₦airaland Forum

as if i knew...nairaland would have made dis front page...pls people open this link. the pope didnt say gayism is ok...he meant those sufferin from SSA(same sex attraction) shudnt b condemned dat doesnt mean the act is thumbed up by the church.
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-what-pope-francis-said-about-gays

'gibberish' is too fine tuned... 'jargons' is more like it...

JUST SAW THIS ON FB n THOUGHT I SHOULD SHARE.


Should Catholics Go to Non-Denominational Bible Studies?

Every day, Catholics are invited by coworkers, neighbors, and even family members to "ecumenical" Bible studies. Should they go? Certainly all of us would benefit from more study of Scripture, but as someone who has been a part of a number of Protestant Bible studies—I’ve even taught them—I discourage Catholics from attending them because of the foundational premises and principles in operation at these studies.

Protestants are delighted to have Catholics attend their Bible studies, but it is often not because they want to hear and discuss the Catholic perspective on Scritpure. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to bring them to the "true Gospel"—to evangelize them, to get them saved. In many cases, though certainly not all, the non-denominational Bible study is the Trojan Horse that infiltrates the Catholic’s mind and succeeds in drawing him away from the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church—to join a Protestant group. Most of us have a family member or friend who has been affected in this way.

An unwary Catholic who steps into the Protestant Bible study usually does so with no intention of leaving the Catholic Church. They just want to study the Bible. The Catholic usually has a hard time finding a good and welcoming Bible study in Catholic circles—but this is changing.

First, while the Bible study may call itself "non-denominational," Catholics and Orthodox are not usually included under this umbrella. While they may be invited, you’ll rarely find them in leadership.

Protestants think of themselves as people of the Book, not hampered by human tradition. They think of Catholics as, at best, followers of traditions for whom the Bible is secondary. That is a huge misconception: Protestants are also people of tradition. No one reads the Bible objectively. People who claim to "just read the Bible" really read it through the eyes of a tradition they’ve already accepted, whether that be Fundamentalist, Calvinist, Pentecostal, Baptist or one of many others. Everyone depends upon tradition, but not everyone recognizes it.

"Bible Christians," based on their tradition, study the Bible with these premises:

There is no binding authority but the Bible alone.
There is no official binding interpretation or interpreter.
The Bible is perspicuous (i.e., easy to understand) and can be interpreted and understood by anyone.
An individual can and should read the Bible and interpret it for himself.

Catholics, based on their Tradition, study the Bible with different premises:

The authority of the apostles and the Church preceded the Bible, and the Tradition of the Church is an equally infallible authority (2 Thess. 2:15; CCC 80–83). The Bible is part of the apostolic Tradition.
The authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative of the Catholic Church (1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 18:17; CCC 85-88).
The Bible is not always easy to understand (2 Pet. 3:15-16) and needs to be understood within its historical and contextual framework and interpreted within the community to which it belongs.
Individuals can and should read the Bible and interpret it for themselves—but within the framework of the Church’s authoritative teaching and not based on their own private interpretation (2 Pet 1:20-21).

These basic differences place the Catholic and Protestant worlds apart even though they are opening the pages of the same book and accepting it as an authoritative revelation from God. The Catholic position is biblical and has been espoused from the first days of the Church. The Protestant position is unbiblical and is of recent origin. The Catholic is in full continuity with historical Christianity; Protestants are in discontinuity.

Catholics attending a non-denominational Bible study need to be aware of these differences and be ready not only to filter out false conclusions but also to guard themselves against the false underlying assumptions (e.g., that everything has to be found and proven explicitly in the Bible).

Catholics who are unaware often begin to adopt a Protestant mentality without knowing they are doing so, gradually learning to suspect the Catholic Church and trying to prove everything from the Bible.

Let’s Take Just One Example: Baptism

But what difference do these premises make? Let’s take the example of 1 Peter 3:18-21:

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Notice the words in italics. What does it say? To Catholics it makes perfect sense because Christians have always taught (until the Reformation) that baptism is essential for salvation. As Catholics, we can draw from a wealth of other biblical and patristic passages that consistently and continuously teach a seamless garment of doctrine—the constant teaching of the Church, of all Christians.

A few examples:

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)

This has always been understood to mean water baptism, until descendants of the Reformation denied it and came up with new interpretations, such as that the water refers to the water in the womb, the word of God, or even a synonym for the Spirit (as in "water, even the Spirit". There is no consensus among Protestants.

Other examples are Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16. The first says, "And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’"

The second one says, "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name."

These verses agree with the words of Jesus, Titus 3:5, and the rest of the New Testament about the necessity and importance of baptism. But many Evangelicals will offer in reply a list of verses that say salvation is by faith (e.g., John 3:16) and argue that since he can find twenty-five verses that say salvation is by faith, it can’t be by baptism.

