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#Post#: 3874--------------------------------------------------
The Catholic Church
By: CatholicCrusader Date: May 5, 2018, 8:49 am
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Source:
[URL=
HTML https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth]https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth[/URL]
[COLOR=Navy]WHETHER or not you are Catholic, you may have
questions about the Catholic faith. You may have heard
challenges to the Catholic Church’s claim to be the interpreter
and safeguard of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Such challenges come from door-to-door missionaries who ask,
"Are you saved?", from peer pressure that urges you to ignore
the Church’s teachings, from a secular culture that whispers
"There is no God"
You can’t deal with these challenges unless you understand the
basics of the Catholic faith. This booklet introduces them to
you.
In Catholicism you will find answers to life’s most troubling
questions: Why am I here? Who made me? What must I believe? How
must I act? All these can be answered to your satisfaction, if
only you will open yourself to God’s grace, turn to the Church
he established, and follow his plan for you (John 7:17).
[B]AN UNBROKEN HISTORY[/B]
Jesus said his Church would be "the light of the world." He then
noted that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14).
This means his Church is a visible organization. It must have
characteristics that clearly identify it and that distinguish it
from other churches. Jesus promised, "I will build my Church and
the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).
This means that his Church will never be destroyed and will
never fall away from him. His Church will survive until his
return.
Among the Christian churches, only the Catholic Church has
existed since the time of Jesus. Every other Christian church is
an offshoot of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox
churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The
Protestant churches were established during the Reformation,
which began in 1517. (Most of today’s Protestant churches are
actually offshoots of the original Protestant offshoots.)
Only the Catholic Church existed in the tenth century, in the
fifth century, and in the first century, faithfully teaching the
doctrines given by Christ to the apostles, omitting nothing. The
line of popes can be traced back, in unbroken succession, to
Peter himself. This is unequaled by any institution in history.
Even the oldest government is new compared to the papacy, and
the churches that send out door-to-door missionaries are young
compared to the Catholic Church. Many of these churches began as
recently as the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Some even
began during your own lifetime. None of them can claim to be the
Church Jesus established.
The Catholic Church has existed for nearly 2,000 years, despite
constant opposition from the world. This is testimony to the
Church’s divine origin. It must be more than a merely human
organization, especially considering that its human members—
even some of its leaders—have been unwise, corrupt, or prone to
heresy.
Any merely human organization with such members would have
collapsed early on. The Catholic Church is today the most
vigorous church in the world (and the largest, with a billion
members: one sixth of the human race), and that is testimony not
to the cleverness of the Church’s leaders, but to the protection
of the Holy Spirit.
[B]FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH[/B]
If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to
locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his
Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic.
[B]The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13)[/B]
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing
churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible
says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can
have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.
His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be
the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the
unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).
Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught
doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the
bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over
the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church
comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it
never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once
meant.
[B]The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7– 8 ) [/B]
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy.
This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said
there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John
6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt.
7:21–23).
But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of
holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus
established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).
[B]The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10)[/B]
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because
it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go
throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt.
28:19–20).
For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this
mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men
and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal
family (Gal. 3:28).
Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the
world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples
of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).
The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title,
"the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when
Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church
Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time,
which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the
apostles.
[B]The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20)[/B]
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the
apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their
successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the
first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an
unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the
apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral
Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2).
These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real
Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of
the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal
regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role,
and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.
Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were
thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the
successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first
Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No
other Church can make that claim.
[B]Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth[/B]
Man’s ingenuity cannot account for this. The Church has remained
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic—not through man’s effort, but
because God preserves the Church he established (Matt. 16:18,
28:20).
He guided the Israelites on their escape from Egypt by giving
them a pillar of fire to light their way across the dark
wilderness (Exod. 13:21). Today he guides us through his
Catholic Church.
The Bible, sacred Tradition, and the writings of the earliest
Christians testify that the Church teaches with Jesus’
authority. In this age of countless competing religions, each
clamoring for attention, one voice rises above the din: the
Catholic Church, which the Bible calls "the pillar and
foundation of truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).
Jesus assured the apostles and their successors, the popes and
the bishops, "He who listens to you listens to me, and he who
rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). Jesus promised to guide
his Church into all truth (John 16:12–13). We can have
confidence that his Church teaches only the truth.
[/COLOR]
[I][COLOR=#000000]Continued.......[/COLOR][/I]
#Post#: 3875--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: Kerry Date: May 5, 2018, 2:40 pm
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[quote]Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught
doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the
bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over
the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church
comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it
never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once
meant.[/quote]This is a bold claim. Would you care to take a
look at the Canons of the First Council of Nicea to see what was
accepted then and to compare them to what is taught now?
