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

R

RichRock

BANNED
Banned
God's Truth said:
You are doing Satan's will.

I am trying to help the Catholics see their false doctrines. I am trying to help them obey God, as God tells us to do. You have discriminated me here and become a judge with evil thoughts.
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Opps! Looks like our little troll has been banned for a while lol...bye for now :wave:
 
Catholic Crusader

Catholic Crusader

Kyrie Eleison
Banned
CatholicCrusader said:
Here ya' go:



Jesus said his Church would be "the light of the world." This means his Church must be 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. Any merely human organization would have collapsed early on. The Catholic Church is today the most vigorous church in the world (and the largest, with over 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.

FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH

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.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13)

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). 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.

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8)

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).

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10)

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.

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)

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.


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.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH

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

============
Post adapted from this source: http://www.catholic.com/documents/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth
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I have STILL never heard anyone able to refute that.
 
Catholic Crusader

Catholic Crusader

Kyrie Eleison
Banned
RichRock said:
I have been Evangelical Protestant most of my life, even spending some time living in a fulltime religious community.

The more I researched the origin of the bible and the history of my faith, the more I discovered the Catholic Church.

I am taking steps towards joining the Catholic Church and my question is this....'Why shouldn't I?'

I am not asking because I doubt my journey, I am asking because I haven't come across a good enough reason NOT to join.

Each side, for and against may debate, I look forward to reading each side's responses.

So, why shouldn't I convert to the Catholic Church?
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Aww man, how sad. I befriended you and offered you help, and now you have turned to this Pagan crap. What is wrong with you man. Do you just float wherever the wind of the day takes you?
 
Arsenios

Arsenios

Well-known member
I just ran across this list of heretical features of the Latin Papal Church:


[Whose] heresy is revealed by the appalling false doctrines which you confess. These are:
I) the political existence and structure of the Vatican with ministries, bureaucracies and banks;
II) the Filioque (the alleged procession of the Holy Spirit also
from the Son);
III) created Grace;
IV) the primacy of power;
V) the possession of worldly and spiritual power by the Pope;
VI) Papal infallibility;
VII) the theories that the Pope is the ultimate judge and Archpriest, the supreme authority and monarch of the Church;
VIII) Baptism by sprinkling and the separation of it from the mystery of Chrismation;
IX) the use of unleavened bread (Host);
X) the transforming of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ with the words of institution rather than at the invocation of the Holy Spirit as well as the doctrine of transubstantiation;
XI) the depriving of the Blood of Christ to the laity;
XII) the depriving of Holy Communion to children;
XIII) Mary worship;
XIV) the dogma of the “immaculate conception” and the “bodily assumption” of the Mother of God;
XV) purgatory;
XVI) indulgences;
XVII) the so-called “superabundant merits” of Christ;
XVIII) the “superabundant merits” of the Saints;
XIX) the merits of the works of man;
XX) statuary and the secularization of religious art instead of Orthodox iconography;
XXI) the mandatory celibacy of the clergy;
XXII) the recognition of murderers (Stepinac) as “saints”;
XXIII) the doctrine of the satisfaction of divine justice (the res
ult of confusion regarding original sin and the legalism which is
prevalent in Papism);
XXIV) the rejection of Holy Tradition and the taking advantage of
it as a tool for Papal claims (the Pope is Tradition);
XXV) the belief that the “infallible Pope” is the only guardian, judge and interpreter of Divine Revelation;
XXVI) the so-called “Church Suffering,” which is allegedly made up of the faithful who are presently in purgatory;
XXVII) the rejection of the equality of bishops;
XXVIII) the Vatican’s centralized and despotic administrative system where the “Pope” is absolute monarch, which introduced Caesaro-papism;
XXIX) the social/humanitarian character of the monastic orders;
XXX) the impersonal and juridical character of the mystery of
confession;
XXXI) and, finally, the accursed Uniate, the Trojan horse of Papism.



Taken from: http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/epistle-to-pope-francis.pdf, a letter sent to Pope Francis this year, April 10th, 2014...

I had no idea the list of this litany was so long...

This letter is pastoral in nature...

I have not heard of a response as of yet...

Arsenios
 
revpete

revpete

New member
My question is directed to the person I'm replying to. Maybe it's just me but I thought that would be obvious :)


Blessings: Pete <><
 
Cruciform

Cruciform

New member
revpete said:
My question is directed to the person I'm replying to. Maybe it's just me but I thought that would be obvious.
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However, since you did not quote from any particular post, readers have no way of knowing who you were replying to. So I ask again:
"To whom is your question directed?"​



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+
 
P

pinetree

New member
anti catholics never really cite a RELIABLE source

I mean, it's Chick Publications

and/or some knuckelehead from the middle ages who couldn't abstain from mortal sin (Luther)

We're supposed to believe these ignorant (at best) vile at worst people?

well, those who are ignorant and like to sin WILL quote these people time after time.. They don't (feel they can't) give up their mortal sins, so they have to defy the Church that preaches against such

boring

childish

tiresome

But hey, People believe what they want to believe.
 
P

pinetree

New member
Bright Raven said:
The thread is closed. The point is moot He is now becoming a pagan.
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he probably never intended to convert to Catholicsm anyway

most protestants don't. This is because they do not know true Catholicism. They only know the caracature of it that is put out by protestants and disgruntled Cahtolics

I am a disgruntled Catholic myself, but i don't think it's such a good idea to throw babies out w/ their bathwater, just doesnt seem too prudent or contructive for some reason




___
 
R

RichRock

BANNED
Banned
Bright Raven said:
The thread is closed.
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You wish. You fundamentalist protestants just hate anything Catholic, which actually happens to be the truer out of the two paths (or should I say 50000 in the protestant case)...besides, it's my thread and I declare it OPEN. :cigar:

Do feel free to continue trying to debate, but the Catholics have tied you in tripple knots with a bow on top for the last 90 pages. Please do carry on amusing us with your intelligencia ;)
 
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