ECT Why shouldn't I convert from Evangelical Protestant to Catholic?

Not encouraged to read the bible? If this was indeed the case, the person instructing is in direct conflict with the teachings of the church:

CCC133: The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful...to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,' by frequent reading of divine Scriptures. 'Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.'"
Are you calling me a liar? I don't lie, embellish or exaggerate.

You put your faith in God's word and not Church tradition?

I put my faith in Sacred Scripture AND Sacred Tradition because they have one common source, the divine well-spring. They come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.

CCC81-82: 'And (Holy) Tradition transmits in it's entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound, and spread it aboard by their preaching.'"

As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."

I logically deducted from research into the first few hundred years after Christ's resurrection that to deny the traditions of the Church and Church Father's teachings was willful ignorance on my part. Research showed me that the Catholic Church faithfully upholds these traditions and of course, the Word of God.
:rip:
 
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God's Truth

New member
Well... if you DO find a church that is perfect, don't join it, because you'll ruin it.

I belong to the only true Church, the body of Christ.

Does The Bible say you are my judge?

The word of God tells us what His Truth is, and you do things He does not tell you to do. You thus nullify God’s word.


I don't, I just think there is far more right with EO than with the RCC. They're followers of traditions of men just like the RCC is and just like you are; but they put emphasis on spiritual experience. Your church doesn't, obviously.

I am not a follower of men. You are bearing false witness. You are delighted with the smoke and mirrors of the Eastern Orthodox. The Eastern Orthodox calls their brothers ‘father’. How can you belong to a church that does that? God says not to bow to the works of your hands. The Eastern Orthodox bow to statues and relics! Relics are MATERIAL things…even the decayed body parts of dead men and women.

So... why do you? You bow to the works of your mind. You think you're holier-than-thou with your mis-judgment. Please buy a clue.
I do not do as you accuse me.
You do not even know my real name. All I am doing is trying to share with others what God has given to me. I am just trying to get you to know Him better. All I get for all that from you all is ABUSE.
 

RichRock

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Banned
Are you calling me a liar? I don't lie, embellish or exaggerate.

You put your faith in God's word and not Church tradition?

I put my faith in Sacred Scripture AND Sacred Tradition because they have one common source, the divine well-spring. They come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.

CCC81-82: 'And (Holy) Tradition transmits in it's entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound, and spread it aboard by their preaching.'"

As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."

I logically deducted from research into the first few hundred years after Christ's resurrection that to deny the traditions of the Church and Church Father's teachings was willful ignorance on my part. Research showed me that the Catholic Church faithfully upholds these traditions and of course, the Word of God.

No, I am not calling you a liar. I am saying you received incorrect teaching regarding the beliefs of the Catholic faith.
 

RichRock

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Twelve years of incorrect teaching?

The Catholic Church teaches what I have already shown you. This is in direct conflict with your story. If you have been taught something else then it cannot really be used as part of a debate against teachings of the Church.
The Church's teaching is clear on these points as mentioned above.
 
The Catholic Church teaches what I have already shown you. This is in direct conflict with your story. If you have been taught something else then it cannot really be used as part of a debate against teachings of the Church.
The Church's teaching is clear on these points as mentioned above.
Become a Roman Catholic or not. I really don't care. :wave:
 

Aimiel

Well-known member
Please expand on this. I'm intrigued.
This excerpt if from this article:

The word orthodox means "right believing" and was adopted to signify the true religion that faithfully followed the beliefs and practices defined by the first seven ecumenical councils (dating back to the first 10 centuries). Orthodox Christianity claims to have fully preserved, without any deviation, the traditions and doctrines of the early Christian church established by the apostles. This is why they believe themselves to be the only true and "right believing" Christian faith.

The primary disputes that led to the split between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church centered around Rome's deviation from the original conclusions of the seven ecumenical councils, such as the claim to a universal papal supremacy.


I am not Eastern Orthodox. I'm a born again spirit-filled believer who moves in the gifts of the spirit as The Lord wills. I don't believe anyone has all Truth correct in their head and don't believe that we will find anyone who does...

'Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

What I believe that unity looks like is us, coming together, under His Banner of Love and accepting one another's different beliefs but finding faith in The One Who makes us different from the world enough to overlook those differences and become mature in Him and bring an end to sickness, hunger and death. We will bring healing to every soul on the earth. We will feed the hungry. We will raise the dead. We will do so and when we take up the cross, follow Him and preach this Gospel of The Kingdom to every single creature on this earth He will come and take us Home for our wedding. Our faith will give us wings. When He shouts, "Come up here," we will jump off of this planet in obedience and our faith will carry us into His Presence. He is coming back for a victorious church and we will be happier to see His joy at our presence than we are at simply being there. His love for us and His joy at getting to finally be with us for eternity will overwhelm us and we will forget about our own petty thoughts of eternal life and just be overjoyed at giving Him joy.
 

RichRock

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...whereas the RCC is after traditions of men, not finding God. God is Spirit. The RCC thinks that God is a word, to be memorized or recited in a liturgy...

Apologies if I was not clear, what I meant was expand on the above please as I am intrigued as to how you have deducted this view?
Thanks
 

Aimiel

Well-known member
I've known EO believers and grew up with Catholics in my family and many close friends. They are similar, yes, but the EO seem more spiritual while the RCC seem more religious.
 

RichRock

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Experience. The EO believes more in the experience of God whereas the RCC is after traditions of men, not finding God. God is Spirit.

This is what I am asking you to expand on..."RCC is after traditions of men, not finding God"

The RCC thinks that God is a word, to be memorized or recited in a liturgy. The EO thinks of spiritual experience as more important than scholasticism.

...and this "The RCC thinks that God is a word, to be memorized or recited in a liturgy."

I am asking you to unpack/expand/explain
these points please?
Thanks
 

Aimiel

Well-known member
Reciting prayers and repeating the same thing over and over doesn't cause them to be heard. God is not deaf. Praying: "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," doesn't show faith in God's Word. It shows faith in a dead person. God's Word is alive. Jesus raised from the dead. Mary didn't. We are not to pray to people. Jesus taught us to pray to The Father, not to dead people.

I don't know what you don't understand about the fact that the RCC thinks only of God as a word to be memorized or recited in a liturgy. The one who believes God has God on his heart and mind with every feeling and every thought. His every breath occurs in God's Presence and for His glory. If you are already a Catholic then say so, don't pretend to be on the fence and ask someone to argue you back down before you jump in with both feet just to see them dance for you. Take God seriously on your own and seek Him for guidance, not your mind or someone's pet theology. He will lead you into all Truth, if you but ask.
 

RichRock

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Reciting prayers and repeating the same thing over and over doesn't cause them to be heard. God is not deaf. Praying: "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," doesn't show faith in God's Word. It shows faith in a dead person. God's Word is alive. Jesus raised from the dead. Mary didn't. We are not to pray to people. Jesus taught us to pray to The Father, not to dead people.

I don't know what you don't understand about the fact that the RCC thinks only of God as a word to be memorized or recited in a liturgy. The one who believes God has God on his heart and mind with every feeling and every thought. His every breath occurs in God's Presence and for His glory.

Sorry, but you're really showing your ignorance here. The rosary is not just a repetition of Hail Marys. It would have taken you 15 seconds of a google search to find that out so I'm going to assume that you're more concerned with spreading malice, rather than actually wanting to learn anything.

However if you actually wanted to learn anything, here you go: The Rosary is actually a meditation on Jesus... but since you shouldn't make vain repetition to God, the Catholics do it for Mary, a mortal human, rather than offending God. You say a prayer about God / Jesus and then you repeat a number of hail marys in order to meditate, or think about, the prayer you just spoke about Jesus.

The Catholics know that when you repeat the same prayer over and over again it looses some meaning and your mind goes other places. So rather than repeating the Jesus prayer to the point that it stops being the focus of attention, they repeat the hail mary while allowing their minds to ponder the mysteries of Jesus. It's just something to keep you from being easily distracted. That's why it starts with the Apostles Creed and the Our Father.

The focus is Jesus, not Mary. At different points on the Rosary you meditate on the mysteries of Jesus such as:

The Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation: The Archangel Gabriel "announces" to Mary that she shall conceive the Son of God.
The Visitation: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.
The Nativity: Jesus is born.
The Presentation: Mary and Joseph "present" Jesus in the Temple where they meet Simeon.
The Finding in the Temple: After losing Him, Mary and Joseph find young Jesus teaching the Rabbis in the Temple.

The Luminous Mysteries (The Mysteries of Light)

The Baptism in the Jordan: The voice of the Father declares Jesus the beloved Son. The Wedding at Cana: Christ changes water into wine, his first public miracle.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom: Jesus calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him.
The Transfiguration: The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ.
The Institution of the Eucharist: Jesus offers the first Mass at the Last Supper with his apostles, establishing the sacramental foundation for all Christian living.