We could start with the last one -- I see doctrine in
practices. Change the practices, and you may have changed some
doctrines.
20. Since there are some who kneel on Sunday and during the
season of Pentecost, this holy synod decrees
that, so that the same observances may be maintained in every
diocese, one should offer one's prayers to
the Lord standing.
I believe standing when praying is also Biblical. Standing in
the presence of the Heavenly King shows respect. Yet today
many people pray kneeling; and many places of worship have
pews.
If you assert this is a matter of practice only, it is still
problematical since the Orthodox Church disagreed for hundreds
of years with the Catholic Church over this. It became a source
of division when the Catholic Church departed from the agreement
reached in Nicea.
#Post#: 3876--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: CatholicCrusader Date: May 5, 2018, 7:05 pm
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[quote author=Kerry link=topic=539.msg3875#msg3875
date=1525549203]
This is a bold claim. Would you care to take a look at the
Canons of the First Council of Nicea to see what was accepted
then and to compare them to what is taught now?
We could start with the last one -- I see doctrine in
practices. Change the practices, and you may have changed some
doctrines.
20. Since there are some who kneel on Sunday and during the
season of Pentecost, this holy synod decrees
that, so that the same observances may be maintained in every
diocese, one should offer one's prayers to
the Lord standing.
I believe standing when praying is also Biblical. Standing in
the presence of the Heavenly King shows respect. Yet today
many people pray kneeling; and many places of worship have
pews.
If you assert this is a matter of practice only, it is still
problematical since the Orthodox Church disagreed for hundreds
of years with the Catholic Church over this. It became a source
of division when the Catholic Church departed from the agreement
reached in Nicea.
[/quote]
This is a softball. Thank you. Standing and kneeling are not a
matter of "doctrine". They change from country to country
depending on accepted Liturgical practices in those regions. So,
no doctrine was changed.
Many people have difficulty differentiating levels and types of
Catholic teachings and practices. "Doctrines" are universal, and
infallibly defined doctrines are Dogmas.
Then there are various traditions and disciplines which can
change, some univerals, some regional.
Example: Celibacy for Latin Rite priests is universal, but its
just a discipline, which means a pope can change it anytime he
wants to.
You moderate Catholic discussion? Shouldn't you know the basics
if you do that?
#Post#: 3877--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: CatholicCrusader Date: May 5, 2018, 7:09 pm
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[SIZE=3][B][I]Continued from the first post.......[/I][/B]
[COLOR=#0000b3][B]THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR=#0000b3]
Jesus chose the apostles to be the earthly leaders of the
Church. He gave them his own authority to teach and to
govern—not as dictators, but as loving pastors and fathers. That
is why Catholics call their spiritual leaders "father." In doing
so we follow Paul’s example: "I became your father in Jesus
Christ through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15).
The apostles, fulfilling Jesus’ will, ordained bishops, priests,
and deacons and thus handed on their apostolic ministry to
them—the fullest degree of ordination to the bishops, lesser
degrees to the priests and deacons.
[/COLOR]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3]The Pope and
Bishops[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
[COLOR=#0000b3]Jesus gave Peter special authority among the
apostles (John 21:15–17) and signified this by changing his name
from Simon to Peter, which means "rock" (John 1:42). He said
Peter was to be the rock on which he would build his Church
(Matt. 16:18).
In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, Simon’s new name was
[I]Kepha[/I] (which means a massive rock). Later this name was
translated into Greek as [I]Petros[/I] (John 1:42) and into
English as Peter. Christ gave Peter alone the "keys of the
kingdom" (Matt. 16:19) and promised that Peter’s decisions would
be binding in heaven. He also gave similar power to the other
apostles (Matt. 18:18), but only Peter was given the keys,
symbols of his authority to rule the Church on earth in Jesus’
absence.
Christ, the Good Shepherd, called Peter to be the chief shepherd
of his Church (John 21:15–17). He gave Peter the task of
strengthening the other apostles in their faith, ensuring that
they taught only what was true (Luke 22:31–32). Peter led the
Church in proclaiming the gospel and making decisions (Acts 2:1–
41, 15:7–12).
Early Christian writings tell us that Peter’s successors, the
bishops of Rome (who from the earliest times have been called by
the affectionate title of "pope," which means "papa"), continued
to exercise Peter’s ministry in the Church.
The pope is the successor to Peter as bishop of Rome. The
world’s other bishops are successors to the apostles in general.
