Why should I be Catholic?

[Isaac]

Christ bought our salvation, not with perishing gold, but with His precious blood. And that is the essence of Christianity; faith made perfect, by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, so that man may dwell with Him once again in his Eternal Kingdom for ever.

That is essential Christian doctrine, and anything that distracts from it, is a parasite to the faith.

If the continental reformers were wrong, let them be thrown into the lake of fire. Let God judge the hearts of men, while you labour as his servant and preform your Christian duties.

Belonging to a particular church is not, and cannot be a spiritual work. Works cannot be communal or shared, and it is not accounted unto righteousness that you fell into the church with upright and sound doctrine. The judgement of God pertains exclusively to the individual believer, good and evil works also.

Do not lie secure in denominationalism. You aren't doing any favors for yourself about being such sticklers about which nonessential doctrines you like or dislike.

 

[Mothra1988]

All this talk of tradition. Modern Christians have no way of knowing what traditions are truly from Jesus. Many books of the New Testament were only written a century or more after his death, further corrupted by the book being translated back and forth between a dozen dialects of Greek, Latin, and Aramaic for several centuries. And then the Germanics got hold of it. This change of language from the (often apprentice) monks tasked with creating and translating new copies often resulted in things like unicorns and a simple word with multiple meanings being translated in a particular way and depending on the time period or the nation one particular meaning was treated like gospel over another. Like the word "brother" or "kinsman" for instance, you spergs.

Other fallible men have been tweaking the Bible since at least the Middle Ages to place the church above God's people. Adding and excluding books over time because they were on-message for the current priesthood, or they were icky.

Also some talk of Latin being essential when Jesus did not speak it.

Denomination doesn't matter. The things that make religion "pretty" and desirable do not matter. You either believe or you don't believe, but there are both Protestants and Catholics in this thread screeching like monkeys about aforementioned corrupted book. Do you want to associate with either of them? Read the Bible and absorb the major takeaways because that is the only thing that matters.

You could maybe make this argument 100 year ago, but there has been plenty of progress in Bible translation, discovery of better source manuscripts, etc. since then. I think we have a pretty reliable idea of what most of the original versions of scripture actually said now. There were a tiny amount fuck ups and changes in the Middle Ages discovered later, but nothing that major at all. It was still pretty accurate to the source documents even back then, but newer translations remove some of the few scribe errors found, etc.

And how the fuck is that a religion then? I could walk into a church one day and then never show up again and I'd be a Prod.

How is the barrier of entry to new congregation being low not make it a religion? lol I didn't say you would be an expert at theology or whatever or shouldn't get baptized later, etc, I said you go in and listen to the sermon and try to take in what you are listening to. And again, how do you think Jesus converted people?

Great, you've read up on the meanings of Greek and Aramaic words. Whether James was Jesus' brother or not does not change the message and is one of the many reasons the Bible is a man-made work, subject to man's imperfections.

I didn't suggest it changes the message of Christ or the overall narratives of the Bible. I just find it annoying, because he was a pretty important early leader of the church and the fact he's a brother is one of the few facts historians agree on because it was confirmed by Josephus. The fact it was changed mostly for political reasons, imo, regarding the Catholic Church instead of just a mistake that was made makes it worse imo.

 

[Stan]

Don’t be a virgin Catholic, be a Chad Episcopalian. Benefits:

1. Trusted to read Bible yourself and form your own questions, build meaningful relationship with God
Catholics: don’t/can’t read Bible, need Daddy Pope to tell them what it says and how to live their lives

2. Priests can marry ethically
Catholics: priests are pedos and closeted faggots

3. Women in the pulpit
Catholics: too homosexual to accept women’s receipt of the news of the resurrection, women’s devotion to Christ

4. Democratic governance
Catholic: gay empire of old fags in Italian shoes

5. Engaging and meaningful liturgy
Catholic: some guy mumbling in Latin

6. Created so Chad King Henry no longer had to bend the knee to Daddy Pope
Catholics: hurr durr y u no pay us n e mor??

7. Religion of American Presidents
Catholics: religion of guidos

 

