the_classicist

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Posts by the_classicist

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  13

  Prophesy

  by jeanniebeanz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well, over the years we as witnesses have endured many failed prophecies from people who claim to have god's cell phone number.

  it got me wondering, how much worse could we do individually?.

  what predictions do you all have for, say, the next 50 years?

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  the_classicist

  I'm serious about mine BTW, not the date, of course, but I could see that scenario as being likely to happen.
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  19

  catholic question

  by candidlynuts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in cindys post she mentioned that her grandad had been pulled aside by his catholic priests and asked to contribute more or his mother wouldnt get out of purgatory.

  do catholics really do that?

  pay to get outta purgatory?

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  the_classicist

  Well, diocesean priests are on a fixed salary, and something like that wouldn't go to them. So I guess the rest would go into general revenue which would be distributed into things like maintenance of churches and employment (they employ people to do cleaning instead of guilting volunteers ).
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  58

  The Social Structure in the Congregation

  by Mary in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ever notice how the "happiest people on earth" are also the most class-oriented?

  to say that jesus said his followers should all be on equal footing, it's incredible how much the r&f witness is not on equal footing.

  the social structure in the congregation is more complex than the blueprints of a nuclear warhead, but just so that you "remember your place", see if you can find where your niche was/is:

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  the_classicist

  Family: 5-7. Me (young) was 5, later was 7. No six.
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  19

  catholic question

  by candidlynuts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in cindys post she mentioned that her grandad had been pulled aside by his catholic priests and asked to contribute more or his mother wouldnt get out of purgatory.

  do catholics really do that?

  pay to get outta purgatory?

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  the_classicist

  I've personally gone into a cathedral to light candles for someone, and they want so many $ for each candle. So when you see that in the movies, and on TV, they are supposed to pay before they light the candles for the dying, or whatever the prayer is.

  That's to pay for the cost of the candle.

  It's been my understanding that "dispensations" can be bought, and that it is a centuries-old practice. That's from my Catholic boyfriend from years ago (I've been free for 20 some years), so it's not any leftover JW stuff. His mother and I actually went through their main book (Catechisms, I believe? it was over 20 years ago), and discussed doctrine and a lot of stuff. Having been trained JW since birth, Back then, I was very curious about the realities of other religions, as opposed to the JW-taught myths. I am long past believing anything they ever told me.

  I doubt that you can buy a dispensation, mainly because you get dispensed from an obligation like going to Mass on Sunday.

  The Catechism is on the internet if you ever want to read it, just google it (though google, Baltimore Catechism if you want something easier to read -- but its made for kids).
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  11

  Raise the Social Security retirement age from 67 to 68 ?!?!?!?

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.cnn.com/2005/allpolitics/03/07/social.security.ap/index.html

  holly crap!

  i just read an article where a senator wants to raise the retirement age to 68!!!

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  the_classicist

  Well, people are living longer. And because people aren't having enough child-producing sex, the pop. falls and the need for skilled workers increase as the previous generation retires.
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  13

  Prophesy

  by jeanniebeanz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well, over the years we as witnesses have endured many failed prophecies from people who claim to have god's cell phone number.

  it got me wondering, how much worse could we do individually?.

  what predictions do you all have for, say, the next 50 years?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  the_classicist

  July 25th, 2022: World War Three. China invades Taiwan, which just declared full independence. The US, in a strategic alliance with the Taiwanese drags them and the rest of NATO into the war. Then the Chinese allies: mainly Russia and Brazil will join in. This will eventually lead to the collapse of the US foreign influence as they are already overextended in the middle east, their army goes as it did in Vietnam. China emerges as a world power and India is it's new rival. Then second cold war begins...
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  19

  catholic question

  by candidlynuts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in cindys post she mentioned that her grandad had been pulled aside by his catholic priests and asked to contribute more or his mother wouldnt get out of purgatory.

  do catholics really do that?

  pay to get outta purgatory?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  the_classicist

  Well, the thing is, just before the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church was full of crooks. Pope Alexander VI created a new position in the Church: the papal concubine (most likely assuming the missionary position). There were more than likely abuses, but then some better Popes got in (like Pius the V?) and the house got cleaned up, so to speak. You could say that the renaissance was a dark time for the church, as it is in now, though not as bad.