Can we cut two verses out of the Bible because we find ten others that seem to contradict? Heavens, no! We have to find a way to explain and accept both and harmonize them into a cogent theology. That is what Catholics have been doing well for two millenia.

One of the great reliefs for me as a Catholic was to read the Bible without having to set aside verses that didn’t agree with my preconceived assumptions. Catholics do not have this problem.

A Figure of a Figure? Go Figure.

Now, back to 1 Peter 3:18-21. Protestant commentaries on Scripture admit it is one of the most difficult passages of the Bible to interpret. Here is a quote from my book Crossing the Tiber:

In his recent anti-Catholic book The Gospel according to Rome, James McCarthy says that "when Peter says that ‘baptism now saves you,’ he is speaking of the typological, or symbolic, significance of baptism. . . . It [the word figure] tells us that what follows, ‘baptism now saves you,’ is a figurative illustration that complements the symbolism of a preceding figure" (331-332). It seems he is saying that baptism is a figure of a figure instead of the fulfillment of a figure. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature offers a different and more straightforward interpretation: "Baptism, which is a fulfillment (of the type), now saves you, i.e., the saving of Noah from the flood is a . . . ‘foreshadowing’ and baptism corresponds to it [fulfills it]" (75). McCarthy does go on to say: "This verse is part of one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret. Nevertheless, this much is clear: it does not support the Roman Catholic doctrine" (331-332). (Crossing the Tiber, p. 130, note 56)

The Catholic interpretation explains the passage quite comfortably without twisting the text from its clear meaning, accepting the literal meaning of the text, and complementing the rest of New Testament teaching. It is difficult for McCarthy to interpret because he comes to the passage with a handicap: his Fundamentalist preconceptions.

Catholics: Seen but Not Heard

Baptism is just one example, and we have only scratched the surface. Other examples of passages that are difficult for Evangelicals—and where unwary Catholics attending a non-denominational Bible study can be misled—are John 20:23, Colossians 1:24, James 2:24, Matthew 16:18-19, and John 5:28-29.

Catholics often find non-denominational Bible studies appealing because of the warm, serious, loving, and family-like environment. Being used to reverence and quiet devotion, Catholics find the welcoming and chatty nature of these gatherings refreshing and new. But there is such a thing as an ecumenical Bible study that doesn’t allow knowledgeable Catholics to participate in leadership or where the Catholic perspective is not equally presented and discussed with respect. In a truly ecumenical Bible study, the Catholic interpretation and teaching is not treated as substandard or heretical.

Also, the Catholic Church is not a "denomination" (which means "to take a new name"; it is the Church. Those who are in schism, who break away or subsist apart from it are denominations or sects. The Church is not. It is the Church.

There’s still a long way to go to get Catholics to the point of scriptural study that Protestants have achieved. But it is happening, and you can help. For more information, see my article "Starting a Parish Bible Study" at www.catholicconvert.com.

-Catholic Answers-

Obiagelli pls how can i start a thread on Nairaland...i have so many things i wanna share wif d world, but This NL isnt jus userfriendly @ all...i hav bn here sine Feb yet i dun even still knw how to post a topic n anytime i try to find out here, no 1 reponds...too bad.

princesammmy: don't quote out of context. it was refering to fault one to another not sin against God.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

define a fault 1st, then go check other versions or translations. NARROW MINDED PRINCESAMMY

[quote author=Tolexander]clap for yourself!

Afam4eva: Is the Catholic faith independent of what is in the bible?

no the bible is a product of the church n the church is a product of Jesus. NOt vice versa!

chudidonas: The Roman Catholic Church gradually Master-minding the 'take over' of earth by Anti christ..Dear Lord, May I be among the rapturable ones. Amen

n Dear Lord Replies; "sorry Mr ur name wasnt found on my list, because wen i was thirsty u gave all ur money to a financial corporation called church n its CEO called G.O. U neva helped that bike man by d side of ur house.(d@ was me!)" 2.U condemned my church i instituted on the 23rd of July 2013 on nairaland. 3.U neva believed me when i said "dis is my body...do it in memory of me, rather u consume agege bread n bacchus wine in merriment n 4 pleasure....
An endless list of ur sins my son...depart 4rm me! I knw thou not.

naijaboyof4life: Christians was a derogatory word used for people who were preaching the gospel. The right word is believers in Christ and they were not Catholics.

this is a dull ass. Deficient in history. The church is 2000yrs old. Check ur history n c the list of popes 4rm Peter to Francis. Dullinus!...# i knw ur next statement will b "show me were Francis is in d bible". This pentecostals can b so narrow-minded! Pls u too show me where Nigeria is in d bible or where America is in d bible.

