelical singer Pat Boone. Married in 1975 to the writer Dan O’Neill, she and her husband both converted to Catholicism. Robert Bork (1927-2012): Conservative American judge and jurist best known for the vicious political fight that blocked his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987. He and his wife converted to Catholicism in 2003. Louis Bouyer (1913-2004): French theologian and one of the founding members of both the International Theological Commission and the international theological review Communio. Dave Brubeck (1920-2012): One of the most renowned American jazz musicians. He converted in 1980 and was commissioned to compose the Mass to Hope. Tim Conway (b. 1933): American comedian best known for his role on the television programs McHale’s Navy and The Carol Burnett Show. Gary Cooper (1901-1961): American actor who earned three Academy Awards, including “Best Actor” for Sergeant York and High Noon. He had a powerful meeting with Pope Pius XII in 1953 and formally entered the Church in 1959. Frederick Copleston (1907-1994): English Jesuit and historian of philosophy, he converted to the Church at the age of 18 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1930. Dorothy Day (1897-1980): Writer, social activist and co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement with Peter Maurin. Her cause for canonization was opened in New York in 2000. Catherine de Hueck Doherty (1896-1985): A Canadian social-justice leader and founder of the Madonna House apostolate. A convert from the Russian Orthodox Church, her cause for canonization was opened in 2000. Diana Dors (1931-1984): English actress considered a classic “blonde bombshell” in movies. Cardinal Avery Dulles (1918-2008): American Jesuit, theologian and cardinal, the son of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Newt Gingrich (b. 1943): Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999 as well as an author, presidential candidate and historian. Rumer Godden (1907-1998): English novelist best known as the author of the novels Black Narcissus and In This House of Brede. Graham Greene (1904-1991): British writer best known in Catholic circles for his novels Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair. Sir Alec Guinness (1914-2000): Academy Award-winning British actor who won the Oscar for “Best Actor” in 1957 for The Bridge on the River Kwai. Scott Hahn (b. 1957): Biblical theologian, apologist and prolific writer and speaker. His wife, Kimberly, is also a convert. Susan Hayward (1917-1975): Academy Award-winning actress who won the Oscar for her portrayal of death-row inmate Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958). Elisabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957): A Swedish convert from Lutheranism and founder of the Bridgettine Sisters, she was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015. Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977): A German philosopher and theologian honored by numerous popes for his immense contributions to Catholic thought. Katharine, Duchess of Kent (b. 1933): The wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II), the first member of the royal family to convert since 1701. Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918): American poet, journalist and editor, best known for his short poem Trees (1913). He was killed in 1918 at the end of World War I. Russell Kirk (1918-1994): American political theorist and one of the most influential figures in the American conservative movement. Dean Koontz (b. 1945): Prolific novelist who has sold more than 450 million copies of his books. Meet singles at DateHookup.dating, we're 100% free! Join now!
4/16/2017 9:45:45 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
visitingfriends Evansville, WI 77, joined Jan. 2011	Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987): The first American woman appointed to a major ambassadorial post abroad, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943 to 1947, writer and playwright. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926-2007): Archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005, a cardinal from 1983 and a promoter of Catholic-Jewish dialogue. He converted from Judaism. Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973): French philosopher, playwright and Christian existentialist best known for his work The Mystery of Being. Jacques Maritain (1882-1973): French philosopher, author of more than 60 books and one of the key figures in the revival of Thomism in modern times. He and his wife, Raïssa, converted to Catholicism in 1906. Norma McCorvey (1947-2017): The plaintiff in the infamous 1973 lawsuit Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion who subsequently became pro-life. Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980): Canadian professor, philosopher and media theorist best known for coining the expressions “the medium is the message” and “global village.” Thomas Merton (1915-1968): American Trappist monk and priest as well as a poet, social activist and one of the most famous and controversial Catholic converts of the 20th century. Vittorio Messori (b. 1941): Italian journalist best known for his book-length interviews The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church (1985) and Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II (1994). Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990): British journalist, satirist and author. He became a Catholic in 1982 with his wife, Kitty, largely through the influence of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Bernard Nathanson (1926-2011): American medical doctor and a founding member of NARAL Pro-Choice America who joined the pro-life movement in the 1970s. Queen Nazli (1894-1978): Queen of Egypt from 1919 to 1936 as the second wife of King Fuad and mother of King Farouk of Egypt. She and her daughter, Fathia, converted from Islam in 1950. Patricia Neal (1926-2010): Academy Award-winning actress for her performance in Hud (1963). She converted to Catholicism a few months before her death. Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009): Former Lutheran pastor, writer, theologian and founder and editor of the journal First Things. Robert Novak (1931-2009): American journalist, columnist and conservative political commentator. Joseph Pearce (b. 1961): English writer and literary biographer. Walker Percy (1916 -1990): American writer beloved for his novels that confront man’s struggle with modernity. Knute Rockne (1888-1931): Norwegian-born coach of the Notre Dame football team from 1918 to 1930 and considered one of the greatest coaches in sports history. Adrienne von Speyr (1902-1967): Swiss physician, spiritual writer and mystic who authored more than 60 books of spirituality and theology. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) (1891-1942): German-Jewish philosopher and Discalced Carmelite nun who died at Auschwitz. She was canonized by St. John Paul II in 1998. Sigrid Undset (1882-1949): Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966): English writer famed for his novel Brideshead Revisited (1945). John Wayne (1907-1979): Academy Award-winning actor beloved for his roles in westerns and war movies. Israel Zolli (1881-1956): Italian Jewish scholar and the chief rabbi in Rome from 1940 to 1945. A friend of Pope Pius XII, he converted from Judaism to Catholicism in 1945. Matthew Bunson is a senior editor with the Register and senior contributor to EWTN News.
