Questions about Catholicism

Tallguy88 · Jul 21, 2016

If God can create everything from nothing; if He can preserve Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire without burning them; if He can tame Behemoth and Leviathan; if He can impregnate a virgin; if He can raise the dead; then surely he can preserve a hymen through childbirth.

It's not a point of faith, but it wouldn't be any more difficult for God than any of His other miracles.

Alonso_Castillo · Jul 21, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
By the saints in heaven they were carrying golden vials of odors which is our prayers

The Prayers of the Saints in apocalyptic style mean The Prayers of the Believers in this world, The 24 Elders is a figure of the Patriarchs of the Old testament and the new testament, Of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. They are there in a perpetual Liturgy and the prayers we make for them to intercede for us before the Lamb of God, are presented by them to the Lamb of God the only one mediator between The Father and us.

It is not that you can't pray to the Lord straight forward, it is that those who are there can help you to pray to the Lord As Well for your needs.

About the Fact that we are surrounded by witnesses:

Hebrews 12:1

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Those are the Angels and the Saints.

Alonso_Castillo · Jul 21, 2016

Mikhael Reborn said:
Oh no. This is something I've never thought about. How could it possibly make sense then? I know you wished no harm, but this has harmed my conversion process tonight. I need real answers and not just something little better than "well because."

Take care to not to let your thirst for knowledge to prevent you from Communion with the most Holy Sacrament, yes we are tricked by the rightful idea that we must understand every clause in a contract before signing it, but it is also true in religion dogma as in legal contracts that we even when reading the full contract sometimes we are not going to understand all the clauses nor the legal implication and the whole regulations not stated in the contract but implied by the clauses. But then you must ask yourself, Would you be in a career of 5 years to be a lawyer to sign the mortgage contract of your house?, Would you go a 5 year career on Theology, a 5 year career in Philosophy and a five year career in Ecclesiology and history of the Church and Liturgy to enter in communion with the Church that Christ Founded?

What if you want to verify that the house of you mortgage is well made? Would you go 5 years career in architecture or Engineering to verify by yourself the safeness of the structure? Are you an expert in Soil? ¿Is the soil of your house enough secure for it? ¿Would you go to a career of 5 years in Topography and Geology?

My point is this, As well as you don't need to be an architect to verify your house strength, a lawyer to sign your contracted Mortgage, a Doctor to cure your illness, a Microbiologist to verify your food cleaning etc. etc. You don't need to be a PhD in Theology or in Mariology, to become Catholic, get in, once you are in you can dig deeper in your concerns with the Help of theologians otherwise you will deprive yourself of the Graces of the Holy Sacrament which no Protestant church has.

Lord's Servant · Jul 21, 2016

Alonso_Castillo said:
The Prayers of the Saints in apocalyptic style mean The Prayers of the Believers in this world, The 24 Elders is a figure of the Patriarchs of the Old testament and the new testament, Of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. They are there in a perpetual Liturgy and the prayers we make for them to intercede for us before the Lamb of God, are presented by them to the Lamb of God the only one mediator between The Father and us.

It is not that you can't pray to the Lord straight forward, it is that those who are there can help you to pray to the Lord As Well for your needs.

About the Fact that we are surrounded by witnesses:

Hebrews 12:1

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Those are the Angels and the Saints.

Ah I see thank you for explaining it to me and now I get 1 Timothy 2:5 because it's says that Jesus is our only mediator

LivingWordUnity · Jul 21, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
Ah I see thank you for explaining it to me and now I get 1 Timothy 2:5 because it's says that Jesus is our only mediator

The intercession of the saints is the same mediation because Jesus Christ is the head and the Church his body. (see Eph 5:22-32)

Lord's Servant · Jul 21, 2016

LivingWordUnity said:
The intercession of the saints is the same mediation because Jesus Christ is the head and the Church his body. (see Eph 5:22-32)

Ah okay then I understand now because Jesus is the head and the Church is his body and in the same chapter St. Paul ask for believers for intercessions

benedictaoo · Jul 21, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
Yes it does make sense and currently personally I believe Mary had other children beside Jesus Christ but it might change

Think of like this...Jesus is God and Mary was created specially to be the mother of God. God made her to be His mother. He did not pick her out, He created Her for this purpose. Of course she would be sin free, holy, sacred, and ever virgin...why would God have her any other way? She was made to be His mother. This wasn't some random women, this is His mother He created. Joseph was a Jew, God fearing Jew. No God fearing serious Jew would ever go where God was. Mary's body is the ark of the covenant and covenant is God the Son...not stone tablets. If they treated the stone tablets written with God's finger like that and the holy of holies like that...you really think Mary is going to go back to be some ordinary wife and have other children? Of course not. And the next objection about martial relations is holy, yadda, yadda...okay, we then get into what is ordered sexuality and self giving through the Holy Family and the true meaning of what that is... Catholicism is so theologically deep and vast, its difficult to explain in a few sentences.

Thursday · Jul 21, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
I was baptized into the Holy Roman Catholic Church and I'm currently a United Methodist but I'm interested in converting back to the Catholic faith but I have some trouble believing in certain dogmas of the Church mostly the immaculate conception,the ever-virginty of Mary,and the assumption of Mary and some other things like the intercession of saints. If anyone has anything to help me with accepting these dogmas that would be great

Tim Staples was an Assembly of God youth pastor who is now a leading Catholic apologist. He had trouble accepting the Marian dogmas of the Church as well. He has written a book about these issues which you might find helpful:

http://shop.catholic.com/behold-you...ical-defense-of-the-marian-doctrines-set.html

Here's a description:

From the cross Jesus gave us his mother to be our mother, too: a singularly holy model, consoler, and intercessor for our spiritual journey. Yet most Protestants—and too many Catholics—don’t understand the role that God wants her to play in our lives.

In Behold Your Mother, Tim Staples takes you through the Church’s teachings about the Blessed Virgin Mary, showing their firm Scriptural and historical roots and dismantling the objections of those who mistakenly believe that Mary competes for the attention due Christ alone.

Combining the best recent scholarship with a convert’s in-depth knowledge of the arguments, Staples has assembled the most thorough and useful Marian apologetic you’ll find anywhere.

He also shows how all the Marian doctrines are relevant—even essential—to a salvific faith in Jesus. From her divine maternity to her perpetual virginity, from her Immaculate Conception to her Assumption, the Church’s core teachings about Mary are intertwined with the mysteries of Christ. In a word, Mary matters.

Read Behold Your Mother and find out just how much.

"The greatest doctrinal obstacle to my return to the Catholic Church was fear that Catholics had no basis for—or boundaries on—the Marian dogmas. If only Tim Staples had written Behold Your Mother then! His presentation is fearless, precise, biblically wise, historically rooted, and popular in expression. He addresses objections I haven’t seen addressed elsewhere. I can’t think of a more insightful, comprehensive single volume that persuades so thoroughly. Great, truly great, piece of apologetics." - Al Kresta, president, Ave Maria Communications and host of Kresta in the Afternoon

"Tim Staples respectfully but clearly answers every conceivable Protestant objection to Mary, the Mother of God. With the street cred of one who has been there, Tim backs up his words with Scripture every time. His answers are exhaustive but not exhausting! An invaluable book for thoughtful, truth-seeking Christians." --Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., EWTN host and author of Mary: Virgin, Mother, and Queen

"Tim Staples presents a remarkable defense of the six major Marian doctrines, including a veritable compendium of source material from the Bible, Fathers, and Church documents. He gives clear presentations of the controversial issues surrounding each doctrine, makes careful definitions and distinctions, and thinks his way through each issue as if he were having a conversation with the reader. Even well-informed readers will benefit from this engaging book." -Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., president, Magis Center of Reason and Faith

Winter · Jul 21, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
Ah it's fine and can you please answer my question about the intercession of saints ? Because how can they hear us?

This question may have already been answered for you (haven't read through the whole thread yet), but the thing to keep in mind is that when folks are in the presence of God, anything, anything is possible. People tend to think of them as "dead" but in reality they are alive - far more alive than we are here on earth. How can anyone be dead when they reside in Heaven and remain in the presence of God? Everything is heightened. If they are in heaven surely they can hear the pleas of the suffering on earth. How is it that I have the ability to know that millions of Christians are suffering in the middle east right now but the "dead" ( those residing in heaven with God) do not? How is it that I can pray for their sufferings but the saints cannot?

And its not like prayers cease once we get to heaven. I can't imagine not continuing to pray in heaven. After all, prayers are a form of love. Its not like we get to heaven and say to earthlings, sorry folks, you're on your own. I cannot hear your sufferings and neither can I pray for you. This is why we talk to our loved ones who've passed. Its because we believe they can hear us. And so if Aunt Bertha can hear me, I can ask her to pray for me. Just as I would ask any person alive on earth to pray for me surely Aunt Bertha can pray for me too. And if Aunt Bertha can pray for me so could anyone in heaven for that matter. Anyone like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Saint Francis, or ... Mary.

The biggest misunderstanding that folks have about Catholics and the intercession of saints is that they believe we are asking the saints to answer our prayers. That's not what we teach. The interecession of saints means asking our loved ones in heaven (or anyone like St. Francis or Mary) to pray for us. So just as I would ask Mr. smith next door to pray for me, and just as I would pray for you, so can saints pray for us as well. Because you see, the Body of Christ is not just make up of earthlings alive on earth - its also the saints in heaven. We are in communion with them as brothers and sisters. There are no boundaries. We are all brothers and sisters no matter where we reside.

I know its tough. When wer'e kids and we are learning about Catholicism, we get the watered down version because sometimes these theological things are hard for kids to wrap their heads around. We just succinctly learn to "pray (which by the way, means "ask") to saints. But we are never explained the "why." Its not until we get much older that we come to this kind of understanding but unfortunately many catholics by then get confused and carry that watered down version without fully understanding.

Lord's Servant · Jul 21, 2016

Winter said:
This question may have already been answered for you (haven't read through the whole thread yet), but the thing to keep in mind is that when folks are in the presence of God, anything, anything is possible. People tend to think of them as "dead" but in reality they are alive - far more alive than we are here on earth. How can anyone be dead when they reside in Heaven and remain in the presence of God? Everything is heightened. If they are in heaven surely they can hear the pleas of the suffering on earth. How is it that I have the ability to know that millions of Christians are suffering in the middle east right now but the "dead" ( those residing in heaven with God) do not? How is it that I can pray for their sufferings but the saints cannot?

And its not like prayers cease once we get to heaven. I can't imagine not continuing to pray in heaven. After all, prayers are a form of love. Its not like we get to heaven and say to earthlings, sorry folks, you're on your own. I cannot hear your sufferings and neither can I pray for you. This is why we talk to our loved ones who've passed. Its because we believe they can hear us. And so if Aunt Bertha can hear me, I can ask her to pray for me. Just as I would ask any person alive on earth to pray for me surely Aunt Bertha can pray for me too. And if Aunt Bertha can pray for me so could anyone in heaven for that matter. Anyone like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Saint Francis, or ... Mary.

The biggest misunderstanding that folks have about Catholics and the intercession of saints is that they believe we are asking the saints to answer our prayers. That's not what we teach. The interecession of saints means asking our loved ones in heaven (or anyone like St. Francis or Mary) to pray for us. So just as I would ask Mr. smith next door to pray for me, and just as I would pray for you, so can saints pray for us as well. Because you see, the Body of Christ is not just make up of earthlings alive on earth - its also the saints in heaven. We are in communion with them as brothers and sisters. There are no boundaries. We are all brothers and sisters no matter where we reside.

I know its tough. When wer'e kids and we are learning about Catholicism, we get the watered down version because sometimes these theological things are hard for kids to wrap their heads around. We just succinctly learn to "pray (which by the way, means "ask") to saints. But we are never explained the "why." Its not until we get much older that we come to this kind of understanding but unfortunately many catholics by then get confused and carry that watered down version without fully understanding.

