• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Fixing a hole where the rain gets in ...

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
It just means God makes mistakes. That's not how I see God.

And why are you talking about Calvinism? I'm not a Calvinist.
Those who blame God for what man does - do not understand God. They think God programs man to do what he does so that God can know the future like a man would have to do so a man could know the future.

Those who think God needs to be ignorant about the future for man to have free will and Jer 18 to be true - don't understand God.

That is not the confusing part for me.

the confusing part is where we ask -- "what does any of this have to do with the OP"?


In CF I've come across a number of Protestants who are convinced that Catholics teach and believe that Protestants are not Christians and are heading for hell.
 
Upvote 0

Xeno.of.athens

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
May 18, 2022
7,455
2,380
Perth
✟203,163.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
People that proselytize frequently misrepresent their religion and aren't honest about counting the cost.
Agreed, I do not like proselytist works nor the message.

I do wonder why there would be a cost if one were to decide to change from protestant to Catholic, or vice versa. But I do know that some who swap from one to the other become very active and very keen proselytiser.
 
Upvote 0

Xeno.of.athens

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
May 18, 2022
7,455
2,380
Perth
✟203,163.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
I know Catholics probably think that's a loving to say, but it sounds belittling.
It isn't loving nor belittling in my thinking; it's just descriptive and accurate. A protestant is my brother/sister but we are separated.
 
Upvote 0

FireDragon76

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Apr 30, 2013
33,483
20,769
Orlando, Florida
✟1,515,190.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat

Of course there is a cost. Potential loss of a church community one is established in, having to live under a new set of religious obligations. Those are not free.
 
Upvote 0

Xeno.of.athens

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
May 18, 2022
7,455
2,380
Perth
✟203,163.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
Of course there is a cost. Potential loss of a church community one is established in, having to live under a new set of religious obligations. Those are not free.
Changes are a cost I guess, but for me the changes were welcome and the new community is warm and friendly for the most part; and I never separated from any of my friends who are atheist or protestant. But I have been shunned by a few protestants because I am now a Catholic. But even though that is a cost it is not one that is a natural and normal outcome of the change, it is an abnormal reaction that only a few choose to apply.
 
Upvote 0

FireDragon76

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Apr 30, 2013
33,483
20,769
Orlando, Florida
✟1,515,190.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat

Some Protestants value their religious community alot. Your average American Evangelical that goes to a mega church isn't on the same page.

I left a Lutheran religious community, but it was not an easy thing to do. Not something I did casually.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,143
15,257
PNW
✟980,055.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I have a feeling I experienced some of that while listening to Staples.
 
Upvote 0

eleos1954

God is Love
Site Supporter
Nov 14, 2017
11,018
6,441
Utah
✟853,083.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
... fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.

It has been entrusted to Jesus alone. It's not "catholic unity" .... it's unity with Christ ... and that is outside of any earthly church organization ... it is ones personal relationship with the Lord. Salvation is through Christ alone .... not any earthly church system.
 
Upvote 0

FireDragon76

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Apr 30, 2013
33,483
20,769
Orlando, Florida
✟1,515,190.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat
I have a feeling I experienced some of that while listening to Staples.

It's been a while since I interacted with them, so I can't say. Arguing your religion is better than another religion, in certain contexts, could be considered proselytism.

The definition of proselytism according to the World Council of Churches. This definition is generally agreed by Catholics, as well:

 
Upvote 0

Xeno.of.athens

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
May 18, 2022
7,455
2,380
Perth
✟203,163.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
By that definition a lot of CF threads are attempts at proselytism.
 
Reactions: FireDragon76
Upvote 0

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Very big of them to allow that others might also be Christians...

Sounds almost like some Baptists I know, who seem to think, for one example, that if there are no baptist missionaries in a particular country, it is therefore without the gospel.
hmmmm -- as someone who is NOT Baptist -- that opens the door to a few questions... since you are comparing Baptist history to Catholic history --

1. Do the Baptists have any so-called infallible ecumenical councils calling for a LATERAN IV style "extermination of heretics" when it comes to Catholics??

2. Do the Baptists have anything like the "doctrine of discovery"??
3. Do the Baptists have a history of banning the Bible in the language of the people for entire nations?

I need to hear more about those Baptists I guess to see if your comparison above is accurate/complete
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

FireDragon76

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Apr 30, 2013
33,483
20,769
Orlando, Florida
✟1,515,190.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat

Speaking of proselytism, see #2 on the above definition...
 
Upvote 0

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
As far as the topic at hand - the Council of Florence is so at odds with Vatican 2 teaching I can't see an honest way of showing continuity.

Florence is clear - if you are not Catholic you will not be saved.
And given the Vatican IV command to "exterminate heretics" as noted in this post -- #6

It is easy to see why some might get the impression that a pre-Vatican II Catholic church was most certainly teaching that non-Catholics are not saved.
 
Upvote 0

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married

Speaking of proselytism, see #2 on the above definition...
ok that is a good point - #2 in that list does speak very loud and clear about a pro-proselytism POV.

The Catholic Empire declared war on Bohemia (Czech republic today because of doctrinal differences and the notion that they could force citizens of that country to believe Catholic dogma if only they could go to war with them and kill those who stood in opposition. Some would call that "an extreme" form of proselytism pre-Vatican II.

The same thing happens in the civil war the broke out in the holy roman empire between German states etc.

Many examples of such proselytize via war during the dark ages.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
In fairness, many Christians have the same attitude. It's rare a Christian denomination sees their church as just one of many equally valid choices.
There is a point there that should not be missed.

Few if any Christians say "my church is wrong but so are all the other churches so it does not matter - we are all the same"
Many will say "my church is right and many others have a lot of things right - I just think mine is the best I have found so far"
Many others will say "I don't have time to compare denominations and find out which one is the most correct - I like the one I am presently in, I have friends there"
 
Upvote 0

Xeno.of.athens

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
May 18, 2022
7,455
2,380
Perth
✟203,163.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
Agreed.

I have friends in the Catholic Church and I like my local community, I also like a lot of what is in the Catechisms I have read, but I do not think every Catholic is flawless nor that the church's leaders are all wise and godly. But still, I like Catholicism, it is restful as well as respectful.
 
Upvote 0

BobRyan

Junior Member
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Nov 21, 2008
53,381
11,920
Georgia
✟1,095,877.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Most Christians will say that about their own denomination - so this is common ground for most if not all of us.
 
Upvote 0

d taylor

Well-Known Member
Oct 16, 2018
13,761
5,824
60
Mississippi
✟322,809.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Single
-
Being a christian gets nobody to heaven. Receiving God's free gift of Eternal Life, by belief/faith in Jesus, is the only way a person receives the Etrenal Life of God which enables them to spend eternity with God. They cross over from death to life at the moment of belief in Jesus.
 
Upvote 0