Catholic Medals

[Rhamiel]

I should have read the thread Helpful Advice When Posting in GT before I posted in this thread. I would have worded my post differently if I had done so. I will try and do better the next time I post in threads. Live and learn.

i do not think you worded it poorly

... I mean you are Protestant, lol I do not expect you to accept visions by Catholic Saints, you have to think they are either demonic or caused by mental illness or a scam, because if they were real... well it would mean God is telling people things that go agianst your theology and you would have to stop being Protestant...
I am not offended at all
God bless you sister

 

[DiligentlySeekingGod]

i do not think you worded it poorly

... I mean you are Protestant, lol I do not expect you to accept visions by Catholic Saints, you have to think they are either demonic or caused by mental illness or a scam, because if they were real... well it would mean God is telling people things that go agianst your theology and you would have to stop being Protestant...
I am not offended at all
God bless you sister

If this were to happen, (which I doubt, but all things are possible with God), I would first test it against Scripture as commanded to do (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

1 John 4:1-3: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

 

[Rhamiel]

I'm not sure if this is off-topic to the thread or not, but I wanted to ask you if this spirit (or Mary) acknowledged Christ?

Yes, she talked about God sending St.Catherine on a mission, not from Mary, she was just the messanger

 

[Rhamiel]

If this were to happen, (which I doubt, but all things are possible with God), I would first test it against Scripture as commanded to do (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

1 John 4:1-3: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

AMEN SISTER
I agree with you 100%
you can not trust every vision or spirit
i do not want to speak on things I am ignorant on... but I would not be surprised if most visions were demonic

we do not just assume that the vision is from God, a lot of time and study went into this to see if it was from God or not

 

[Zeek]

Ministering Spirits do not come from the ranks of departed Saints, they are Angelic beings sent by G-d without exception...as I understand it the Lady who had this vision of Mary had many other visions, some of which were wrong, and therefore her testimony is doubtful, and the doctrine surrounding it spurious.
I have heard Catholic teachers say that obtaining this medal will actually help towards personal salvation, and the whole idea of personal graces bestowed upon the wearer is pretty silly, but must have raked in a few shekels over the years.

 

[MKJ]

Yes in the OT we see time and time agian that the Jews fell into idol worship, good things can be abused, even veneration given to the Saints can be turned into something evil, but that does not mean that properly understood veneration is evil, some of the Jews preverted what the Bronze Serpent was ment for but that does not mean it started out bad
the example would be the preversion of the veneration of the Saints found in Vodou and Santeria


I think that wearing the medal would present some graces to you that you do not have now, but to get the full effect you would need to have faith
an example would be the Green Scapular, many people have been converted through that sacremental, but I am sure it is more helpful to people who allready have faith
what do you mean none of the Apostolic Churches have "this stuff"? Catholic and Orthodox Churches have blessed objects
and the "very catholic Protestants" is that like a fish that is "very like" a bird?

Blessed objects, yes, I have no problems with that.

Objects that make these kinds of specific promises "you will not die without all the Sacraments" I do have a problem with. I am very suspicious of these promises made by visions that are meant to apply to everyone.

These things are not found in Protestantism and I don't think in Orthodoxy either. (though I may go ask about it over at TAW.)

A number of large Protestant groups understand what it means to be catholic and understand themselves to be part of the catholic Church. Taking something as part of a proper name does not mean that you "own" the concept. Anglicans and Lutherans, for example, both affirm the concept of catholicity, and understand the nature of the Church as a community with authority, affirm the importance of Tradition, and maintain a liturgical tradition (perhaps better than the Catholic Church does.)

 

[sunlover1]

God allowed the Apostles to see Moses and Elijah, are they divine?
it is not like we believe Mary was there on her own power... she is a servant of God and He sent her
do you think God stoped working miracles after the Bible was written?

I don't think he'd only choose the RCC to manifest these types of things
to and usually in the form of mary, either.
In the OT, God did send angels often to speak to His children
but then, Jesus died that we might have the promise of the Spirit,
as was promised way back when God preached the gospel to Abraham.
Be blessed.

 

[Mark_Sam]

Lately, I have begun to wear the rosary (btw, what is the "proper" way of wearing a rosary? I've heard some say that it's disrespectful to wear it around one's neck.), as a reminder to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In a secular society where nothing is holy, it is good to have such reminder throughout the day.

 

[plmarquette]

ok....do you wear a cubs or cardinal tee shirt? are you worshipping them?
do you have a poster of a movie star on your wall, do you burn insense to them?
do you have a favorite tv show...is that idolitry?

asking some one, who is probably in heaven, to pray for you, is not wrong...isn't Jesus in heaven with saints, in prayer for "the church"...do you talk to a dead relative, or parent...mom put in a good word for me today....

give it a rest, guys....instead of asking stupid questions, go out and win a soul, hand out a tract, pray for some one at wal-mart...and ignore the little things your brothers and sisters do, that you do not understand.... as they ignore what you do...and have done... for years...

 

[Hairy Tic]

If you don't think you're praying to her, then chances are you aren't...

If you think you are wearing the medal to honor her, then chances are you are...

## The idea that people don't know their own intentions, makes no sense. If it's valid, then for all we know, we could all be adoring Satan. All of us on earth, all Christians of all time included. Therefore, without being aware of it, St. Paul was really a Satanolater.

This is what comes of taking an OT ethical approach & transplanting it unadapted into the foreign soil of Christian ethics; the result is an ethical judgement that looks like something from one of those games in which one puts a donkey's head on some other animal - it's an incoherent monstrosity.

If people intend to adore Christ by honouring His Saints - then they are doing exactly that. The method they use in doing so may or may not be be free of superstition or other flaws, but the intention is what people intend it to be. Where no evil intention is, people may be doing something objectively wrong, but that would not arise from intending evil as evil, but from mistaking evil for good; and they would not necssarily be morally culpable, IOW, guilty. No way can one be guilty of idolatry or any other sin, without intending to be.