Some Queries about Catholicism Answered by Rosary16

[Priestley]

This is a transplant from our New Members/Introduction thread as it is more appropriate here.

Rosary16

Fushigi na Butterfly

Rosary16

Fushigi na Butterfly

Rosary16

Fushigi na Butterfly

Wow, you've got alot of interests. biggrin That's great though. It'll be nice having a Catholic in the guild. Alot of people don't quite understand certain defining points of Catholicism, and if you're knowledgeable in it, it'll be great to hear your contributions to the discussions. 3nodding Welcome to the guild.

Thanks! You're right, not many people understand Catholicism and I think I could clear some things up!

I'm baptized and confirmed Roman Catholic, so I understand most things, to some extent, but even the things I understand sometimes don't make sense to me. I guess that would explain why I'm no longer a practicing Catholic- I lean more non-denominational, but I can appreciate the tradition-rich sect of Catholicism. 3nodding

What is it you don't understand? Maybe I could help. 3nodding

It's mostly the idea of confessing only to a priest, the concept of intercessory prayer to saints, and the supposed infallibility of the Pope. I mean, these are all useful things in their own way, don't get me wrong, but I never felt they were necessary, or were actually slightly contradictory to the Bible. Everything else is cool. xd

Those are some good questions. I'll do my best to answer.

The Infallibility of the Pope: The first Pope of the Church was Saint Peter. Peter was once a fisherman named Simon, but was told by God, "Peter, upon this rock you will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail." See Matthew 16:18 The name, Peter, means "rock", therefore the Pope is the rock of the church. He is the head of the church. The Pope is not infallible, rather it is the teachings of the Pope which are guided by the Holy Spirit that are infallible.

Confessing to a Priest: Some religions make you confess to the whole congregation. Very uncomfortable. redface The Priest has been anointed by God to cleanse you of your sin. See Matthew 16:18

Prayer to Saints: Many of the Saints are patrons of something. For example, Saint Monica is the patron saint of mothers and wives. Saint Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of addicts. Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. They're kind of like kindred spirits of certain situtations. Catholics don't pray to them or ask them to fix things. We ask them to pray with us and/or for us.

Hope this helps!

 

[Edith Puthie]

Quote:

Matthew 16:18 (New International Version)

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Rosary, I think you made a mistake with verses, that one says nothing about confessing to a priest.  

[Priestley]

I think it's important to point out that the saints (that is, those who are regarded as holy, set apart, basically a reference to those of the church) still die. As the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 9:5 states, "the dead know nothing", and Jesus referred to death as sleep. The saints of years gone by know nothing of the titles or associations given to them by those still living. They cannot help you from the grave. They cannot pray with you or intercede for you.  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

Isn't it the common assumption that the Pope gets automatic entry into Heaven? Why is his word the final say in all Catholic matters? Sure, anyone can claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit ... I don't know. sweatdrop By the same token, Peter wasn't infallible either. In fact, he denied Jesus three times. I suppose there's a great moral in there, but just the same.

And only Jesus can cleanse of us sin. I don't need a priest to tell me that my sins have been forgiven, especially only if I kneel and say twelve Hail Marys and nine Our Fathers. In fact, none of that is necessary for the forgiveness of my sins or the salvation of my soul. I've accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, believe He came and died for the sins of man, was the Son of God and is God, and rose three days after His death. That is what's necessary for the forgiveness of my sins. No priest can say otherwise.  

[Priestley]

Fushigi na Butterfly

Peter wasn't infallible either. In fact, he denied Jesus three times.

Not to mention Jesus called him Satan practically after calling him Rock. xd  

[Rosary16]

All righty. Let me try my best to break it down:

The Confession Thing: You're not required to confess to a priest. You can confess to your best friend, if you want. But a priest has been anointed by God and God has given him the power to cleanse you of the sin you have confessed. Now, if you commit that same sin multiple times and keep going to Confession, you won't be completely cleansed unless you are sincerely sorry and you are ready to receieve the priest's blessing for real.

The Saints: When Saint Dymphna died, people with mental illness went to her grave and they came back cured. Do you know how a Saint is canonized? First, 3 miracles have to happen after they die and judging by the number of Saints there are, I think they've all passed the 3 Miracles test. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can't give you a hand.

The Infallibilty of the Pope: The Pope is not the infallible one. It is the word he teaches that is infallible because he teaches the word of God and we all know God is divine and infallible.

Peter: Yes, he denied Jesus three times. However unlike Judas, who hung himself after his betrayal, Peter reconciled and the rest is history.