4/16/2017 11:59:59 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Many are going the other way though. This is an excerpt from the National Catholic Rporter , please read the whole article, just this little bit does not explain it properly : Viewpoint The number of people who have left the Catholic church is huge. We all have heard stories about why people leave. Parents share stories about their children. Academics talk about their students. Everyone has a friend who has left. While personal experience can be helpful, social science research forces us to look beyond our circle of acquaintances to see what is going on in the whole church. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has put hard numbers on the anecdotal evidence: One out of every 10 Americans is an ex-Catholic. If they were a separate denomination, they would be the third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists. One of three people who were raised Catholic no longer identifies as Catholic. Any other institution that lost one-third of its members would want to know why. But the U.S. bishops have never devoted any time at their national meetings to discussing the exodus. Nor have they spent a dime trying to find out why it is happening. Pew’s data shows that those leaving the church are not homogenous. They can be divided into two major groups: those who become unaffiliated and those who become Protestant. Almost half of those leaving the church become unaffiliated and almost half become Protestant. Only about 10 percent of ex-Catholics join non-Christian religions. This article will focus on Catholics who have become Protestant. I am not saying that those who become unaffiliated are not important; I am leaving that discussion to another time. . The hidden exodus: Catholics becoming Protestants \| National ... https://www.ncronline.org/news/faith.../hidden-exodus-catholics-becoming-protestant And even in Latin America, please read here:Sorry, Pope Francis: Protestants Are Converting Catholics Across ... www.christianitytoday.com/.../sorry-pope-francis-protestants-catholics-latin-america-p... I my self do not take pleasure in all this. And as long as I do not have to deal with those like Lud, make no effort to convert a Catholic to Protestant. As far as I am concerned? "In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity", sorry I forget right now who said that. In fact, it scares me that people are leaving the catholic Church. Now, having said that, probably half of the people in the church I attend, are former Catholics. I am glad I have gotten to know them. But their reasons for leaving were "non essntial" related. Many married out side their RC faith, so find in the Anglican parish I attend, a place where both can have communion. Some have left over the Gay issue, others because woman are equal to men, many other reasons. But these really, are "non essential". They are issues that what ever side you are on, does not give or take away any thing from the essentials. And that is where it bothers me, that people are leaving the Church . And not just the RC church, but others as well such as the one I attend, and other mainline Protestant Churches. Where are they all going? That is what alarms me. Most are not leaving Catholicism to go Protestant in a church that maintains "Christian essentials', or vice versa.Where are they going? The growth of so called Christian churches , that have thrown away the essential`s is astounding. Look on here, at those who teach against the Trinity, Virgin Birth, the anti Paul`s and follow prophets and claim what they say supersedes not only Scripture but the early Church Fathers. All to join the ranks of the Signs and Wonders crowd. I am not big on all the end times prophecy stuff. But one passage haunts me, and makes me wonder: 2 Timothy 3:5-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them. 6 For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate morally weak and spiritually-dwarfed women weighed down by [the burden of their] sins, easily swayed by various impulses, 7 always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And so I am sad that they are leaving not only the RC Church, but also all the ones that follow what is essential. and as long as we have those RC`s who insist, that being RC is "essential"? We will have those who reject it and are forced to oppose it. Pope Francis, Benedict and especially John Paul,worked hard to tearing down walls. But so many in your church are quick to put them up again. So its good for my Parish anyway, I have met so many good Christians.
4/16/2017 12:23:53 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
visitingfriends Evansville, WI 77, joined Jan. 2011	Thanks for your input D*ck.
4/16/2017 2:26:44 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Great list, Visitingfriends. You left off Bob Hope, Dutch Shultz, Sitting Bull, Barbara Hutton, and Lana Turner. I didn't know Patricia Neal converted. I knew Alec Guiness and Tony Blair were Catholics but I didn't know they were converts. "All graces God gives non-Catholics, He gives for the purpose of converting them to the Catholic Church." --St. Augustine, himself a convert "If I sinner like me can convert, anybody can." --the same St. Augustine Visitingfriends, did you deliberately post this on Easter because converts, in the early Church and at the present time, usually baptized on the Easter vigil? Happy Easter to all.
4/16/2017 6:29:59 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	Sarah Palin and her family apparently all converted AWAY from Catholicism.
4/17/2017 4:08:14 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
share_n_love Fort Wayne, IN 61, joined Dec. 2012	Sorry Danny, but to me this list just means 50 more people bought the lie....
4/17/2017 9:06:10 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	Quote from share_n_love: Sorry Danny, but to me this list just means 50 more people bought the lie....
4/17/2017 11:17:02 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies? "And I say also unti thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." --Jesus (Matthew 16:18)
4/17/2017 11:40:49 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from ludlowlowell: How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies? "And I say also unti thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 1 Corinthians 15:14 --Jesus (Matthew 16:18) Lets put this into perspective and context. Far from down playing it, I in fact find that putting into perspective brings out the beauty of God plan and mans role inn it, even more fantastic. So, was Jesus saying Peter was perfect and infallible? Here is where Jesus told him that : Matthew 16 Amplified Bible (AMP) 17 Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I say to you that you are [d]Peter, and on this [e]rock I will build My church; and the [f]gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ]. 19 I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth [g]will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth [h]will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” Sounds pretty good for him, does it not? But shortly after we have this exchange : Matthew 16 Amplified Bible (AMP) Jesus Foretells His Death 21 From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples [clearly] that He must go to Jerusalem, and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be killed, and be raised [from death to life] on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside [to speak to Him privately] and began to reprimand Him, saying, “May God forbid it! This will never happen to You.” 23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.” Jesus tells him, '23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan"! On one hand, Jesus calls him the "rock", but shortly after "Satan". And this is the beauty of it all. Jesus is saying that on an imperfect person like Peter, he will build his church. Some thing that is perfect, is going to be based on something that is imperfect. We do not become "perfect" by what we are, what we do or by being infallible. For we are all like Peter. We become perfect only through Jesus Christ, and that is the beauty of it all.
4/17/2017 12:48:01 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	Quote from ludlowlowell: How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies? "And I say also unti thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." --Jesus (Matthew 16:18) lud... you really should pray for more and better and clearer discernment. "What is the rock in Matthew 16:18?" Answer: The debate rages over whether “the rock” on which Christ will build His church is Peter, or Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). In all honesty, there is no way for us to be 100% sure which view is correct. The grammatical construction allows for either view. The first view is that Jesus was declaring that Peter would be the “rock” on which He would build His church. Jesus appears to be using a play on words. “You are Peter (petros) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” Since Peter’s name means rock, and Jesus is going to build His church on a rock – it appears that Christ is linking the two together. God used Peter greatly in the foundation of the church. It was Peter who first proclaimed the Gospel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-47). Peter was also the first to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48). In a sense, Peter was the rock “foundation” of the church. The other popular interpretation of the rock is that Jesus was referring not to Peter, but to Peter’s confession of faith in verse 16: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus had never explicitly taught Peter and the other disciples the fullness of His identity, and He recognized that God had sovereignly opened Peter’s eyes and revealed to him who Jesus really was. His confession of Christ as Messiah poured forth from him, a heartfelt declaration of Peter’s personal faith in Jesus. It is this personal faith in Christ which is the hallmark of the true Christian. Those who have placed their faith in Christ, as Peter did, are the church. Peter expresses this in 1 Peter 2:4 when he addressed the believers who had been dispersed around the ancient world: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” At this point, Jesus declares that God had revealed this truth to Peter. The word for “Peter,” Petros, means a small stone (John 1:42). Jesus used a play on words here with petra (“on this rock”) which means a foundation boulder, as in Matthew 7:24, 25 when He described the rock upon which the wise man builds his house. Peter himself uses the same imagery in his first epistle: the church is built of numerous small petros “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) who, like Peter, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and those confessions of faith are the bedrock of the church. In addition, the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that Christ is both the foundation (Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:11) and the head (Ephesians 5:23) of the church. It is a mistake to think that here He is giving either of those roles to Peter. There is a sense in which the apostles played a foundational role in the building of the church (Ephesians 2:20), but the role of primacy is reserved for Christ alone, not assigned to Peter. So, Jesus’ words here are best interpreted as a simple play on words in that a boulder-like truth came from the mouth of one who was called a small stone. And Christ Himself is called the “chief cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:6, 7). The chief cornerstone of any building was that upon which the building was anchored. If Christ declared Himself to be the cornerstone, how could Peter be the rock upon which the church was built? It is more likely that the believers, of which Peter is one, are the stones which make up the church, anchored upon the Cornerstone, “and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6). The Roman Catholic Church uses the argument that Peter is the rock to which Jesus referred as evidence that it is the one true church. As we have seen, Peter's being the rock is not the only valid interpretation of this verse. Even if Peter is the rock in Matthew 16:18, this is meaningless in giving the Roman Catholic Church any authority. Scripture nowhere records Peter being in Rome. Scripture nowhere describes Peter as being supreme over the other apostles. The New Testament does not describe Peter as being the “all authoritative leader” of the early Christian church. Peter was not the first pope, and Peter did not start the Roman Catholic Church. The origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Peter or any other apostle. If Peter truly was the founder of the Roman Catholic Church, it would be in full agreement with what Peter taught (Acts chapter 2, 1 Peter, 2 Peter). Recommended Resource: Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics by Ron Rhodes
4/17/2017 12:59:06 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	It's interesting that you would wuote the Bible in an attempt to disprove the teachings of the Catholic Church, Clarity. Are you aware it was the Catholic Church that put the Bible together in the first place, at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 a.d.? And what is the New Testament, except a history of the early days of the Catholic Church? To believe in the Bible without believing in the Catholic Church would be like believing in the Boy Scout Handbook without believing in the Boy Scouts.
4/17/2017 2:18:15 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	Ludlow says: "It's interesting that you would wuote the Bible in an attempt to disprove the teachings of the Catholic Church, Clarity. Are you aware it was the Catholic Church that put the Bible together in the first place, at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 a.d.? And what is the New Testament, except a history of the early days of the Catholic Church? To believe in the Bible without believing in the Catholic Church would be like believing in the Boy Scout Handbook without believing in the Boy Scouts." ============================================================= The [Catholics] follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous. -Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda
4/17/2017 2:42:18 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	Quote from ludlowlowell: It's interesting that you would wuote the Bible in an attempt to disprove the teachings of the Catholic Church, Clarity. Are you aware it was the Catholic Church that put the Bible together in the first place, at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 a.d.? And what is the New Testament, except a history of the early days of the Catholic Church? To believe in the Bible without believing in the Catholic Church would be like believing in the Boy Scout Handbook without believing in the Boy Scouts. i AM very aware that the roman catholic church is a pagan church of lies and deceit. Second Timothy 4:3–4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” this link leads to a very good study into the myth perpetuated by the roman catholic church http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/2012/12/02/is-the-church-of-the-council-of-nicaea-the-roman-catholic-church-a-debate-between-james-white-and-john-mary-vintage/ The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church? [Edited 4/17/2017 2:43:09 PM ]
4/17/2017 2:43:15 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	Quote from ludlowlowell: It's interesting that you would wuote the Bible in an attempt to disprove the teachings of the Catholic Church, Clarity. Are you aware it was the Catholic Church that put the Bible together in the first place, at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 a.d.? And what is the New Testament, except a history of the early days of the Catholic Church? To believe in the Bible without believing in the Catholic Church would be like believing in the Boy Scout Handbook without believing in the Boy Scouts. For the first 280 years of Christian history, Christianity was banned by the Roman Empire, and Christians were terribly persecuted. This changed after the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine provided religious toleration with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, effectively lifting the ban on Christianity. Later, in AD 325, Constantine called the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify Christianity. Constantine envisioned Christianity as a religion that could unite the Roman Empire, which at that time was beginning to fragment and divide. While this may have seemed to be a positive development for the Christian church, the results were anything but positive. Just as Constantine refused to fully embrace the Christian faith, but continued many of his pagan beliefs and practices, so the Christian church that Constantine promoted was a mixture of true Christianity and Roman paganism. Constantine found that, with the Roman Empire being so vast, expansive, and diverse, not everyone would agree to forsake his or her religious beliefs to embrace Christianity. So, Constantine allowed, and even promoted, the “Christianization” of pagan beliefs. Completely pagan and utterly unbiblical beliefs were given new “Christian” identities. Some clear examples of this are as follows: (1) The Cult of Isis, an Egyptian mother-goddess religion, was absorbed into Christianity by replacing Isis with Mary. Many of the titles that were used for Isis, such as “Queen of Heaven,” “Mother of God,” and theotokos (“God-bearer”) were attached to Mary. Mary was given an exalted role in the Christian faith, far beyond what the Bible ascribes to her, in order to attract Isis worshippers to a faith they would not otherwise embrace. Many temples to Isis were, in fact, converted into temples dedicated to Mary. The first clear hints of Catholic Mariology occur in the writings of Origen, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which happened to be the focal point of Isis worship. (2) Mithraism was a religion in the Roman Empire in the 1st through 5th centuries AD. It was very popular among the Romans, especially among Roman soldiers, and was possibly the religion of several Roman emperors. While Mithraism was never given “official” status in the Roman Empire, it was the de facto official religion until Constantine and succeeding Roman emperors replaced Mithraism with Christianity. One of the key features of Mithraism was a sacrificial meal, which involved eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a bull. Mithras, the god of Mithraism, was “present” in the flesh and blood of the bull, and when consumed, granted salvation to those who partook of the sacrificial meal (this is known as theophagy, the eating of one’s god). Mithraism also had seven “sacraments,” making the similarities between Mithraism and Roman Catholicism too many to ignore. Church leaders after Constantine found an easy substitute for the sacrificial meal of Mithraism in the concept of the Lord’s Supper/Christian communion. Even before Constantine, some early Christians had begun to attach mysticism to the Lord’s Supper, rejecting the biblical concept of a simple and worshipful remembrance of Christ’s death and shed blood. The Romanization of the Lord’s Supper made the transition to a sacrificial consumption of Jesus Christ, now known as the Catholic Mass/Eucharist, complete. (3) Most Roman emperors (and citizens) were henotheists. A henotheist is one who believes in the existence of many gods, but focuses primarily on one particular god or considers one particular god supreme over the other gods. For example, the Roman god Jupiter was supreme over the Roman pantheon of gods. Roman sailors were often worshippers of Neptune, the god of the oceans. When the Catholic Church absorbed Roman paganism, it simply replaced the pantheon of gods with the saints. Just as the Roman pantheon of gods had a god of love, a god of peace, a god of war, a god of strength, a god of wisdom, etc., so the Catholic Church has a saint who is “in charge” over each of these, and many other categories. Just as many Roman cities had a god specific to the city, so the Catholic Church provided “patron saints” for the cities. (4) The supremacy of the Roman bishop (the papacy) was created with the support of the Roman emperors. With the city of Rome being the center of government for the Roman Empire, and with the Roman emperors living in Rome, the city of Rome rose to prominence in all facets of life. Constantine (AD 272–337) and his successors gave their support to the bishop of Rome as the supreme ruler of the church. Of course, it is best for the unity of the Roman Empire that the government and state religion be centralized. While most other bishops (and Christians) resisted the idea of the Roman bishop being supreme, the Roman bishop eventually rose to supremacy, due to the power and influence of the Roman emperors. When the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in 476, the popes took on the title that had previously belonged to the Roman emperors—Pontifex Maximus. Pope Gregory I, ruling from 590–604, is usually considered the first bishop to truly wield papal authority. Many more examples could be given. These four should suffice in demonstrating the origin of the Catholic Church. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church denies the pagan origin of its beliefs and practices. The Catholic Church disguises its pagan beliefs under layers of complicated theology and “church tradition.” Recognizing that many of its beliefs and practices are utterly foreign to Scripture, the Catholic Church is forced to deny the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The origin of the Catholic Church is the tragic compromise of Christianity with the pagan religions that surrounded it. Instead of proclaiming the gospel and converting the pagans, the Catholic Church “Christianized” the pagan religions, and “paganized” Christianity. By blurring the differences and erasing the distinctions, yes, the Catholic Church made itself attractive to the people of the Roman Empire. One result was the Catholic Church becoming the supreme religion in the Roman world for centuries. However, another result was the most dominant form of Christianity apostatizing from the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the true proclamation of God’s Word. Recommended Resource: Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics by Ron Rhodes