[/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3][B]HOW GOD SPEAKS TO US[/B]
[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR=#0000b3]As from the first, God speaks to his Church
through the Bible and through sacred Tradition. To make sure we
understand him, he guides the Church’s teaching authority—the
magisterium—so it always interprets the Bible and Tradition
accurately. This is the gift of infallibility.
Like the three legs on a stool, the Bible, Tradition, and the
magisterium are all necessary for the stability of the Church
and to guarantee sound doctrine.
[/COLOR]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3]Sacred Tradition[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
[COLOR=#0000b3]Sacred Tradition should not be confused with mere
traditions of men, which are more commonly called customs or
disciplines. Jesus sometimes condemned customs or disciplines,
but only if they were contrary to God’s commands (Mark 7: 8 ) .
He never condemned sacred Tradition, and he didn’t even condemn
all human tradition.
Sacred Tradition and the Bible are not different or competing
revelations. They are two ways that the Church hands on the
gospel. Apostolic teachings such as the Trinity, infant baptism,
the inerrancy of the Bible, purgatory, and Mary’s perpetual
virginity have been most clearly taught through Tradition,
although they are also implicitly present in (and not contrary
to) the Bible. The Bible itself tells us to hold fast to
Tradition, whether it comes to us in written or oral form (2
Thess. 2:15, 1 Cor. 11:2).
Sacred Tradition should not be confused with customs and
disciplines, such as the rosary, priestly celibacy, and not
eating meat on Fridays in Lent. These are good and helpful
things, but they are not doctrines. Sacred Tradition preserves
doctrines first taught by Jesus to the apostles and later passed
down to us through the apostles’ successors, the bishops.
[/COLOR]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3]Sacred Scripture[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
[COLOR=#0000b3]
Scripture, by which we mean the Old and New Testaments, was
inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16). The Holy Spirit guided the
biblical authors to write what he wanted them to write. Since
God is the principal author of the Bible, and since God is truth
itself (John 14:6) and cannot teach anything untrue, the Bible
is free from all error in everything it asserts to be true.
Some Christians claim, "The Bible is all I need," but this
notion is not taught in the Bible itself. In fact, the Bible
teaches the contrary idea (2 Pet. 1:20–21, 3:15–16). The "Bible
alone" theory was not believed by anyone in the early Church.
It is new, having arisen only in the 1500s during the Protestant
Reformation. The theory is a "tradition of men" that nullifies
the Word of God, distorts the true role of the Bible, and
undermines the authority of the Church Jesus established (Mark
7:1– 8 ) .
Although popular with many "Bible Christian" churches, the
"Bible alone" theory simply does not work in practice.
Historical experience disproves it. Each year we see additional
splintering among "Bible-believing" religions.
Today there are tens of thousands of competing denominations,
each insisting its interpretation of the Bible is the correct
one. The resulting divisions have caused untold confusion among
millions of sincere but misled Christians.
Just open up the Yellow Pages of your telephone book and see how
many different denominations are listed, each claiming to go by
the "Bible alone," but no two of them agreeing on exactly what
the Bible [I]means[/I].
We know this for sure: The Holy Spirit cannot be the author of
this confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). God cannot lead people to
contradictory beliefs because his truth is one. The conclusion?
The "Bible alone" theory must be false.
[/COLOR]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3]The Magisterium[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
[COLOR=#0000b3]
Together the pope and the bishops form the teaching authority of
the Church, which is called the magisterium (from the Latin for
"teacher"). The magisterium, guided and protected from error by
the Holy Spirit, gives us certainty in matters of doctrine. The
Church is the custodian of the Bible and faithfully and
accurately proclaims its message, a task which God has empowered
it to do.
Keep in mind that the Church came before the New Testament, not
the New Testament before the Church. Divinely-inspired members
of the Church wrote the books of the New Testament, just as
divinely-inspired writers had written the Old Testament, and the
Church is guided by the Holy Spirit to guard and interpret the
entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments.
Such an official interpreter is absolutely necessary if we are
to understand the Bible properly. (We all know what the
Constitution [I]says[/I], but we still need a Supreme Court to
interpret what it [I]means[/I].)
The magisterium is infallible when it teaches officially because
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles and
their successors "into all truth" (John 16:12–13).
[/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000b3][B]HOW GOD DISTRIBUTES HIS
GIFTS[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR=#0000b3]
Jesus promised he would not leave us orphans (John 14:18) but
would send the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us (John 15:26).
