Catholics Don't Exemplify Christianity...

[Ravi]

Please don't use Catholicism as an example of Christianity..
Their doctrine is flawed.

You pray to GOD and JESUS not Mary.
Your sins are forgiven by GOD, not a Priest.

It's CRAP!

Preaching to the choir sister! LOL I told my ex mother in law the same thing for years. She practiced it all her life and could still tell me a total of zero why she went every day and what any of it meant. Told me to ask a priest. I told her I didn't have to do ask a priest because there is a bible available to me and I can read. She told me I should not be reading it. She and I did not get along what so ever. She told her in laws who didn't convert that they were going to hell. Maybe if she read the bible instead of listening to a priest she would know better

Catholics don't pray to Mary. They ask Mary to pray for them. I smell fundie bigotry.

 

[aris2chat]

Please don't use Catholicism as an example of Christianity..
Their doctrine is flawed.

You pray to GOD and JESUS not Mary.
Your sins are forgiven by GOD, not a Priest.

It's CRAP!

Preaching to the choir sister! LOL I told my ex mother in law the same thing for years. She practiced it all her life and could still tell me a total of zero why she went every day and what any of it meant. Told me to ask a priest. I told her I didn't have to do ask a priest because there is a bible available to me and I can read. She told me I should not be reading it. She and I did not get along what so ever. She told her in laws who didn't convert that they were going to hell. Maybe if she read the bible instead of listening to a priest she would know better

Catholics don't pray to Mary. They ask Mary to pray for them. I smell fundie bigotry.

You are asking a statue to speak to god?
difference without a distinction

 

[featherlite]

Please don't use Catholicism as an example of Christianity..
Their doctrine is flawed.

You pray to GOD and JESUS not Mary.
Your sins are forgiven by GOD, not a Priest.

For Catholics, both the living and the dead make up the Body of Christ. Asking Mary for her prayers is no different from asking friends and family members of their prayers.

Sacrament of Reconciliation (and any Sacrament): Visible signs of the invisible reality. Priests have the authority to announce, "I absolve you..." Just as priests have the authority to announce, "I pronounce you husband and wife..."

(It is God who binds, not the priest.)

I agree as long as its not a requirement or "stepping Stone" to reach God. Talking to a priest has a cathartic value to it but not a requirement from God.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

The ONLY Way to God the Father is through God the Son. John 14:6

The Catholics Ive known have explained it to me like that ( I added the verse) and it made sense.
... to actually pray to the dead or the virgin Mary...isnt biblical.

 

[Ravi]

Please don't use Catholicism as an example of Christianity..
Their doctrine is flawed.

You pray to GOD and JESUS not Mary.
Your sins are forgiven by GOD, not a Priest.

It's CRAP!

Preaching to the choir sister! LOL I told my ex mother in law the same thing for years. She practiced it all her life and could still tell me a total of zero why she went every day and what any of it meant. Told me to ask a priest. I told her I didn't have to do ask a priest because there is a bible available to me and I can read. She told me I should not be reading it. She and I did not get along what so ever. She told her in laws who didn't convert that they were going to hell. Maybe if she read the bible instead of listening to a priest she would know better

Catholics don't pray to Mary. They ask Mary to pray for them. I smell fundie bigotry.

You are asking a statue to speak to god?
difference without a distinction

Are you stupid or are do you just play an idiot on the Internet?

 

[Meriweather]

I agree as long as its not a requirement or "stepping Stone" to reach God. Talking to a priest has a cathartic value to it but not a requirement from God.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am with them. (Matthew 18:20)

The early Church centered its practices around the sacred life of Christ. These practices later became known as sacraments. It is all a part of discipleship, following Christ. Baptism, the Lord's Supper, marriage, Confirmation, Anointing of fellow priests, and healing of the sick never occurred in a vacuum, where on baptized themselves, married themselves, healed themselves, etc. Sin, and forgiveness of sin, don't occur in a vacuum, either.

Sacramental practices, including the forgiveness of sins, were and remain community practices in the Catholic Church. The sacraments are prayers and a part of Catholic prayer life.

If you are not Catholic, then you are not required to take part in any sacrament. If you wish to follow the Catholic discipline/discipleship, then it is expected. Think of it like this: Math majors are required to take calculus as part of their discipline. On the other hand, no such discipline is required of athletes. They follow their own disciplines.