4/17/2017 3:05:07 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from ludlowlowell: It's interesting that you would wuote the Bible in an attempt to disprove the teachings of the Catholic Church, Clarity. Are you aware it was the Catholic Church that put the Bible together in the first place, at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 a.d.? And what is the New Testament, except a history of the early days of the Catholic Church? To believe in the Bible without believing in the Catholic Church would be like believing in the Boy Scout Handbook without believing in the Boy Scouts. Its interesting that you bring it up. Also, you say 'Catholic " Church, like you always do. But you do not mean that do you? You mean, your Roman branch of the church. Third Council of Carthage (A.D. 397). Our primary source of information about the third council of Carthage, held in A.D. 397, is an ancient document known as the Codex Canonum Ecclesiæ Africanæ, which presents a compilation of ordinances enacted by various church councils in Carthage during the fourth and fifth centuries. Karl Joseph von Hefele, in his History of the Councils of the Church, 1 states that this compilation was done in the year 419 by Dionysius Exiguus, who called it the Statuta Concilii Africani. Others have called it the "African Code." In one section of this code there is a record of the ordinances enacted at the third council of Carthage, in which the following paragraph concerning the canon of Scripture appears. 2 Hefele maintains that this canon derives from an earlier council, convened in 393 at Hippo Regius, 7 and that the third council of Carthage simply incorporated it, along with many other statutes of the earlier council. However, the sentence "Let this be made known also to our brother and fellow-priest Boniface, or to other bishops of those parts, for the purpose of confirming that Canon" cannot belong to either of these councils. Westcott writes: The third Council of Carthage was held in the year 397 A.D. in the pontificate of Siricus; and Boniface did not succeed to the Roman chair till the year 418 A.D.; so that the allusion to him is at first sight perplexing. Yet this anachronism admits of a reasonable solution. In the year 419 A.D., after the confirmation of Boniface in the Roman epsicopate, the Canons of the African Church were collected and formed into one code. In the process of such a revision it was perfectly natural that some reference should be made to foreign churches on such a subject as the contents of Scripture, which were fixed by usage rather than by law. The marginal note which directed the inquiry was suffered to remain, probably because the plan was never carried out; and that which stood in the text of the general code was afterwards transferred to the text of the original Synod." 8 In connection with this, it has been observed that at least one manuscript indicates that the original wording of the sentence was “De confirmando isto canone transmarina ecclesia consulatur” (“For the confirmation of this canon the church across the sea shall be consulted”). This is the reading adopted by Hefele for his reconstruction of the council of Hippo, and Westcott mentions it in a note. 9 More recent authors tend to present the canon of the third council of Carthage with this emendation. 10 We also observe the peculiar manner in which the Epistle to the Hebrews is listed: “Epistolae Pauli Apostoli xiii., ejusdem ad Hebraeos una.” Here ejusdem looks like a later addition. In any case, the anachronism in the penultimate sentence shows that we do not have the canon in its original form here. The original canon has been edited by someone who has adapted it to churchly developments after 418 A.D. Books of the Apocrypha are named in this list: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees; and the expression "five books of Solomon" implies the inclusion of the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus (Augustine, in his City of God and On Christian Doctrine, says that in addition to Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes, the books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus are often ascribed to Solomon). Some have attributed the inclusion of these books to the influence of Augustine in Hippo and Carthage, because in his writings he sometimes treats them as canonical. But the canon itself purports to give a list of books which were traditionally read in the African churches: “quia a patribus ista accepimus in ecclesia legenda.” The Third Council of Carthage on the Canon of Scripture www.bible-researcher.com › Canon › Lists Sorry lud, but it was not just your branch, and it alone does not hold the copy rights or patent on Scripture. its a bummer I know, to have to be slumming with others.
4/17/2017 3:05:36 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	* Thank you, Clarity, for this: The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church? Indeed, what is the true origin of the Cathlick church? It ain't what Ludlow parrots.
4/17/2017 3:17:51 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Quote from clarity101: i AM very aware that the roman catholic church is a pagan church of lies and deceit. Second Timothy 4:3–4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” this link leads to a very good study into the myth perpetuated by the roman catholic church http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/2012/12/02/is-the-church-of-the-council-of-nicaea-the-roman-catholic-church-a-debate-between-james-white-and-john-mary-vintage/ The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church? The Catholic Church teaches sound doctrine. It is Protestants who cannot endure sound doctrine. They can't endure the sound doctrine that dovorce and remarriage are wrong. They can't endure the sound doctrine that the pope is the pastor of all Christians. They can't endure tge sound doctrine that if we don't eat Jesus's Body and drink His Blood that we have no life in us. They can't endure the sound doctrine that good works must accompany faith. They can't endure the sound doctrine that there is a difference between mortal and venial sin, and that the former leads to Hell and the latter to Purgatory (God is not going to send people to Hell for minor incractions). Protestants can't endure the sound doctrine that saints should be prayed to and venerated, especially Mary, the mother of God. Protestants can't endure the obvious truth that there should be only one Church, and Nesus's followers united, not thousands and thousands of denominations, each one teaching something different than the one down the street. Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, circa 29 a.d. Protestantism, invented by the mere man Martin Luther some 1500 years later.
