The double down position is to accuse you of lacking spiritual discernment.
Simply what Scripture states, for those who rely solely on written Scripture, Jesus was born a Jew, lived a Jew, died a Jew.
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The double down position is to accuse you of lacking spiritual discernment.
things that the RCC accepts as doctrine, that finds no place in scripture.
Anyone who knows what the Bible teaches, (and this is the only source of Christ's teachings) as opposed to what a church teaches, or how it interprets what he said, will have a long list of things that the RCC accepts as doctrine, that finds no place in scripture. If Jesus did not teach it, then it has no place in Christianity. The Reformation was based on this.
I don't think that Catholic people have any idea how far from Christ's teachings their church has strayed. And if they only listen to the church instead of taking a step back to see what they have really been a party to for centuries, then they will never see the truth. If we are going to trust anyone...they have to first prove worthy of our trust. How can you trust a church with such an horrendous past?
Even in the present, the billion dollars already donated to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral is drawing a lot of flack from the general public who see that a billion dollars could be better spent on real and pressing human issues like starvation and poverty among the 40% of Latin American Catholics who are presently exiting Latin American countries, because its is now too dangerous to live there. Imagine the good that $17 billion dollars worth of art treasures could do for those of their own flock. Why is it withheld?
The Catholic Church has the funds to rebuild its own cathedral and the donated public money could be put to better use. Is a building worth more than human lives?
Contrary to what many assume, many things in the Bible is pictorial of something in the future. The religion practiced by the Jews ended up as human misinterpretation of what Moses taught. The final result, Jesus said, was "leaven"...a corrupting agent. (Mark 8:15) God's worship was corrupted just as Jesus' teachings were corrupted by misinterpretation of church leaders in the centuries following his death. He foretold that this would happen, but Christendom pretends it never did. The "weeds" of false Christianity were sown in the very early centuries and they grew rapidly to all but choke the "wheat" out of existence.
God, through his prophet Daniel, said that at "the time of the end", due to an abundance of knowledge that was to be made available at that time, a "cleansing, whitening and refining" of his worshippers would take place. (Daniel 12:4; 9-10) Why would he need to clean up his worship again if there was no need?
Just as Jesus cleaned up the worship of those Jews who responded to his ministry in the first century, so at this period in history, as God is poised to bring destruction on this entire world system under satan's control, (Daniel 2:44) he has cleaned up the worship offered through the teachings of his son. The "wicked" he said would not accept this cleansing and would carry on as before, understanding nothing.....given no insight.
Christendom is a mirror image of first century Judaism.
All I have done is draw attention to some very relevant and provable facts....the RCC does not have scriptural backing for anything it teaches.....it is all corrupted by men and replaced with doctrines of their own invention.
We can discuss these if you like, and the scriptural reasons for dismissing them.
The RCC makes no claim that all of its doctrine is found in Scripture. For what ever reason you've declared war on the Catholic Church, and the first rule of war is to know your enemy, and you do not.
There is no reason to abandon Tradition. In fact, the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus Christ himself and Paul followed Traditions that were not part of Hebrew scripture... Just like the Catholic Church.
Fundamentalism does not acknowledge that Tradition precedes the penning of the Gospels.
Was Jesus exposing the teachings of the Pharisees, "evil"? Or was he exposing the "evil" in their teachings? Did they want to hear it? How did they respond? How did the religious leaders treat the son of God? How did they influence the people against him?
Who were the "evil" ones?
What is "evil" is promoting a religious system that has for centuries led people away from God, just as the Jewish system had done in Jesus' day, following the traditions of men to substitute for what the scriptures had to say.
The lies taught by Catholicism are perpetuated to this day in a religious ststem that has the most evil history, and has influenced all other "Christian" denominations in Christendom for 1500 years.
We all have to make choices with regard to our worship, in this "time of the end"....so they should be informed choices. No one has to believe what I say....but anyone can easily check for themselves. History itself is the greatest enemy of Roman Catholicism. It isn't hated for its good deeds...is it?
No one has anything to fear from the truth.
The Church has no desire to make such a claim, as that was not how Jesus was when he followed non-scriptural Traditions...
And we follow Jesus as both the founder of our Church and our God. (Matthew 16:17-19)
The RCC makes no claim that all of its doctrine is found in Scripture. For what ever reason you've declared war on the Catholic Church, and the first rule of war is to know your enemy, and you do not.
1) Jehovah's Witnesses (henceforth, JWs) rose to some prominence in the 1920s or earlier by railing against "organized religion". The Catholic Church offered a ready target. The Catholic Church is the face of "official" Christianity, with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, being the recognized head.
2) Because the Catholic Church is big and occasionally in the news, sometimes for good, and at other times for bad, JWs find the Catholic Church an attractive target.
3) JWs claim to not be involved in politics (one of their interpretations of being no part of the world), and because the Vatican is by itself a State having ambassadors like regular countries do around the world, JWs find a perfect example of the mixture of religion and politics, hence, a fodder for good attack.
