Debating with Protestants.....

Over the last decade I have spent a whole lot of time listening to debates between Catholics and Protestants. Many people think this a waste of time, but I actually have learned a great deal from them. Lately, I have been focusing in on Dr. James White's debates with Catholics. He is director of Alpha and Omega Ministries and comes to the debates in the Reformed Baptist perspective.

http://www.aomin.org/

What I have been suspecting for years and now feel I very comfortable in writing publicly is that many Protestants who debate Catholics are not debating their opponent or their opponent's theology. Dr. James White is a master example of this-- loving and respecting the Catholic he is debating, but then deflecting (sometimes even in a patronizing humor) the opponents assertions and creating his own debate partner.

You see, Dr. White basically ignores what his opponent is saying about Catholicism, he culls out of history a quote from who he really wishes to debate (inevitably a Catholic who has described Catholic beliefs in the most strident of terms or the anathemas of the Council of Trent) and then sets them as who his debate partner.

He has to portray Catholics in the worst of lights because he desperately needs a bad guy to shoot.

White is not debating, White is exposing....

Many Protestants do not trust Catholics or Catholic leaders because they do not see them as Christians with simply another interpretation of scripture, simply a different interpretation as theirs. A respectful debate of one interpretation agains the other is not at all what is going on.

White, representing many other Protestant debaters I have heard, doesn't focus in on the actual thesis that is being presented. He want to go to the jugular. He want to expose the Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon. He want to show that the Catholic church rejects the Bible (code for rejecting his personal intrpretation) and is a idolatrous, Jesus-crucifying, works-oriented, blasphemous antichrist.

These type of Protestants cannot trust anything their Catholic opponents say because they believe that whatever comes out of the mouth of the beast is there to deceive and corrupt. They are there to expose the wolf under the sheep's clothing, the snake under Peter's rock.

Therefore White tips his hat to his Catholic opponent and then dismisses him and his version of Catholicism (after all, White understands he is a good, sincere guy and must be loved even if deceived) and then sets up the attack on the Catholicism he believes to be the true deceptive Catholicism.

It wouldn't really be a big deal to me except that White actually represents the basis of why Catholics and Protestants can't seem to unite. We can express all day how much we love Christ, how much we read scripture and worship Him. We can present our views of the infallibility of scripture and try and convince that we indeed are true Christians and just interpret the scriptures differently in light of Christian history, rather than as individuals today.

If Protestants see us as the Whore of Babylon attempting to deceive the whole world, we may be just wasting our time. Martin Luther and later Reformers successfully placed into the waters a poison of distrust for anything Catholic. They have successfully seared onto Catholicism itself the blackest of hats. (And our own behaviors have just reinforced their harsh judgments.)

I can see the problem, I just can't see the answer..... except in a miracle from Christ.

Building a New Monastery in Charlotte, NC

I like the whole program, but I posted this because of the Poor Clare's new project in Charlotte, NC.

Please Lord, More Fear

I was raised in a Seventh-day Adventist home where we broke many of the church "rules" such as no drinking of Dr. Pepper, no dancing, no wearing jewelry, no going to movies. We kept Sabbath in a very lax and relaxing way. I remember my mother winking at me and whispering, "God doesn't really care.... He knows our hearts" whenever we went out to eat on Sabbath (a no-no when I was growing up SDA.) Sin was ambiguous, gray.... kinda something bad done when you meant harm. If you had a good, sincere, benevolent heart, then it really didn't matter what you did, because Jesus understood you meant well.

Looking back I am appalled at the way I trivialized sin. It was because innately when you are told drinking caffeine is a sin and you do it with your parents and then you don't feel bad--it messes you up. Fake sins don't have true conscience consequences, and when you have been so indoctrinated into a fake sin that you DO feel guilty for having done it--- you are messed up even more.

The devil must enjoy all this confusion, all this guilt for no reason and all this sinning with no guilt.

My vision of God as a child was that He was up there, very busy, judging the bad guys, so us good-guys should basically take a seat and be quiet until the second coming. He would look over once in a while and wink at us. I never worried about getting in. I was born into the "club"-- a Seventh-day Adventist--and God wasn't strict at all.... in fact, He might be amused at our little sins.... After all, He hung around prostitutes and sinners... God was laid back, jolly, merciful.... It's all good--except for those in the last days that rejected the Sabbath... then ouch.... annihilation...

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My prayer now is that I understand what true sin is and the only way I can get there is by listening--not to my conscience because it was not developed rightly, but my church and my Bible. I need a conscience overhaul and I WANT the fear of God placed in me for things that are sin.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the Psalmist tells us. So I pray for that fear that I may be wise.

But most Seventh-day Adventists are not like that. They were raised that what the church called sin, was truly sinful. And you better feel LOTS of guilt. That is why I could go to Adventist schools with drug addicts and sex addicts, self-centered jerks, who felt perfectly saintly because they faithfully attended church on Sabbath (Saturday) and didn't drink coffee.

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My husband doesn't need to pray for fear. He has been overwhelmed and paralyzed with it all his life. His vision of God wasn't kind. He couldn't think, couldn't act, couldn't live because of the way he was raised. All he wanted was to turn up the white noise so he didn't have to deal with all the guilt and fear he felt. He didn't go to movies, drink anything with caffeine. Sabbath was strictly kept and no question were allowed. Ellen White was the Seventh-day Adventist Peter (can't say pope because those come and go--Ellen White is forever!) They had morning worship from the SDA daily devotional. And he was the perfect Adventist who didn't make waves, didn't question, wasn't seen nor heard.

Now he smokes cigars and drinks port with his grown sons. So he is much better. And now he is fully engaged as a warrior for the Lord. He is strong and long-suffering, (thanks to Catholicism and its voice, Michael Voris.)

Most Adventists do not need to pray for fear of the Lord, for their experience was more like my husbands.

But as I look around at the culture, I find that there is a general need for Fear of the Lord. The confusion of Adventism and sin is sort of a microcosm of the world. Nobody talks about it. The media sure doesn't. I haven't heard many sermons on it. My family and friends aren't sitting around the coffee table discussing it. And when I do hear it brought up during a blue moon, people all disagree as to what it is.

Maybe if we all had a healthy fear of the Lord we would be wise enough to clearly know what sin is. Then we could begin to fight it with God's grace......  That's what I am praying for....

The Lord of the Rings

This program is from RealCatholicTV.com

Rick Santorum's Presidential Campaign, in Memorium

Rick Santorum withdrew from the Republican Presidential Primary this morning.


A moment of silence, please.....

I need to grieve yet another little death of my American idealism and optimism. Once again, as a conservative Christian, my hopes for my beloved country are dashed. I know that, somehow with Rick’s step down, millions of more babies will be murdered in their mother’s womb, our social justice system will become more corrupt, our children will be destined to be raised in a culture of immorality and death. I do not see another candidate who shares my passion for reversing the roots of the problem, only candidates who want to bandage a few of the symptoms.


Rick’s withdrawal from the race seems a symbolic marker in the downward spiral of the U.S. from which I cannot see a possible reversal in my lifetime.

... I didn’t even get to cast a vote for him because I live in North Carolina and the republican primary isn’t until May.

I am furious at Americans, I am heartbroken for America and yet, amidst all the pain.... in the end, I rejoice as a Christian.

My Fury at Americans

This is our fault, citizens. We can't blame the demise of our country on the government when most people do not give enough of a damn to become educated and informed and then go out and vote. We are lukewarm, wretched, miserable, poor, naked and blind Laodiceans. We are foolish, slumbering and unfaithful virgins.

We need to awake and realize that we, as conservative Christians are being manipulated as puppets by our system. The progressives (or should I write “the dark forces” with the anti-life, anti-family, anti-Christian agenda) do everything to split the Christian vote by dividing Christian values between the Democrat and Republican platforms--social justice for the poor on the Democrat side, and life/family issues on the Republican side to make sure we are always fighting against each other. Christian unity is the greatest fear of the progressives.

Then big business and their front group--the politicians--patronize and manipulate the voters by throwing in a couple candidates in the primaries that Christians can get behind to give us the the illusion that we have the freedom of choice. Then the progressives massively fund their candidates and so it appears when the conservatives were beaten, it was all fair and square.

Then the Presidential race is always between two “moderates” who really have the same agenda, yet whose promises are different enough that we are told, as patriots, we must vote for the lesser of the two evils. And both are so entrenched with the progressives that the winners will bow to DC’s powers as soon as the hand comes off the Bible at their inauguration.

It’s all about money, and we are being played like a stupid but sweet-sounding violin by big business. We are lulled to sleep by the dark forces of propaganda. We are dupes, enslaved by a system that promises freedom, but instead gives us entertainment and inspiring songs of patriotism.

What will it take to awaken us and force us to care? If we look back at history, we will ignore plague after plague and we won’t act until the winds of dark forces sweep through our homes and kill our firstborn.


My Heartbreak for America

Unfortunately, as hard as we try, we will never be able to really fix this. Our problem isn’t that our system is being abused and we need to return to more “freedom.” This is the erroneous premise of the Tea Party. We don’t need more freedom, we need more holiness. The problem is sin. And you can never get where you want to go on the wrong road. You must form your conscience, your life, upon a true premise in order to get to the fullness of Truth. America’s foundation is flawed.

We teach that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God-given rights.

Wrong.

The idea of “God-given rights” is an insidious, pride-producing, mind-warping, intoxicant of Satan to raise up an army of anti-Christs.

Those rights are not in the Bible nor found anywhere in Christian historical teachings. Those are the rights of the arrogant gods of the Enlightenment.

God-given rights are a myth. Freedom to do what we want is a myth. Just on its very surface the premise is obviously false. Look at America. It is a complete illogical premise that we are wise enough to know what will make us happy (which, by the way, even the pagan Aristotle realized that man hasn’t the ability to achieve happiness when pursuing it).

God never gave us rights--ever. Life is not ours, it is His. He is life and at every breath that blessing is a loan that we may do His will, not our own pleasure.

God did not die that we may have the freedom to sin. He died that we may have the freedom to quit sinning. We only have one true right and that is to pursue holiness and a clean heart. And that means we throw our illusion of rights back into the face of the Devil and fall at the foot of the Cross in submission to Him.

All life is His vineyard and we are merely stewards of that vineyard. Everything is God’s and we have no intrinsic rights to any of it. We are gifted and honored to be guardians, protectors of God’s garden. He entrusts us with the responsibility to cultivate what is His and bear fruit for His glory.

We will only know joy and freedom when we let go of the idea of “rights” and pursue the Kingdom of heaven with all our hearts.

(Note of clarification: I am speaking of the relationship of rights between man and God. I believe you can make a case for civil religious liberty for humans based upon charity and extending the golden rule, but that is a man to man relationship.) 

Rejoicing as a Christians

In America’s cultural river rapids we Christians are attempting to maneuver through, many of us are horrified to see right ahead a cloud of spray and a deafening roar. We know what that means.... a huge waterfall lay ahead and if we do not all pull together and reverse our course we are going to plunge headfirst to our nation’s death.

Our family gave sacrificially to Rick Santorum's campaign. We prayed fervently for him and his family. We hoped that his presidency would put pressure on America’s bleeding economy, the government’s financial irresponsibility and unconstrained debt. We saw him as actively fighting our culture of death and corruption.

Praying and grieving at mass this morning, the Lord gave me reason to rejoice. He has not abandon us. In fact, America’s suicidal launch into wanton depravity is a controlled fall--because God is still in charge and He is still merciful.

Out of love, He is allowing us to see the fruits of our choices. The problem is that we pray for miraculous interference in order that we do not have to experience the consequences of our passivity, our desire for comfort and bounty. In the end, Christianity becomes confused and broken. For true joy and freedom God wants us to be unified by effort and struggle. This cannot happen when we are not allowed to see the fruits of our choices.

Humans must eat the fruits of our choices. We must learn that what we sew we will reap. God is not withdrawing His blessings and mercy to harm us but that we may see sin and its destruction. It is for our eternal education. He is calling us to repent.

What are we supposed to be seeing?

God is showing us that in a global, historical perspective, all human government will fail. Sin has made us unable to successfully rule ourselves and our fellow man. Autonomy fails, anarchy fails, independence fails, self-rule fails--secular governments of dictators, republics, democracies, socialism, communism, oligarchies--all fail. Theocracies and dynasties and monarchies based in wrong gods also fail. No matter how sincerely and intelligently begun--all eventually enslave.

God is patiently waiting for us to feel the utter failure of our best human effort at government and under our own oppression strangle, cry “uncle.” Actually, until we cry, "Abba Father, Thy will be done." We are being brought to our knees into our own personal and corporate Gethsemane.

He knows we need to discover that in the end, we do not wish for self-governance and autonomy. We will cry out for his Iron Rule and His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Week of Free Promotional Videos from Real Catholic TV

Michael Voris has done more to educate our family about Catholicism than pretty much every thing else we've studied--such as books, Catholic DVDs, RCIA, etc. (With the exception of Chad Mackins and David Brokke--who spent years online debating the faith with us!)

Real Catholic TV--the premium channel--has so many excellent programs--not just for entertainment purposes but for people who truly want to understand Catholicism. For those of you who are sick of television and want to be fed the Word of God and learn about the Mother Church, this is highly recommended. EWTN.com is wonderful too--and I would feel horrible not to recommend them, but they are a more feminine view of Catholicism, Michael and Real Catholic TV builds up the masculine side. It is resetting the men as protector of their own families and the church families. It re-establishes the God-given priestly position of the male. My husband and our two boys are becoming the strong, powerful, understanding and intelligent men of God they were meant to be. As as their wife and mother, I feel more feminine and loved than I ever did before. I LOVE IT!

Watch these promo videos for a taste and then subscribe to the internet channel: Realcatholictv.com


Click on link below:

Armor of God

If that doesn't work then copy and past this link:

http://www.realcatholictv.com/share/promo.php?promovid=1

Good Friday, by Bishop Dolan

   

Shameless Popery: Good Friday

This post is from:
Shameless Popery: Good Friday
Thanks to, JOE HESCHMEYER 

Good Friday

Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him -- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men -- so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.

Matthias Grünewald, The Crucifixion of Christ (1524)

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Andrea Mantegna, Altar of San Veno in Verona, Crucifixion triptych (1459)

"Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.

Pietro Lorenzetti, Shaped Cross (1325)

He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.

Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.

Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."

Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls; for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.

Wisdom 2:12-24