1Timothy 4

[Tracie]

Hi. One day I was just looking online about how to explain my faith as a Christian (Protestant I suppose I have to say) to a person who is Catholic. Well, I ran across some site by this guy who used to be Catholic and I was looking around.

I found this passage which I found to be interesting:

1Timothy 4
1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Ok, the forbid people to marry part is obvious. The order to abstain from certain foods thing I think was presented as a Lent thing (which I know nothing about), but from what I do know a person is supposed to give something up in sacrifice and most choose meat, but I doubt that anyone is forbidding them to eat meat.

So, anyway, I was wondering what some thoughts on this might be. I am especially interested in the thoughts of Catholics.

Thanks!

Tracie

 

[Philip]

St Paul was speaking of the Gnostics.

Ok, the forbid people to marry part is obvious.

Are you aware than some priests in the Catholci Church are allowed to marry? It is only those priests in the Latin Rite who, of their own free will, take the discipline upon themselves.

As I said earlier, St Paul was speaking of the Gnostics. The Gnostics believed that all matter was evil and trapped the soul. They forbid people from marrying since they believed that having children was sinful -- each child trapped another soul.

The order to abstain from certain foods thing I think was presented as a Lent thing (which I know nothing about), but from what I do know a person is supposed to give something up in sacrifice and most choose meat, but I doubt that anyone is forbidding them to eat meat.

Fasting during Lent is a spiritual discipline. It is not a sacrifice. Rather, it is an attempt to over come earthly/fleshy desires. I assume you are aware that Christ fasted for 40 days after His baptism. The fast during Lent is in imitation of Christ's fast. Further, Scripture tells us that Christ expected His disciples to fst as well.

Obviously, St Paul was not condemning people for following Chris'ts example. Again, he was speaking of the Gnositics. Some Gnostics refused to eat meat because they thought that it further trapped their souls in this world. There is some evidence that some Gnostics starved themselves to death.

 

[lands21]

Though I understand were you are coming from , I do not believe this verse pertains to catholics. Christians also celebrate lent, were we give something up for Jesus for a period of 40 days. My wife gave up chocolate.