4) Another motivation: the Catholic Church offers the largest pool of recruits for JW propaganda, masked behind "bible studies" and bible-based discussions. When JWs point to the ills of the Catholic Church, JWs also advertise their own brand of Christianity as the real article.
JWs believe that they have the correct understanding of scripture, and that all other Christian denominations are fake, and that JWs are the one and only true religion. JWs teach that everyone not part of them will not survive Armageddon. A strange, hypocritical bunch, these JWs, if you knew them well enough.
Most of what I know comes from Catholic people that I have interacted with over many decades.
Do you know how many of them don't want to know what the Bible says because they just like the rituals of the church that places no responsibility on them apart from repeating mindless words....or prayers by rote using a set of beads.....where will I find Jesus teaching such things?
Why would Roman Catholicism stand out as so obviously NOT the face of "official" Christianity to one who had investigated God's word? Nothing to do with the fact that its teachings originated in pagan Rome rather than Christ's teachings in the Bible? Only those who studied the Bible would realize this and come to their own conclusions. "The Church" had the same attitude of 'untouchableness' that the Pharisees displayed in Jesus' day. Bible students comparing church doctrine with the Bible's teachings, saw at once the holes in Catholic doctrine, hidden from the flock behind a dead language and mindless ritual for centuries.
By their outrageous doctrines and conduct, they made themselves targets. It doesn't matter how any human views them...it's how God views them that matters. We are told to "get out of Babylon the great" if we don't want to share in her sins and receive part of her plagues. If one cannot identify Babylon the great, then how will they know to remove themselves from her? (Revelation 18:4) "Babylon the great" encompasses any and all religions whose beliefs originate in ancient Babylon, rather than in the teachings of Jesus Christ..
Now that is downright funny....whose side are you on? The perfect marriage of church and state when Jesus said that his disciples would be "no part of this world".....not rocket science is it? Who is always seen currying favor with world leaders? (James 4:4)
Though he doesn't appear to be too happy meeting the last world leader for some reason......
LOL....could be that Catholic people who are in search of the truth, don't find answers in Catholic teachings.
When we call, they open up about their concerns and questions, and are happy to have their questions answered from the Bible. To be able to do that in the heart of Roman Catholic territory is a pleasure.
Anyone is welcome to test us out on our beliefs to see if they gel with the Bible.....instead of just making ignorant assertions about them. As I recall, your own beliefs are a bit "out there" as well, and according to your many posts, you don't hold much store by the Bible either. Who are your "Christian" teachers BTW.....can we give them some scrutiny?
Which you obviously don't....you come across as such an expert on all things biblical and yet you dismiss much of what the Bible teaches as if somehow you know what the truth is and others do not....now that is a little "pot calling the kettle black", don't you think?
What non-scriptural traditions did Jesus follow? Please share these traditions that Jesus followed from outside of the Hebrew scriptures....
What doctrines of the Catholic faith find no basis in scripture?....99% of them. No wonder that they proclaim themselves as the sole interpreters of scripture.
The church gave itself authority to twist the scriptures to incorporate purely pagan beliefs such as the worship of a trinity of gods, (found in pagan religions long before "Christianity" adopted it) all rolled into one "head", so that they could not be accused of polytheism. How many pagan trinities are there...?
Isn't it clear that this 'freak' is borrowed from unchristian sources?
a. The reference to “He shall be called a Nazarene” cannot be found in the Old Testament, yet it was “spoken by the prophets” (Matt. 2:23). Therefore, this prophecy, which is considered to be “God’s word,” was passed down orally rather than through Scripture.
b. In Matthew 23:2–3, Jesus teaches that the scribes and Pharisees have a legitimate, binding authority based “on Moses’ seat,” but this phrase or idea cannot be found anywhere in the Old Testament. It is found in the (originally oral) Mishnah, which teaches a sort of “teaching succession” from Moses on down.
c. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul refers to a rock that “followed” the Jews through the Sinai wilderness. The Old Testament says nothing about such miraculous movement. But rabbinic tradition does.
d. “As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses” (2 Tim. 3:8). These two men cannot be found in the related Old Testament passage (Ex. 7:8ff.) or anywhere else in the Old Testament.
This 99 percent figure is a made up lie by you. Thanks for making that known -that you make lies.
More lies by you. None of those pictures depict a trinitarian god as you claim. Without any written scholarly evidence, your lies can be easily dismissed. What even are those statues, Deeje? We’re they molded 50 years ago? Probably...
But what’s worse about the Watchtower cult, as described by theological experts is that it’s adherents are expected to suppress their consciences to the Authority of the “Governing Body” of the watchtower.. The Governing body specifically warns members to "avoid independent thinking", claiming such thinking "was introduced by Satan the Devil" and those who openly disagree with official teachings are condemned as "apostates" and are considered "mentally diseased" by the Watchtower cult.
Also Deeje, everyone knows Witnesses are coached with question / answer scenarios by their governing body, so that they don’t have to use their own consciences and risk thinking on their own when going door to door. This is a lot like ISIS militants, who train suicide bombers to reject their consciences, and embrace total submission, which is what Islam means.