What is expected of Catholics is not required of non-Catholics. Many non-Catholics equate "required" as "must have in order to insure a place in heaven." Catholics do not see salvation is this light. Salvation is a way of life that culminates in heaven. It is God, and God alone, (not the Catholic or any other faith) who ordains who is, and who is not in heaven. In that respect, sacraments are not a "requirement."

The Catholics Ive known have explained it to me like that ( I added the verse) and it made sense.
... to actually pray to the dead or the virgin Mary...isnt biblical.

Catholics do not see any sacrament as a "requirement" to reach heaven. The sacramental life is simply a way of living this life based on how Christ lived and taught.

It is biblical to pray with the living, and for the living to pray for us. As Christ explained, God is the God of the living, which includes those who have passed on. Again, this is Catholic belief and practice. It is not even a requirement for Catholics, let alone for non-Catholics.

 

[Bonzi]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

 

[Moonglow]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

yet no examples...

 

[Bonzi]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

yet no examples...

I've missed you today MG. Sorry you don't feel the same

 

[Bonzi]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

yet no examples...

there is nothing in the Bible about praying someone into heaven. What do you want from me?

 

[amrchaos]

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Why do you need a mediator to stand between you and God?

 

[Bonzi]

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Why do you need a mediator to stand between you and God?

You do not. But people just refuse to accept this because they have been brain-washed by the Catholic church. Their entire doctrine is based on controlling people and guilt...

 

[Moonglow]

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Why do you need a mediator to stand between you and God?

You do not. But people just refuse to accept this because they have been brain-washed by the Catholic church. Their entire doctrine is based on controlling people and guilt...

The Jews have a middle man....

 

[Bonzi]

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Why do you need a mediator to stand between you and God?

You do not. But people just refuse to accept this because they have been brain-washed by the Catholic church. Their entire doctrine is based on controlling people and guilt...

The Jews have a middle man....

Jesus is God. DUH!!!

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

And you are?

A Christian that understands the Bible....

and you are....?

Is that right? How 'bout that history?

Eh... the Bible and correct interpretation trumps history...
Where in the Bible does it say to pray to Mary?

Where in the bible does it say not to.

 

[Meriweather]

there is nothing in the Bible about praying someone into heaven.

There is nothing in the Bible about having pancake breakfasts after church, but we often have them. As I said before, its praying with, and having the Body of Christ praying for us. Everyone prays to God.

 

[Meriweather]

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -1st Timothy 2:5

Why do you need a mediator to stand between you and God?

No one is standing between anyone and God. Oftentimes we have people stand with us before God.

 

[Disir]

I was going to let that one slide, but again...it's wrong. It was Theodosius I that made Christianity the state religion. Constantine granted the freedom for all Roman subjects to worship as they chose. He ended the persecution of Christians for their faith. It was the Edict of Thessalonica under Theodosius that made Christianity the state religion and branded all non-Nicene branches as officially heretical.

Constantine changes the calendar, places only Christians in positions of power, confiscates the property from the temples, drops funding from pagan temples and shifts it all to a very small group of Christians, builds a city on taxes collected from pagans but Christians are tax exempt and issues a decree for the extermination of eunuchs.

Yep. Sounds like Mr. Egalitarian to me.

Yes, you are correct. Theodosius makes Nicene Christianity the state religion instead of.........careful there. Don't want to skip over assassinations or go too far forward till you have to deal with that whole Ambrose thang. Choose your words very wisely.

Regarding Peter teaching. Acts and the undisputed epistles of Paul are pretty clear on this and it's about the only sources we have. According to them, Peter was teaching very quickly after the death of Jesus. As far as being isolated....they were peasants, Dsir. They didn't travel. Travel was dangerous and time spent travelling was time not making money. Of course they were isolated.

You have nothing.