  They say that God raises saints in times of crisis, especially moral, for the Church (ex., Pope St. Pius V, St. Francis of Assisi). I've yet to see such a saint in modern times.
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  19

  catholic question

  by candidlynuts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in cindys post she mentioned that her grandad had been pulled aside by his catholic priests and asked to contribute more or his mother wouldnt get out of purgatory.

  do catholics really do that?

  pay to get outta purgatory?

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  2. 
  3. 
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  the_classicist

  And there's this, more than likely biased (http://www.catholic.com/library/Myths_About_Indulgences.asp):

  Myth 1: A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.

  This charge is without foundation. Since indulgences remit only temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell. Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to God?s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, one?s eternal fate is set (Heb. 9:27).

  Myth 2: A person can buy indulgences for sins not yet committed.

  The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "[An indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power."

  Myth 3: A person can "buy forgiveness" with indulgences.

  The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has already taken place: "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven" (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1, emphasis added). Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with punishments left after sins have been forgiven.

  Myth 4: Indulgences were invented as a means for the Church to raise money.
  Indulgences developed from reflection on the sacrament of reconciliation. They are a way of shortening the penance of sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-related problems appeared.

  Myth 5: An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days.

  The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences were references to the period of penance one might undergo during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to know anything about how long or short purgatory is in general, much less in a specific person?s case.

  Myth 6: A person can buy indulgences.

  The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, "in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions" (Catholic Encyclopedia). This act proved the Church?s seriousness about removing abuses from indulgences.

  Myth 7: A person used to be able to buy indulgences.

  One never could "buy" indulgences. The financial scandal surrounding indulgences, the scandal that gave Martin Luther an excuse for his heterodoxy, involved alms?indulgences in which the giving of alms to some charitable fund or foundation was used as the occasion to grant the indulgence. There was no outright selling of indulgences. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "[I]t is easy to see how abuses crept in. Among the good works which might be encouraged by being made the condition of an indulgence, almsgiving would naturally hold a conspicuous place. . . . It is well to observe that in these purposes there is nothing essentially evil. To give money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded."
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  19

  catholic question

  by candidlynuts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in cindys post she mentioned that her grandad had been pulled aside by his catholic priests and asked to contribute more or his mother wouldnt get out of purgatory.

  do catholics really do that?

  pay to get outta purgatory?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  the_classicist

  This is what a priest (Fr. Echert) wrote:

  When a Catholic requests a memorial Mass for the dead?that is, a Mass said for the benefit of someone in purgatory?it is customary to give the parish priest a stipend, on the principles that the laborer is worth his hire (Luke 10:7) and that those who preside at the altar share the altar?s offerings (1 Cor. 9:13?14). In the United States, a stipend is commonly around five dollars; but the indigent do not have to pay anything. A few people, of course, freely offer more. This money goes to the parish priest, and priests are only allowed to receive one such stipend per day. No one gets rich on five dollars a day, and certainly not the Church, which does not receive the money anyway.

  and what someone else wrote:

  The Church forbids any monetary exchange for spiritual goods. This would be simony (The buying or selling of spiritual things-Acts 8:18-24). No one is denied a Mass because of an inability to pay.

  CCC 2122: The minister should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority, always being careful that the needy are not deprived of the help of the sacraments because of their poverty."[56]

  However, a voluntary monetary "offering" (stipend) in support of the clergy is encouraged. For 'The laborer deserves his food.'[Mt 10:10 ; cf. Lk 10:7 ; 2 Cor 9:5-18 ; 1 Tim 5:17-18--Section 2122 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church]. To help you better understand the difference between the offering of a stipend and the act of simony, read this.
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  24

  Anyone sick?

  by heatherg in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  the_classicist

  speaking of phlegm, have you seen that commerical for Musenex

  Drug commercials are really restircted in Canada, so no (like there's a total ban on commercials for perscription drugs, except Viagra it seems).