He gave the sacraments to heal, feed, and strengthen us. The
seven sacraments —baptism, the Eucharist, penance (also called
reconciliation or confession), confirmation, holy orders,
matrimony, and the anointing of the sick—are not just symbols.
They are signs that actually convey God’s grace and love.
The sacraments were foreshadowed in the Old Testament by things
that did not actually convey grace but merely symbolized it
(circumcision, for example, prefigured baptism, and the Passover
meal prefigured the Eucharist. When Christ came, he did not do
away with symbols of God’s grace. He supernaturalized them,
energizing them with grace. He made them more than symbols.
God constantly uses material things to show his love and power.
After all, matter is not evil. When he created the physical
universe, everything God created was "very good" (Gen. 1:31). He
takes such delight in matter that he even dignified it through
his own Incarnation (John 1:14).
During his earthly ministry Jesus healed, fed, and strengthened
people through humble elements such as mud, water, bread, oil,
and wine. He could have performed his miracles directly, but he
preferred to use material things to bestow his grace.
In his first public miracle Jesus turned water into wine, at the
request of his mother, Mary (John 2:1–11). He healed a blind man
by rubbing mud on his eyes (John 9:1–7). He multiplied a few
loaves and fish into a meal for thousands (John 6:5–13). He
changed bread and wine into his own body and blood (Matt. 26:26–
28). Through the sacraments he continues to heal, feed, and
strengthen us.[/COLOR]
[B][I][SIZE=3]Coming next, the "Gifts", which are the Seven
Sacraments[/SIZE][/I][/B]
#Post#: 3878--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: Kerry Date: May 5, 2018, 10:15 pm
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[quote author=CatholicCrusader link=topic=539.msg3876#msg3876
date=1525565149]
This is a softball. Thank you. Standing and kneeling are not a
matter of "doctrine". They change from country to country
depending on accepted Liturgical practices in those regions. So,
no doctrine was changed.[/quote]A study of the Bible suggests
that standing in the Presence of the Holy is the proper way to
give respect.
[quote]Many people have difficulty differentiating levels and
types of Catholic teachings and practices. "Doctrines" are
universal, and infallibly defined doctrines are Dogmas.
Then there are various traditions and disciplines which can
change, some univerals, some regional.
Example: Celibacy for Latin Rite priests is universal, but its
just a discipline, which means a pope can change it anytime he
wants to.[/quote]The question arises how far any Bishop's
authority extends in the matter of practices once a church
council has ruled on it in order to establish conformity.
The Bishop of Rome or his representative agreed to Canon 20. Up
to that point, I could agree with the argument that standing,
kneeling and even sitting while praying were acceptable.
Bishops had not agreed in a council how best to achieve church
unity. When the Catholic Church altered their practice, they
offended the Orthodox Church whose practice remained that of
standing. Does a Pope's authority extend that far that he can
annul canons established by Ecumenical Councils? Does the
Pope's authority justify altering practices which they had
agreed to before when the altering create rifts or schisms in
the Body of Christ?
[quote]You moderate Catholic discussion? Shouldn't you know the
basics if you do that?
[/quote]That title of moderator was given for the whole forum.
My role as moderator is not to act as the thought police or the
defender of purity of doctrine, my role is to try to keep
things rational and peaceful.
I was aware you might make the point that this was a practice.
My question rests on your point.
I am of the opinion myself that our practices are not as
important as church unity. However, if a Pope signed onto
canons of an ecumenical Council as a way of creating church
unity, then altering course and changing the practice seems
wrong to me if it creates friction and schisms. It also
strikes me as close to breaking an agreement. And more, I
would say the Catholic Church has eroded its own authority by
claiming its ability to lead by altering practices after
reaching agreements about them.
We saw something similar with the establishing of the date for
Easter. Various churches had different ways of calculating it.
The Council of Nicea ruled that everyone should follow the
calendar and system of the Church of Rome. I think that was
probably a good thing. Does it matter what the date is? Not
that much to me, but I can see why early Christians desired
unity among themselves over the matter.
England has two systems side by side, creating problems. One
system had been introduced by the tradition established by St.
John. The other system followed the Roman calendar and system.
When the English debated the matter, they decided (correctly I
think) to follow the Roman system -- not because that calendar
was "right" and St. John's had been wrong. No, it was to show
respect for the role of the Bishops of Rome.
That was established, and then later the Catholics changed their
calendar! Can't you see people throwing up their hands in
despair? After others had altered their practices to be in
unity with Rome, Rome veered off and changed their system.