[Mothra1988]

Don’t be a virgin Catholic, be a Chad Episcopalian. Benefits:

1. Trusted to read Bible yourself and form your own questions, build meaningful relationship with God
Catholics: don’t/can’t read Bible, need Daddy Pope to tell them what it says and how to live their lives

2. Priests can marry ethically
Catholics: priests are pedos and closeted faggots

3. Women in the pulpit
Catholics: too homosexual to accept women’s receipt of the news of the resurrection, women’s devotion to Christ

4. Democratic governance
Catholic: gay empire of old fags in Italian shoes

5. Engaging and meaningful liturgy
Catholic: some guy mumbling in Latin

6. Created so Chad King Henry no longer had to bend the knee to Daddy Pope
Catholics: hurr durr y u no pay us n e mor??

7. Religion of American Presidents
Catholics: religion of guidos

Catholic priests not being able to marry has to be the dumbest shit ever. These people claim to be descended from a lineage going back to Peter (which is probably not completely true, but let's just pretend it is for this instance). Peter was married and had children. When Paul talks about his celibacy, it's in the context of him saying it was a choice and that God is happy with people that marry and have children as well.

However, then the Catholic Church suddenly demands all their priests be celibate and never enter into relationships with women even though Jesus, etc. said marriage was good. What happens? Well, you end up with a lot of socially-unadjusted males who accept the fact they can never have sexual relationships with adults and are fine with that. Who does that leave as a bigger part of their population than should be? A bunch of child touchers of coruse. Luther was completely right about calling this practice stupid, and I think marrying a nun (the modern version of the Roman Vestal Virgin) was one of the cooler things he did.

 

[Alex Krycek]

Catholic priests not being able to marry has to be the dumbest shit ever. These people claim to be descended from a lineage going back to Peter (which is probably not completely true, but let's just pretend it is for this instance). Peter was married and had children. When Paul talks about his celibacy, it's in the context of him saying it was a choice and that God is happy with people that marry and have children as well.

However, then the Catholic Church suddenly demands all their priests be celibate and never enter into relationships with women even though Jesus, etc. said marriage was good. What happens? Well, you end up with a lot of socially-unadjusted males who accept the fact they can never have sexual relationships with adults and are fine with that. Who does that leave as a bigger part of their population than should be? A bunch of child touchers of coruse. Luther was completely right about calling this practice stupid, and I think marrying a nun (the modern version of the Roman Vestal Virgin) was one of the cooler things he did.

There have always been a few married Latin Clergy but it is true that they are exceptions not the rule. In Orthodoxy we generally have Married Priests, the exception of course being Monastics however a Priest cannot marry after Ordination and may not remarry once he is a widower. It is generally expected that a widowed Priest will take Monastic vows after his children have grown up and he will leave all of his possessions to them. That’s not to say it’s a rule or even universally done but it does often happen.

I do take issue with Catholics being more strict about clerical celibacy but not strongly so. A cousin of mine is a Catholic Priest and has basically been married to the same woman for almost 20 years. I don’t understand why they can’t just make it formal and he renounce his Priesthood while not being excommunicated.

 

[Stan]

Catholic priests not being able to marry has to be the dumbest shit ever.

Historically the reasoning for this is to prevent the priest’s children from inheriting church property. There were plenty of priests who had children, who were then publicly recognized as that priests “nephew/niece”. I doubt that the Catholic Church will ever reverse opinion on priestly marriage though, since it’s been canon law since the 2nd century AD or so.

Practically, the effect of preventing clergy from marrying was also to attract men who did not want to get married to the priesthood. Gay men (and pedos) in particular might have found this attractive if the alternative was to marry.

Episcopal religious orders (monks/nuns) still do take vows of celibacy, but these people are generally not in the same position of power as a priest enjoys within their own parish.

 

[WonderWino]

Catholics give out free wine at mass.

