A question for Christians only please

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

You mean like in line at the DMV or the bank? What do you mean? Just curious.

I mean that I've heard that they pray first for the Pope, then pray to The Virgin Mary, then lastly, they pray to Jesus and thank him for blessings.

Really? What part of the liturgy leads you to believe that?

I said that I have heard that. I did NOT say that I have read it, nor experienced it.

The entire celebration of the Holy Mass is centered around the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, also called the Eucharist. When you enter into a parish, one of the first things you might notice is a red candle burning at the back of the church, left of the tabernacle. It symbolizes Christ's physical presence. There is opening hymns, a prayer of contrition, 3 Bible readings, the last being from the gospels, and then the rest of the service is dedicated to the liturgy of the Eucharist, where Christ is miraculously made present in the common elements of wheat and wine and everyone comes to the front to partake in his body and blood as he commanded.

So my answer is go to a Sunday Mass and see for yourself. I think you'll find the entire service is focused on Christ, his life, his death, and his resurrection. Though the Pope, the diocese Bishop, and the company of angels and saints bear mentioning, you'll see they are peripheral to a liturgy focused on Christ.

But I'd rather you see it for yourself.

S.M. I grew up RC, went to a RC grade and HS, we had a church right in the lot at grade school. I had communion every Sunday and went to mass and was baptized as a baby. I know a bit about the RCC. I respect your beliefs and whatnot but I vehemently disagree with the RCC, the Catechism and many of the traditions. As well there ARE many unbiblical teachings and practices. We can talk about those if you like There are Believer's in the RCC, BUT I personally believe it is despite the RCC, not because of it.

I do not believe Jesus is in the wafer for a number of solid reasons if you like to debate on it? (in a new thread?) plmk and God Bless. Kevin.

A new thread is right, though I've already got one that I'm maintaining on Pope Francis.....let's just say I have a few issues with him at the moment. I hope my other posts on this thread of yours has been helpful, because aside from any doctrinal disagreements, we all struggle between the holiness we're called to and the sinful nature we're called out of. I especially want you to understand that nearly everyone you see at church has some serious struggles, blindnesses, secret sins, and places where healing never occurred. It all should serve to remind us of the GRACE by which we're saved.

 

[ninja007]

agreed, ALL have gone astray...........Isaiah 53:6.

 

[Avatar4321]

If you ask Jesus to forgive your sins, He will forgive them - time and again. Believing that Jesus is your savior will keep you out of Hell. That doesn't mean that you are home free. All of us will stand before Jesus for an accounting of our lives. I agree with Judicial review that you need to be with Christian people, get involved in a church, and stay busy. Pray for the wisdom and strength to get beyond this sin. Your prayers will be answered. Good luck.

Yes sins will be forgiven by asking for it, but you have to mean it too. I remember going to a Catholic church when I was a kid for a couple years and I watched these people go to confession, get a clean soul and then go right back out and do it all again the next week. Then the next week they would be back in the confessional asking forgiveness for the exact same things they asked forgiveness for the last week.

I have already gone on record as saying this topic that Ninja has brought up isn't a problem (although I am in the minority one that one), but if someone is going to take that path you can't have a daily wank in the shower and then just say "sorry God" while you are taking a shave and call it good. You have to mean it.

No you didn't see that. And if you think I'm calling you a liar, you're right. In fact, those of us who regularly go to confession make a much stronger effort to live the devout life because confession involves repentance and penance, doing something positive to regain footing on the path of righteousness. One does not go through that if they aren't sincere and those who intend to live a life of unbridled indulgence in sin don't go to confession.

So let's please stop with the lies.

I'm not really sure I see how confessing your sins to a priest and repenting shows a stronger effort to be devout then confessing regularly to the Lord in prayer would

 

[ninja007]

Avatar, agreed. The Bible says we have one mediator between us and God, Jesus...the perfect sinless one.


Timothy 2:5 ... “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

 

[Avatar4321]

Resist the devil and he will flee.

Resist lust and it will grow and so will the pressure in your seminal vesicle. Resistance is futile.

