by John S. Martignon
Whenever Catholics talk about our faith with Protestants, the most frequently asked question is "Where is that in the Bible?" We are told over and over that this or that teaching of our faith isn’t in the Bible. These folks don’t care what the Pope says or what the Catechism says or what Vatican II says: They want to know what the Bible says—period. So if you as a Catholic are not prepared to answer the question "Where is that in the Bible?" you may not get very far when it comes to religious dialogue.
From my experience, many a Catholic holds the mistaken notion that nearly every Protestant knows the Bible better than he does. Protestants may have memorized more passages than you, but that is not the same thing as knowing the Bible better. Catholics are more familiar with the Bible than they might think they are, because they have heard it throughout countless Masses without necessarily realizing that they were hearing Scripture.
As Catholics, we have the magisterium of the Church as our guide when we open the Bible. Non-Catholic Christians have no such authentic guide for interpreting Scripture. They have their own personal, fallible interpretations to rely on. They have no authority, other than their own imagination, within which to interpret Scripture properly.
Read the whole article.
Showing posts with label This Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label This Rock. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What You Need to Know About the Mormons
But They Probably Won't Tell You
by Isaiah Bennett
"Good morning, sir. I'm Elder Lamb and this is Elder Sanders. We're from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we have an important message for you. May we come in?"
If you let them in, you've invited them to begin the process of "discussions," six canned lessons they've been trained to deliver, leading, ideally, to your baptism into the Mormon Church.
They'll begin by telling you the Heavenly Father has a plan for your eternal happiness. Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith are central figures in this plan of salvation. Both prophets, ancient and modern, reveal the purpose and will of God. The Book of Mormon is additional scripture testifying to the message.
The lessons last about an hour each and are spread over four to six weeks. On their second and subsequent visits, the young missionaries will urge you to repentance, faith in their doctrines, baptism into their church, and moral living. Only their church, they say, can lead you to true righteousness and ultimate salvation. All other so-called Christian churches profess creeds abominable to the Lord and offer only counterfeit holiness (Joseph Smith, History 1:19; found in the Mormon book of scripture The Pearl of Great Price). Shortly after the death of the apostles, Mormons claim, the pure Christian faith was overtaken by false doctrine and vanished totally from the earth. This "apostasy" was reversed and the true Church was restored in 1830 in upstate New York by the boy-prophet, Joseph Smith.
Read the whole article.
by Isaiah Bennett
"Good morning, sir. I'm Elder Lamb and this is Elder Sanders. We're from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we have an important message for you. May we come in?"
If you let them in, you've invited them to begin the process of "discussions," six canned lessons they've been trained to deliver, leading, ideally, to your baptism into the Mormon Church.
They'll begin by telling you the Heavenly Father has a plan for your eternal happiness. Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith are central figures in this plan of salvation. Both prophets, ancient and modern, reveal the purpose and will of God. The Book of Mormon is additional scripture testifying to the message.
The lessons last about an hour each and are spread over four to six weeks. On their second and subsequent visits, the young missionaries will urge you to repentance, faith in their doctrines, baptism into their church, and moral living. Only their church, they say, can lead you to true righteousness and ultimate salvation. All other so-called Christian churches profess creeds abominable to the Lord and offer only counterfeit holiness (Joseph Smith, History 1:19; found in the Mormon book of scripture The Pearl of Great Price). Shortly after the death of the apostles, Mormons claim, the pure Christian faith was overtaken by false doctrine and vanished totally from the earth. This "apostasy" was reversed and the true Church was restored in 1830 in upstate New York by the boy-prophet, Joseph Smith.
Read the whole article.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Any Friend of God is a Friend of Mine
by Patrick Madrid
Every Sunday millions of Christians recite the Apostles’ Creed, professing their belief in the "communion of saints," but few realize the importance of this phrase. Indeed, the Catholic understanding is denounced by many Protestants as "unbiblical." It is a bitter irony that the very doctrine of Christian unity has itself become a barrier to unity. The controversy revolves around the question, "Is it biblical to ask the saints in heaven to pray (intercede) for us?" Catholics say yes. Because Christians are united with each other through Christ, and are commanded to love and pray for one another, Christians on earth can ask Christians in heaven for their prayers.
Read the whole article.
Every Sunday millions of Christians recite the Apostles’ Creed, professing their belief in the "communion of saints," but few realize the importance of this phrase. Indeed, the Catholic understanding is denounced by many Protestants as "unbiblical." It is a bitter irony that the very doctrine of Christian unity has itself become a barrier to unity. The controversy revolves around the question, "Is it biblical to ask the saints in heaven to pray (intercede) for us?" Catholics say yes. Because Christians are united with each other through Christ, and are commanded to love and pray for one another, Christians on earth can ask Christians in heaven for their prayers.
Read the whole article.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Weird Things Happen: How Catholics Should Deal with the Paranormal
by Fr. Dwight Longenecker
In 1987 I was a young Anglican priest living in England. Between jobs, with three months free, I decided to hitchhike to Jerusalem, staying in convents and monasteries along the way. As I was traveling through central France, I decided to stop at Nevers to see the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette. The hitchhiking that day was difficult, but a truck stopped on the outskirts of Nevers, and I found I was just a short walk from my destination, the Convent of St. Gildard.
I was given a room by a cheerful French sister and made my way down for supper. The refectory was full of mentally handicapped Irish pilgrims on their way to Lourdes. I found a seat at a long table with some other individual pilgrims. Before long a woman came and sat next to me and said in a rich Alabama accent, "Excuse me, but the sisters asked me to sit here with you because you speak English and ah do too."
Read the whole article.
In 1987 I was a young Anglican priest living in England. Between jobs, with three months free, I decided to hitchhike to Jerusalem, staying in convents and monasteries along the way. As I was traveling through central France, I decided to stop at Nevers to see the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette. The hitchhiking that day was difficult, but a truck stopped on the outskirts of Nevers, and I found I was just a short walk from my destination, the Convent of St. Gildard.
I was given a room by a cheerful French sister and made my way down for supper. The refectory was full of mentally handicapped Irish pilgrims on their way to Lourdes. I found a seat at a long table with some other individual pilgrims. Before long a woman came and sat next to me and said in a rich Alabama accent, "Excuse me, but the sisters asked me to sit here with you because you speak English and ah do too."
Read the whole article.
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