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In fairness I think there is a logic in people being "bothered" by Catholicism. Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination. As Sunni Islam is, in many respects, disorganized Catholicism is also the largest organized religion. Lastly Christianity, for most of its history, was pretty much Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. (Along with some "Oriental" churches like the Assyrians) People who are uncomfortable with organized religion, or organized Christianity, will likely brush their head up against Catholicism.
The other thing is Catholicism is the largest religion to pretty much just reject sexual liberalism or post-gendered ideas. Catholicism says that the differences between men and women are real. Yet unlike say Islam it also states that human males can be celibate and honored for that. It rejects polygamy and pre-marital sex.
These things place it very much at odds with modern society. Granted society does not knowingly accept polygamy, but "no-fault-divorce plus remarriage" can allow for polygamy. I certainly know of remarried people who still "do it" with their exes. I believe I know of a woman who lives with her ex-husband and current husband. Contractual bonds to both are licit. Society does, rather aggressively, state that men are sex-obsessed beings. Hence the priest scandal was painted as a celibacy-scandal almost as much as it was anything else. (Jehovah's Witnesses had a similar scandal, but the lack of celibacy or a rigid hierarchy made it "duller" in some ways) The idea being a man who is not having sex with a woman/women must be sick.
The Catholic Church also teaches that there is something that transcends the nation. Most Protestant and even Orthodox denominations are very nation-bound.
Still I'll concede a factor is the Catholic Church has at times been a poor communicator and it's antiquity means it has lived in more violent eras.
I will confront a lie head on any day! The pope can NEVER replace the one and only true FATHER! Even he will bow to the almighty, eventually!
Noone said he did. You said that
For God's sake, show some respect to the Vatican.
You know there is a place called scala sancta. Constantine brought the same steps Jesus stood on and was condemned back to Rome. Pilgrims kneel and climb it year after year in prayer.
Perhaps you should take a trip to Rome? Forget the Pope. It's got the artifacts of this faith sprinkled all around. It might help pipe some of the anger down.
I haven't been to all fifty states, read their constitutions, nor studied their admittance to the Union; neither was I an eyewitness to those events. Does this mean they aren't truly states? Likewise, I haven't measured the earth, yet it has a definite circumference.
Your notion of truth is unrealistically narrow. By your definition, the world would be best served if it disbanded all schools and let each judge for himself what is true. Too bad all kinds of knowledge would be lost because most people would not have the initiative, time, or means to experience things for themselves. Using your definition of truth, we certainly can't rely on the testimony of others, so we can't learn from others.
Students are taught all matter of things based on reliable testimony. There's nothing wrong with that. Likewise, there's nothing wrong with Christians teaching something based on the reliable testimony of the Bible.
The larger debate, it seems, is whether or not the Bible is reliable testimony. That is a topic for another thread.
My answer was based off of the OP and it was religion based. It has nothing to do with geography.
We won't know until we are One with God all the truths of the bible or any other religion. If we actually experience anything that is religion based it can become truth for each of us. Faith isn't truth. It gives us hope of something unseen.
As for the Pope saying the hell is everlasting fire and no one gets out, that is just his interpretation. I do know that hell is a correction place only. No one stays forever, even the vilest of sinners. This is according to Celestials and a few of those sinners such as Judas.
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Originally Posted by Reverend1111
My answer was based off of the OP and it was religion based. It has nothing to do with geography.
We won't know until we are One with God all the truths of the bible or any other religion. If we actually experience anything that is religion based it can become truth for each of us. Faith isn't truth. It gives us hope of something unseen.
As for the Pope saying the hell is everlasting fire and no one gets out, that is just his interpretation. I do know that hell is a correction place only. No one stays forever, even the vilest of sinners. This is according to Celestials and a few of those sinners such as Judas.
You're still not being consistent. Your definition of truth, regarding religion, is that one must experience something for oneself in order for it to be true. Yet, you go on to say that you know hell is a correction place only. Unless you've experienced hell, you don't know anything about it. You don't know that no one stays forever. Furthermore, you don't know what Jesus taught and lived while he was on the earth since you didn't walk with him.
According to you, the Bible isn't 100% truth (again, something you don't know), but the testimony of Celestials and Judas is truth. While I can't understand how you know that either since you haven't had their experiences, it does make me go, "Hmmmm."
Either the testimony of others is reliable witness to the truth or it isn't. You can't have it both ways.
You're still not being consistent. Your definition of truth, regarding religion, is that one must experience something for oneself in order for it to be true. Yet, you go on to say that you know hell is a correction place only. Unless you've experienced hell, you don't know anything about it. You don't know that no one stays forever. Furthermore, you don't know what Jesus taught and lived while he was on the earth since you didn't walk with him.
According to you, the Bible isn't 100% truth (again, something you don't know), but the testimony of Celestials and Judas is truth. While I can't understand how you know that either since you haven't had their experiences, it does make me go, "Hmmmm."
Either the testimony of others is reliable witness to the truth or it isn't. You can't have it both ways.
Ok then, I'll put it like all the biblers do. I have faith and I know through that faith that what I said is true to me. How's that?
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