I disagree. The complete opposite is true. The more you give in, the more you need it. The more you resist, the more power you obtain over yourself and your adversary

 

[ninja007]

Resist the devil and he will flee.

Resist lust and it will grow and so will the pressure in your seminal vesicle. Resistance is futile.

I disagree. The complete opposite is true. The more you give in, the more you need it. The more you resist, the more power you obtain over yourself and your adversary

strange rebuttal from SM. Priests as far as I know cannot marry and look how thats turned out

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

Resist the devil and he will flee.

Resist lust and it will grow and so will the pressure in your seminal vesicle. Resistance is futile.

I disagree. The complete opposite is true. The more you give in, the more you need it. The more you resist, the more power you obtain over yourself and your adversary

strange rebuttal from SM. Priests as far as I know cannot marry and look how thats turned out

I don't know what that has to do with this discussion. Avatar4321 is part of your problem, not that he sets out to be, but take a close look at his post and my post he responded to and you'll see the debate we're having that pertains to you and so many with your struggle. He lays out a standard that I've often seen, but it's a standard that leaves others feeling like failures because they can never measure up. What I said about masturbation is true, it exerts a certain gravity that eventually gets its way. Think of how a sea-star attacks a clam. It wraps its arms around it attaching hundreds of suction cups that attempt to pull the clam shells open. It takes several hours because the clam is using muscle to keep itself shut, but because the sea-star is tireless it eventually wins, fatigue sets in and the clam's muscles can no longer hold it shut. The sea star then proceeds to send out its stomach to digest the clam inside the shell.

This is the way our flesh operates, we grow tired in resisting sin but temptation is as tireless as a sea star. The good news is that prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit can give us new wind to keep up the fight. But often this only delays the inevitable. After a while or even a few days we're hungry, tired, haven't prayed, and we're horny due to a buildup in our seminal vesicle yearning for release. The pressure to masturbate is both spiritual and biological and then we finally succumb to it, feeling guilty and ashamed at our weakness.

I'm married, but I wasn't always. I'm aware of the struggle. And even those who tell you to resist may not tell you that they aren't winning every battle either. I learned that too. Again, you don't see how common your struggle is because everyone is so private about it. You think they're champions at resisting temptation but in fact they're struggling too. So don't take too seriously Avatar or anyone who sets up an unattainable standard. Trust me, nobody's meeting it.

 

[Avatar4321]

Christ can help us overcome the flesh. His standard is holiness. We just need to repent.

 

[Sonny Clark]

I heard that Catholics put the Pope and The Virgin Mary before Jesus. Is that correct? Just curious.

The Pope is a Bishop, and Bishops are relegated to human status, far down the ladder from Christ.

Mary, also, is human, not divine. Catholics honor her as the mother of Jesus. Apparently some are astonished at the idea of honoring mothers, especially one who put God's wishes above her own.

Mary (and the Pope) are models of human faith, and respected as such. Many of our own parents and priests are great models as well, but you know the old saying about a prophet in his own country. In any case, there is respect which we give to Saints and Bishops--and then there is worship, reserved for God alone.

Thanks. I understand.

 

[Sonny Clark]

I heard that Catholics put the Pope and The Virgin Mary before Jesus. Is that correct? Just curious.

You mean like in line at the DMV or the bank? What do you mean? Just curious.

I mean that I've heard that they pray first for the Pope, then pray to The Virgin Mary, then lastly, they pray to Jesus and thank him for blessings.

Really? What part of the liturgy leads you to believe that?

I said that I have heard that. I did NOT say that I have read it, nor experienced it.

The entire celebration of the Holy Mass is centered around the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, also called the Eucharist. When you enter into a parish, one of the first things you might notice is a red candle burning at the back of the church, left of the tabernacle. It symbolizes Christ's physical presence. There is opening hymns, a prayer of contrition, 3 Bible readings, the last being from the gospels, and then the rest of the service is dedicated to the liturgy of the Eucharist, where Christ is miraculously made present in the common elements of wheat and wine and everyone comes to the front to partake in his body and blood as he commanded.