If you have any more questions, comments, concerns, feel free to ask and I will answer you to the best of my ability.
Thank you!  

[Priestley]

Rosary16

The Confession Thing: You're not required to confess to a priest. You can confess to your best friend, if you want. But a priest has been anointed by God and God has given him the power to cleanse you of the sin you have confessed. Now, if you commit that same sin multiple times and keep going to Confession, you won't be completely cleansed unless you are sincerely sorry and you are ready to receieve the priest's blessing for real.

God forgives our sins against Him if we forgive those who have sinned against us. We have been given the power to forgive people on God's behalf. We, in essence, take the burden from off people's shoulders and present it to God for Him to bear in Jesus' name, as Jesus bore our burdens by forgiving us. This is known as interceding on someone's behalf: intercessory prayer. This power is not held exclusively by priests.

Rosary16

The Saints: When Saint Dymphna died, people with mental illness went to her grave and they came back cured. Do you know how a Saint is canonized? First, 3 miracles have to happen after they die and judging by the number of Saints there are, I think they've all passed the 3 Miracles test. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can't give you a hand.

Dead saints cannot do anything. They are in the grave (Sheol) awaiting resurrection like the rest of those who have died. When people die, their souls do not go to Heaven (or Hell, that is, Gehenna) immediately, they sleep. What returns to God is a person's breath or spirit: that which gives him life.

The dead know nothing, therefore any sainthood bestowed upon them posthumously is only known to those who are still living and serves to show them examples of 'good' people, nothing more. Canonization is a tradition with little to no basis in biblical scripture.

Rosary16

The Infallibilty of the Pope: The Pope is not the infallible one. It is the word he teaches that is infallible because he teaches the word of God and we all know God is divine and infallible.

The word of God is available to us all for us to decide what to do with it. It does not need an earthly representative like the Pope. It has the Holy Spirit to vouch for its trustworthiness.

Rosary16

Peter: Yes, he denied Jesus three times. However unlike Judas, who hung himself after his betrayal, Peter reconciled and the rest is history.

That doesn't really answer the question. When Jesus said that Peter would be the rock on which he would build his church, it was a prediction of what Peter would do in Acts to be the foundation on which the church would be created (for example, things like replacing Judas with a new apostle). When Jesus said that Peter would hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Jesus meant that Peter was given the power to perform miracles as they were shown in Acts, as he did. It has little to do with becoming the first pope - even less with setting up a line of popes.  

[Edith Puthie]

Priestley

Rosary16

The Saints: When Saint Dymphna died, people with mental illness went to her grave and they came back cured. Do you know how a Saint is canonized? First, 3 miracles have to happen after they die and judging by the number of Saints there are, I think they've all passed the 3 Miracles test. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can't give you a hand.

Dead saints cannot do anything. They are in the grave (Sheol) awaiting resurrection like the rest of those who have died. When people die, their souls do not go to Heaven (or Hell, that is, Gehenna) immediately, they sleep. What returns to God is a person's breath or spirit: that which gives him life.

The dead know nothing, therefore any sainthood bestowed upon them posthumously is only known to those who are still living and serves to show them examples of 'good' people, nothing more. Canonization is a tradition with little to no basis in biblical scripture.

I think it is perfectly possible for the miracles to be happening after death. Obviously it was not them doing it, but an act of God for people who please him during their lives, or maybe it was just Coincidental.

Isn't there something to be said about saints in the bible?

 

[Priestley]

Paranormal Zombiiie

Priestley

Rosary16

The Saints: When Saint Dymphna died, people with mental illness went to her grave and they came back cured. Do you know how a Saint is canonized? First, 3 miracles have to happen after they die and judging by the number of Saints there are, I think they've all passed the 3 Miracles test. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can't give you a hand.

Dead saints cannot do anything. They are in the grave (Sheol) awaiting resurrection like the rest of those who have died. When people die, their souls do not go to Heaven (or Hell, that is, Gehenna) immediately, they sleep. What returns to God is a person's breath or spirit: that which gives him life.

The dead know nothing, therefore any sainthood bestowed upon them posthumously is only known to those who are still living and serves to show them examples of 'good' people, nothing more. Canonization is a tradition with little to no basis in biblical scripture.

I think it is perfectly possible for the miracles to be happening after death. Obviously it was not them doing it, but an act of God for people who please him during their lives, or maybe it was just Coincidental.

I didn't say anything against the miracles happening, just that the saints did not have power in themselves to do the miracles they could when they were alive; even less so after they died. It was all God's doing.

Paranormal Zombiiie

Isn't there something to be said about saints in the bible?

There's plenty. Pick something. biggrin