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Message
re: Pope Francis has passed.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:24 pm to BornAgain
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:24 pm to BornAgain
Are you saying that a religion that seeks to stand in between sinful mankind and its Redeemer is one that lifts up the antithesis of Christ?
Is there a shorter way of saying that?
Surely there's gotta be an abbreviation.
Is there a shorter way of saying that?
Surely there's gotta be an abbreviation.
1
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:27 pm to GreenRockTiger
quote:
you’re not, nothing will last 2000 years if it was built upon a lie
Jesus did not found the Catholic Church. That is a lie. You are now trying to equate the Catholic Church to Christianity, which is also a lie.
quote:
God tells Abraham his descendants will rival the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore?? That’s pretty many.
Plus does Jesus say to go and Baptize all nations?!??!?
Why wouldn’t God want all of His creations to follow Him?
None of this addresses what I said:
quote:
a worldwide church flies directly in opposition to the message given to us by God through the Bible.
All of creation will absolutely bow before God. The Catholic Church flies in the face of that truth. As an entity, it is much closer to bowing to Man than it is to bowing to God.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:32 pm to VoxDawg
Devil? Lol
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:33 pm to BornAgain
It's definitely not pro-Christ. More like the exact opposite of that....
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:37 pm to imjustafatkid
quote:the Catholic/Orthodox church was the first church to spring from the early Christians - which Jesus founded. I have no idea where you get your information from but you are wrong
Jesus did not found the Catholic Church. That is a lie. You are now trying to equate the Catholic Church to Christianity, which is also a lie.
quote:it addresses everything you said - God wants all of us, all of the world, all of His creation to follow Him. How does a worldwide church oppose anything God said/says when God Himself commanded the Apostles to go and Baptize all nations?
None of this addresses what I said:
quote:you are incorrect about this, too. The Eucharist, in which we believe is Jesus Christ, is the source and summit of our church - we do not bow before man. Whatever your information is, is totally incorrect.
it is much closer to bowing to Man than it is to bowing to God.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:49 pm to FooManChoo
quote:
In summary, Jesus recognized national boundaries, the role of the civil government, the obligation of general obedience to the laws of the government, and the right of the government to punish law-breakers with up to even the death penalty. Because of this, it seems consistent that Jesus would teach His disciples to obey all laws of the land (including immigration laws) and recognize the right of the government to punish law-breakers, with the death penalty or otherwise (including deportation).
Thanks for taking the time to put that all together! That is consistent with everything our denomination would say on the matter.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 1:49 pm to Golfer1865
Pedophile in Chief? Are you talking about former President Biden? The one who showered with his 12 year old daughter according to her own diary? The one who let little black boys rub the hair on his legs while he was a life guard? The one who sniffs little girls' hair during photo ops? The one I suspect you voted for? So did you vote for him Golfer1865?
Posted on 4/21/25 at 2:02 pm to imjustafatkid
Jesus didn’t found the Catholic Church, but Peter did. However, the early days are pretty chaotic, and history is written by the victors.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 3:35 pm to BornAgain
Wow BornAgain, your argument is so solid and fool proof that you have convinced me to drop Catholicism and become Protestant! So now, let me join Christ's One True Church. Which denomination should I pick? Reformed Baptist like you? Oh wait, your group does not agree with Martin Luther's group? Didn't Martin Luther start the whole thing off? And now they are not right? Does your group not agree with any of the other Baptist groups? Or with the Methodists? Or with the (fill in the blank)? Are they too all wrong? Oh my gosh....I find there are over 45,000 denominations of God's One True Church. However shall I screen all of these and pick the correct one? Or maybe I should just trust that you've gone through all 45,000 and confidently settled on Reformed Baptist as God's One True Church?
I will say BornAgain that you have been taught totally wrong and have little understanding about the Catholic Church. You are wrong on so many levels. Maybe one day you might have an educational event about what Catholics really believe and how they really worship. If so, you will feel foolish about your harsh remarks.
I will say BornAgain that you have been taught totally wrong and have little understanding about the Catholic Church. You are wrong on so many levels. Maybe one day you might have an educational event about what Catholics really believe and how they really worship. If so, you will feel foolish about your harsh remarks.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 5:04 pm to lehaus45
I know enough about Catholicism to know it doesn’t line up with Gods word.
Also, are you preaching universalism?
Leave it to a catholic to say there’s possibly 45,000 true churches. I’m not claiming reformed Baptist are the only ones going to heaven or that they are the “one” true church. I’m just saying people calling the Roman Catholic Church the one true church is way off base.
The one true church are all individuals who by faith are found in Christ and His righteousness. That’s who makes up the church. Not a group of certain denominations.
I’m certain there’s people practicing Catholicism that will go to heaven, but it won’t be because of weekly mass, sin confession to priest, Hail Marys, purgatory pleas, or the tithes given. It will be by true faith by grace.
So I’ll not pretend to know the true church because it’s Jesus that separates the wheats and the tears! But we are to call out blatant lies when pertaining to scripture. Catholicism is full of lies. I’m not mad at Catholics here though. Love you guys.
Also, are you preaching universalism?
Leave it to a catholic to say there’s possibly 45,000 true churches. I’m not claiming reformed Baptist are the only ones going to heaven or that they are the “one” true church. I’m just saying people calling the Roman Catholic Church the one true church is way off base.
The one true church are all individuals who by faith are found in Christ and His righteousness. That’s who makes up the church. Not a group of certain denominations.
I’m certain there’s people practicing Catholicism that will go to heaven, but it won’t be because of weekly mass, sin confession to priest, Hail Marys, purgatory pleas, or the tithes given. It will be by true faith by grace.
So I’ll not pretend to know the true church because it’s Jesus that separates the wheats and the tears! But we are to call out blatant lies when pertaining to scripture. Catholicism is full of lies. I’m not mad at Catholics here though. Love you guys.
This post was edited on 4/21/25 at 5:17 pm
Posted on 4/21/25 at 5:12 pm to TrueTiger
I really thought he was going to be good at the onset b/c he seemed so humble, but boy was I wrong.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 6:50 pm to BornAgain
I don't mean to trouble you again, but can you perhaps, out of all of the multitude of lies, pick out the top three whoppers?
In the meanwhile, perhaps you should channel and debate St Ignatius of Antioch, who, in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (about 107 AD) , used the term Catholic Church (the earliest surviving use of the term) to describe the worldwide body of the Christian faithful. He preached among other things, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the primacy of the Roman Church, and the authority of priests and bishops.
What are his credentials? He served 40 years as Bishop to Antioch. He was installed there by Apostles Peter and Paul. His belief in the Catholic Church led him to a painful martyrdom. Oh by the way, he was a disciple of the Apostle John. Boy, I can't wait to see his reaction when being schooled by a Prostetant that he was wrong about so much!
In the meanwhile, perhaps you should channel and debate St Ignatius of Antioch, who, in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (about 107 AD) , used the term Catholic Church (the earliest surviving use of the term) to describe the worldwide body of the Christian faithful. He preached among other things, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the primacy of the Roman Church, and the authority of priests and bishops.
What are his credentials? He served 40 years as Bishop to Antioch. He was installed there by Apostles Peter and Paul. His belief in the Catholic Church led him to a painful martyrdom. Oh by the way, he was a disciple of the Apostle John. Boy, I can't wait to see his reaction when being schooled by a Prostetant that he was wrong about so much!
Posted on 4/22/25 at 6:01 am to lehaus45
quote:
Pedophile in Chief? Are you talking about former President Biden? The one who showered with his 12 year old daughter according to her own diary? The one who let little black boys rub the hair on his legs while he was a life guard? The one who sniffs little girls' hair during photo ops? The one I suspect you voted for? So did you vote for him Golfer1865?
Helz to the nah! Three-time Trump voter here.
Biden is a single pedophile.
The pope is the head of an organization that is full of them, and he helps cover up for them and promote them. Therefore, Pedophile in Chief.
Deal with it.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 6:06 am to DarthTiger
quote:
He hasn't been judged yet. No one is in heaven or hell yet. But Francis eventually will be if he didn't sincerely repent; and I hope the smug bastard didn't. He was an evil man.
Heaven is empty and the dead are sleeping is junk 20th century USA Televangelist Theology
Posted on 4/22/25 at 10:43 am to Golfer1865
Hey Golfer, Sorry this is so long but you told me to deal with it so I am dealing with it. Please read the whole thing.
First, as one three time Trumper to another, I am outraged about pedophilia or its cover up in the Church. Even if the number was one, that is one too many. I feel that era has been addressed and corrected to a substantial margin, and anyone involved in a cover up has been removed from any position of significance or influence. The Church always moves slowly, and in this case, too slow in my opinion, but the issue was faced head on and the problem greatly mitigated.
I am not an apologetic for the Church on this subject, but I will say your calling the head of the Church the Pedophile in Chief is quite an insult. No one has claimed Pope Francis was a pedophile, and I do not know of any evidence that he covered up and promoted them.
Also, pedophilia is not just a Catholic Church issue. It is hard to estimate the number of pedophiles in the general population, but many experts feel it may be 4-5%. Any organization that has a large amount of people will have a share of this. I don't care if it is NASA, IBM, the US Army, or the March of Dimes, they will get their share.
Can they be screened out? If so, how? Do you give your employees or applicants a survey asking if they are pedophiles and abuse minors? I don't think that would be effective because no one will admit it.
Which church do you worship in? Do you think it is free of them? If so, how do you know? If not, how many does your church have? Sadly, I think all churches including yours, have pedophilia going on. I hope all churches have zero but I know that's statistically improbable.
I am going to ask you to quit being so harsh on the Catholic Church. First, it is the original keeper and preserver of the Deposit of Faith as received from the Apostles, and passed down under the penalty of cruel death to future generations.
Secondly, the Church put together the canon of the Bible, which ironically is used by Protestants to disparage how little Catholics know about the Bible. Seriously, how ironic.
Third, no organization, I mean NO ORGANIZATION, in the world has done more charitable good than the Catholic Church, and as Trump would say, "It isn't even close". 5,500 hospitals, 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, with 65 percent of them located in underdeveloped and developing countries. Consider Caritas, the confederation of Catholic aid agencies that spent billions of dollars for poor humanity. Then sum up all the small-scale charitable projects of more than 200,000 Catholic parishes around the world and those of individual religious orders such as the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, Opus Dei, Vincentians, and others. Not even close.
The incredible good the Church has done in 2000 years shouldn't be disregarded because of a problem the whole world is dealing with.
Who is the human head of your church? How many clergy does it have compared to about 185,000 Catholic bishops, priests, and deacons? If you haven't heard of pedophilia in your church you can best bet there have been cover-ups. Are you going to come up with a clever name for your religious leader too?
Are you going to be the one Jesus challenged to having a clean slate and able to pick up and throw the first stone?
First, as one three time Trumper to another, I am outraged about pedophilia or its cover up in the Church. Even if the number was one, that is one too many. I feel that era has been addressed and corrected to a substantial margin, and anyone involved in a cover up has been removed from any position of significance or influence. The Church always moves slowly, and in this case, too slow in my opinion, but the issue was faced head on and the problem greatly mitigated.
I am not an apologetic for the Church on this subject, but I will say your calling the head of the Church the Pedophile in Chief is quite an insult. No one has claimed Pope Francis was a pedophile, and I do not know of any evidence that he covered up and promoted them.
Also, pedophilia is not just a Catholic Church issue. It is hard to estimate the number of pedophiles in the general population, but many experts feel it may be 4-5%. Any organization that has a large amount of people will have a share of this. I don't care if it is NASA, IBM, the US Army, or the March of Dimes, they will get their share.
Can they be screened out? If so, how? Do you give your employees or applicants a survey asking if they are pedophiles and abuse minors? I don't think that would be effective because no one will admit it.
Which church do you worship in? Do you think it is free of them? If so, how do you know? If not, how many does your church have? Sadly, I think all churches including yours, have pedophilia going on. I hope all churches have zero but I know that's statistically improbable.
I am going to ask you to quit being so harsh on the Catholic Church. First, it is the original keeper and preserver of the Deposit of Faith as received from the Apostles, and passed down under the penalty of cruel death to future generations.
Secondly, the Church put together the canon of the Bible, which ironically is used by Protestants to disparage how little Catholics know about the Bible. Seriously, how ironic.
Third, no organization, I mean NO ORGANIZATION, in the world has done more charitable good than the Catholic Church, and as Trump would say, "It isn't even close". 5,500 hospitals, 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, with 65 percent of them located in underdeveloped and developing countries. Consider Caritas, the confederation of Catholic aid agencies that spent billions of dollars for poor humanity. Then sum up all the small-scale charitable projects of more than 200,000 Catholic parishes around the world and those of individual religious orders such as the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, Opus Dei, Vincentians, and others. Not even close.
The incredible good the Church has done in 2000 years shouldn't be disregarded because of a problem the whole world is dealing with.
Who is the human head of your church? How many clergy does it have compared to about 185,000 Catholic bishops, priests, and deacons? If you haven't heard of pedophilia in your church you can best bet there have been cover-ups. Are you going to come up with a clever name for your religious leader too?
Are you going to be the one Jesus challenged to having a clean slate and able to pick up and throw the first stone?
Posted on 4/22/25 at 10:48 am to lehaus45
quote:
Any organization that has a large amount of people will have a share of this. I don't care if it is NASA, IBM, the US Army, or the March of Dimes, they will get their share.
Don't forget public/private schools and every sect of Protestantism.
Posted on 4/23/25 at 2:25 am to lehaus45
quote:
Which church do you worship in?
None. I'm not that gullible.
Posted on 4/23/25 at 8:31 am to lehaus45
quote:I'm not who you asked to provide the response, but I would like to chime in since he hasn't yet.
I don't mean to trouble you again, but can you perhaps, out of all of the multitude of lies, pick out the top three whoppers?
While there are many errors the RCC teaches, I believe a few big ones are (in no particular order) the doctrine of Purgatory; prayer to the saints; justification by faith and meritorious works; papal infallibility; the addition of man-made traditions as equal in authority to the Scriptures; and the several recent Marian dogmas (immaculate conception and her assumption into Heaven in particular).
quote:1) The word "catholic" simply means "universal". I, too, believe there is one, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ (made up of a mixed multitude of believers and non-believers). The word isn't the issue, but the application of it as you are making. It seems you are equating his (and most of the ECFs) use of the word with the modern RCC. I would disagree with that while agreeing with his use of the word, which he used in contrast with other heretical groups like the Gnostics who claimed belief in Jesus but rejected some key aspects of the faith.
In the meanwhile, perhaps you should channel and debate St Ignatius of Antioch, who, in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (about 107 AD) , used the term Catholic Church (the earliest surviving use of the term) to describe the worldwide body of the Christian faithful. He preached among other things, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the primacy of the Roman Church, and the authority of priests and bishops.
2) As a Reformed Presbyterian, I, too believe in the real presence (in contrast to a purely memorialistic view of the Eucharist). I reject that Christ is bodily present, but spiritually present. Because the bread and the wine are closely associated with the body and blood of Christ, it is fitting to say as the Scriptures that they are Christ's body and blood while also rejecting that they are His literal body and blood. I say this to say that Protestants can use the same language of the Scriptures and even the ECFs on this matter without assuming a real bodily presence that Rome asserts.
Regarding Ignatius of Antioch, his statement from his letter to the Romans seems to be interpreted by Catholics in light of their modern understanding of Transubstantiation. He says, "I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life". Even without context, I can agree agree with his wording, saying that the bread and the drink are Jesus' body and blood (though only in a spiritual sense). However, the context here is Ignatius preparing for his death, and he was rejecting the material things of this world and focusing instead of the life he has in Christ. Right before this quote, he says, "I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life." Here he is contrasting the temporal sustenance and continuation in this life with the everlasting sustenance and life to come found in Jesus Christ. He is doing so by contrasting physical bread that feeds the body with the body and blood of Christ, which feeds the soul eternally. Whether Ignatius believed in the real physical presence of Jesus or not cannot be determined from this passage because I--who do not hold to the real bodily presence--can say the exact same thing as Ignatius.
In addition, Ignatius seems to use the language of Christ's flesh and blood loosely to refer to Christ and His benefits generally. In his letter to the Trallians, he says this about Jesus' body and blood: "Not that I know there is anything of this kind among you; but I put you on your guard, inasmuch as I love you greatly, and foresee the snares of the devil. Wherefore, clothing yourselves with meekness, be ye renewed in faith, that is the flesh of the Lord, and in love, that is the blood of Jesus Christ.".
Here Ignatius isn't referring to bread and wine, but to faith and love. In fact, he uses the word "flesh" and "blood" many times to refer to Christ but only once in context of bread and wine/cup, and that one time was in contrast to the physical bread of this life.
3) While Ignatius tells each church to obey the bishop and elders of their congregations, he doesn't provide a primacy of authority in the Roman bishopric. The quote most Catholics appeal to in his letter to the Romans in chapter 3 is an appeal to the whole church in Rome, not to the bishop of Rome and his teaching in particular. This seems like another example of Rome reading current understanding back into the text.