perfectsoft: John 20:23 was not written for the pope. If you want to take it literarily, then every christian has the power to forgive sins, not just the pope. And the pope is not a high priest. There is no high priest in the new testament apart from Jesus. In the new testatment, every christian is a priest. Church leaders are not addressed as priests but as pastors or shepherds. The whole concept of the pope is wrong from its foundation and only seeks to establish a religion where one man controls the lives of people with the false doctrine that he represents God on earth. God does not need anyone to represent him on earth. Even some pentecostal church preachers are now following this wrong trend and false christianity. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. No one can replace him

1 man controls huh?.... @ least its better dan ur financial captivity undeR Pastors; Kumuyi,Oritsejafoe, Chris, TB n odas...go n pay ur private Jet/Pv8 cruise dues jare.

Afam4eva: You're permitted.

@topic
Why can't people pray to God direct.

y dont u pay ur tithe for Pastor's pv8 Jet direct to God?

oyb: [note that robots are not for bomb detection, but detonation/disposal - channels falling hand]

http://home.roadrunner.com/~etcetera/emergency/agencies/police/lasd_bomb_squad_robot.html


[img]http://home.roadrunner.com/~etcetera/emergency/agencies/police/images/lasd_bomb_robot.jpg[/img]

dnt mind CHANNELS if na to fall "oga @ d top hand" now, them go take 1st

OK maybe true, but that pic isnt the nigerian robot....so where is our own pic abeg

may God,s will be done on our employment search so that his son Jesus may be glorified.may the conquering power of his Resurrection invigorate our faith by granting us this job/// we ask this through our lord Jesus Christ in union with all Angels and saints in Paradise. St Pio and St. Anthony of Padua esp. Amen

1.Adams Oshiomole( The fearer of no mortal being. The only man who can take a stand and follow it through to success. A passionate Nigerian with great and charismatic followership-the Mandela and Ghandi of modern day 9jeria.)

2.Dora Akunyili(though she messed up in her senatorial elections-buh her Nafdac achievement will ever be unequaled, she served Nigeria wif her life)

3.My self in advance , cos of my great love for Nigeria...

4. My Child (yet to be born) who is going to be the only president Nigeria ever had. He/she is to be trained on Patriotism, Nation building and Nation advancement, through pervasive industrialization driven by local content and self-sustainability. He/she'll begin the long awaited emancipation of Black Africa. N will put Nigeria on the global map.

5. _ _ _ vacant space.

Temptee101: Our pastor's wifey wz eyein mi so i left. Now in a new church, d pastor himself dey eye mi

omg! 9jerians! Choi u guys wanna ki me wit laff

eastman11: I was born Catholic but due to change of location I started attending a nearby pentico but had to run back to Catholic when they could not give me a breathing space, coming to my house and office and expecting me to hand over all my monthly salary to them became unbearable and l had to apply Ben Johnson.

dis guy ur a clown. Which 1 b penitico again. So we now na "cathico?"...lwkmd

eastman11: I was born Catholic but due to change of location I started attending a nearby pentico but had to run back to Catholic when they could not give me a breathing space, coming to my house and office and expecting me to hand over all my monthly salary to them became unbearable and l had to apply Ben Johnson.

dis guy ur a clown. Which 1 b penitico again. So we now na "cathico?"...lwkmd

Well, 1 reason i left winners n came back to the church is d@ i got fed up of my pastor tellin me financial prosperity n all that capitalist laddened sermons. I was tired of acquiring finance for mysef n d pastor alone while my neighbors next door cudnt afford a meal. I mean i wasnt bn told how to love, how to be moral, how to serve God by fighting sin, all i heard evry sunday was how i was gon reciev an envelope of maney or a car in profesies...lol. Well, i jus cudnt keep living in a lie. So i parked my things after 10yrs and went back to confession. N i felt d weight lifted. I am now living good again as catholic with all attendant blessings accruable 4rm the spirit of God. God bless u all

ebenice: just becos u go to a sactuary as early as 7o'clock ..pray for help from a dead saint instaed of a Living God..who ask u to pray only in d name of His SON..insted U prefer 2 kneel B4 am image nd chantin by rollin a plastic-like styled round rope..dogmatically hopin sometin new will hapen nd goin to a fellow man to coffess faults when u dont even knw wat he himself does in secret..well i dint mention any bodies name..but gaskiya..if d cap fit feel free to wear it..no offence meant

mr man sorry eyah...y u dey vex...well incase u dnt knw "somtin happens o!" ...like seriously. Even last night i won d devil in a battle jus by Askin St. Michael d archangels intercession. Try it n c wonders!!!

Was born catholic, left @ 20 when i was in 2nd yr University of Benin, cos i "saw the light". