The 'titles' may be similar, but there is much more written, describing what the criteria is to hold those positions/offices. There are non-Catholic churches that also use those 'titles' - Bishops, Deacons - and have a structure that is also similar to what is found in scripture.
No, this is false because every day I still have to make the choice to continue to be Catholic. I can either accept the truth that the Catholic Church teaches, or I can believe the falsehoods taught by different denominations or people, so ultimately I am still responsible for my choices.
But you don't go to any church with any type of bishop, deacon, at all, no? Aren't you one of these "me and my Bible" folks who has "church service" on your sofa? If not, what denomination are you in? What church are you attending, who is your bishop and who is your deacon? Sure, one might make the argument that there are non-Catholic churches that have a general structure that is similar to what is described in the Bible (perhaps the Anglicans, for example) but that is still nothing like these what these "me and my Bible" Christians envision, which is essentially no church structure at all.
Well if we define it simply we need only read John 3:16. But most non-Catholics seem to have something else in mind when they say "His gospel message" and the particular definition of "His gospel message" varies widely from person-to-person. What is your definition?
Sure. The fundamental truths that a person needs to know to be saved can be discerned from the Bible, if that is what you mean.
Well its not like I called your mother a harlot. I indicated that your decision making appears to make you your own personal equivalent of the Catholic pope, and that still appears to be the case. The only religious authority higher than yourself is Sacred Scripture and God himself, correct? If so, then that makes you the rough equivalent of the pope. Do you have a bishop, a pastor, a deacon, who has religious authority over you? If so, who?
Well I don't disagree with that per se, but ultimately it will always come back to your own personal interpretation of what the Bible means. Two different people can read the same exact Bible. Person A determines that Church A's teachings are consistent with the Bible. Person B determines that Church's A's teachings are inconsistent with the Bible. So ultimately it just comes down to your own personal interpretation of what the Bible means, rather than the Bible itself, if many cases.
Being considered Catholic by the Church does not lead to salvation. Choosing to believe what the Church teaches and living one's life accordingly leads to salvation, and the decision to believe and live one's life accordingly is something that the individual Catholic makes every single day of his life. So what you wrote is completely irrelevant.
Well since we are running on treadmills now, I suggest that you run so that you may obtain the prize.
But that's just what the Catholic Church says. And it's purely theoretical at that. Someone who leaves and joins a different church is aligning himself with that church and its beliefs, and that's all there is to it. Naturally, the Catholic Church will say, if questioned, that for him to do so was wrong in God's eyes.
a good example of what I just wrote in the previous post. Yes, Hitler was baptized as a child and raised as a Catholic, but he renounced the faith as a grown person and denounced Christianity altogether. The idea that somehow this cannot be done is not realistic.
Yeah I thought that somebody was gonna jump in and say something like that, without thinking first. The Catholic Church teaches that one needs to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and we both agree about that. So we both agree that "choosing to believe what the Church teaches" leads to salvation at least insofar as the Church teaches the necessity of faith in our Lord. Have a nice day.