4) Ignatius doesn't seem to see priests as a different office from bishop but refers to the bishop of a congregation (the elder with primacy in that congregation) as being the high-priest of sorts as Christ is. This is clearly a development from elder-led congregations that Paul dictates in his epistles. The elders/presbyters have one of them become the "first among equals", as it were, and that eventually evolves into having primacy of authority and power in a region, and then the Roman bishop assumes the highest authority over time. But here is Ignatius' quote from his letter to the Smyrneans: "Let all things therefore be done by you with good order in Christ. Let the laity be subject to the deacons; the deacons to the presbyters; the presbyters to the bishop; the bishop to Christ, even as He is to the Father."
I'll say that while I disagree with this primacy of the bishop in a congregation, I agree that there are officers of the church and the elders/bishops are to rule the church in Christ's place. I don't disagree with Ignatius here except with the primacy of the congregational bishop in that order.
quote:Ignatius stands on his own with his own writings. The issue isn't necessarily what he said, but what he meant, and how the RCC in particular interprets his writings in light of their current teachings.
What are his credentials? He served 40 years as Bishop to Antioch. He was installed there by Apostles Peter and Paul. His belief in the Catholic Church led him to a painful martyrdom. Oh by the way, he was a disciple of the Apostle John. Boy, I can't wait to see his reaction when being schooled by a Prostetant that he was wrong about so much!
As I've studied church history, I've seen this come to light more and more. While Roman Catholics love to tout history as being on their side, it's clear to me that it isn't, and that the RCC has evolved and changed over a long time and forces modern (at whatever point in history that applies) understanding back into the writings of the ECFs. Church history is messy, but the RCC likes to pretend it is unified around what she teaches today. That's just not true.
Posted on 4/23/25 at 6:20 pm to FooManChoo
quote:
While there are many errors the RCC teaches, I believe a few big ones are (in no particular order) the doctrine of Purgatory; prayer to the saints; justification by faith and meritorious works; papal infallibility; the addition of man-made traditions as equal in authority to the Scriptures; and the several recent Marian dogmas (immaculate conception and her assumption into Heaven in particular).
Sorry I thought this thread died. Yes though, I would agree with these being the bigger most important errors they make.
I mentioned most of these in an earlier post in this thread.
Being an uneducated, late to faith in life kind of guy, it will never cease to amaze me how people can’t see the grace of God. But I also have plenty of life lived in the dark and know it’s part of His grace to open our eyes.
I have a cousin in law that’s becoming a priest and it’s the saddest thing I think I’ve ever witnessed. I’d rather chat with a meth addict about God.
Posted on 4/24/25 at 7:05 am to FooManChoo
FooManChoo, You seem like a wonderful guy, but I have to disagree on your response.
You are correct about me equating St Ignatius's use of Catholic Church and attaching it to the modern as well as the early church, since it is one and the same--the line of succession has never been broken. Yes we tout history on our side because the Catholic Church is historical. And you are correct--St Ignatius as well as other church fathers had to defend what was gathered from the apostles from heretical theories popping up by many groups. It is a real stretch for some to come in 1500 years later and redefine Catholic or Universal as inclusive of all Christian churches.
St. Ignatius wrote in his letter, "Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."
St Ignatius wrote to obey your bishop, but apparently that had a statute of limitations of 1500 years. After that time I guess, it was ok to break away and contradict the Church, and not work with your bishop to address issues and reform from within. Strange, I did not see that statute of limitations in biblical scripture, as that is our only guideline to follow. Heck, I didn't even see in the Bible that it was ok to remove books of the Bible if you didn't like them. Isn't it strange that our one book and only source of salvation didn't mention that anyone can adjust the Bible to their liking? I'm still trying to work that one out. St. Ignatius had a line in his letter "But avoid all divisions, as the beginning of evils".
As far as transubstantiation, it is the highest level of interpretation of the presence of God in the Eucharist, and if I am ever to be wrong about worshipping, I would easily rather be on the "over worshipped" side of the equation. Would God ever say, "Oh, you're over worshipping me, cut it out, don't, stop it now, I don't deserve such honor." I don't know if you know it but Catholics have Adoration Services in which the blessed host is displayed in a monstrance and available for those to kneel before it, meditate and pray. Parishes also have an Adoration Chapel with the host on display that is open always for worship. Catholics truly adore and worship the Eucharist, and that is not a bad thing, it is a wonderful thing. And I think Protestants can back off of their nuanced criticism of what is in the host because it is counter productive and doing nothing but pulling down worshippers that real love Christ.
