I was talking with one of my Catholic friends today, and it's obvious that he doesn't understand Protestantism at all. :sigh: He thinks we pray to idols, for example. Although he said we weren't going to Hell, it did bother me how little he knew.
What about Catholocism? I know it's pretty judgmental, and their reverance of Mary, stance on birth control and women really bothers me. Also, the way they teach that suicides go to Hell no matter what the reason bothers me too. I've read that they're the Whore of Babylon is Revelation- what do y'all think
PS; I'm not trying to offend any Catholics on here- I'm just curious as to what everyone thinks, and I'm just stating my problems with it as a belief system. Nothing against Catholic people.
No Catholicism isn't a cult and they're not Mystery Babylon, although I've read Alexander Hislop and several other authors on that and have found them the furthest thing from conclusive. I actually found them fairly conclusive to the contrary that Catholicism isn't Mystery Babylon, a cult, or whatever. But I genuinely read much more of the New Testament than most Christians, even more than most Christians around here. None of the epistles are too short for me to devote hours and hours to and I don't start skip reading when I come to a long series of greetings at the close of one or two epistles. So, I notice some stuff that most Christians wouldn't. Even most Christians around here. For example, faith and love in both our Lord Jesus and all of the saints is Philemon 1:5. And yeah, it means just that, but it's not idolatrous because Christ has abolished death and our fellow saints are fellow members of the One Body.
They are a bit old world in their views of women. Some of those views are misreadings of the New Testament where preexisting traditions about women thought they found validation in the pages of the New Testament that were addressing specifically culturally related things when Christianity was still set up in a Synogogue format. It was that way for nearly 500 years, actually. I agree that they're a bit out there on birth control. God only knows what they'd think of a woman that ever decided to have her tubes tied. She's liable to be accused of having taken the mark of the beast or of some kind of sin unto death. That doesn't reflect the current view of all or even most Bishops and Pastors though. It's tradition and sorta "official policy." If it weren't for the poverty vows and the no wives rule for their clergy that I consider to both be completely unBiblical to the extreme, I'd likely look into the process of becoming a Catholic priest 'cause I like that they pay attention to some things in the Bible that I think that too many Protestants prematurely dismiss in favor of their own ideas, like John 20, daily communion, etc.
though i dont want to offend anyone, in my opinion catholics are kind of pagans.
i think it are the catholics who pray to idols, Marjam and the saints, calling the pope holy father and so on.
:cloud9: My :2c:. No, they're not mystery Babylon, but yes, they are a cult. The Lord told me when I was first saved how to recognize a cult, because I had no idea who had the truth and who didn't. He said, "A cult always emphasizes it's error." By that definition.....Blessings.....
Quote from: Cardinal on January 02, 2009, 10:00:58 PM
:cloud9: My :2c:. No, they're not mystery Babylon, but yes, they are a cult. The Lord told me when I was first saved how to recognize a cult, because I had no idea who had the truth and who didn't. He said, "A cult always emphasizes it's error." By that definition.....Blessings.....
can you explain more?
:cloud9: Think about what each denom emphasizes that is error. Blessings...
Up until now I wouldn't have called them a cult, but I do think as a denomination they're way missing the mark and teaching deceit in many areas...the error(s) as Card says. The emphasis on works/obedience to the "Church", the deifying of saints, Mary, praying to them, etc., IMO takes much of the focus off our Savior...and they're probably the main propogators of hell, eternal torment, etc. All that doesn't add up to very good news...
Quote from: jabcat on January 03, 2009, 10:06:38 AM
Up until now I wouldn't have called them a cult, but I do think as a denomination they're way missing the mark and teaching deceit in many areas...the error(s) as Card says. The emphasis on works/obedience to the "Church", the deifying of saints, Mary, praying to them, etc., IMO takes much of the focus off our Savior...and they're probably the main propogators of hell, eternal torment, etc. All that doesn't add up to very good news...
I agree