Olde Tymer
Well-known member
.
FAQ: I'm considering joining the Catholic Church. Would it be a mistake?
REPLY: Roman Catholicism is a very attractive religion; but it isn't easy.
Once someone is fully committed by completing First Holy Communion and
Confirmation and undergone Christian baptism --God will be holding them
accountable to comply with everything Rome teaches and stands for, e.g. the
Commandments, the Canon Law, the dogma, the rituals, the Traditions, the
Councils, the Bulls, the Encyclicals, the rites, the holy days of obligation, and the
entire Catechism; plus everything that Jesus and the apostles taught in the New
Testament, i.e. all four gospels and all twenty-one epistles, plus Acts and
Revelation.
That's a lot to remember, let alone put into practice.
And then there's the matter of mortal sin. When Catholics leave this life with just
one mortal sin on the books awaiting absolution, just one, they go straight to Hell.
It's a direct flight; no stopover in a Purgatory. Even if a Catholic managed to be a
top performer in faith and practice for fifty years, none of that will be taken into
consideration. They will leave this life as if they'd been a pagan the whole time.
Unabsolved mortal sins are that lethal.
The paragraph below from CCC 1782 of the catechism of the Catholic Church;
acknowledges everyone's rights and freedoms in regard to selecting a religion of
their own personal choice.
"Man has the right to act in conscience, and in freedom, so as personally to make
moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must
he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious
matters."
However, be aware that once someone joins the Catholic Church, they will have to
relinquish those rights and no longer be permitted to either interpret, or apply, the
Holy Bible's teachings sans hierarchy oversight per CCC 85 which says:
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its
written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching
office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of
Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the
bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome."
Bottom line: Catholicism isn't a democratic structure-- it's more like Big Brother in
George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". I'm not saying that's necessarily a
bad thing; only saying that it's a level of governance that some folks find a mite too
controlling.
NOTE: The Almighty isn't a political appointee like members of the US Supreme
Court, viz: He isn't biased towards the left or to the right, i.e. the justice of God is
fair across the board regardless of age, race, gender, and/or religious preference;
so that joining The Church grants no one a certain amount of special consideration.
I grew up in Catholicism, and for many years was under the impression that my
affiliation with The Church would give me an advantage, but I was wrong. (cf. Luke
12:47-48, Rom 2:6-11, and 1Pet 1:17)
And the irony of it all; the supreme irony, is that Catholicism's hierarchy-- its
priests, nuns, Popes, and Cardinals, etc. --are in just as much danger of failing to
make the cut as John Que and Jane Doe rank and file pew warmers; in point of
fact: according to Luke 12:47-48, and Jas 3:1, they may be in greater danger
because their responsibility is greater.
_
FAQ: I'm considering joining the Catholic Church. Would it be a mistake?
REPLY: Roman Catholicism is a very attractive religion; but it isn't easy.
Once someone is fully committed by completing First Holy Communion and
Confirmation and undergone Christian baptism --God will be holding them
accountable to comply with everything Rome teaches and stands for, e.g. the
Commandments, the Canon Law, the dogma, the rituals, the Traditions, the
Councils, the Bulls, the Encyclicals, the rites, the holy days of obligation, and the
entire Catechism; plus everything that Jesus and the apostles taught in the New
Testament, i.e. all four gospels and all twenty-one epistles, plus Acts and
Revelation.
That's a lot to remember, let alone put into practice.
And then there's the matter of mortal sin. When Catholics leave this life with just
one mortal sin on the books awaiting absolution, just one, they go straight to Hell.
It's a direct flight; no stopover in a Purgatory. Even if a Catholic managed to be a
top performer in faith and practice for fifty years, none of that will be taken into
consideration. They will leave this life as if they'd been a pagan the whole time.
Unabsolved mortal sins are that lethal.
The paragraph below from CCC 1782 of the catechism of the Catholic Church;
acknowledges everyone's rights and freedoms in regard to selecting a religion of
their own personal choice.
"Man has the right to act in conscience, and in freedom, so as personally to make
moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must
he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious
matters."
However, be aware that once someone joins the Catholic Church, they will have to
relinquish those rights and no longer be permitted to either interpret, or apply, the
Holy Bible's teachings sans hierarchy oversight per CCC 85 which says:
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its
written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching
office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of
Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the
bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome."
Bottom line: Catholicism isn't a democratic structure-- it's more like Big Brother in
George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". I'm not saying that's necessarily a
bad thing; only saying that it's a level of governance that some folks find a mite too
controlling.
NOTE: The Almighty isn't a political appointee like members of the US Supreme
Court, viz: He isn't biased towards the left or to the right, i.e. the justice of God is
fair across the board regardless of age, race, gender, and/or religious preference;
so that joining The Church grants no one a certain amount of special consideration.
I grew up in Catholicism, and for many years was under the impression that my
affiliation with The Church would give me an advantage, but I was wrong. (cf. Luke
12:47-48, Rom 2:6-11, and 1Pet 1:17)
And the irony of it all; the supreme irony, is that Catholicism's hierarchy-- its
priests, nuns, Popes, and Cardinals, etc. --are in just as much danger of failing to
make the cut as John Que and Jane Doe rank and file pew warmers; in point of
fact: according to Luke 12:47-48, and Jas 3:1, they may be in greater danger
because their responsibility is greater.
_