At Easter service last week, my Catholic daughter went to a Lutheran worship with her husband and his family. She was allowed to go to communion. While in line for communion, a host was dropped on the floor. She was stunned that neither the one who dropped it nor anyone in line did anything but ignore it. Out of reverence, when she got up it to, she picked it up and ate it. To her the host could not be disrespected by laying on the floor any longer. This is a woman who would never eat off of the floor, but she did not hesitate an instant because of her belief in the incredible gift and love of the Eucharist
You say you believe in the real presence in the Eucharist and I am glad you adore Jesus, but this is a huge Protestant problem as there are so many interpretations on the spectrum of belief. How many other denominations agree with yours? Although I appreciate and am glad to be somewhat aligned with Protestant brothers and sisters, this is my problem: Having so many interpretations about the Eucharist, about interpreting scripture is totally unacceptable. One universal church established by Jesus himself could not possibly have so many conflicting doctrines. The only thing I see as not conflicting between the denominations is having a common rival or enemy to rag on and pull down Catholics.
Correct me if my research is wrong, but didn't your church of Reformed Presbyterian believe the Pope to be the anti-Christ? Didn't your church also declare the US Constitution immoral because it did not list Christ as King of the country? Your members not allowed to vote? Has this been rectified? If so, how is it that a church that is only a few hundred years old could have change it's doctrine so often?
But here's some good news we can both enjoy---Christ is risen and alive!
You are correct about me equating St Ignatius's use of Catholic Church and attaching it to the modern as well as the early church, since it is one and the same--the line of succession has never been broken. Yes we tout history on our side because the Catholic Church is historical. And you are correct--St Ignatius as well as other church fathers had to defend what was gathered from the apostles from heretical theories popping up by many groups. It is a real stretch for some to come in 1500 years later and redefine Catholic or Universal as inclusive of all Christian churches.
St. Ignatius wrote in his letter, "Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."
St Ignatius wrote to obey your bishop, but apparently that had a statute of limitations of 1500 years. After that time I guess, it was ok to break away and contradict the Church, and not work with your bishop to address issues and reform from within. Strange, I did not see that statute of limitations in biblical scripture, as that is our only guideline to follow. Heck, I didn't even see in the Bible that it was ok to remove books of the Bible if you didn't like them. Isn't it strange that our one book and only source of salvation didn't mention that anyone can adjust the Bible to their liking? I'm still trying to work that one out. St. Ignatius had a line in his letter "But avoid all divisions, as the beginning of evils".
As far as transubstantiation, it is the highest level of interpretation of the presence of God in the Eucharist, and if I am ever to be wrong about worshipping, I would easily rather be on the "over worshipped" side of the equation. Would God ever say, "Oh, you're over worshipping me, cut it out, don't, stop it now, I don't deserve such honor." I don't know if you know it but Catholics have Adoration Services in which the blessed host is displayed in a monstrance and available for those to kneel before it, meditate and pray. Parishes also have an Adoration Chapel with the host on display that is open always for worship. Catholics truly adore and worship the Eucharist, and that is not a bad thing, it is a wonderful thing. And I think Protestants can back off of their nuanced criticism of what is in the host because it is counter productive and doing nothing but pulling down worshippers that real love Christ.
At Easter service last week, my Catholic daughter went to a Lutheran worship with her husband and his family. She was allowed to go to communion. While in line for communion, a host was dropped on the floor. She was stunned that neither the one who dropped it nor anyone in line did anything but ignore it. Out of reverence, when she got up it to, she picked it up and ate it. To her the host could not be disrespected by laying on the floor any longer. This is a woman who would never eat off of the floor, but she did not hesitate an instant because of her belief in the incredible gift and love of the Eucharist
You say you believe in the real presence in the Eucharist and I am glad you adore Jesus, but this is a huge Protestant problem as there are so many interpretations on the spectrum of belief. How many other denominations agree with yours? Although I appreciate and am glad to be somewhat aligned with Protestant brothers and sisters, this is my problem: Having so many interpretations about the Eucharist, about interpreting scripture is totally unacceptable. One universal church established by Jesus himself could not possibly have so many conflicting doctrines. The only thing I see as not conflicting between the denominations is having a common rival or enemy to rag on and pull down Catholics.
Correct me if my research is wrong, but didn't your church of Reformed Presbyterian believe the Pope to be the anti-Christ? Didn't your church also declare the US Constitution immoral because it did not list Christ as King of the country? Your members not allowed to vote? Has this been rectified? If so, how is it that a church that is only a few hundred years old could have change it's doctrine so often?
But here's some good news we can both enjoy---Christ is risen and alive!
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