So my answer is go to a Sunday Mass and see for yourself. I think you'll find the entire service is focused on Christ, his life, his death, and his resurrection. Though the Pope, the diocese Bishop, and the company of angels and saints bear mentioning, you'll see they are peripheral to a liturgy focused on Christ.

But I'd rather you see it for yourself.

Much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MaxGrit]

Paul is a lot more intelligent than to actually believe that kind of stupidity.

Well you know...ok...believe what you want, but that's was Paul's message throughout Corinthians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians...pretty much all over the place. I mean that was one of his most pressing issues was the apocalyptic message which was overwhelmingly dominant in the 1st century CE. So...you know...whatever you want to go with, knock yourself out. It makes no difference to me really, but...well...there it is.

Dude, you're the one pushing a quack explanation. You might be better off saying that "water is not wet."

You might want to do some research. My explanation is the one that is embraced and accepted by the vast....VAST majority of Biblical scholars. If you went to nearly any Biblical scholar and tried to argue that Paul was not an apocalypticist they would look at you as if you were from another planet.

Those Biblical scholars are also idiots.

So you are saying that people who have PhD's in Biblical history, theology, who have studied it all their adult lives, who read scripture in their original languages, and understand the cultural context of antiquity are...idiots? And you apparently know better than them and support your position with such deep, insightful pontification such as "You're an idiot espousing pig theology.". Gotcha! Well...you know...I have to say. I too have studied such things all my life in similar ways as all those idiot scholars, and since you say that that myself and all those scholars are wrong I will just toss all that over my shoulder and do what you apparently do and believe what everyone tells me to believe.

Does anyone have an IQ eraser? If I am going to embrace this new path I am going to need it.

Yea. Apparently you are pretty stupid and judge people's intelligence based on their academic degrees.

Why not just read Paul and think for yourself.

As for your example Paul even explained what he meant. Why believe dumb-asses trying to substitute the explanation?

 

[MaxGrit]

Ephesians 6
English Standard Version (ESV)

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

 

[MaxGrit]

1 Corinthians 7

6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? 17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.

21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.

 

[MaxGrit]

Renewing Your Mind The Carnal Christian January 18 2015

 

[Mertex]

While porn may not seem as such a bad thing.....the problem with it is that it is a distortion of what is good, and eventually will lead to something worse....like child pornography, beastiality and who knows what else. Once you no longer get aroused by what regular porn provides, you will want something more provocative, and more than likely something that is obtained by causing harm to innocents.

I don't believe that masterbating is a sin, but I think that you have made sex way more important than it needs to be. I believe that sex is good and from God and that is why He gave us Marriage....but even in marriage, there are limitations. C.S. Lewis, in his book "Mere Christianity" addresses Sexual Morality and gives good advice on why it is important. You may want to check out his whole book, but the part of his book that I'm talking about, you can find in the link I'm providing below, with the specific time and location .

Sometimes we pray for God to help us quit something that we really don't want to quit. You are the only one that can answer that. If deep down you really don't want to quit, Jesus won't force you to quit, but you can pray for Him to help you want to quit. I hope this helps. God Bless.

The part I mentioned starts at 3:17, - Book 3, Chapter 5, Sexual Morality (2nd page of link).
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

 

[September]

 

[Nutz]

thanks guys, and yes its porn. Regarding J.R.- I agree. I do not party, drink, do drugs, smoke, gamble. My two main vices are porn and food. I do not hang out with the wrong crowd. I'm kind of a loner. I'm 42, single, no kids.

TBH I have not been to my church in forever. I do pray every day many times a day, read and post in here and on another Christian Board for fellowship, read the Word..not as much as I should though.

I will take everyone's advice and always praying. I think I'm just not "trying" hard enough to stop. I can go several days at a time but then I sin like that for one, 2, 3 days in a row...rinse and repeat. FOR YEARS. I thought this sin would get "better" after knowing God. ughhh.