4/17/2017 3:52:45 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	Quote from ludlowlowell: The Catholic Church teaches sound doctrine. It is Protestants who cannot endure sound doctrine. They can't endure the sound doctrine that dovorce and remarriage are wrong. They can't endure the sound doctrine that the pope is the pastor of all Christians. They can't endure tge sound doctrine that if we don't eat Jesus's Body and drink His Blood that we have no life in us. They can't endure the sound doctrine that good works must accompany faith. They can't endure the sound doctrine that there is a difference between mortal and venial sin, and that the former leads to Hell and the latter to Purgatory (God is not going to send people to Hell for minor incractions). Protestants can't endure the sound doctrine that saints should be prayed to and venerated, especially Mary, the mother of God. Protestants can't endure the obvious truth that there should be only one Church, and Nesus's followers united, not thousands and thousands of denominations, each one teaching something different than the one down the street. Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, circa 29 a.d. Protestantism, invented by the mere man Martin Luther some 1500 years later. that is what you believe because that is what your deceitful catholic church tells you to believe but that is not true. it is much like the the lying deceitful left wing biased media.... they tell folks what they want them to believe. Quote from ludlowlowell: They can't endure the sound doctrine that there is a difference between mortal and venial sin, and that the former leads to Hell and the latter to Purgatory (God is not going to send people to Hell for minor incractions). please tell me where that lie is in the HOLY BIBLE. Does the Bible teach that a person who is truly saved by God through Christ can lose his salvation and regain it? It clearly does not teach this. Once a person has placed his faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, the Bible teaches that that person is eternally secure--he cannot be lost. Consider the words of Jesus in John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” Consider also the words of Paul in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Reflecting back upon the fact of the total satisfaction of God’s wrath toward our sin in the death of Christ, our sins cannot separate us from God’s love. In love, God chooses to take Christ’s death as payment for believers’ sins and doesn’t hold them against the believer. Thus, when the believer commits sin, the forgiveness of God in Christ is already present, and, although the believer may experience self-inflicted consequences of sin, God’s love and forgiveness are never in jeopardy. In Romans 7:14-25, Paul clearly states that the believer will struggle with sin throughout his earthly existence, but that Christ will save us from this body of death. And “therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Whereas the concept of mortal sin teaches that a person can lose his salvation through personal sin, the Bible teaches that God’s love and favor will never be removed from His children. Some point to 1 John 5:16–17 as a proof text for the concept of mortal and venial sin. In that passage John says, “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” We take the “death” mentioned here to be physical death, not eternal death in hell. When a believer continues in unrepentant sin, he will eventually reach the point when God may decide to remove him from this world. God at times purifies His church by removing those who stubbornly disobey Him. The “sin that leads to death” does not result in loss of salvation but in loss of earthly life (see 1 Corinthians 11:30). God’s grace not only redeems the believer from every lawless deed, but it also guides the believer into holy living and makes the believer zealous for good deeds. This doesn’t mean that the believer never sins, but that his passion will be to honor God because of God’s grace working in the believer’s life. Forgiveness and holiness are two sides of the same coin of God’s grace--they go together. Although a believer may stumble and fall into sin at times--maybe even in a big way--the general path and direction of his life will be one of holiness and passion for God and His glory. If one follows the concepts of mortal and venial sin, he or she may be deceived into viewing sin with a flippant attitude, thinking that he or she can sin at will and simply seek God’s forgiveness at a point of personal desire. The Bible instructs us that the true believer will never view sin flippantly and will strive, in the strength of God’s grace, to live a holy life. Based on the above biblical truth, the concepts of mortal and venial sin are not biblical and should be rejected. In Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, the problem of our sin is completely taken care of, and we need look no further than that amazing demonstration of God’s love for us. Our forgiveness and right standing with God is not dependent upon us, our failings, or our faithfulness. The true believer is to fix his eyes on Jesus and live in light of all that He accomplished on our behalf. God’s love and grace are truly amazing! May we live in light of the life we have in Christ! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we be victorious over all sin, whether “mortal,” “venial,” intentional, or unintentional. Recommended Resource: Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics by Ron Rhodes
4/17/2017 4:43:03 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	its 2017, and what is the church? Question: "What is the church?" Answer: Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building. Romans 16:5 says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers. The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return. The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects: 1) The universal church consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This verse says that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ and has received the Spirit of Christ as evidence. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 2) The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2: “Paul, an apostle … and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call local churches. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, Catholic church, etc., is not the church, as in the universal church—but rather is a local church, a local body of believers. The universal church is comprised of those who belong to Christ and who have trusted Him for salvation. These members of the universal church should seek fellowship and edification in a local church. In summary, the church is not a building or a denomination. According to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Local churches are gatherings of members of the universal church. The local church is where the members of the universal church can fully apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians chapter 12: encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sorry, but both sides are wrong and both sides are right. Being a member of #2, does mean you are a member of #1. But many are , and they include Roman Catholics as well as Baptsists. Like come on, its a big sand box, there is room for all.
4/17/2017 4:49:17 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	You answered your own question---1 John 5:16 makes the distinction between mortal and venial sin. Salvation can be lost---otherwise the sin unto death mentioned at 1 John 5:16 wouldn't be there. See also Mark 4:3-20. Can salvation be had, lost, and regained, if the sinner truly repents and goes to Confession? Yes. See Matthew 18:21-22. God is merciful to the repentant sinner, true, but God's forgiveness does not mean that the forgiven sinner has a license to sin, as the OSAS preachers preach. God is like a parole officer and we are like paroled criminals. Yes, we are now free, but if we violate the terms of our parole by committing more sin we lose our freedom and go back to jail. Never mistake God's forgiveness for wimpiness.
4/17/2017 9:55:17 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	Quote from isna_la_wica: its 2017, and what is the church? Question: "What is the church?" Answer: Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building. Romans 16:5 says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers. The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return. The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects: 1) The universal church consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This verse says that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ and has received the Spirit of Christ as evidence. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 2) The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2: “Paul, an apostle … and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call local churches. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, Catholic church, etc., is not the church, as in the universal church—but rather is a local church, a local body of believers. The universal church is comprised of those who belong to Christ and who have trusted Him for salvation. These members of the universal church should seek fellowship and edification in a local church. In summary, the church is not a building or a denomination. According to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Local churches are gatherings of members of the universal church. The local church is where the members of the universal church can fully apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians chapter 12: encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sorry, but both sides are wrong and both sides are right. Being a member of #2, does mean you are a member of #1. But many are , and they include Roman Catholics as well as Baptsists. Like come on, its a big sand box, there is room for all. But Lud doesn't go along with any of that. "Outside of the [Roman] Catholic church there is NO salvation," even though Jesus says there is: ...Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25) "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke 10:27) "Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:50) Ludlow's life Satanic work now seems to be in contradicting God, adding the doctrines of men to God's doctrines, defying God and disobeying Him, and praying to dead human beings.
4/19/2017 3:35:20 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
freegratis Irving, TX 50, joined Dec. 2011	Quote from ludlowlowell: How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies? "And I say also unti thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." --Jesus (Matthew 16:18) visitingfriends, I'd agree with share_n_love's comment. Lud, The thing about rocks is that one is a Cornerstone. Better check that petros/petra meaning and these two verses: Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? Do you think this is about Peter, Lud? Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. It's all about Jesus. Now ask yourself your own question, "How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies?"
4/19/2017 3:43:39 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
a_nubian Columbus, OH 53, joined Jan. 2011	Quote from freegratis: visitingfriends, I'd agree with share_n_love's comment. Lud, The thing about rocks is that one is a Cornerstone. Better check that petros/petra meaning and these two verses: Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? Do you think this is about Peter, Lud? Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. It's all about Jesus. Now ask yourself your own question, "How could the words of Jesus Christ be lies?"
