My Catholic Cousin

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Melinda12 said:

It is so clear in the Bible. Nicodemus' conversation with Jesus about being born again. Also no need for all the guilt Catholicism punishes people with. It is a mystery to me - are Catholics reading the same Bible? Once one is a believer, having repented, there is no condemnation. Though the Devil tries to make us feel guilt, we belong to Christ and are protected always. How brilliant is that! 

Most of my relatives and most  of my older friends are catholic.
I only know of one who has read, or reads his bible other than at Mass.
Most whom I witness to do not know of scripture pertaining to the gospel.
Being a catholic is a belief in the "holy mother church" dogma, written by man.
The bible is interpreted by the clergy. It's difficult to break away from traditions.

Sacred Traditions.
So honey (asking my wife), why do you always cut the end of the roast off to cook it?
She says "That's how my mom taught me"

Next week:  Hi Mable (my wife's mom).
Can I ask you, why you taught your daughter to cut off the end of the roast to cook it?
She says "That's how my mom taught me"

Month's later: Hi granny (my wife's grandmother).
Can I ask you,why you taught your daughter and grand daughter  to cut off the end of the roast to cook it?
She says "Don't know why they cut it off, but I always have to cut it off cuz my pot's too small.....

[creativemechanic]

10 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

This is obvious. Christ had a large family of siblings and quite right. Mary was a pure virgin for His birth, afterwards she went on to have more children. No reason not to. To assume she was a virgin thereafter is not logic nor fact. Clearly in the Bible. 

Some actually justify this by daying they were Josephs children from a previous marriage or that brethren in Hebrew can refer to cousins. It shows that  people will distort what may be obvious fact to maintain what belief they are accustomed to

[Guest]

13 hours ago, creativemechanic said:

Some actually justify this by daying they were Josephs children from a previous marriage or that brethren in Hebrew can refer to cousins. It shows that  people will distort what may be obvious fact to maintain what belief they are accustomed to

Such nonsense. The Bible is clear and specific. 

[Guest]

On 8/15/2020 at 5:38 PM, Daniel Marsh said:

Educated Catholics today say they pray with other saints just like we on earth pray together.

I think they use Hebrews 12  "crowd of witnesses" to say those in Heaven can see us.

Problem is,  Mary is not omnipresent and is still a creature like all of us.   There is logically no way she can hear everyone's prayers, nor understand those in a language she does not speak.    It is possible that angels who visit Heaven daily could make a side visit to inform your love ones about you.    Book of Job.   I cor 11

Why pray with someone who can not hear you?   We have both the Holy Spirit and Jesus praying for us.  Romans 8

Many Catholics I know, do not pray with/to Mary.

No saint can take Jesus’ place: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). There is no one else who can mediate with God for us. Since Jesus is the only mediator, Mary and the saints cannot be mediators. Further, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is interceding for us before the Father: “He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). With Jesus Himself interceding for us, why would we need Mary or the saints to intercede for us? Whom would God listen to more readily than His only begotten Son? Romans 8:26–27 says the Holy Spirit is also interceding for us. With the second and third Persons of the Trinity already interceding for us before the Father, why would we need to have Mary or the saints interceding for us? 

Prayer

From: GotQuestions.org

[Deadworm]

Why post this when you know your audience is anti-Catholic?  I know it feels safe to preach to the choir when there are no Catholics here to respond.  And I'll be that neither you nor any of the posters on this thread are even competent to offer a full explanation of how an informed Catholic might offer a biblical defense of praying to the saints.  I'm so sick of all the anti-Catholic venom that poisons this site.  Modern Catholics by contrast are much more charitable to Protestant dissent.  If some one starts a thread on Prayer to the Saints, I'd be glad to share a typical Catholic rebuttal.

[Sower]

16 minutes ago, Deadworm said:

Why post this when you know your audience is anti-Catholic?  I know it feels safe to preach to the choir when there are no Catholics here to respond.  And I'll be that neither you nor any of the posters on this thread are even competent to offer a full explanation of how an informed Catholic might offer a biblical defense of praying to the saints.  I'm so sick of all the anti-Catholic venom that poisons this site.  Modern Catholics by contrast are much more charitable to Protestant dissent.  If some one starts a thread on Prayer to the Saints, I'd be glad to share a typical Catholic rebuttal.

There is a section on the pavilion just for for catholic debate.

The reason I'm here, Deadworm, is because I got saved after I left the RCC.
Had I not heard an old baptist tell me 40+ yr ago, (he planted a seed in me)  I needed to be saved, to be born again, I would still be saying rosaries,
Hail Mary's by the thousands, feeling guilt for missing a holy day of obligation, confessing my sin to a man in a black robe, etc.
I would still have the fear of dying, not knowing if my good out weighed my bad, and straight to purgatory if I was lucky.
Knowing it was a sin, the sin of presumption, to believe I was saved that the RCC taught us,
and my eternal destiny depended upon their false biblical teachings.
I share the gospel to more catholics than any other religion/denomination.
The fault lies within the dogma of the church, as it is a SIN of presumption to believe your saved.
I am not anti catholic, I am ex catholic. I love all catholics, enough to go out of my way to share the gospel.
I can not believe you can practice orthodox roman catholic dogma and believe all of the bible. (MY BELIEF)

You said:  "I'm so sick of all the anti-Catholic venom that poisons this site"
That statement alone tells me you probably do not understand what the RCC believes,
or you do not understand what the bible clearly states. They may be similar, but they're  NOT the same.
If your sick of those who defend scripture and expose false doctrine, I would think you would consider your stand.
I do not try anymore to convert the 'holy mother church advocates' that come on this forum. Too entrenched in tradition.
That's for the Holy Spirit. I pray for them.