Ah I see thank you for explaining it to me and answering the questions I have

Lord's Servant · Jul 23, 2016

Thursday said:
Tim Staples was an Assembly of God youth pastor who is now a leading Catholic apologist. He had trouble accepting the Marian dogmas of the Church as well. He has written a book about these issues which you might find helpful:

http://shop.catholic.com/behold-you...ical-defense-of-the-marian-doctrines-set.html

Here's a description:

From the cross Jesus gave us his mother to be our mother, too: a singularly holy model, consoler, and intercessor for our spiritual journey. Yet most Protestants—and too many Catholics—don’t understand the role that God wants her to play in our lives.

In Behold Your Mother, Tim Staples takes you through the Church’s teachings about the Blessed Virgin Mary, showing their firm Scriptural and historical roots and dismantling the objections of those who mistakenly believe that Mary competes for the attention due Christ alone.

Combining the best recent scholarship with a convert’s in-depth knowledge of the arguments, Staples has assembled the most thorough and useful Marian apologetic you’ll find anywhere.

He also shows how all the Marian doctrines are relevant—even essential—to a salvific faith in Jesus. From her divine maternity to her perpetual virginity, from her Immaculate Conception to her Assumption, the Church’s core teachings about Mary are intertwined with the mysteries of Christ. In a word, Mary matters.

Read Behold Your Mother and find out just how much.

"The greatest doctrinal obstacle to my return to the Catholic Church was fear that Catholics had no basis for—or boundaries on—the Marian dogmas. If only Tim Staples had written Behold Your Mother then! His presentation is fearless, precise, biblically wise, historically rooted, and popular in expression. He addresses objections I haven’t seen addressed elsewhere. I can’t think of a more insightful, comprehensive single volume that persuades so thoroughly. Great, truly great, piece of apologetics." - Al Kresta, president, Ave Maria Communications and host of Kresta in the Afternoon

"Tim Staples respectfully but clearly answers every conceivable Protestant objection to Mary, the Mother of God. With the street cred of one who has been there, Tim backs up his words with Scripture every time. His answers are exhaustive but not exhausting! An invaluable book for thoughtful, truth-seeking Christians." --Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., EWTN host and author of Mary: Virgin, Mother, and Queen

"Tim Staples presents a remarkable defense of the six major Marian doctrines, including a veritable compendium of source material from the Bible, Fathers, and Church documents. He gives clear presentations of the controversial issues surrounding each doctrine, makes careful definitions and distinctions, and thinks his way through each issue as if he were having a conversation with the reader. Even well-informed readers will benefit from this engaging book." -Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., president, Magis Center of Reason and Faith

Thank you for recommending this book

mea kulpa · Jul 25, 2016

Ex 25:10-22

Have them make an arkb of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.c 11Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.

17“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends.20The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you.22There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Our lady is an ordinary human being just normal "accacia wood" but she is preserved from the stain of orignial sin at Gods command she is "overlayed with gold inside and out" she is always with us as we journey in faith her "poles ramain with in the rings" the word bacame flesh was placed in her womb "put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you"

The whole of heaven and God himself overshadow her and through her God himself comes to us in the flesh... in the person of Jesus Christ

"The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you.22There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites."

fat wee robin · Jul 25, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
Ah I see then

thank you for explaining to me and I'm starting to believe in it but it will take times

It is common in the East ,to call cousins, brothers or sisters , which kind of threw me when I first came accross it in schools .

mea kulpa · Jul 25, 2016

On a simple human level. If we aspire to be like our lord then we need to look at how our lord would view his mother... the angel gabriel calls her blessed among ALL women. Jesus would honour his mother and love his mother even obay his mother.... if we want to be christlike we need to have a similar relationship to our lady as christ did.... imagine going upto heaven and your invited by our lord to meet the mother of God and you just brush it off... "ah i am not interested in your mam, your enough for me" or if your a adopted by a family the son comes and brings you into the house and when your invited to meet his mother you say "she dosnt count only the father and the son"