Plus gluten free, ethically sourced, fair trade, vegan communion wafers

and don't forget the free homeless shelter food that you don't even have to be catholic to get, just ask the wern, i'm sure he eats enough to feed 4 medieval cardinals during an easter feast at every meal

But the biggest reason to become a catholic is obvious - if you go all the way with it, become a priest and work your way up the ranks and get yourself elected pope you would literally have your own country to rule with an iron fist, right in the heart of sunny italy, and you could call for crusades against anyone who pisses you off and issue papal bulls with all kinds of crazy things in them to piss people off

 

[Zarael]

The same people who say Catholic Priests being celibate is retarded are the ones who claim Buddhist monks being celibate is based. Maybe more people should reflect on why celibacy is a universal religious virtue rather than falling into Freudian frameworks about how sexual repression is bad. You'd think the modern world would be enough to convince people that Freud was completely wrong about sexual repression theory but we still have people claiming that keeping the most powerful biological urge under control of the rational mind is a bad thing.

 

[Bass]

. Go to your local Church (preferably not a Greek or Russian one)

As a man who is of an ethnicity that gets confused with Russians a lot, what's wrong with a Russian church?

 

[Quiet Guy]

@Tomboy Respecter I don't want to restart any hostilities, but what about this verse?

Matthew 1:24-25 (ESV)
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

It says Joseph "knew her not until she had given birth to a son," which seems to be referring to consummating their marriage, and I don't see any contradiction about this as far as the Greek goes after a brief search. I'm not missing any subtext in the Greek am I?

Adelphoi is "closely related kinsman (which ranges from cousin to half-brother to step-brother depending on the context).

Wouldn't adelphoi still arguably be appropriate for any of Mary's other children, since those begotten by Joseph could be considered half-siblings?

Also, be careful not to go too far with traditions; remember that is one of the things Jesus condemned the Pharisees for...

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

You shouldn't
End thread

Fuck the Pope
Gustav Adolf did nothing wrong

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Catholic priests not being able to marry has to be the dumbest shit ever. These people claim to be descended from a lineage going back to Peter (which is probably not completely true, but let's just pretend it is for this instance). Peter was married and had children. When Paul talks about his celibacy, it's in the context of him saying it was a choice and that God is happy with people that marry and have children as well.

However, then the Catholic Church suddenly demands all their priests be celibate and never enter into relationships with women even though Jesus, etc. said marriage was good. What happens? Well, you end up with a lot of socially-unadjusted males who accept the fact they can never have sexual relationships with adults and are fine with that. Who does that leave as a bigger part of their population than should be? A bunch of child touchers of coruse. Luther was completely right about calling this practice stupid, and I think marrying a nun (the modern version of the Roman Vestal Virgin) was one of the cooler things he did.

Even leaving child touching aside (which to be honest is real overblown, it's not that Catholics did more of it, it's that God's business managers shuffled them around and tried to cover it up), a Pentecostal pastor once pointed out that a preacher has to give advice on all kinds of life subjects, including marriage and childraising, which is something the Bible promotes, so the preacher had better know what he's talking about.

Then you've got Catholicism, which outright bans people with that perspective because tHeIr CoNgReGaTiOn Is ThEiR fAmIlY (lol).

 

[ICametoLurk]

Being a Catholic is only Special Brownie Points if you're British or in a Muslim nation.

Long are the days when the KKK would burn crosses in front of your lawn. If anything being a Protestant is looked down upon because of how normal it is in the USA and Europe...like you get viewed as a Trump Supporter despite the fact that Born Agains voted for Obama and Atheists voted for Trump.

 

[PipTheAlchemist]

despite the fact that Born Agains voted for Obama and Atheists voted for Trump.

Evangelicals are blindly loyal to the Republican Party. No matter who's running. Despite not even pretending to be a Christian, unlike previous Republican candidates, Evangelicals still overwhelmingly voted for Trump

 

[Blobby's Murder Knife]

Being a Catholic is only Special Brownie Points if you're British or in a Muslim nation.

Long are the days when the KKK would burn crosses in front of your lawn. If anything being a Protestant is looked down upon because of how normal it is in the USA and Europe...like you get viewed as a Trump Supporter despite the fact that Born Agains voted for Obama and Atheists voted for Trump.

