Civil Religious Discussions : all things Christianity II

[Magyars]

 

[erasure]

Sorry if this is inappropriate. My mother's got cancer, she's entered the 'just suffering until the end' stage. Would appreciate prayers.

 

[DragonGunner]

Sorry if this is inappropriate. My mother's got cancer, she's entered the 'just suffering until the end' stage. Would appreciate prayers.

Prayers for her and your family.

 

[Magyars]

Sorry if this is inappropriate. My mother's got cancer, she's entered the 'just suffering until the end' stage. Would appreciate prayers.

Prayers and positive thought for a peacefull passing.
I was there last fall with my Father. I know how tough it can be.

 

[historian]

Sorry if this is inappropriate. My mother's got cancer, she's entered the 'just suffering until the end' stage. Would appreciate prayers.

I am so sorry to hear this.

Lord, You are the Author of life and the Great Physician. According to Your perfect will, grant health to those who are ill. Give grace to the grieving and the dying in their hour of need. We pray especially for erasure's mother. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

[Magyars]

Subway accused of anti-Christian discrimination in row over T-shirt

The world's largest restaurant operator has now been hit with a deluge of angry comments from Christians with some warning the company it risks a Bud Light style boycott

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Magyars]

It's my humble opinion this story fits here more than in other threads.

Something Bigger Than Politics Is Unfolding In America

On a convention night infused with an air of divine providence, Trump gave a speech for the history books.

thefederalist.com

 

[ChristianPatriot]

 

[foszoe]

Define death.

 

[foszoe]

View attachment 367446

Enough to make you back into an unbeliever.

 

[Fletch]

Sorry if this is inappropriate. My mother's got cancer, she's entered the 'just suffering until the end' stage. Would appreciate prayers.

I'm still in the "let's see what this drug does" stage. Praying for your mom.

 

[erasure]

I'm still in the "let's see what this drug does" stage. Praying for your mom.

You too? I hope and I'll pray it'll be easy on you.

Modern medicine is kind of amazing. I've had family go through absolute hell with cancer. Now my mother has the worst case of them all: sudden onset, metastases everywhere, and she's not in pain. Tired, brain fogged, weak...but it could be so much worse.

Thanks everyone for your prayers.

 

[Fletch]

View attachment 363780

 

[HoughMade]

Enough to make you back into an unbeliever.

We're not much for John 13:35 anymore.

 

[foszoe]

We're not much for John 13:35 anymore.

Amen.

Romans 14:1

No, i don't chapter/verse that well so I had to look up John.

My daily readings are from a lectionary so I know what book i am in, which happens to be Romans. But I had to look up the reference.

Similar verses, but it was Romans I was thinking of when I replied.

Regardless, the pagans wanted to become Christians, no because our doctrine was correct or more correct, but because of how we treated each other, and by extension how we treated the poor. The hungry, and the sick. That was what led them to our Lord.

Now I can read daily how others should be treated in the vilest of terms followed by God save our country.

God forgive me, but it honestly remakes me weep in my prayers, not for my country, but for those who claim the title of Christian but act in a similar manner, that they recognize the damage they do in the name of our Lord.

 

[historian]

We're not much for John 13:35 anymore.

I mean, "Split ye into all the world", right?

 

[Magyars]

 

[foszoe]

Yesterday, the opening of the Olympics featured what many thought was a drag show depiction of the Last Supper Da Vinci painting.

This morning, I read this from the Prologue of Ohrid for July 27th. I thought it was worh sharing.

HOMILY

About the prophesied scoffers of holy things

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts" (2 Peter 3:3).

Does the mirror change and warp when a scoffer stands before it, laughing and scoffing at it? No, the mirror does not change and warp, but remains the same as it was. Brethren, neither does God change or warp when scoffers laugh and scoff at Him. The unchanging and All-pure God knows that the scoffer scoffs at himself. By his scoffing at the holy things of God, the scoffer warps and deforms himself, while the holy things of God remain intact.

Oh, how many scoffers there already are in our own time! Many--too many--but their multitudes are weaker than the One and Only. What is a mass of dust to a strong wind? You have only to wait, armed with patience, until a strong wind blows.

Far too many scoffers have come, who scoff at God's word. They offer their own words in place of God's word; they offer the unholy in place of the holy, the putrid in place of the healthy and the death-dealing in place of the life-creating. The word of God is like a strong wind, and their words are like dust.

The scoffers are already here--far too many--that scoff at God's works, and still many more will arrive. They praise their works above God's works, and say that the works of their hands are better and wiser than the works of God. Their works are thievery; for everything good that they have built, they have built from God's materials, and according to the likeness of God's creations. All the evil that they have built, they have built from the devil's materials, and according to the likeness of the devil's creations. Therefore, of what will the dust boast? In what will the scoffers boast today or tomorrow, when wild asses will trample over their graves with their hooves?

O All-pure Lord, Your words are Holy and Powerful as a strong wind, and Your works are holy, and they are numberless and measureless. O All-pure Lord, save our tongues from scoffing, and save our lives from the scoffers.

To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

 

[Magyars]

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

So here's somethin'. Recently I was at a birthday party for someone in a young adults group I recently left (reasons why were not relevant to this story), and struck up a conversation with her brother while he worked on a generator. Somehow the conversation came to him asking me what type of Christian I am and I typically consider myself non-denominational. He and his sister are what I would describe as non-politically correct devout Catholics.

