tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post6907757954956948032..comments2023-10-30T08:00:43.585-05:00Comments on Shameless Popery: Jesus v. Religion?Joe Heschmeyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06998682878420098470noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-49934170472991704272012-01-13T14:37:10.524-06:002012-01-13T14:37:10.524-06:00Here's my response:
http://phatcatholic.blogsp...Here's my response:<br />http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2012/01/response-to-why-i-hate-religion-but.html<br /><br />You may wish to link to it as well.phatcatholichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06723028878747648927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-91249594519815407322012-01-13T12:49:38.242-06:002012-01-13T12:49:38.242-06:00Looking at the Statement of Faith from:
http://ww...Looking at the Statement of Faith from:<br /><br />http://www.thechurchwithoutwalls.org/<br /><br />I've come across something that's always bugged me about Protestantism, even back when I was still a Protestant...<br /><br />There's first item on their statement of faith is on "The Word of God". They just, without any evidence, state that the "sixty-six books of the Bible" are from the Holy Spirit. They never state that they use those books because those are the books that the Early Church used in <i>their</i> Bibles.<br /><br />One of the (out of the many) aspects of Catholicism that attracted me was the Creed. RIght out of the gate its "Credo in Unum Deum..." "I believe in one God..." God is right at the front, where he was, is, and always shall be.<br /><br />They also believe in the nonsense of "The Rapture" proving once again that without the Church to properly interpret what one is reading than you'll fly off the handlebars into Yo-Hoo-Land that would confuse even Salvador Dali when you get to Revelations. If you don't believe me, read "Left Behind" then watch the DVD with Kirk Cameron, and then get back to me.<br /><br />And finally, on their section of "How to become a Christian" they never once mention being Baptized. One would think that if Jesus himself was Baptized, and that Jesus himself says: "...unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) that they would take his words seriously.<br /><br />If God Almighty says that unless you do "X" you won't get "Y", it should logically follow that if indeed you want "Y", whatever that may be, you would go out of your way, risking life and limb to get "X".<br /><br />But if you take Jesus seriously on Baptism, one would also have to take him seriously on the forgiveness of sins, and who Jesus gave the power and authority to retain and absolve sins, as well as numerous other aspects of the Bible that make Protestants uncomfortable.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10893212093736380961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-81428358688513348512012-01-13T11:32:52.325-06:002012-01-13T11:32:52.325-06:00Joe, your comment about "deinstitutionalizati...Joe, your comment about "deinstitutionalization," individual conscience, and individual reason sounds a lot like a form of pietism . . . a movement in later Protestantism, I think, toward private devotionalism and practical matters, and away from doctrine and "institutions." This is what I think many people mean when they speak against "religion" today, religion being a particular, negative description, for them, of institution and doctrine, which is believed and forwarded by them for many reasons.<br /><br />As for what the Reformers intended, I am no expert on Church history, but have always been under the impression the Luther did not intended to form a new church, merely to correct abuses and corruption within the Catholic Church (obviously, much more complicated than this, as there were theological issues too), and it was his followers, Melancthon among them, that provided the impetus for the formation of the Lutheran Church. Once that disunifying process was initiated, what we have today was inevitable, given human nature.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517941173537623663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-37394161388183896202012-01-13T09:50:01.703-06:002012-01-13T09:50:01.703-06:00Tom,
I agree. Protestantism's push was large...<b>Tom</b>,<br /><br />I agree. Protestantism's push was largely for (lacking a better term) the "deinstitutionalization" of the Christian religion: the triumph of individual conscience and individual reason over that collective known as the Church. <br /><br />But this "deinstitutionalization" is de-Incarnational, in the sense that it severs the visible signs of the invisible God (the Church first, but the sacraments necessarily followed). And the triumph of individual conscience and individual reason has not only trampled the Church, but ultimately, the Bible, and all other manifestations of the revealed will of God.<br /><br />I don't think that the Reformers intended that, nor do I think all Protestants of guilty of what I just described. But I do think that the Reformers unwittingly opened a rather nasty Pandora's box, and that "spiritual but not religious" is one of the manifestations of that.<br /><br />I.X.,<br /><br />JoeJoe Heschmeyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06998682878420098470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-11676977421095729872012-01-13T09:40:41.141-06:002012-01-13T09:40:41.141-06:00In a sense, to frame the issue as "Jesus v. R...In a sense, to frame the issue as "Jesus v. Religion" is the logical culmination of the individualistic deconstruction of Christianity that was initiated with the Reformation.<br /><br />And as the word "religion" derives from the Latin "religare" . . . to bind together or place an obligation on . . . it seems that, rather than Jesus and religion being incompatible in an either/or sense, we are, in fact, bound together through Him, with Him, in Him . . . and not to wander about in our own state of spiritual searching. Therefore, to frame it as "Jesus v. Religion" is to assume a false dichotomy.<br /><br />However, it is clearly true that some people misuse, misrepresent, or misinterpret Jesus Christ in the name of religion.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517941173537623663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-24535474613028409772012-01-13T08:49:22.279-06:002012-01-13T08:49:22.279-06:00How timely, I just saw the video this morning and ...How timely, I just saw the video this morning and was contemplating whether I should respond to the person who posted it. Now I have enough information to do so. Thank you.Betsy Rheaumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16984309355090632271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-81730647296782744942012-01-13T00:49:43.663-06:002012-01-13T00:49:43.663-06:00The Times asked Chesterton to write an essay about...The Times asked Chesterton to write an essay about what's wrong with the world:<br /><br />Dear Sirs, <br />I am. <br />Sincerely yours, <br />G.K. ChestertonThe Ubiquitoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08395703772492059721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-60578390237303175152012-01-12T22:32:09.019-06:002012-01-12T22:32:09.019-06:00You know you are a popular blogger when there are ...You know you are a popular blogger when there are 3 Brock's on your blog.Brock Talkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09990965125533607727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-89033799708638288022012-01-12T18:59:30.991-06:002012-01-12T18:59:30.991-06:00Whoops, sorry Brock! Turns out, I've been int...Whoops, sorry Brock! Turns out, I've been introduced to at least 3 different Brocks through this blog. Fixed!Joe Heschmeyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06998682878420098470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-80457581263236401972012-01-12T18:40:22.963-06:002012-01-12T18:40:22.963-06:00Joe! I'm shocked and honored you used my blog ...Joe! I'm shocked and honored you used my blog in your post!!<br /><br />Just FYI, my last name is Smith though ;).Brock Talkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09990965125533607727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999044146888823867.post-41854208300368010122012-01-12T18:20:36.085-06:002012-01-12T18:20:36.085-06:00Yea uh...my brother put that up on his facebook......Yea uh...my brother put that up on his facebook...i tried to approach it first with a compliment (the originality of the poem was decent) and then to follow up with truth...<br /><br />Pray, Holy Spirit enter his heart and show him the truth Christ was sent to bring...<br /><br />Caryscredsoxfan2https://www.blogger.com/profile/10162308671130564720noreply@blogger.com