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Thread: Why I Had To Apostatize

  1. #31
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    †. 1Tim 3:15 . . But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God; which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

    It's a very common error among Catholics to look at that verse and let their minds see the church of the living God as the pillar and ground of the truth rather than the God of the church but that would make no sense at all since the church of the living God consists of mortal human beings plagued with human nature and a natural propensity to twist the truth rather than preserve it.

    The New Testament Greek word for "pillar" is stulos (stoo'-los); which means: a post. The same word is used at Gal 2:9, Rev 3:12, and Rev 10:1. Pillars (a.k.a. columns) were common structural members in the architecture of the ancient world; utilized inside buildings as colonnades, and to hold the roofs of porches in place. It was those kinds of structural members that Samson tugged to pull down a Philistine temple (Jdg 16:29-30).

    The word for "ground" is hedraioma (hed-rah'-yo-mah); which means: a support. Unfortunately, 1Tim 3:15 is the only place in the entire New Testament where hedraioma is used so it's difficult to really know precisely what Paul was trying to convey. One of Webster's definitions of *support is: to provide a foundation for. That seems reasonable since colonnades don't usually rest upon soil, but upon some type of solid flooring; which in turn would rest, ideally, upon bedrock.

    A much clearer translation of 1Tim 3:15 would be like this:

    "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, who is the colonnade and the foundation of the truth."

    The "truth" then, is depicted as a building constructed upon bedrock, and whose roof is supported by colonnades; with God himself being both the foundation and the colonnades.

    You see, without the words "who is" that passage is vague and can trick the mind into thinking that the building exists without God being an integral part of the structure; but it doesn't. The building would collapse in an instant during the very first earthquake without a solid foundation supporting hefty colonnades. So then, the truth doesn't uphold God, no, just the opposite: God upholds the truth (cf. John 14:6).

    1Tim 3:15 is saying that if there were no real live God of the Bible out there somewhere, then Christianity would be a silly myth and Christ's church no more sacred than the Elk's Club. It's only the reality of a Bible's God that makes so-called "truth" to be actually true and reliable.

    FYI: The Bible is highly recommended by the Church.

    "The Scriptures are sacred and canonical because: Having been written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been handed down to the Church" (Vatican Council; Sess. III, c. ii)

    "In its pages we recognize His voice, we hear a message of deep significance for every one of us. Through the spiritual dynamism and prophetic force of the Bible, the Holy Spirit spreads His light and His warmth over all men, in whatever historical or sociological situation they find themselves." (Paulus PP VI, from the Vatican, September 18, 1970)

    So then; according to that Vatican Council and to Paulus PP VI; when I listen to the Bible; I'm listening to the voice of God, and I'm also listening to that which the Holy Spirit utilizes to spread His light and His warmth over all men. Ironically, it was by my listening to the voice of God on the pages of the Bible that the Holy Spirit led me to part company with Rome.

    †. John 5:24 . . I assure you: those who listen to my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

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  3. #32
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    That is an irony..it just proves that INTERPRETATION is not the foundation, TRUTH is. So we must be on guard and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's interpretation, being seisitive to our tendency to accept 'human reasoning' as the interpretation..thus placing our faith, not in truth, but in human reasoning...work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

    It was a similar journey that led me out of the Baptist church...truth seeking is a journey that may lead us in and out of various 'organizations' and movements, taking what we need and flowing on with the river..

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  5. #33
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    At the epicenter of New Testament Christianity is a man named Jesus Christ. But at the epicenter of Catholicism is the woman who gave birth to the man Jesus Christ. It's just a shame that the Christ of New Testament Christianity has to compete with his own mother for the loyalties and affections of people passing themselves off as his faithful followers.

    †. John 12:32 . . And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto [not my mother] me.

    †. Matt 17:5 . .While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. You listen [not to his mother] to him!"

    †. Matt 28:18 . .Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given [not to my mother] to me."