4/19/2017 4:12:02 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
freegratis Irving, TX 50, joined Dec. 2011	Quote from ludlowlowell: You answered your own question---1 John 5:16 makes the distinction between mortal and venial sin. Salvation can be lost---otherwise the sin unto death mentioned at 1 John 5:16 wouldn't be there. See also Mark 4:3-20. Can salvation be had, lost, and regained, if the sinner truly repents and goes to Confession? Yes. See Matthew 18:21-22. God is merciful to the repentant sinner, true, but God's forgiveness does not mean that the forgiven sinner has a license to sin, as the OSAS preachers preach. God is like a parole officer and we are like paroled criminals. Yes, we are now free, but if we violate the terms of our parole by committing more sin we lose our freedom and go back to jail. Never mistake God's forgiveness for wimpiness. Lud, You can stop with the OSAS means a license to sin. Purgatory gives you a license to sin because you can just pay for your sin later in that false teaching. John 5:28-29 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. Full Disclosure: I was going to write "only two paths". But due to my belief in the rapture, I believe this refers to those who die in the millennial kingdom (who are in the graves) or were evil and died before the millennial kingdom. Acts 7:54-60 Stephen and Moses and Elijah are with God now. Matthew 17 Transfiguration. 2 Corinthians 5 (not simply 2 Corinthians 5:8) for Believers who die before the millennial kingdom. OR EVEN that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was really only a parable, but this was before Jesus went to the cross. So it still sounds like it could have been a real event. I take Matthew 18:21-22 as my duty toward the sinner. Do you think that is a license to sin 490 times? I take Mark 4:3-20 as saying only the last group was saved. GotQuestions says 1 John 5:16 is about your earthly life being cut short. https://www.gotquestions.org/sin-unto-death.html Better to try not to sin, and trust in Jesus' atoning sacrifice, Lud. Don't trust in your best attempts to not sin.
4/19/2017 11:24:23 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
iam_resurrected Reno, NV 46, joined Jul. 2014	Quote from isna_la_wica: 17 Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I say to you that you are [d]Peter, and on this [e]rock I will build My church; and the [f]gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ]. 19 I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth [g]will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth [h]will have [already] been loosed We all by the power in the "name" of Yahshua, posses this Authority to fulfill this scripture as many times that proper events present themselves!! It's glorious to walk in power by allowing your faith in Yahweh to be a literal reality!! [Edited 4/19/2017 11:25:55 PM ]
4/20/2017 2:22:58 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	The punishments of Purgatory are very severe and certainly do not give us license to sin. And in the case of mortal sin, the punishment is eternal Hell, not Purgatory. And of course OSAS is a license to sin. Use your common sense.
4/20/2017 3:20:08 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
prophetic774 Winter Haven, FL 66, joined Feb. 2011	DOES THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST HAS TO BE SPILLED OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO ATONE FOR OUR SINS?? The Apostle Peter wrote in I Peter 1:17-19: For you know it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, a Lamb without blemish or defect!! Isaiah 53:5,6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all!! I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself bore our sins in his body on a tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED!. For you were like sheep going astray , but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls! The apostle John wrote in I John 2:1,2: But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. HE IS THE ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS. And not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world! I John 4:10: This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as AN ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS*! Revelation 22:16,18,19: "I, Jesus. have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Churches.... I warn everyone who hears the words of this prophecy of this Book: If anyone ADDS* anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this Book {Including ETERNAL HELL} And if anyone TAKES WORDS AWAY from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City {The New Jerusalem}, which are described in this book." Revelation 1:5: From Jesus Christ, to Him who loves and has FREED US FROM OUR SINS BY HIS BLOOD!! Which TNT totally disagrees with and commits the unpardonable sin of TAKING WORDS AWAY from the book of Revelation!! Revelation 5:9: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain and WITH YOUR BLOOD purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation!!" Ephesians 1:3-8; 11; 19-23: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and BLAMELESS in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--to the praise of His GLORIOUS GRACE, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins. in accordance the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.....In Him we were also CHOSEN having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will!!.....That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the PRESENT AGE but also in the one to come. And God paced ALL THINGS under His feet and appointed Him {Not a pope}to be the *HEAD* over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way!! Ephesians 2:4-10: Because of His great love for us, God,, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is BY GRACE you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparble riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is BY GRACE you have been saved, through faith-- and this NOT FROM YOURSELVES, it is the GIFT of God--NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do! Ephesians 6:7,8: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will REWARD** everyone for whatever good he does! SALVATION IS 100 PERCENT FREE AND REWARDS ARE 100 PERCENT EARNED!!
4/20/2017 3:20:35 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from ludlowlowell: The punishments of Purgatory are very severe and certainly do not give us license to sin. And in the case of mortal sin, the punishment is eternal Hell, not Purgatory. And of course OSAS is a license to sin. Use your common sense. No it is not, lod-o-lies. Not one person here has ever said they have a lic to sin. You seem to think you have a lic to judge and lie though. 007 lud-o- lie. , thinking you can sin, but then just get a Priest to forgive you, or get re- saved. Where is mindya with his jiminy Swaggert repent clicker when you need him?
4/20/2017 5:15:02 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
prophetic774 Winter Haven, FL 66, joined Feb. 2011	If we fail to daily ask forgiveness and repent of our sins God will DISCIPLINE US and sometimes it will be very painful. We will also lose ETERNAL REWARDS and a CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with God! "PRAY CONTINUALLY; GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS!!" {I Thess 5:17,18} Matthew 6:5,6,9-11 Jesus commands, “When you PRAY, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to PRAY standing in the synagogues {churches} and on the street corners to be seen by men...But when you PRAY, go into your room, close the door and PRAY to your FATHER, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you... This, then, is how you should PRAY: “Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.” and Luke 11:4 adds, FORGIVE US OUR SINS, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” Matthew 6:7,8: Jesus says, "And when you PRAY, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him!" James 5:13-16: Is any one of you IN TROUBLE? He should PRAY!! Is any one of you SICK? He should call the elders {And only the elders!} of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the PRAYER offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The PRAYER of a righteous man is powerful and effective! Acts 1:14: They all joined together CONSTANTLY IN PRAYER! Ephesians 6:18-19: PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on PRAYINGfor all the saints. PRAY also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel. I John 1:8,9; 2:1,2: If we {believers} claim to be without sin, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES and the truth is not in us. If we CONFESS OUR SINS, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we {believers} we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives....If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS!! Matthew 26:41: Jesus says, "Watch and PRAYso that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak!" Hebrews 4:15,16: For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may RECEIVE MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED!! Hebrews 12:5,6,10,11: Do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the LORD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES, And He punishes everyone He accepts as a son... God disciplines us for our own good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. If we fail to daily ask forgiveness and repent of our sins God will DISCIPLINE US and sometimes it will be very painful. We will also LOSE ETERNAL REWARDS and a CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with God! 2 Corinthians 5:9,10: We make it our goal to please Him... for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15: His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives , he will receive his REWARD. If it is burned up he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 2 John 1:8: Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you be REWARDED FULLY! Colossians 3:23-25: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a REWARD. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. 2 Peter 1:5-11: Make every effort to add to your faith {A Free Gift} goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,LOVE. For it you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten he has been cleansed of his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fail, and you will receive a RICH WELCOME into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. John 14:21,23: Jesus says, "Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who LOVES Me! He who loves Me will be LOVED by My Father, and I will LOVE him....If anyone LOVES Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will LOVE him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him!!" I John 3:18: Dear children, let us not LOVE with words or tongue but with actions and in truth! 119:11: I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. I John 2:3-5: We know we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we OBEY HIS COMMANDS. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone OBEYS HIS WORD, God's love is truly made complete in him! Matthew 4:4: Jesus says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY WORD FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD!" Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY! Romans 15:4: Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE SCRIPTURES WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE!