You don't go to Church and you are looking for answers on an internet forum. Good luck with that one. Seems as if you are defining your own faith to satisfy YOUR needs and not God's desires.

GO TO CHURCH (Not the Catholic Cult). Meet new people, speak with the pastor. Otherwise, you are simply churning your wheels...feeding your problems to the devil and internet trolls.

 

[ninja007]

thanks guys, and yes its porn. Regarding J.R.- I agree. I do not party, drink, do drugs, smoke, gamble. My two main vices are porn and food. I do not hang out with the wrong crowd. I'm kind of a loner. I'm 42, single, no kids.

TBH I have not been to my church in forever. I do pray every day many times a day, read and post in here and on another Christian Board for fellowship, read the Word..not as much as I should though.

I will take everyone's advice and always praying. I think I'm just not "trying" hard enough to stop. I can go several days at a time but then I sin like that for one, 2, 3 days in a row...rinse and repeat. FOR YEARS. I thought this sin would get "better" after knowing God. ughhh.

You don't go to Church and you are looking for answers on an internet forum. Good luck with that one. Seems as if you are defining your own faith to satisfy YOUR needs and not God's desires.

GO TO CHURCH (Not the Catholic Cult). Meet new people, speak with the pastor. Otherwise, you are simply churning your wheels...feeding your problems to the devil and internet trolls.

Lots of people going to church every week that are going to hell. Going to church doesn't save you- Jesus saves.

 

[MaxGrit]

thanks guys, and yes its porn. Regarding J.R.- I agree. I do not party, drink, do drugs, smoke, gamble. My two main vices are porn and food. I do not hang out with the wrong crowd. I'm kind of a loner. I'm 42, single, no kids.

TBH I have not been to my church in forever. I do pray every day many times a day, read and post in here and on another Christian Board for fellowship, read the Word..not as much as I should though.

I will take everyone's advice and always praying. I think I'm just not "trying" hard enough to stop. I can go several days at a time but then I sin like that for one, 2, 3 days in a row...rinse and repeat. FOR YEARS. I thought this sin would get "better" after knowing God. ughhh.

You don't go to Church and you are looking for answers on an internet forum. Good luck with that one. Seems as if you are defining your own faith to satisfy YOUR needs and not God's desires.

GO TO CHURCH (Not the Catholic Cult). Meet new people, speak with the pastor. Otherwise, you are simply churning your wheels...feeding your problems to the devil and internet trolls.

Lots of people going to church every week that are going to hell. Going to church doesn't save you- Jesus saves.

Still better to go. Dont be lazy like me.

Sorry God. I am such a sinner.

 

[Nutz]

thanks guys, and yes its porn. Regarding J.R.- I agree. I do not party, drink, do drugs, smoke, gamble. My two main vices are porn and food. I do not hang out with the wrong crowd. I'm kind of a loner. I'm 42, single, no kids.

TBH I have not been to my church in forever. I do pray every day many times a day, read and post in here and on another Christian Board for fellowship, read the Word..not as much as I should though.

I will take everyone's advice and always praying. I think I'm just not "trying" hard enough to stop. I can go several days at a time but then I sin like that for one, 2, 3 days in a row...rinse and repeat. FOR YEARS. I thought this sin would get "better" after knowing God. ughhh.

You don't go to Church and you are looking for answers on an internet forum. Good luck with that one. Seems as if you are defining your own faith to satisfy YOUR needs and not God's desires.

GO TO CHURCH (Not the Catholic Cult). Meet new people, speak with the pastor. Otherwise, you are simply churning your wheels...feeding your problems to the devil and internet trolls.

Lots of people going to church every week that are going to hell. Going to church doesn't save you- Jesus saves.

Wow, Jesus is your savior and you refuse to go to his house. Are you really saved...do you really have faith? Would you marry a women and live in separate dwellings...and never visit her. No discipleship? No teaching? Just your interpretation, probably perverted as you use online forums...A HATE FORUM LIKE USMB...to satisfy your spiritual needs.

Are you sure you know God? Are you certain you respect his word?