You see heaven is like a family and we are adopted sons of God through the son... we have a father a mother and a brother and many other adpoted brothers and sisters in heaven and on earth... we are by our baptism incorperated into that family... our family.... we need to love our mother and give her respect and acknowledge her authority in the position she holds within our family.. and what happens in families all over the world... the child asks the mother "mam can i have......" and she responds "i will see your dad" our own mothers interceed on our behalf to our fathers everyday and our heavenly family is no different

Open Heart · Jul 25, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
Ah thank you can you please answer me about the immaculate conception and the assumption of Mary?

I was raised fundamentalist/evangelical, so I began life with a hardnosed prejudice against the Marian dogmas. As I proceeded in my Catholic studies, I had to confess that these doctrines were not UN-biblical, they just weren't specifically Biblical, and I was still sola scriptura enough to be bothered by that.

But as time went by, I grew more and more to understand the need for Church authority, and in particular there were two things that convinced me of this. The first was that the Church didn't have the New Testament for hundreds of years, and depended upon Church authority to determine right teaching. The second was that without Church authority, there would be no canon of Scripture in the first place.

It was one thing to concede Church authority. It was another thing to bend my will to it. I had grown spoiled in my Protestant independence. Obedience went down my throat like nails. But slowly, over time, I pulled myself under the teaching authority of the Church.

And with that naturally came the acceptance of the Marian dogmas, because the Church does teach them authoritatively, just as it teaches the Trinity, or Original Sin, or the dual nature of Christ, or the Solemnity of the Lord's Day...

Lord's Servant · Jul 25, 2016

Ah I see I was sorta raised in the Church but we left before I was confirmed and took my first communion so we went to a Hebrew roots church and they're very anti-Catholic and then I started to read the Church Fathers and what they believed and I was surprise because they sounded very Catholic and not what I was taught in church so alright then because the Church gave us the Bible and defended the Trinity so we they can't be wrong with the assumption of Mary

nondenom40 · Aug 2, 2016

Lord's Servant said:
I was baptized into the Holy Roman Catholic Church and I'm currently a United Methodist but I'm interested in converting back to the Catholic faith but I have some trouble believing in certain dogmas of the Church mostly the immaculate conception,the ever-virginty of Mary,and the assumption of Mary and some other things like the intercession of saints. If anyone has anything to help me with accepting these dogmas that would be great

There isn't any biblical support for these dogmas. You're right to question them. Catholic dogmas are necessary for your salvation. Do you really want to be bound by teachings that have zero foundation in God's word? I'd focus on reading the Bible and prayerfully asking Him to lead you. God does not lead people astray.

Anhelyna · Aug 2, 2016

Welcome to CF nondenom40 :wave:

I'd like to point out to you something of which, as you have only joined today, you may be unaware.

This particular Board - known as OBOB - One Bread One Body is a Catholic Board and as a non-Catholic though you are very very welcome to post here in fellowship , you may not post anything that is against Catholic teaching. We would respectfully ask you to observe this ruling [ which you will find in this post http://www.christianforums.com/threads/obob-statement-of-purpose.7413361/ at the head of the Board.

nondenom40 · Aug 2, 2016

Anhelyna said:
Welcome to CF nondenom40

I'd like to point out to you something of which, as you have only joined today, you may be unaware.

This particular Board - known as OBOB - One Bread One Body is a Catholic Board and as a non-Catholic though you are very very welcome to post here in fellowship , you may not post anything that is against Catholic teaching. We would respectfully ask you to observe this ruling [ which you will find in this post http://www.christianforums.com/threads/obob-statement-of-purpose.7413361/ at the head of the Board.

My bad. Thanks

Anhelyna · Aug 2, 2016

No worries nondenom - as I said fellowship - and we enjoy chatting with folk here - we have some regulars who are not Catholic

We don't bite - well not very often

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