4/20/2017 5:16:25 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
prophetic774 Winter Haven, FL 66, joined Feb. 2011	Ephesians 6:10-18: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace, In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can exrtinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD! Luke 18:1: Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should ALWAYS PRAY AND NEVER GIVE UP! Jeremiah 33:3; The Lord says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know!" {This would help God's saints to correctly interpret many of the mysteries in God's Word!} Luke 11:1-4: The disciples asked Jesus, "Teach us to PRAY" Jesus said to His disciples, "When you PRAY, say: 'Father , hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come. Give us each day our DAILY bread. FORGIVE US {disciples}OUR SINS, for we forgive everyone who sins against us'" Here we see that Jesus tells His disciples to daily ask the Father to forgive them of their sins. God's Word states that we must be holy as God is holy as per I Peter 1:15,16; and to walk as Jesus walked as per I John 2:6. And God understands that we really don't understand how much we fall short and sin daily. The closer we get to God the more we realize how much we fall short and sin daily; and realize our need to confess our sins daily to get closer to God. Take Paul, the greatest NT saint, for example: I Timothy 1:15,16: Paul said, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I AM THE WORST. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, THE WORST OF SINNERS, Christ Jesus might display HIS UNLIMITED PATIENCE as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. I Timothy 5:5: The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to PRAY and ASK GOD FOR HELP!! I Thessalonians 5:17,18: PRAYCONTINUALLY; GIVE THANKS IN ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:6: I PRAY that you may be active in sharing your faith. Acts 6:4: We will give our attention to PRAYER and the ministry of the Word! Matthew 5:44: Jesus commands, ”Love your enemies and PRAY** for those who persecute you.” Acts 21:5: All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city and their on the beach we KNELT to PRAY. Luke 22:41: Jesus KNELT down and PRAYED. Mark 1:35: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a SOLITARY PLACE, where He PRAYED! Luke 5:16: Jesus often withdrew to LONELY PLACES and PRAYED! Acts 9:40: Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his KNEES and PRAYED. I Thessalonians 3:10: Night and day we PRAY* most earnestly that we may supply what is lacking in your faith. Ephesians 3:16-19: I PRAY that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I PRAY that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that love which surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God! 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12: We CONSTANTLY PRAY FOR YOU, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We PRAY this that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. John 17:15-17: Jesus prayed, “My PRAYER is not to take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Sanctify them by the Truth Your Word is Truth!” I Peter 3:12: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their PRAYER. Colossians 4:12: He is always wrestling in PRAYER for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Philippians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by PRAYER and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. I John 5:14,15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL He hears us. And if we know that He hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him. 2 Corinthians 12:8,9: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness!" James 4:3: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures! Romans 8:26,27: The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to PRAY for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with GOD'S WILL! Matthew 18:10-14: Jesus said, “Two men went up to the temple to PRAY, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and PRAYED about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance, He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER'!!.'"I tell you that this man rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted!”
4/21/2017 10:59:55 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	There is a difference between a Christian who sins, repents, then sins again and repents again on the one hand (most Christians, actually) ("tge just man falls seven times a day" --Proverbs 24:16), and a Christian who never thinks much about sin and repentance and continues his fornication, adultery (which includes divorce and remarriage), excessive drinking, or his bearing false witness, or whatever other sin, and who thinks that just because he had an emotional experience at an altar call so many years ago he is "saved". The latter, even if he doesn't explicitly say so, even if he is in his conscious mind unaware of it, really does think he has a license to sin. There are Protestant denominations who teach salvation by enotional experience but who do not teach once-saved-always-saved (OSAS). My own former denomination, Methodist, was vague on the subject (they were vague about a lot of things). Pentecostal churches, most of them, teach that salvation can be once had and later lost. Martin Luther taught that salvation could ve lost, but only if a Christian lost his faith. So it cannot be said that these Protestants think that salvation is a license to sin. The biggest pusher of the patently absurd doctrine of OSAS is the Southern Baptist denomination. And most Baptists really do think they have a license to sin, even if they only think it subconsciously.
4/21/2017 11:53:57 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
freegratis Irving, TX 50, joined Dec. 2011	Quote from ludlowlowell: The punishments of Purgatory are very severe and certainly do not give us license to sin. And in the case of mortal sin, the punishment is eternal Hell, not Purgatory. And of course OSAS is a license to sin. Use your common sense. Common sense? Just repeating a thing does not make it so. Instead, use the bible. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Romans 6 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. It does come back to what I was trying to ask KB, "What is the standard we have here on Earth to discern a topic?" Apparently for you it is your common sense. Shouldn't you be seeking the Pope's infallible word on this topic? Are you becoming a bad Catholic, which makes you a candidate for being a good Christian?
4/21/2017 11:57:19 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Freegratis, do you believe in OSAS?
4/22/2017 4:36:07 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
visitingfriends Evansville, WI 77, joined Jan. 2011	Quote from ludlowlowell: Great list, Visitingfriends. You left off Bob Hope, Dutch Shultz, Sitting Bull, Barbara Hutton, and Lana Turner. I didn't know Patricia Neal converted. I knew Alec Guiness and Tony Blair were Catholics but I didn't know they were converts. "All graces God gives non-Catholics, He gives for the purpose of converting them to the Catholic Church." --St. Augustine, himself a convert "If I sinner like me can convert, anybody can." --the same St. Augustine Visitingfriends, did you deliberately post this on Easter because converts, in the early Church and at the present time, usually baptized on the Easter vigil? Happy Easter to all. Yes I did. Wow didn't realize it would create such a anti Catholic debate. It was supposed to be only informative. I can see things will never change on here. No wonder Michael, Denny and other Catholics left this site. It does not give one a warm and fuzzy feeling here.
4/22/2017 5:19:23 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
share_n_love Fort Wayne, IN 61, joined Dec. 2012	Quote from clarity101: i AM very aware that the roman catholic church is a pagan church of lies and deceit. Second Timothy 4:3–4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” this link leads to a very good study into the myth perpetuated by the roman catholic church http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/2012/12/02/is-the-church-of-the-council-of-nicaea-the-roman-catholic-church-a-debate-between-james-white-and-john-mary-vintage/ The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church?
