by minimus 306 Replies latest jw friends
Rbih, the only hypocrite I see here is YOU, stop insulting me. What is truly disgusting is how you are bashing the Catholic Church. If it bothers you the fact that Christianity is superior to paganism, you obviously have two problems, blindness and idiocy.
Nothing anyone can do to help you. Take care.
I don't view the Catholic Church as "Silly, Strange & Wierd!!!" I was raised Catholic before being lured into the JW cult at a vulnerable time in my life. I'm not big on any organized religion to put my faith in any more after leaving JW's. I do feel the Catholic ceremonies music and religios ritual familiarly comforting nad satisfies some spiritual needs within on some level under some cirmcustances. I thnk many former catholics return to it for some of the reasons below. I don't have an issue with this. I think all good comes from religion in the sense of communtiy caring and sharing and trusting in hgher powers to bring feelings of faith. Below are some reasons I beleve returning to the Chruch can be good for many of us who have left the WT Cult.
Shana
Because we want to help other people.
There are lots of opportunities within the secular world to volunteer. What's missing is the spiritual dimension that service within the Catholic Church provides. It's more than just a "feel good" activity. It's part of the "great commandment" (See Mark 12:28) to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. In reaching out to others, Catholic volunteers become instruments of God's love. The Catholic Church offers opportunities to touch the lives of people at home or around the world
Because we want to be part of a faith community.
Many of us seek a sense of belonging. But community is more than just friendly people, good sermons and interesting activities. A Catholic Christian community is a group of people who gather around the person of Jesus Christ to worship God and live in the light of the Holy Spirit. Catholics come together at Mass, in the Sacraments and in parish activities to pray, to celebrate joys, to mourn losses, to serve others, to provide support and to receive strength for daily life. A Catholic parish offers all of this - and much more - to people who recognize the importance of walking with others toward union with God.
Because the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and grace .
Many of us who leave the Catholic Church are blessed by the experience of worshiping for awhile in various Christian denominations. But some people come back when they realize that Catholicism has the fullness of truth and grace. The Catholic Church was not founded by a single reformer or historical movement. It is not fragmented by individual interpretations of Scripture. There are thousands of Christian denominations, but only one Catholic Church. This Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit and protected from teaching error on issues of faith and morals from generation to generation for some two thousand years, as Our Lord Jesus promised: (foretold Isaiah 22:15-25) Matt 16:13-20; Matthew 18:15-18 (in this verse the word is church, not community); 1 Tim 3:15.
Because we made mistakes.
Some of us become burdened with the weight of accumulated sin. We want to get rid of the guilt of having hurt others. We begin to ask ourselves, “Will God ever forgive me? Is there any way I can start over with a clean slate?” You can always tell God that you're sorry, but through the Sacrament of Reconciliation you have a complete assurance of God's forgiveness. In addition, you are reconciled not only with God but with all the members in the Church, the Body of Christ (CCC 1440) and given the grace to start again with that new slate.
Because childhood memories surface.
Some people say childhood memories of feeling connected to God surface in later life. We begin to ask ourselves, “Is it possible to recapture that simplicity of faith? Can I ever really believe that God is watching out for me?” The secularization of our society leads people away from the spiritual side of themselves. The Catholic Church offers BOTH religious and mystical experiences that feed the heart, the mind, the body and the soul AS WELL AS an array of active lay ministries that interface and interact with the secular world in order to make it a holier world to live in.
Because we want meaning in life.
In the hustle of today's busy lifestyles, many of us suddenly realize that our lives have lost a sense of meaning or purpose. We begin to ask ourselves, “What is my life all about? Why do I do what I do?” There is widespread confusion in our culture with regard to morality and truth. The Catholic Church offers a beacon of light that gives meaning to our existence and leads to eternal life if we persevere.
Because we want to be healed.
Some of us carry deep spiritual wounds. We struggle with anger at God over bad things that happen–a terminal illness, a debilitating injury, a broken relationship, mental or emotional problems, an act of violence against an innocent person, an unexplainable accident, some natural disaster, the death of a loved one or some other deep disappointment. The Catholic Church cannot change these situations or explain why they happened. But there are people in the Church who can assist in the process of spiritual healing and help you get on with your life.
Because we need to forgive others.
Sometimes we hold on to anger and resentment toward individuals who have hurt us deeply. Maybe it was a family member or friend. Perhaps it was someone, (a sister or a priest), or something in the Church. “Will God ever forgive me?” Our modern culture condones and encourages anger and revenge. But hatred and bitterness are spiritual cancers that eat at the heart of a person. The Catholic Church provides the opportunity to seek God's help in forgiving others, even when the other person does not ask for forgiveness or does not deserve it. The ability to forgive is a gift that opens a person's heart more fully to God's love and peace.
If it bothers you the fact that Christianity is superior to paganism, you obviously have two problems, blindness and idiocy.
lolz if you can't stand the heat get the hell up out the kitchen
1. orthodox1 tries running through some pathetic exercise in trying to convert people
2. gets called out on it, especially with that vile and disgusting "I see the Catholic Church, over hundreds of years, slowly assuming all of the Roman Pagan world into herself, destroying the Pagan world as it was known, that stood for a thousand years as oppressors. The evil Romans weren't then Evil Roman Catholics, but were converted through the love and prayers of the martyrs and laity of the Church."
that's just sick beyond belief in light of REAL history, not that rag you call a bible btw, which isn't much more than a collection of pagan stories with a jewish superhero twist used by the powerful to opress the weak.
