Wednesday 19 November 2014

Catholic Dogmas: Three things worthy of Death

Let's look at Romans 1:24-32 in context.

"24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

We see in the passages that Paul is speaking of the state of unregenerate man before God.

We see also, that human beings know in their heart of hearts that God exists, he has written his existence into their conscience and they know that he is there, but refuse to acknowledge it. As a result of their unwillingness to turn from their iniquity and this ties in with the Old Testament with how God treated the Israelites when they rebelled against him in the Nev'im or the Prophets. He handed them over to their sinful desires because of their stubborn refusal to repent and of course, he will treat unrepentant Christians in exactly the same manner.

Furthermore, Some specific sins are listed, including "men committing indecent acts with other men and women with women" which is not simply talking sexual acts connected with idols  but it lists homosexuality and other sins as well.

However, I shall point out three specific topics, namely praying to saints, transubstantiation, and of course, the veneration of Mary, all come under the category of things that are worthy of death, but also not only would some continue in these things, but approve of those who practice these things.

Read the following to familiarise yourself:
http://answering-judaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/more-roman-catholic-and-eastern.html
http://answering-judaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/mary-greatest-woman-who-ever-lived.html

I have already talked about these three in those two articles themselves.

Let me get this straight, I am NOT saying that the death penalty should be given to Catholics, God forbid I should suggest anyone in Christendom should be put to death. Read my response to Shadid Lewis on Romans 1 for more information:
http://answering-judaism.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/response-to-shadid-lewis-does-romans-1.html

The only point I am making is that the particular doctrines in Roman Catholicism would certainly have warranted death under the Old Testament law. I'll tell you why.

Isaiah makes the following point to his people in chapter 8 of his book:
"Isaiah 8:19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness."

Praying to dead saints and ask them to pray for you is not on the cards, they cannot hear you, you cannot hear them and only Christ can hear you.

Mary also cannot hear your prayers, nor can you hear her. 

To beseech the dead saints and consult them is ludicrous. 

Necromancy is witchcraft and should not be considered by Christians. That's strike one.

Now onto Transubstansiation, John 6 is often abused to promote transubstansiation, Let's read what it actually says:
"25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[c]”

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[d] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[e] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray 
him.)"

When Jesus speaks of eating and and drinking in this context, he is referring to believing in his Gospel, his teaching and that those teachings are the key to eternal life. Jesus is not referring to his own body being devoured every time a Roman Catholic Mass is celebrated.

Blood itself is not to be consumed and this is what Roman Catholicism expects us to believe, that somehow Jesus' body and blood is to be literally eaten every time the Lord's supper is taking place. This is cannibalism and vampire religion and certainly to a certain degree, counts as murder.

That's strike two.

The final nail in the coffin is the veneration of Mary, which is indeed one of the most vile sins ever to enter the church to infect it.

Although many love to claim they are not worshipping Mary, The fact they even beseech Mary in a prayer absolutely would be idolatrous.

Yes I know that the Roman Catholics do not claim that Mary herself is not a deity but the only way for Mary to hear the voices of every single Catholic on the planet, is if she is omnipresent, A quality that only the Trinity would be able to possess.

Jesus himself in John 14 claimed to be able to answer ALL prayers, but that is because he is ontologically God as the Bible affirms, something the Catholics already accept.

"John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

Mary is not God and cannot answer any prayer.

See Keith Thompson's video "Catholics Should not "Hail Mary"..." here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJOPdU01cxo

Also, the bowing to a statue of Mary DOES violate the first and second commandment, considering the fact you are bowing to a graven image, every time you prostrate yourself towards it in a religious context.


Lest anyone accuse me of such, NO I am NOT saying having an icon for decoration is wrong, I am saying icon VENERATION is wrong. To quote me "Icons are not the problem, but the worship of them is."

See also Thompson's video called "Catholicism turns Mary into a God": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHgtv4azDtI

Case and point, the prohibition against idolatry is violated by Roman Catholicism, that's strike three.

It is clear that Roman Catholicism comes under the condemnation of Romans 1 and is under the anathema of God. Roman Catholics need the Gospel and need to come to a saving knowledge of God.

May this be the prayer of ours,

Answering Judaism

3 comments:

  1. These articles of late from you are laughably bad, bobo. First off, if I bother to respond to you this time, would you be kind enough to actually engage me and read my rebuttals on my own blog and reply? Usually you just run because you have no clear answer to the questions I bring up.

    First off, you make no clear argument against "praying to saints" (I think you're talking about Saintly intercession as a general concept) besides saying it's, "ludicrous." Nice argument, pal. All the verses that urge for prayer on one's behalf.. all the verses that show Angels praying on the behalf and interceding for Man. The statement by Jesus discussing the role of Guardian Angels in an intercessory manner. The Jewish precedent and oral traditions regarding saintly intercession.All of that is simply dismissed by the "King of exegesis" bobo by saying it's, "ludicrous." And you seriously wonder why people like Sam Shamoun don't want clowns like you around anymore?

    Also your exegesis of John 6 is absolutely hideous. You make these absurd esoteric connections (Oh to drink my blood is really to spread the gospel) when denying the historical context and the actual koine greek of the passage. Tell me bobo, can you find me a single instance of the NT, LXX, Apocryphal literature, or any time in Koine Greek where the word "trogo" means something symbolic? You are going against the basic reading and performing absolute mental gymnastics since you're trapped.

    I plan to write a response to you on my own blog (which is doing very well) but I honestly don't even know if it's worth it anymore. You've shown a rather desperate attempt at fighting Catholic Dogmas and your newest article is laughably bad.

    Funny enough, Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong wrote an article about this as of late:
    http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2014/11/veneration-of-and-bowing-before-angels.html

    I would like to think you'd read it and learn something, but based upon past experiences that is extremely unlikely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First, be patient, there is an article I have been penning to you. It's not finished at this time.

      Second, You don't have any knowledge of my ties to Sam Shamoun so how you can claim he laughs and sees me as a clown I don't know.

      There was a time he did rightly criticise an article which I do took down. I admit it wasn't the greatest article.

      But to suggest he thinks I am a clown is absurd.

      Third, You present your comment here in a condescending and mocking tone. If thats how you want to engage in a dialogue, I will happily return the favour.

      Delete
  2. You should've mentioned how worship of angels is condemned in the New Testament along with false asceticism as well, but I'll say this is a good article. People are willing to perform all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify their beliefs and their congregations, but at the end of the day, Roman Catholicism just gives Jews ammo to call Christians pagan. Saintly intercession is just a front for necromancy, veneration of Mary for idolatry, and transubstantiation for witchcraft (no priest can make a piece of bread into the body of Jesus). As for your interpretation of what Jesus means in John 6, it's somewhat flawed because of your perspective. Firstly, you should've quoted the part about why Jesus speaks in parables, to give some base to the non literal explanation. Here's the key to unlocking the meaning of John 6: John 1:14, Deuteronomy 8:3, Genesis 9:4. The key here is understanding words that the Bible substitutes for one another. The blood is Jesus' life, the flesh is the Word of God. The meaning is that to have eternal life, you must live your life by every word out of the mouth of God (so the Bible's a good start), and in doing so, live a life like Christ's.

    ReplyDelete