4/22/2017 8:45:42 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	But Clarity and Share, all the things on that list ARE in the Bible! Papacy: Matthew 16:18-19. Mary: Luke 1:48 ("generations will call me blessed") The assumption of Mary: this happened after all the books of the Bible had been written, except Revelation. Revelation didn't mention it because it was not germane to Revelation's subjects and themes. Petitioning if saints: in the Lazarus-rich man parable the rich man prays to Abraham. Also, the book of James says to pray, one for another. Apostolic succession: see the first chapter of Acts, where Matthias was chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot, so that someone could take over Judas's bishoprick. Sacraments: all seven Catholic sacraments are in the New Testament. Infant Baptism: didn't Jesus say, "let the little children come unto me"? Confession: at John 20:22-23 Jesus gave the apostles, the first priests of the Catholic Church, the power to forgive sins, the power to forgive or retain them. How is the priest going to know which sins to forgive and which ones to retain unless the sinner tells the priest what the sins are? Also, the book of James says that we should confess our sins, one to another. Purgatory: see 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Indulgences: the Church gained the authority to grant indulgences when Jesus told Peter, the first pope, he had tge authority to loose and to bind. Jesus gave the first indulgence to Dismas, the good thief on the cross, when Jesus said "this day you will be with me in paradise".
4/25/2017 5:26:29 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from visitingfriends: Yes I did. Wow didn't realize it would create such a anti Catholic debate. It was supposed to be only informative. I can see things will never change on here. No wonder Michael, Denny and other Catholics left this site. It does not give one a warm and fuzzy feeling here. I know that two left, because of the one Catholic on here. And sorry, but one can not do a post on this site with out your buddy making it into a Catholic/ Protestant debate.
4/25/2017 5:29:22 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from clarity101: i AM very aware that the roman catholic church is a pagan church of lies and deceit. Second Timothy 4:3–4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” this link leads to a very good study into the myth perpetuated by the roman catholic church http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/2012/12/02/is-the-church-of-the-council-of-nicaea-the-roman-catholic-church-a-debate-between-james-white-and-john-mary-vintage/ The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church? And that is an out right lie. I would not have done my previous post if I had seen this first. I have her blocked, and did not know what Danny was dealing with. My apologies.
4/25/2017 12:14:09 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Many people, indeed, are offended by sound Catholic doctrine. For instance, when Jesus started talking about the Holy Eucharist in the sixth chapter of John, a lot of people quit following Jesus. Jesus did not go into a panic over this. He did not say, oh no, I'm losing popularity, I'm losing market share. Jesus kept on teaching about the Holy Eucharist. Jesus said a lot of unpopular things, especially about sex, marriage, and Hell, as does today the Catholic Church. Many is the Catholic, past and present, who lost their faith around the time of puberty. Following Jesus just plain becomes too hard for them at this point. But neither Jesus nor the Church change their teachings to accommodate such people. If we can't drink from the same bitter cup Jesus drank from we will not enter Heaven---see Matthew 20:22. See also 2 Timothy 4:3.
4/25/2017 8:52:12 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Quote from ludlowlowell: Many people, indeed, are offended by sound Catholic doctrine. For instance, when Jesus started talking about the Holy Eucharist in the sixth chapter of John, a lot of people quit following Jesus. Jesus did not go into a panic over this. He did not say, oh no, I'm losing popularity, I'm losing market share. Jesus kept on teaching about the Holy Eucharist. Jesus said a lot of unpopular things, especially about sex, marriage, and Hell, as does today the Catholic Church. Many is the Catholic, past and present, who lost their faith around the time of puberty. Following Jesus just plain becomes too hard for them at this point. But neither Jesus nor the Church change their teachings to accommodate such people. If we can't drink from the same bitter cup Jesus drank from we will not enter Heaven---see Matthew 20:22. See also 2 Timothy 4:3. Those things mean nothing to you lud. For even when some one agrees with them? You still start a fight with them. To you, its a team sport all the time, and that means more than the things you listed to you. Others practice the Eucharist, just as Jesus taught. But to you? Its not the Eucharist that is important but where you do it. Sorry, the Roman branch does not hold the patent on Jesus.
4/25/2017 10:29:17 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	Danny, do you still pray to Mary and other dead people even though Jesus clearly says: "But thou, when thou prayest, ...pray to thy Father." Mat 6:6 "when thou prayest...pray to thy Father"
4/29/2017 9:55:40 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
isna_la_wica Brantford, ON 63, joined Mar. 2012	Kudo`s to Pope Francis for his promoting peace. A couple years ago , there were warnings about Christianity in the mid east being wiped out. But something strange is happening, its actually growing. Many Kurdish Muslims are disillusioned from the extremes in their faith, as they have to fight them daily. And many, are coming to Christianity. And Pope Francis along with the Coptic Church, are responsible for this, by sharing the message of Christ. A very admirable work, when you consider that many in Christianity are teaching the opposite and that we should hate others, and keep separated. Pope Francis said violence cannot be committed in the name of God, in a speech at a Muslim-Christian conference in Egypt. The 80-year-old touched down at Cairo airport on Friday before he was ushered in a car to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Francis is in Egypt on a 27-hour visit to push for dialogue with Muslims and support the country's embattled Christian minority that has suffered a series of attacks. "Peace alone ... is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of God, for it would profane his name," the Catholic pontiff said. He also warned against rising populism. "Demagogic forms of populism are on the rise. These certainly do not help to consolidate peace and stability," he told the conference, organised by Al-Azhar, the world's foremost Sunni Islamic centre of learning. "It is essential that we spare no effort in eliminating situations of poverty and exploitation, where extremism more easily takes root, and in blocking the flow of money and weapons destined to those who provoke violence." Acts that do not promote peace are "a gift to the proponents of radicalism and violence", the pope said. Amid high security, the pontiff is meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Imam of the government-run Al-Azhar mosque and an Islamic philosophy professor, before meeting with Sisi and Pope Tawadros II, the head of Egypt's Coptic Church. Francis is a light, in a world that seeks separation and religious strife and war. And, it will reap, new converts for sure.
4/29/2017 1:32:26 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	I am not a huge fan of Pope Francis, but I do dstrongly support his calls for peace. If Kurds are converting to Christianity I am very happy to hear that.
5/9/2017 10:32:24 PM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Protestantism, founded by Martin Luther. Catholicism, founded by Jesus Christ. Protestantism, the shifting sands. Catholicism, the solid rock.
5/10/2017 2:32:13 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
followjesusonly Kingman, AZ 74, joined May. 2012	Quote from isna_la_wica: Francis is a light, in a world that seeks separation and religious strife and war. But Ludlow the so-called Catholic says: "[Pope] Francis is an utter idiot and is one of the worst popes in history. Don't listen to Francis, the worst pope since Alexander VI."
5/11/2017 9:45:57 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	www.livingwaters.com “Hitler was undoubtedly a Christian.” Hitler said, “Our epoch will certainly see the end of the disease of Christianity,” “Christianity is the worst of the regressions that mankind can ever have undergone,” “The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of Christianity.” Adolf Hitler was a lapsed Roman Catholic, who hated Christianity. He knew that there was a difference, but for some reason atheists say they don’t, revealing their willful ignorance of the Scriptures. From: http://store.livingwaters.com/books/jaws-without-teeth.html
5/11/2017 10:22:53 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
ludlowlowell Panama City, FL 64, joined Feb. 2008	Thank you, Clarity. At least somebody around here studies history.
5/30/2017 8:32:48 AM	50 Catholic Converts:
cupocheer Assumption, IL 68, joined May. 2010

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