    †. Dan 7:13-14 . . In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped [not his mother] him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

    †. Phlp 2:8-11 . . And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted [not his mother] him, and given [not his mother] him a name which is above every name (every name includes his mother's name): that at the name of Jesus every knee (every knee includes his mother's knees) should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue (every tongue includes his mother's tongue) should confess that Jesus Christ [not his mother] is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    †. Col 1:18-19 . . And he [not his mother] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he [not his mother] might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him [not his mother] should all fullness dwell

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  7. #34
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    Ya know... "the church" isn't too happy with you and your expose

    I find it odd that many Christians do not realize that those who actually believe catholicism are idolators which Jesus said were going to spend eternity in ye olde lake-0-fire (Revelation 21:8)

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    According to the 2011 World Almanac and Book Of Facts, the approximate number of Christians tallied in the six major continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, and Oceania as of mid 2009, was 2,264,492,000 or roughly 2.26 billion. Of that number were 1,142,604,000 Catholics. Those 1.14+ billion Catholics represented a whopping 50½% of all Christendom. The remaining 49½% were splintered into five major non Catholic groups-- Protestant, Independents, Orthodox, Anglican, Marginal, and Unaffiliated.

    If God's experiences with Yhvh's people in the Old Testament teaches me anything at all it's that the majority is never in the right; no, it's always a remnant that's right. A remnant is what's left over; like food at the end of meal, or pieces of wood after a home is built, or material after a carpet is laid.

    According to Christ's and his Father's combined testimony as expert witnesses, only Christians in the right-now possession of eternal life qualify as valid believers (John 3:36, John 5:24, John 6:47, 1John 5:13). That really narrows the field.

    So then, we can rule out any, and all, Christian denominations teaching their followers that nobody obtains eternal life before they die and pass over to the other side. Within that group of denominations just happens to be the single largest Christian denomination in the whole world: Roman Catholicism.

    Are you currently in possession of eternal life-- right now? The reason I ask is because according to Christ's Father, as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to His own son, Christians lacking eternal life; also lack His son.

    †. 1John 5:11-12 . . And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. So whoever has God's son has the life; whoever does not have the life, does not have His son.

    Christians lacking Christ are not his sheep.

    †. Rom 8:9 . . And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

    Isn't that amazing!? Rome's huge following of approximately 1.14+ billion Catholics is truly a church of the walking dead because according to the testimony of God's son, as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to the living and the dead; Christians have to possess eternal life in order to qualify as one of the living; viz: without eternal life the default is death.

    †. John 5:24 . .Truly, Truly, I say unto you: those who heed my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already transferred from Death into Life.

    According to John 5:24, I didn't have eternal life as a Catholic because:

    1• I heeded Rome's message instead of heeding Christ's

    2• I believed in Rome instead of believing in God

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    †. Rom 14:14-15 . . I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

    Although that passage primarily regards foods, it lays down an important principle; viz: Be it unto you according to your conscience (cf. Rom 2:12-15).

    Therefore, Rome's followers shall be judged according to their religion of choice; ergo: they shall be punished for their every failing to comply with all that Rome teaches and stands for-- every commandment, every Tradition, every Bull, every Encyclical, every Vatican Council, and every last thing in the Catechism.

    †. Rom 2:5-11 . . For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.

    . . .There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on sinning-- for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good-- for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

    The difficulty with obtaining glory, honor, and immortality via performance is that God demands persistence (Rom 2:7) viz: doing what's good not just some of the time, nor even most of the time, but all the time. I'd venture to say that none in Rome have succeeded in doing good all the time; not even the Pope; so how can Rome reasonably expect it's followers to succeed with persistence? In point of fact, any Catholic, including the Pope, who thinks they have what it takes to be persistent at doing good is in very big trouble.

    Council of Trent Session 6, Chapter 16, Canon16: If anyone says that he will for certain, with an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance even to the end, unless he shall have learned this by a special revelation, let him be anathema.

    Webster's defines "anathema" as a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication.

    At the very least, Council of Trent Session 6, Chapter 16, Canon16 denounces those among Rome's followers brazen enough to think they have what it takes to be persistent at doing good; and rightly so seeing as how no doubt Rome itself has yet to succeed in consistently exemplifying even so much as the Beatitudes or the Sermon On The Mount; let alone the rest of the New Testament. Ergo: seeking after glory and honor and immortality via Roman Catholicism is an iffy proposition at best.

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    God granted Jewish rulers the authority to legislate in regards to cases not specifically spelled out in the laws of the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God; and failure to comply with their decisions is a death offense. (Deut 17:8-13)

    However, the rulers were never given license to revise, amend, or repeal the covenant.

    †. Deut 4:2 . .You shall not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, but keep the commandments of Yhvh your God that I enjoin upon you.

    †. Deut 5:29-30 . . Be careful, then, to do as Yhvh your God has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left: follow only the path that Yhvh your God has enjoined upon you.

    †. Deut 27:26 . . Cursed be he who will not uphold the terms of this Law and observe them.

    The intent of Deut 17:8-13 was to give Jewish rulers the authority to apply the covenanted law to Jewish civil life; not to allow them carte blanche to revise the covenant; thus making Israel's God-given religion more strict and more cumbersome than Yhvh intended.

    Israel's religious laws were God-given and set in stone; thus any additional laws Jewish authorities legislate have to be regarded as non-covenanted law; e.g. the Talmud and Halacha (a.k.a. Halakhah)

    By that same principle, Christ gave his top men the authority to police his church (Matt 16:19, Matt 18:15-18) but he did not give them license to independently add to the religion of Christianity nor to revise, amend, or repeal it. Whatever they taught in their teachings, and/or their writings, they did by the inspiration and/or revelation of God, not by the fertile imaginations of despotic men of ambition.

    Although the laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments of the Apostles are binding upon all Christians, the in-house laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments of individual denominations are not. Any laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments that an individual church and/or denomination binds upon itself and its members have to be considered local only, and binding only within the jurisdiction of the individual church and/or denomination.

    No one is bound to the laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments of just one denomination within Christianity claiming to be the "one true church". That's laughable. Christ's church alone is the one true church; there is no one denomination like Roman Catholicism or Mormonism that is the one true church. A claim of that nature is nothing but downright fraud.

    If Christ was chafed with Jewish rulers for legislating laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments that countermanded, added to, embellished, repealed, and/or diminished from Old Testament Judaism, don't you think he would be just as chafed with Christian rulers who legislate laws, rules, teachings, traditions, and commandments that countermand, add to, embellish, repeal, and/or diminish from, New Testament Christianity? Yes, of course he would; primarily because it invalidates Christ's personal guarantee that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light (Matt 11:28-30)

    Case in point: The Roman emperor Constantine initiated a committee to compile a universally acceptable Christian handbook from an archive of already-existing manuscripts in hopes it would unify the Christian factions in his kingdom.

    Ironically, the Catholic Church, which takes sole credit for the existence of the New Testament, has succeeded in fragmenting Christ's church with far more effect than Constantine's efforts to unify it. As of mid 2009, there were 1.14 billion Catholics worldwide totally alienated from the rest of Christ's church via Rome's proprietary catechism, the laws of its Ecumenical Councils, and its collection of Bulls, and Encyclicals. The average pew warmer's version of Christianity is a smothering religion that has become far more strict, and far more cumbersome than the Apostles ever dreamed or expected.

    †. Matt 15:7-9 . .You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's will with their own man-made teachings.

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    Here's Rome's definition of contrition:

    CCC 1451 . . Among the penitent's acts, contrition occupies first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again."

    The resolve not to sin again is of course a big joke because no natural-born human being has enough self control over themselves to truly honor that kind of a commitment. However, resolve is not our concern in this section; but rather, the concept of sorrow and how it relates to repentance.

    The primary New Testament Greek word for repentance-- used 34 times in various places --is metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o) which just simply means to think differently, or to reconsider; viz: to change one's mind.

    Metanoeo never, ever implies either regret or remorse. Although those emotions may accompany changing one's mind, they are not metanoeo: no, the changing of one's mind is the true metanoeo, with or without remorse (e.g. Matt 21:28-30).

    A second New Testament Greek word translated repent/repentance-- used but 6 times in various places --is metamellomai (met-am-el'-lom-ahee); which means to care afterwards; viz: regret.

    A useful example of metamellomai is Judas.

    †. Matt 27:3 . . Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders

    Although Judas experienced regret for what he did to his friend, it didn't result in his salvation simply because he never did believe in Christ's Messianic claims to begin with; and at this point, hadn't changed his mind about it. Judas simply felt bad about himself for being instrumental in executing an innocent man. But did he go and confess his sin to God seeking forgiveness and absolution? No. He went out and committed suicide instead.