3. you then say christianity is superior to paganism, that pagans were better off being enslaved, massacred, tortured, etc by the catholics. that's extremely christian of ya btw. and not in a good way
4. you get called out
5. but then you want to say you're persected. lmao.
here's the thing genius, i'm not bashing catholics. i'm bashing morons like you. the ones who thumb their nose at other cultres, look down on what's supposed to be all of god's children and somehow claim allegiance to a guy who would have kept you at arms length for the things you actually believe. you do know what being a christian means right? have you ever read the spposed actions of the guy you claim to follow? you are EXACTLY like the jewish clergy that jesus held in comlete and utter contempt.
i think nc put it best:
It is a funny dynamic when a poster hops on and smashes our pagan ancestors while crying about how we view the bible.
There is a special set of rules one must follow when dealing with fragile egos.
1. It is perfectly fine to bash and disrespect Pagans, but respect must be shown for the more fragile Christian believers. (not all Christians are fragile, I'm speaking in specifics here).
2. It is perfectly fine to not only bring up past Pagan atrocities, but to exaggerate them, but past Christian atrocities are off limits and simple little mistakes.
3. While we can compare all Pagans to temple prostitutes, it is improper to compare all Christians to crusaders and slave holders.
4. While Pagan people are still responsible for the wrongs of their ancestors, living Christians are absolved of their own past.
5. It is acceptable to call Pagans inferior and Christians superior but the reverse is never acceptable.
It's kind of cute actually.
NC
you mad bro?
Rbih, if Jesus would have kept me at an arms length is not for you to say.
As morons go, you are at the very top, bro.
3. you then say christianity is superior to paganism, that pagans were better off being enslaved, massacred, tortured, etc by the catholics.
This just proves you have a serious mental problem and I have no interest in continuing this stupid conversation with you.
lol i can say that because everything you've said is about as unchristian as can possibly be
i don't recall christ EVER saying that pagans had no morals.
i don't recall christ EVER saying nonbelievers were the equivalent to temple prostitutes
i DO recall christ dining with sinners and tax collectors, people that were considered immoral and beneath everyone else, yet i DON'T recall christ excoriating them at all...unlike you
again, you're about as christlike as the very people you claim are inferior to you and that's why i sincerely believe christ would keep you at arms length. unfortunately he doesn't seem to exist and there's zero evidence whatsoever that he did, but you keep on clinging to them fairytales buddy.
for fun, i thought i'd quote some scripture:
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (interesting)
4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders (sounds like slavery which YOUR catholic church justified)
, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.(the resemblance is unCANNY maybe this was a prophecy concerning the catholic chrch lmao)
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (sounds like catholicism and christianity in general to me, the realities of the horrors of what catholics have done to spread the message makes it seem like jesus was speakin about pretty mch all of christianity)
22 And [ u ] whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. (stark contrast between you and christ right there, unless you somehow think christ would look at pagans as though they were inferior and immoral. oh wait...he ATE with those types of people...hmmmmm)
23 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [ v ] cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; (catholics denonced slavery only to revive and justify it in the name of profits, very just and merciful of them)
27 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (history of the catholic church right there. sanctioned inquisitions, torture and murder. selling sacraments lmao. i just LOVE that one)
29 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are [ x ] sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how [ y ] will you escape the [ z ] sentence of [ aa ] hell?
We are not in the middle ages anymore, even though some people seem to be stuck there. The Church doesn’t burn anyone these days. Protestants also did it at the time. Some totalitarian atheistic regimes still do it in the XXI century.
testifying against yourself eh? so your church DID murder people?
drink up the guilt of your popes then
like pope john xv who was quite corrpt in doling out wealth and positions of power to friends and family members
or benedict ix who SOLD the papacy lolz....very christlike indeed. you suppose holy spirit guided him to do that?
how about the stellar reign of nicholas III who gave away "distributed principalities in the Papal States among members of his family, essentially giving them land and political power." in the name of the father, son and holy ghost i'm sure. and somehow christians have a more advanced society and have better morals than pagans? laughable
bt i'm not done! oh no....there's so much more!
more nepotism from clement V, building up wealth for his spporters, despite the son of man not even having a place to lay his head...womp womp. jesus shoulda built himself a vatican if you ask me
leo x - "as soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs"
innocent iv authorized tortre during the inquisition
yessir....very christ-like that catholic church, so much better than the pagans, what with all the torture, bloodshed and corruption
also find it funny how christ said he was no part of the world, yet the popes have been nothing if not political. grabbing as mch power as they can while throwing even their own followers under the proverbial bus.
and what's up with stephen 7 exhming the body of the previous pope apparently 9 months into rot, putting said body on trial, cutting off the fingers of the body, stripping the body of vestments, dragging it through the streets and then throwing it in the river?
was that god? the holy spirit? or jesus? is this part of that superiority over the pagans? lmfao
shana and flyinghighnow, i sent you both messages
Its funny how Catholics talk about Jesus and Christianity but they dont realise the RC is not christian and it existed before Jesus. At no stage does the RC church ever use Christian in any of their official publications or institutions.
As always the etymology of the names reveals a lot about the subject.
Rbih, I live in the XXI century and I am on the side of the Church. You are obviously on the side of the Church enemies and that is fine with me. Good luck with them.
If you care about slavery there is plenty to do to stop this repugnant practice, as there are millions of people that are being enslaved and trafficked at present.
apostate:
If you care about slavery there is plenty to do to stop this repugnant practice, as there are millions of people that are being enslaved and trafficked at present.
mP -> apostate:
You mean like not being a pawn of one of the main proponents of slavery, the church. Churches like the RC and CoF were one of the biggest enemies of the liebration of slaves because they had significant investments.
Mp, should we conclude America is an enemy of the slave abolition as it had slaves until not that long ago, and it took a civil war to end the practice?
I don’t see the Church owning any slaves nowadays, on the contrary I see it defending human rights. Can’t say the same of her enemies.
I am going to leave this subject now, as it is more than clear for anyone that wants to see it.