Something that always puzzled me is why many people I have known in life have claimed Catholics aren't Christians and visa versa. They all believe in the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity. They have some differing ideas on salvation, but at the end of the day, you average Methodist has more in common with a Catholic than with a Muslim or African Witch Doctor.

 

[Passing Through Town]

I would advise against being Catholic on the basis that 1) It's an intensely flawed institution that many people would have to dedicate their lives to in order to fix, assuming it's even possible to do so, 2) The Catholic Church claims to be unchanging, but Vatican II clearly demonstrates that's not the case, and 3) Catholicism isn't an institution which can bring out any meaningful change in modern society unless its many problems are solved. But I suppose if you agree with them theologically then you may as well join up, since it'd be better than nothing.

 

[Space_Dandy]

Something that always puzzled me is why many people I have known in life have claimed Catholics aren't Christians and visa versa. They all believe in the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity. They have some differing ideas on salvation, but at the end of the day, you average Methodist has more in common with a Catholic than with a Muslim or African Witch Doctor.

Its because of the role of the Church in Catholicism. Catholics believe in 'Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus', there is no salvation outside the Church. Whereas Protestants believe in a personal relationship with God not reliant upon any earthly institution: 'There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.' 1 Timothy 2:5.

 

[Esau]

Its because of the role of the Church in Catholicism. Catholics believe in 'Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus', there is no salvation outside the Church. Whereas Protestants believe in a personal relationship with God not reliant upon any earthly institution: 'There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.' 1 Timothy 2:5.

The invisible church is comprised of believers, and is present wherever the gospel is administered. The Visible Church is comprised of believers, unbelievers and is a regular institution. There is only one church, the Invisible Church.

However, we must still observe the three Sacraments unwaveringly.

 

[Space_Dandy]

The invisible church is comprised of believers, and is present wherever the gospel is administered. The Visible Church is comprised of believers, unbelievers and is a regular institution. There is only one church, the Invisible Church.

However, we must still observe the three Sacraments unwaveringly.

That's awful nice of you to say, and you are probably correct from a doctrine perspective. However, it doesn't change the fact that Catholics as a whole (probably moreso in the old days than today but the perception remains) looks upon protestants as unsaved heretics because of their non-membership. And also many protestants view the Catholic requirement of inserting functions of man as requisites for salvation, as being indicative of a lack of salvation.

Then there's Pope Francis' famous quote: "There are those who believe they can maintain a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside the communion and the mediation of the Church. These are dangerous and harmful temptations." Its obvious what he really meant, and he wasn't talking about the 'invisible church.' He is saying that you can't simply read the Bible and serve God, you need the Catholic church's intercessions.

 

[Mothra1988]

Evangelicals are blindly loyal to the Republican Party. No matter who's running. Despite not even pretending to be a Christian, unlike previous Republican candidates, Evangelicals still overwhelmingly voted for Trump

Did Trump deliver for Evangelicals or not? Who delivered for Evangelicals more than Trump? I don't think criticisms like this understand how those people think. They vote for people who they think are actually going to do what they say in regards to their issues.

Also I like how alt-right types are moving towards Catholicism despite the fact that Catholics are pretty pro-Democrat, while simultaneously attacking Evangelicals/born-agains/fundies whatever they want to call them who are actually one of the few power bases for the right in the United States. Really gets the noggin jogging.

That's awful nice of you to say, and you are probably correct from a doctrine perspective. However, it doesn't change the fact that Catholics as a whole (probably moreso in the old days than today but the perception remains) looks upon protestants as unsaved heretics because of their non-membership. And also many protestants view the Catholic requirement of inserting functions of man as requisites for salvation, as being indicative of a lack of salvation.

Then there's Pope Francis' famous quote: "There are those who believe they can maintain a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside the communion and the mediation of the Church. These are dangerous and harmful temptations." Its obvious what he really meant, and he wasn't talking about the 'invisible church.' He is saying that you can't simply read the Bible and serve God, you need the Catholic church's intercessions.

Jesus never went to Rome. Pretty sure the people Jesus personally saved according to the gospels didn't need all that bureaucratic nonsense invented by an ex-Pagan regime.