    A useful example of metanoeo occurred on the day of Pentecost.

    †. Acts 2:36-41 . . Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.

    . . .With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Rescue yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

    Peter's sermon succeeded in convincing his countrymen to change their opinion about the very man they had so recently consented unto his death; and as a result, they were spared Hell and eternal suffering.

    So then, where does repentance fit into the scheme of reconciliation? Well; that's pretty easy. It simply means to agree with God that certain of your thoughts, words, and deeds are wrong (1John 1:8 & 1John 1:10). It is important to note in 1John 1:9 that regret is not part of the formula; no, in order to obtain cleansing and forgiveness one only has to own up to their wrongs. Contrition plays no role in the formula at all.

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    A key component in the recipe of Rome's plan of salvation is compliance with the Ten Commandments; which are a component of the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

    The problem is: according to Deut 4:2, Deut 5:29-30, and Deut 27:26 the covenant can't be cherry-picked; viz: it's all or nothing at all

    †. Jas 2:10 . . For whosoever shall keep all the commandments, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

    All of which means that Rome's use of even one point of that covenant in the recipe of its plan of salvation, puts Catholics in grave danger of being condemned as repeat offenders.

    †. Num 15:30-31 . . But the person, be he citizen or stranger, who acts defiantly reviles Yhvh; that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has spurned the word of Yhvh and violated His commandment, that person shall be cut off-- he bears his guilt.

    †. Heb 10:26-27 . . If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

    Seeing as how human sacrifices are illegal under the terms and conditions of the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God; and seeing as how compliance with the Ten Commandments is a key component in the recipe of Rome's plan of salvation; then all the while I was a Catholic, Christ was of no use to me whatsoever. In my case, Christ died for nothing.

    †. Rom 4:13-16 . . It was not through commandments that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by commandments are heirs, then faith has no value and the promise is worthless because law brings retribution. But where there are no commandments; there is no transgression of commandments. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace, and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-- not only to those who are of the law; but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.

    †. Gal 5:4 . . For if you are trying to make yourselves righteous with God by keeping commandments, then you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's kindness and generosity.

    †. Gal 2:21 . . I am not one of those who treats the kindness of God as meaningless. For if we could be spared by keeping commandments, then there was no need for Christ to die.

    †. Gal 3:21-22 . . If the commandments could have given us new life, then we could have been made right with God by obeying them. But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.

    †. Rom 3:20-24 . .Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing commandments; rather, through commandments we become conscious of sin.

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    I was taught in catechism that seeing as how Jesus Christ's mother was a virgin when he was conceived, then he didn't have a human father. That notion is easy to debunk.

    According to the book of Genesis; God created Adam's flesh from the earth's dust. That one lone male's flesh is the only human flesh that God ever created from the earth's dust. God then proceeded to use a human tissue sample amputated from Adam's body to construct a female version of himself; in other words: the flip side of the same coin. (Gen 2:21-22)

    Eve, then, wasn't a discreet creation. In other words: biologically, Eve's flesh was just as much Adam's flesh as Adam's. In point of fact, the Bible refers to Eve as Adam just as it refers to Adam as Adam, (Gen 5:22)

    From that point on; any human flesh that came into the world via either Eve's body or via the body of one of her female descendants, whether normally conceived or virgin conceived, would also be just as much Adam's flesh as Adam's.

    Others object that women cannot provide the Y chromosome necessary for producing a male child. And that's right; they can't. However, seeing as how God constructed an entire woman from a sample of man flesh; then I do not see how it would be any more difficult for God to construct a dinky little Y chromosome from a sample of woman flesh. And seeing as how woman flesh is just as much Adam's flesh as Adam's, then any Y chromosome that God might construct from woman flesh would actually be produced from Adam's flesh seeing as how Eve's flesh was produced from Adam's flesh.

    So then; unless somebody can prove-- conclusively and without ambiguity- that Jesus Christ's mother isn't biologically related to either Adam or Eve; then we are forced to conclude that Adam is Jesus Christ's biological father.

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