Sepphoris was a 45 minute walk from "Nazareth".
Sepphoris - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Together with the King's Highway, the Via Maris was one of the major trade routes connecting Egypt and the Levant with Anatolia and Mesopotamia. The Via Maris was crossed by other trading routes, so that one could travel from Africa to Europe or from Asia to Africa. It began in al-Qantara and went east to Pelusium, following the northern coast of Sinai through el-Arish and Rafah. From there it followed the coast of Canaan through Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Joppa, and Dor before turning east again through Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley until it reached Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Again turning northward along the shore, the Via Maris passed through Migdal, Capernaum, and Hazor. From Hazor it crossed the northern River Jordan at Jacob's Daughters' Bridge then climbed sharply over the Golan Heights and wound its way northeast into Damascus. Here travellers could continue on the King's Highway as far as the Euphrates River or proceed northward into Anatolia.
Via Maris - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Trade routes.

And here:
On the Road - Christian History Biography - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

BTW, about that fishing village that Peter is from? That is pretty far from the water:
Bethsaida - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Pilgramages, trade, medical tourism. Tiberius was built next to 17 springs.

Well Galilee was a highly rural area filled with Aramaic speaking peasants. There was no education to be had. Educations were for the wealthy because only the wealthy could afford to have their children going to school instead of working to help support the family. Educations were found in urban areas, not in the sticks which is what Galilee was. People in Galilee didn't speak Greek. If they knew any Greek at all it would have been just enough to get by with the few Romans who wandered into the area. Palestine was not a tourist area. It was a shithole. The only reason the Romans had any interest in it at all was because they needed to go through it to move their armies against the Persians. There was no investment of Greco-Roman culture in Palestine by the Romans. All they cared about was that the Jews paid their taxes, didn't start shit, and kept out of the army's way when it marched through to the front.

The upper Galilee has no cities in it. It's rural, it's remote. It's located in the highest hills of the land of Israel..., a very remote area along the borders and frontiers of modern Lebanon, and high mountains and very, very treacherous terrain, very isolated by reason of topography and the nature of the land itself.

Coming down from this first trans-Galilean route, Capernaum, Acco, roughly going across the map, down south you get to the gentle lower hills of lower Galilee. And this is an area that has two cities: Sepphoris and Tiberius, both founded by Herod Antipas. Tiberius he founded anew, the only city founded de novo in the first century. And they become the anchors of the Jewish population of the Galilee, and really a lot of activities that we associate with all the important events of the first century can be located in them. One of the most significant differences between the upper Galilee, the more remote area to the extreme north, and the lower Galilee, which borders the Sea of Galilee on the east, and the Mediterranean Ocean on the west, aside from the topography, is that in the north, the people were speaking Aramaic and Hebrew and in the south, both Aramaic and Hebrew but a lot of Greek. In addition, there was a much more lenient attitude towards the second commandment, towards making images and decoration in the south, than in the north. In the north, we get candelabra, minarot, and we get other symbols, but we don't get pictorial symbols as we find them so much in the south.
A Portrait Of Jesus World - Galilee From Jesus To Christ - The First Christians FRONTLINE PBS

Antipas doesn't found Seppharis. It's actually already in existence.

No public works by the Romans? No temples, no aqueducts, nothing?
Roman aqueducts Pools in Jerusalem Israel

I have seen some estimates that the literacy rate in rural Galilee during the 1st century CE was about 3% and that would have been in Aramaic, not Greek. Trying to suggest that the disciples knew the first thing about Plato is flat out laughable.

You have nothing.

 

[zaangalewa]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

"Shoot" not "pray", "shoot". Imagine some of our shaoline templars would shoot you to heaven and you had to live under all the ugly catholic strangers on their clouds singing there "hosianna" or "halleluja".

 

[Ravi]

Catholics do believe you can pray someone to heaven.. wrong!

That isn't right either. Are you lying or just misinformed?

 

[Disir]

Worshipping idols, icons and images violates the 2nd commandment.
- Catholics regularly bow down to idols, icons and images of Jesus, Mary and the apostles, kissing the feet of the statues and praying to them. The Bible teaches that WE ONLY PRAY TO DEITY and Christians considers it paganism and polytheism to pray to anyone EXCEPT the Father, Son or Holy Spirit. So while Catholics pray to Mary, they fail to comprehend that only deity is to be prayed to. The Bible clearly teaches that all dead humans, though conscious in the spirit world, are unable to know anything, much less hear prayers addressed to them. Bowing down to icons and kissing them etc. so closely resembles idol worship it is actually shocking that any Roman Catholic would attempt to defend the practice.

Bonzi? Technically all Christians break the second commandment which is: You shall have no other gods before Me.