Aloysius Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 Jesus was a devout Jew, when He talks about God He's talkin about the great Yahweh, the God of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who is His Dad, Abba. Jesus had no concept of believing in a "greater good" as God, and would consider believing in anything else than His Father as God idolatry.
dairygirl4u2c Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 (edited) .... Edited March 1, 2004 by dairygirl4u2c
foundsheep Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 Peeps need to start sourcing with scripture: Ill start: Matt ch.7 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, 10 but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. 11 Depart from me, you evildoers
ironmonk Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 lol, hard word to define. Regenerated as in, their soul is in a state of saving grace. Ah brother... that is someone who is Catholic by desire because they believe that they are serving God the way God wants them to... God Bless, ironmonk
ironmonk Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 that's what i don't get. my godmother and my priest can't get me into heaven, can they? Who said they could? The prayer of a rightous person is very powerful... at least that is what the Scriptures tell us... What gets us to Heaven is Christ. What helps us along our way are brothers, sisters, angels and the Saints in Christ. God Bless, ironmonk
IXpenguin21 Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 You can be a christian and not even realize it. In the lowest sense a Christian is someone who "does unto others as they'd have them do unto them". In the most divine sense of that phrase I agree with Mother Teresa: I would add "gives with a charitable and honest heart" just to be clear. Other aspects of christianity fall only secondary. i agree. the statment wasn't ment to be doctrine, but it's still cool.
IXpenguin21 Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Remember the man who was healed because his friends brought him to Jesus? It was because of their faith that he lives. why wouldn't he be healed if he stayed at home and had faith in Jesus?
mulls Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Who said they could? The prayer of a rightous person is very powerful... at least that is what the Scriptures tell us... What gets us to Heaven is Christ. What helps us along our way are brothers, sisters, angels and the Saints in Christ. God Bless, ironmonk it seems like Cmom said that: Somebody's faith . hopefully she can explain for me.
mulls Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Remember the man who was healed because his friends brought him to Jesus? It was because of their faith that he lives. Bro you know what I mean. Can my faith save my mother, for example, even if she rejects Christ? Does that count as "Somebody's faith"?
ironmonk Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 Bro you know what I mean. Can my faith save my mother, for example, even if she rejects Christ? Does that count as "Somebody's faith"? We can only hope and pray that God will have mercy on our loved ones. For all we know, on their judgment day, they might have the chance to accept Christ. Study about St. Augustine, his mother prayed 16 years for him before he converted to Christianity. He became one of the greatest doctors of the Church. Everything happens in God's time... we must have patience. We must remember that God can move hearts... God Bless, Your Servant in Christ, ironmonk
mulls Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 i totally agree with that monk. my question concerns baptism in the Church.....a baby is baptized and becomes a Christian due to somebody else's confession of faith....which may not even be true, considering my parents and godmother were/are hardly practicing, believing Catholics.
foundsheep Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 I believe it works as long as you are baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. You can make your profession of faith when you are older.
IXpenguin21 Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 a Christian can be someone who believes in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as ONE God), and what it's all about (LOVE). i would call someone who says they believe in the Trinity and doesn't act as if their life is convicted by what the Trinity is, not a Christian. after all, satan believes in the Trinity.
ironmonk Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 i totally agree with that monk. my question concerns baptism in the Church.....a baby is baptized and becomes a Christian due to somebody else's confession of faith....which may not even be true, considering my parents and godmother were/are hardly practicing, believing Catholics. A baby knows what they are taught. Baptism is a cleanzing of the soul from original sin.... it replaces circumcision. If the child is raise to believe, that child will believe and have faith. That child is a Christian because all that child knows is Christianity. Many have asked me "Are you saved, when?" - I've always believed... was raised to believe... was baptised early... I've always been Christian... I knew nothing else.... So how can anyone ask when I was saved... This is why many Catholics are not sure how to answer non-Catholics when they ask this question... Christianity is all we knew from birth.... to say that a child must believe to be saved is condemning the child before they say "I accept". Some say that they are an exception, but no where in the bible does it lead one to believe that when looking at the bible from a non-Catholic point of view. As far as your parents and godmother are concerned; it's not their faith that makes you Christian, it's your baptism and if you believe you are living the way God intended... as you grew up and are growing up, the more you learn, the more will be expected of you as a Christian... We must learn about the teachings of Christ and know our faith; but we cannot possibly expect to know it all at once... if we do some bad things out of ignorance, it will not be as bad as if we knew the law of God and broke it. Don't get me wrong, your parents and godmothers faith is important, but there lack of it (per say) does not reflect less on you. God is merciful and loving. Everything is in God's plan. He calls us all at different times. Your faith and prayer can help your parents and godmother. Your parents and godmother planted the seed and it appears to be growing... the tree of that seed (you) could nurish your parents and godmother with the fruit that it (you) produces... Your fruit is prayer bro.... God Bless, Your Servant in Christ, ironmonk