...There is no doubt in my mind that this radical fundamentalism that you embrace is the same radical fundamentalism that has caused much bloodshed in the past with the Sicarii Zealots and the Islamic Hashishin. We should all consider ourselves lucky that your Governing Body of thought controllers have deemed violence as unnecessary. Hopefully no splinter groups of your cult change that in the future, but typically, that’s what happens.
By going door to door?
As I stated, you do not know the Church.
By going door to door?
As I stated, you do not know the Church. The Liturgy which you refer to as ritual revolves around two elements, the Word and the Eucharist. Responsibilities come from living out the Eucharist in ones daily life.
And here is your 'mindless words' using beads, a meditation on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, all quite biblical.
Within this prayer is found the Our Father, the Annunciation, the Visitation, Birth of Jesus, the Presentation, the finding in the Temple, the Baptism of Jesus, wedding feast at Cana, proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the Transfiguration of Jesus, the institution of the Eucharist,
the agony in the garden, the Scourging at the pilar, the Crowning of thorns, Carrying of the cross, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Where will I find Jesus in 'such things'?
Yes, that is what I said. And through studying the Bible with them, they are usually appalled and angry at being lied to all their lives. Many had never even read the Bible for themselves, trusting their priests to teach them about Christ, but never being encouraged to find out for themselves what the Bible teaches. Just spoon fed tiny morsels at church....many still spiritually hungry when they leave.
Many of the people I spoke to had been abused in Catholic boarding schools and other institutions in past decades. Not all reported sexual abuse, (though some did) but the physical abuse even by the nuns was often cruel and totally unchristian. This is not second hand information, but first hand experience from those who were raised in your church. I don't need to consult anti-Catholic sites to post the experiences of these Catholic people.....I have spoken to probably thousands of ordinary Catholics in my 46 years as a JW. I may well have spoken to more Catholic people face to face about their religion, than most Catholics.
Was there liturgy in first century Christianity? Was there repetitive ritual that required nothing of Christ's followers but showing up at a building and listening to something that was repeated week after week and seen as some kind of religious duty that must be performed to avoid going to hell?
Where will I find Mary being given the kind of prominence that Catholicism gives her, in the Bible? Where is Jesus giving his disciples instructions to pray to her as an intercessor or mediatrix? Where will I find Mary's immaculate conception, or her assumption to heaven?.......where?
Matthew 6:6-13......
"But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that 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. “Pray then in this way:
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 forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one."
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew 6:6-13&version=NRSVCE
Rosary beads are not mentioned, but these "aids" are seen in eastern religions, not Christianity....in fact prayers that are "empty phrases" apparently don't mean much to God....he would prefer a few humble words from your heart than empty phrases from your memory repeated in parrot fashion.
Jesus did not say "pray this prayer"....he said "pray this way", which means that it was to be a model for our own prayers.
Catholicism is a hard religion to defend Biblically......mostly because it departs from the Bible for the majority of its doctrines and practices....that means relying on men to form the bulk of what you believe. How trustworthy were these men when Jesus himself foretold a falling away from the faith, and the introduction of "weed-like" counterfeit Christianity?
This is not the fault of Catholic people, but is the fault of the church as an institution....which was originally the result of a fusion between weakened apostate Christianity and pagan Roman sun worship, brought about by an astute Roman Emperor seeking to consolidate his divided empire. Creating a single "state religion" that catered equally to his pagan constituents as well as the Christians, because all their favorite festivals and beliefs were retained....they just changed the names.
The grafting would have been easy to spot, as long as people had access to the Bible....but we know that the church made sure that no one could check it out for themselves because the church forbade anyone to even possess one under threat of being burned at the stake. This deliberate act of ensuring ignorance among the flock, set the stage for the church to introduce all manner of foreign doctrine adopted from paganism and given a "Christian" veneer....a very thin one.
No one has to believe what I say.....but it's not hard to check things out these days. The information superhighway is open to all...no excuse for ignorance.....but our common enemy has his way of obscuring the truth....he likes to make the truth look like a lie and vice versa. Those whose hearts are open to the truth will find it.....but those who close their ears and their minds will become just like the Jews in Jesus' day......approving of the persecution and execution of the wrong person....led to believing the lies by satan's dupes. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; John 8:44)
We must be sure about our faith because according to the scriptures, our lives depend on 'knowing the only true God and the one he sent forth, Jesus Christ'. (John 17:3) If you have been led to believe that Jesus is God incarnate, then I don't believe that you know God and his son at all.
The Catholic church was it until the 16 century. If not for the Catholic church, Christianity might have faded away or become the Nestorian church.
I think the problem is YOURS... your need to trash Paul, Peter and the church.
I think its great the Pope meets world leaders and I certainly understand why he would be uncomfortable meeting a profane pig like Trump.
What Catholic Boarding schools are you speaking of? Here in the US or Ireland or Italy??? Where?