The Sorrowful Mysteries

The Agony in the Garden: Jesus sweats water and blood while praying the night before his passion.
The Scourging at the Pillar: Pilate has Jesus whipped.
The Crowning with Thorns: Roman soldiers crown Jesus' head with thorns.
The Carrying of the Cross: Jesus meets His mother and falls three times on the way up Calvary.
The Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies before His mother and His apostle John.

The Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection: Jesus rises from the dead.
The Ascension: Jesus leaves the Apostles and bodily "ascends" to heaven.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit: The Apostles receive the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire in the upper room with Mary.
The Assumption: Mary is taken bodily--assumed--into heaven by God at the end of her life here on earth.
The Coronation: Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.

The steps look like this:
1 Make the Sign of the Cross and say the "Apostles' Creed."
2 Say the "Our Father."
3 Say three "Hail Marys."
4 Say the "Glory be to the Father."
5 Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our Father."
6 Say ten "Hail Marys," while meditating on the Mystery.
7 Say the "Glory be to the Father."
8 Announce the Second Mystery; then say the "Our Father."
Repeat 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.
It's basically a full meditation on the entire life of Jesus, not vain repetitions as you infer.

If you are already a Catholic then say so, don't pretend to be on the fence and ask someone to argue you back down before you jump in with both feet just to see them dance for you. Take God seriously on your own and seek Him for guidance, not your mind or someone's pet theology. He will lead you into all Truth, if you but ask.

You see, this is the point: I am NOT a Catholic, but a protestant researching the Catholic faith because I am looking for the truth. Your explanation for example, is how I used to think until research uncovered facts, facts that began to show me my preconceived ideas were completely unfounded and totally incorrect.

This thread is proving that fundamental Christians have little knowledge of the actual beliefs of Catholics.
 

chrysostom

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
part of being catholic is having all these wackos tell you what you believe
after a while it doesn't mean a thing
and
you realize there is really nothing you can say to them
 

RichRock

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part of being catholic is having all these wackos tell you what you believe
after a while it doesn't mean a thing
and
you realize there is really nothing you can say to them

There seems to be a lot of pontification, but no substance. When lack of substance is pointed out....silence. Each time, apart from the neurotic poster or two who keep asking the same answered questions over and over again....making themselves look...shall we say... intellectually 'challenged'? :)

The objections I have read so far have ALL been based on lies and twisted half truths, rhetoric and misunderstanding of the subject at hand.

I would have thought out of 800 replies and 12000 views on this thread so far that there would have been at least one sensible and factual debate on why I shouldn't join the Catholic Church.

Alas, the answers and reasons have been found to be wanting so far, but you never know....there must be one person out there with a good reason...maybe just one?
 

chrysostom

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
There seems to be a lot of pontification, but no substance. When lack of substance is pointed out....silence. Each time, apart from the neurotic poster or two who keep asking the same answered questions over and over again....making themselves look...shall we say... intellectually 'challenged'? :)

The objections I have read so far have ALL been based on lies and twisted half truths, rhetoric and misunderstanding of the subject at hand.

I would have thought out of 800 replies and 12000 views on this thread so far that there would have been at least one sensible and factual debate on why I shouldn't join the Catholic Church.

Alas, the answers and reasons have been found to be wanting so far, but you never know....there must be one person out there with a good reason...maybe just one?

heterodoxical had an interesting comment
you have to be able to make their argument for them
that got me thinking
how do you get around peter and the rock?
that would be my biggest problem making their argument
how did that work for you?
 

lifeisgood

New member
There seems to be a lot of pontification, but no substance. When lack of substance is pointed out....silence. Each time, apart from the neurotic poster or two who keep asking the same answered questions over and over again....making themselves look...shall we say... intellectually 'challenged'? :)

The objections I have read so far have ALL been based on lies and twisted half truths, rhetoric and misunderstanding of the subject at hand.

I would have thought out of 800 replies and 12000 views on this thread so far that there would have been at least one sensible and factual debate on why I shouldn't join the Catholic Church.

Alas, the answers and reasons have been found to be wanting so far, but you never know....there must be one person out there with a good reason...maybe just one?

Why do you want or need the opinion of anybody to be a Roman Catholic? In your heart you already are one.
 
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