mulls Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 A baby knows what they are taught. Baptism is a cleanzing of the soul from original sin.... it replaces circumcision. If the child is raise to believe, that child will believe and have faith. That child is a Christian because all that child knows is Christianity. Many have asked me "Are you saved, when?" - I've always believed... was raised to believe... was baptised early... I've always been Christian... I knew nothing else.... So how can anyone ask when I was saved... This is why many Catholics are not sure how to answer non-Catholics when they ask this question... Christianity is all we knew from birth.... to say that a child must believe to be saved is condemning the child before they say "I accept". Some say that they are an exception, but no where in the bible does it lead one to believe that when looking at the bible from a non-Catholic point of view. Don't get me wrong, your parents and godmothers faith is important, but there lack of it (per say) does not reflect less on you. God is merciful and loving. Everything is in God's plan. He calls us all at different times. Your faith and prayer can help your parents and godmother. .... God Bless, Your Servant in Christ, ironmonk As far as your parents and godmother are concerned; it's not their faith that makes you Christian, it's your baptism and if you believe you are living the way God intended... the way I was raised made me think that I was living the way that God intended. I went to church, received the sacraments, and was the proverbial "good person." Yet I was disobedient to God in just about every aspect of my life. I was told I was living right, I thought I was living right, but I was wrong. There could have been deadly consequences because of my life style, and I have seen the consequences of others who also thought they were living the right way and really weren't. as you grew up and are growing up, the more you learn, the more will be expected of you as a Christian... We must learn about the teachings of Christ and know our faith; but we cannot possibly expect to know it all at once... if we do some bad things out of ignorance, it will not be as bad as if we knew the law of God and broke it. but I've been chastised here over and over again for not learning what the Church teaches, myself, on my own. I was living a life of ignorance, and there's no way I could have escaped it myself, but thankfully God got ahold of me and showed me the light, so to speak. that's what the Great Commission is for....to spread the Gospel and allow people to recognize their ignorance, and sinfulness, and show them how to turn away from it and toward God. Your parents and godmother planted the seed and it appears to be growing... the tree of that seed (you) could nurish your parents and godmother with the fruit that it (you) produces... Your fruit is prayer bro Amen, this is my prayer for all of my friends and family.
mulls Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Ironmonk I have to compliment you on your attitude, you're showing much love. thanks.
cmotherofpirl Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 You can be a christian and not even realize it. In the lowest sense a Christian is someone who "does unto others as they'd have them do unto them". In the most divine sense of that phrase I agree with Mother Teresa: I would add "gives with a charitable and honest heart" just to be clear. Other aspects of christianity fall only secondary. No. I know many fine atheists and pagans who ""does unto others as they'd have them do unto them". THey are emphatically not christians. Doing good does not make you a christian. " think what Jesus meant by God is at the least believing in something greater than yourself" No. Jesus meant specifically the God found in Genesis, the God who created the universe and time itself, the God who happened to be His father thru generation and ours thru Baptism and adoption. The God who sent His Son to suffer, die and redeem the world. This is not simply "brelieving in something greater thasn yourself" Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic or God Almighty come to save us.
Jake Huether Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 the way I was raised made me think that I was living the way that God intended. I went to church, received the sacraments, and was the proverbial "good person." Yet I was disobedient to God in just about every aspect of my life. I was told I was living right, I thought I was living right, but I was wrong. There could have been deadly consequences because of my life style, and I have seen the consequences of others who also thought they were living the right way and really weren't. But Mulls, it wasn't "wrong" to recieve the sacraments, or to go to church. If you were "disobedient to God in just about every aspect of [your] life", is the Church to blame? I don't get it. The way you worded this makes it sound like Catholicism told you that your sins were okay. That isn't the case at all. I just don't understand why so many people fall away from the Church because, "I didn't know Christ while I was in the Church". Like the Church was to blame. If you don't know Christ, there is a problem with YOU. I could never understand why they couldn't stop sinning and get to know Christ IN the Church... But then again, God's ways are not my own. He will lead you back to His Church, in this life, or the next...
Dave Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 But Mulls, it wasn't "wrong" to recieve the sacraments, or to go to church. If you were "disobedient to God in just about every aspect of [your] life", is the Church to blame? I don't get it. The way you worded this makes it sound like Catholicism told you that your sins were okay. That isn't the case at all. I just don't understand why so many people fall away from the Church because, "I didn't know Christ while I was in the Church". Like the Church was to blame. If you don't know Christ, there is a problem with YOU. I could never understand why they couldn't stop sinning and get to know Christ IN the Church... But then again, God's ways are not my own. He will lead you back to His Church, in this life, or the next... Word.
Norseman82 Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Many have asked me "Are you saved, when?" - I've always believed... was raised to believe... was baptised early... I've always been Christian... I knew nothing else.... So how can anyone ask when I was saved... This is why many Catholics are not sure how to answer non-Catholics when they ask this question... Christianity is all we knew from birth.... to say that a child must believe to be saved is condemning the child before they say "I accept". Some say that they are an exception, but no where in the bible does it lead one to believe that when looking at the bible from a non-Catholic point of view. In my experience in dealing with non-Catholics, it seems to stem from the fact that many denominations see salvation as a "once-in-a-lifetime" event, whereas we Catholics see it as an ongoing process.
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