The Comfort of Being Home

[Reader Antonius]

Growing up as an Evangelical, I was always shocked at the number of schisms and divisions there are. Many Evangelicals (including myself at one time in my life) will say that all you need to do to be a Christian is follow what the Bible says.

Well, that hasn't worked out AT ALL. So many of our brothers and sisters in the Sola Scriptura movement have differing doctrines, yet at the same time they all claim to follow the Bible.

It comforts me to know that Jesus set up His Church to provide me with orthodox doctrine.

I guess what I am trying to say is that now that I am in the process of becoming Catholic, I can find comfort in knowing that what the Church teaches is TRUE and without any error.

You simply couldn't have that assurance as an Evangelical.

Any thoughts?

 

[colleen]

We are very blessed indeed.

 

[Lady Bug]

I'm in the process of studying Catholicism; right now, I cannot declare myself a Catholic but I think that it might happen someday

But I am frustrated at my wit's end with the divisions in Evangelicalism (is that a word, lol). I have been even before my interest in Catholicism ever came to light. Something is obviously VERY, very wrong when you have all these different sects of Christianity at odds with each other on how to worship Jesus. You would think that "belief in Jesus" is enough to bridge the differences but sadly it is NOT. I refuse to believe that all the formation of these schisms since the Reformation (I don't really care for that word anymore) are OK; Christians being disunited like this. Something feels really "off" about that, this is not the way Christ intended for His Body of believers. Not at all

 

[Foundthelight]

That is one of the reasons I converted!

 

[Rhamiel]

welcome home good knight and welcome to OBOB
I think one thing is interesting about the nature of denominations, look at how fast they brake apart, the ones that are the closest to the Church in style and theology (high church protestant) for all there problems they tend to stick together, while on the other hand you have baptist and fundamentalist congregations that might split several times a generation, no cohesion at all

 

[InTheCloud]

I believe the trick is Scripture + Tradition + Magisterioum (or authority).
Look the Oriental Orthodox broke with Rome in the 450 year AD. The Eastern Orthodox broke with Rome in 1050 AD and have less differences with Rome that the protestants among themselves, there are more difference between protestants that between Rome and Constantinople or Alexandria or Antioch. I guess that believing in the Early Church Fathers have saved them a lost of schisms and deviant doctrines.
The thing is that I have been studying the origin of the Bible and the Bible is not a easy book. Many things are mean to be read with tradition in mind. For example a Messianic Jew that is a real Jew posted in other forum that the OT was never mean to be read outside tradition by the Jews. For example in the original versions there were no vowels and separation between words. So "This is the Bible" would have read like: thssthbbl and we all know Yahweh was written in the equivalent of YHWH. So Jewish Bible reading depends on oral tradition. Also since the Bible has copied by hand and the Jews were exiled to Babylon and others went to Egypt there were three versions of the Old Testament in Jesus time. The protomasoretic, the protoseptuagint and the samaritan. So both the first rabbinic Jews and the first Christians had to do a huge edition work on the Bible. Again tradition. And the Jews and then the Early Christian Church had to do a huge work in selecting the books that will go in the Bible and then what versions of those books. So again the tradition of men helped deliver the Bible to us.
Finally is the language problem. Most of the OT is in Hebrew, some books are in Aramaic (Tobit in Catholic/Orthodox Septuagint canon Bibles). Others Books were written in hebrew and then lost and only the greek copys remain and some hebrew fragments. Macabees, Wisdom. In the NT most books were written in Greek but remember the people in those books spoke in Aramaic and Hebrew so they are already translations. Then you got the idea that they were people living thousands of years ago and the expresions and customs have changed and you are reading English translations and you got a huge problem. That is why you should search for the advise of experts to see what is the message of the Bible. Reading the Bible alone is fine but some things will be out of your gasp.

 

[PassthePeace1]

Welcome home...

 

[Called2Grace]

I believe the trick is Scripture + Tradition + Magisterioum (or authority).
Look the Oriental Orthodox broke with Rome in the 450 year AD. The Eastern Orthodox broke with Rome in 1050 AD and have less differences with Rome that the protestants among themselves, there are more difference between protestants that between Rome and Constantinople or Alexandria or Antioch. I guess that believing in the Early Church Fathers have saved them a lost of schisms and deviant doctrines.
The thing is that I have been studying the origin of the Bible and the Bible is not a easy book. Many things are mean to be read with tradition in mind. For example a Messianic Jew that is a real Jew posted in other forum that the OT was never mean to be read outside tradition by the Jews. For example in the original versions there were no vowels and separation between words. So "This is the Bible" would have read like: thssthbbl and we all know Yahweh was written in the equivalent of YHWH. So Jewish Bible reading depends on oral tradition. Also since the Bible has copied by hand and the Jews were exiled to Babylon and others went to Egypt there were three versions of the Old Testament in Jesus time. The protomasoretic, the protoseptuagint and the samaritan. So both the first rabbinic Jews and the first Christians had to do a huge edition work on the Bible. Again tradition. And the Jews and then the Early Christian Church had to do a huge work in selecting the books that will go in the Bible and then what versions of those books. So again the tradition of men helped deliver the Bible to us.
Finally is the language problem. Most of the OT is in Hebrew, some books are in Aramaic (Tobit in Catholic/Orthodox Septuagint canon Bibles). Others Books were written in hebrew and then lost and only the greek copys remain and some hebrew fragments. Macabees, Wisdom. In the NT most books were written in Greek but remember the people in those books spoke in Aramaic and Hebrew so they are already translations. Then you got the idea that they were people living thousands of years ago and the expresions and customs have changed and you are reading English translations and you got a huge problem. That is why you should search for the advise of experts to see what is the message of the Bible. Reading the Bible alone is fine but some things will be out of your gasp.

I have read a lot of your posts and you have a lot of knowledge of the bible and christianity, but your icon says deist?

After all your research, have you decided against christianity?

 

[Reader Antonius]

Welcome home...

Thanks, I cannot tell you how wonderful it really is to be Home.

Praise Jesus!

 

[WarriorAngel]

I am so glad you have peace now.

 

[Reader Antonius]

I am so glad you have peace now.

Thanks be to God!