Comments on: So this heathen walks into a church…

By: Tom Kratman

Tom Kratman — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:28:00 +0000

A. It's really about time for you to swim the Tiber, for your sake, not God's. He doesn't need us for anything, but has provided means for those of us – pretty much all of us – who need Him.
B. Catholic or Protestant? Personally, I doubt God actually cares provided one is sincere and, within the limits of human understanding, broadly Christian. However,
C. Much as they posture and preen, most Protestant denoms seem to have been cobbled together from one man – and not necessarily one either especially bright, especially well-educated, especially holy, or even especially sane – taking some bit of scripture, or perhaps a couple of them, usually out of context, and cobbling together an entire, and entirely threadbare, theology from that or those. Conversely,
D. Some very bright people, _exceptionally_ bright people, of admirable education, and vast holiness, have been thinking about this sort of thing for a couple of thousand years and have reasoned their way to most of the answers. Most of them will, of necessity, have been Catholic. That said,
E. Holy Mother Church has some problems, not least among them a senior clergy who are illegal immigrants from the 60s, a Pope who ought not be, and lingering perversions. It's probably not worse than Protestant denoms for this, only more visible. Still, it's a problem.

By: Dire Badger

Dire Badger — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 22:06:13 +0000

In reply to Sean Carnegie.

The only problem with Catholicism is that they take so MUCH of their faith from places other than the bible.

Then again, protestants do it too.

I think the best bet is to DECIDE to be a christian, read the bible, do your best to understand it and try to live by the lessons it teaches, and then… If you can find a congregation you 'get along with' you join that.

You have to make sure though that you know the truth. Most of these congregations have been getting their information from non-biblical sources for so long that their faith has become a sort of game of 'telephone' that they enrolled in when their great-great-great-Grandparents first started wondering what was up with those missionary guys.

Catholics are a hard pill to swallow. Protestants mostly seem to want whatever cash they can get out of you. The 'one off' religions like JH and CS are the final retreat for nutjob masochists, and the mormons are out there…. but at least they are friendly and decent, for the most part.

But not one of them cares about sticking to the Bible.

That's why you find a congregation you can get on with. Everyone's a heretic, but at least they TRY to do the right thing. Just find one that argues with what you CARE ABOUT the least.

By: Sean Carnegie

Sean Carnegie — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 02:02:57 +0000

I'm glad you've posted this story after you and I spoke about it a few months ago. Read Romans, Hebrews and Galatians: you'll find that the Catholic system is not where God lives. While I don't want it to be a Prot/Catholic thing, starting out in the Catholic heresy is not the way to learn about God and Christ.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 17:26:06 +0000

Interesting story, I’ve been involved with the church for my entire life, and it does have a culture, language, and an intellectual structure that can be difficult for outsiders to penetrate. At its best, it is the living product of a stream of history that is now quite far removed from our own.
I’m glad you’ve had this experience, and it sounds like you walked into a church that really resonates. Unfortunately many religious communities have also fallen the pitfalls and lies relating to SJWism, feminism et al. They’re historical core beliefs are often badly eroded and they will likely disappoint you. The music can also suck.
Start small, read some books, consider the possibility that God seeks us and means us well. Avoid the spectacle, listen patiently, he only remains hidden enough to honour your free will.