PS:  last Saturday while working on a job I met a young mother with a 4 yr old autistic child.
We talked while I worked, she was catholic, and eventually shared my leaving the RCC after thirty years.
I then shared the gospel. She then told me how she was baptized as an infant, was confirmed, and went to church regular.
I could tell she didn't know what I was talking about, as most do not. They are not taught. I gave her much to think about.
I planted a seed.

 

[Willa]

Jesus listens to all who call upon the Name of the Lord.  He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.  The only place the Bible speaks of people in heaven praying are the martyrs calling out to God, how long?  

[R. Hartono]

On 8/8/2020 at 6:31 AM, R. Hartono said:

If people pray to Mary statue the devil will listen n bless the request

Yes thats why there are many miracle happen to those who worship her as its not Jesus who is glorified.

[Deadworm]

1 hour ago, Sower said:

Sower: "There is a section on the pavilion just for for catholic debate."

Then why not confine your Catholic bashing to that section?

Sower: "The reason I'm here, Deadworm, is because I got saved after I left the RCC."
Which is why Fundamentalists here hate it when I tell them that some ex-evangelicals have left their evangelical church to find God real in our local Catholic church.

Sower: "Had I not heard an old baptist tell me 40+ yr ago, ...I needed to be saved, to be born again,..."

Wow, you must really have been half-baked in a poorly understood version of Catholicism.  Catholics believe in the new birth.  In fact, the most widely respected commentary on the Gospel of John was written by Raymond Brown a Jesuit.  

Sower: "I would still be...confessing my sin to a man in a black robe, etc."

And rightly so!  Jesus' brother James teaches us to "confess your sins to one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16)" and that Jesus gave  His disciples that authority to mediate or withhold divine forgiveness (John 20:22-23).  So RC priests are just obeying the Word in a way that your evangelical church is not!
 

Sower: "I would still have the fear of dying, not knowing if my good out weighed my bad, and straight to purgatory if I was lucky."
 

I'll bet you don't even know the multi-faceted biblical basis for Purgatory cited by Catholics.  Your priest might rightly remind you of verses like these:

"If a man says he has faith, but does not have works, can faith save him (James 2:14)?"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           "I do not even judge myself.  I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not therefore acquitted.  It is the Lord who judges me (1 Cor. 4:3-4)."  

Sower: I can not believe you can practice orthodox roman catholic dogma and believe all of the bible."

If your Catholicism was closer than your current evangelical church to teaching the whole counsel of God, would you even  want to know that?  Are you even open to  hearing a biblical defense of Purgatory?

Sower: "You said:  "I'm so sick of all the anti-Catholic venom that poisons this site"
That statement alone tells me you probably do not understand what the RCC believes,
or you do not understand what the bible clearly states they are not the same."

How presumptuous you are!   For 12 I was an evangelical Theology professor at a Catholic university.  Nothing is worse than Catholicism at its worst.  But no spirituality is better than Catholic spirituality at its best.  Why do evangelicals sometimes feel the need to summon Catholic exorcists, when evangelical deliverance teams fail to cast out a demon?  I am personally familiar with a couple of such cases.

That's for the Holy Spirit. I pray for them.

PS:  last Saturday while working on a job I met a young mother with a 4 yr old autistic child.
We talked while I worked, she was catholic, and eventually shared my leaving the RCC after thirty years.
I then shared the gospel. She then told me how she was baptized as an infant, was confirmed, and went to church regular.
I could tell she didn't know what I was talking about, as most do not. They are not taught. I gave her much to think about.
I planted a seed.

 

 

[Dennis1209]

On 8/7/2020 at 8:50 AM, LadyKay said:

I stay in touch with my far away family through FB.  My cousin became Catholic. None of us were raised in that religion so I say "became".  Anyway, the other day she posted on FB asking us to pray to the Mother Mary to help her sister in a financial matter. She explain it to us  how this works as she knows we are not Catholic. She said that Mary being the mother of Jesus. That if we ask Mary that Jesus listens to her because Mary is his mother. She then posted the prayer to the Virgin Mary.  I found this all to be a bit questionable. Nowhere do I see in the Bible dose it instruct us to speak to Mary the mother of Jesus. Or that Jesus has to answer these prayers because he must obey his mother.  I just wonder what are your thoughts on this and if there are any Catholics here or even people who use to be Catholic could explain this teaching to me. I do not wish for this to become a bashing of any's religions teachings. Just a mature discussion  and understanding.  

A detailed study reveals Catholicism has roots through the centuries and kingdoms dating back to the Tower of Babel and Nimrod, not to mention accumulative traditions of men. It's generally accepted that 'past performance' is the best indicator of 'future performance' in the secular world. 

There is only one mediator between God and man [Mediator ~ G 3316; a go between]. 1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

We have only one advocate on our behalf before the throne of God [Advocate ~ speak, plead, or argue in favor of: G 3875; an intercessor]. 1 John 2:1 (KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 

Purgatory and paying a small fortune to priest's for "indulgence's' reminds me of the Pharisees and a Ponzi scheme; not biblical. A title and calling a sinner "holy father" is a slap in the face to our Lord; as is rendering his law and decisions as 'infallible'. 

In context, I take the following verse as a religious system(s) and a warning:

Revelation 18:4 (KJV) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

As King Solomon stated and to paraphrase; there's nothing new under the sun and history will repeat itself. What's the history of the Catholic church and what posturing and rhetoric do see from the Pope and Vatican, that has and is changing? Ecumenicalism, socialism, political ambitions, non voting member of the U.N. to name a few... This current Pope Francis has stated; all world religions worship the very same god, called by different names. The leader of the globes largest religion, who says something like that; could he be said to be a False Prophet? Could that position one day be THE False Prophet? <- That's intended as a question...