The Orthodox Church refused to adopt the new calendar; and the
Coptic Orthodox Church was thrown into confusion. The Coptic
Orthodox Church was still asking the Catholic Church about this
last year. Both sides would like to have a unified calendar.
HTML http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-and-coptic-orthodox-patriarch-tawadros-ii-sign-joint-declarati
6. This love finds its deepest expression in common prayer. When
Christians pray together, they come to realize that what unites
them is much greater than what divides them. Our longing for
unity receives its inspiration from the prayer of Christ “that
all may be one” (John 17:21). Let us deepen our shared roots in
the one apostolic faith by praying together and by seeking
common translations of the Lord’s Prayer and a common date for
the celebration of Easter.
I think it safe to say too that often practices, if maintained
through history, often demonstrate with great clarity that some
doctrines have been held historically. Consider the great care
that clergy take not to let even one crumb of the Eucharist fall
on the floor. It is a practice, but I can't dismiss it as a
mere practice devoid of doctrine since the reverence shown
demonstrates the belief in the Real Presence.
Similarly I can not dismiss the historical evidence of the early
Christians praying for the dead as being devoid of doctrine.
The practice of praying for the dead is evidence for me of a
doctrine.
As for the celibacy of the clergy? Is this a practice that a
Pope can make decisions about? Who should be a Bishop? Paul
said someone who was married and who had demonstrated he knew
how to bring up his own children.
1 Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of
one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to
hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but
patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in
subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he
take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the
condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without;
lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Can a Pope overrule what Paul wrote? I find what Paul wrote as
"sound doctrine." If you're going to pick someone to be a
shepherd over sheep, you do well to choose someone whose life
shows wisdom and gentleness along with strength. Love for the
sheep requires it.
That brings up another canon of Nicene Council about how Bishops
should be selected. The Catholic Church no longer follows
those practices. They also move Bishops around, contrary to the
rules established at Nicea. I was very interested when Pope
Francis started paying attention to the matter -- some priests
are not interested in being a Bishop somewhere they don't like.
They have ambition, always wanting to be promoted. They also
tend to flatter whoever the current Pope is because he often
plays a role in promotions by translation. Sad to say, some
Bishops are more interested in flattering the Pope than in
tending their Bishoprics.
HTML https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/04/03/pope-seminarians-using-church-personal-ambition-plague/
Do not settle for a worry-free, comfortable life with an
unhealthy attachment to money and an ambitious heart yearning
for honors, Pope Francis told seminarians studying in Rome.
“I’m telling you this as a brother, father and friend. Please,
shun ecclesial careerism. It is a plague. Avoid it,” he said
April 1 during an audience at the Vatican with students,
faculty, staff and alumni of the Pontifical Spanish College of
St. Joseph in Rome. The college was celebrating the 125th
anniversary of its founding.
I wish him well in trying to root out this kind of careerism.
I'd suggest returning to the practice agreed to at Nicea. Some
practices make sense and should not be changed. People in Rome
should not be making decisions at the local level of who is
elected Bishop or of moving Bishops around. It's not practical
for one thing; and it's ignoring the canons of Nicea which were
written to protect the Church as well as to create unity.
Apostles move around. Bishops should stay put and tend their
flocks. I take the idea of Bishop as shepherd as good doctrine;
so I see moving Bishops around as undermining that doctrine.
Pope Francis also been talking about allowing married clergy.
Good for him. I would go further and would implement the advice
of St. Paul that required someone to be married in order to be
promoted to Bishop. Setting aside what Paul wrote and
asserting that a Pope can differ with him because it's "only a
practice" has led to various problems in the Catholic Church
that has damaged its reputation by creating scandal. The
measure to judge practices by is love. Does a practice work to
establish order, unity, and love? If so, it's a good practice;
if not, it should be changed. Departing from past practices
can contain perils.
#Post#: 3879--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: CatholicCrusader Date: May 6, 2018, 12:28 pm
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I just realized, you are the only person posting here. Is that
correct?
#Post#: 3880--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Catholic Church
By: Kerry Date: May 6, 2018, 2:05 pm
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[quote author=CatholicCrusader link=topic=539.msg3879#msg3879
date=1525627715]
I just realized, you are the only person posting here. Is that
correct?
[/quote]Not exactly, no. Clark Thompson posts things. If you
post to him, he doesn't usually answer back; but I decided to
keep the forum open as long as he wanted to keep using it. I
haven't been posting here and was surprised when you showed up
since I had no idea how you found out about it.
If you're looking for an active forum, you may want to
reconsider your plans since you won't see much activity here.
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