The part of the conversation didn't last long, mainly because I wasn't prepared for him to attack my beliefs and try and argue apologetics at that moment, but also because I was a little drunk just wishing to pass the time. Anyways, he pretty much low key called me a heretic, and accused me of "being my own pope." Because I didn't like the rules, I made a religion to fit what I wanted things to be. He then gave the analogy of people not liking the government but still obeying the laws, or having bad cops but still accepting their tickets. He then started to list what some bishop said about this. I was close to telling to go F himself and leave, mainly because I didn't appreciate getting scolded at that moment not nearly at my best, but instead shook my head and smiled. I also try to hear others out when they challenge my faith anyways, as I believe it keeps our beliefs sharp. Anyways, the subject passed and we got back to more jovial things, but it did leave a lasting thought in my mind.

So I grew up Catholic. Went through 12 years of Catholic school. Did all the Sacraments of Initiation. I left the faith due to disagreements with the hierarchy. Not only that, but throughout those 12 years we were never in a setting that encouraged us to think about our faith and research the Bible and God's Word. It wasn't until I talked with an ex-Jehovah Witness that got me interested in studying the Bible. And I have to say, the Catholic schools left a lot out. I cannot say I am a Protestant as when I reflect on things, my beliefs are maybe a little closer to the Catholic side, but definitely are not Catholic. I have a lot of respect for Catholics, I just think there are a lot of problems with the hierarchy.

Anyways, there are some things that pop out to me from that conversation, and I guess I'm posting them here because I don't like fighting with people not present, as it usually puts words in their mouth and I typically win. The first challenge would be some things he said about Protestantism. Again, I'm not a Protestant, but some of the things he said feel backwards when it comes to history. He stated that Martin Luther wrote his challenges because he was screwing nuns and wanted to change the religion to his own beliefs. He also claimed that Protestantism was created so that the people didn't have to think about their faith, that anyone can "be their own pope".

Umm, Okay. That's not congruent to my experience to Catholicism nor some of the history of the Church. At least in my experience, the monotonous rituals during a Catholic mass lend themselves to a sort of zombie-like trance, where I question if most truly understand what is being said. Most of my family is Catholic, but could never hold up in a deep theological discussion like the ones I have with the Protestants I know. I'm not a history buff but wasn't it the Catholic Church that banned the ownership of the Bible? Didn't the great schism and Reformation occur because the Church was acting too much like corrupt politicians rather than men of God?

Then we get to the "be your own pope" thing, as well as the odd analogies of obeying the law despite not liking the government. I understand what point he's trying to make here. He's likely talking about changing God's Law to something that we want, or something more convenient for us. That's a valid point, but it is irrelevant to "being your own pope". Quite honestly if he asks me again if I "am my own pope", I will probably say "yes, yes I am." This comes to one of my biggest issues with Catholicism, the infallibility of the pope and the hierarchy being the true Apostolic Church. The Church has been infiltrated by the Marxists, both on the lower and upper echelons of the hierarchy. The pope is actively saying and promoting things that are perpendicular to God's Law. That's a simple fact and not for debate. So which side am I to follow? Aristotle's Law of Non-Contradiction states that it is illogical to follow both, so I'll follow my limited interpretation of what God says rather than someone who is saying known lies.

During a Catholic Mass, there is a point called the Profession of Faith where you state the clear bullet-proof core beliefs of the Catholic faith. In that Profession, you state that you believe in the One Apostolic Catholic Church. Furthermore the most recent revision of the Profession from the Vatican itself states "I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals." There is little room for interpretation here. It states there is only one church and that is though divine inspiration has the authority of morals and doctrine.

Now riddle me this: what happens when the Church states something incongruent to God's Word? I don't know about you, but there has been several occasions where the Church has done things perpendicular to God's Word, especially in recent history. So who do you side with? Mike (the brother I was talking to) made it really clear he believes all this social justice stuff is very much against God and His Word. So if you follow God's Word over what the pope is teaching today, wouldn't that make you "your own pope" Mike? That archbishop who got excommunicated a few weeks ago, wouldn't that make him an apostate and heretic even though he challenged the heretical things Francis was saying?

My intentions here are not to attack Catholics. If anything, it's been Catholics that were some of the biggest critics of some of this BS. I personally believe that the Catholic Church will undergo yet another schism soon, where one side will rebel against the hierarchy and perhaps form their own vision of what the Catholic Church should be (a part of what will be the Remnant Church IMO), while the other side excommunicates and calls them apostates and heretics.

Mike and his friends that night said that the Protestant Church and non-denominational beliefs are "hot garbage" because of them "going along to get along" with modern Marxist and Relativist beliefs. I challenge this and say it's not the Protestant and non-denominationals that are the issue, the issue is Christianity itself. The entire religion is being judged, especially the Catholic Church. Many have lost touch with the true Word of God (many "Christians" don't even believe that Jesus was the Son of God). There are good churches and preachers out there and IMO revival will happen on the local level, especially at home with friends and family as we get closer to the end of the age (again IMO as I see it).

I'm about to wrap this up (running out of brain juice), but this is kind of why I'm non-denominational. The Word of God is a very complex subject, and nobody has the full picture or all the answers. We all fall short in Jesus's example. Perhaps I'm making to big of a deal out of this, but with a little humility it's through issues like this that can refine our faith rather than locking ourselves in echo chambers in blind faith convinced the shadows dancing on the wall is the entire world.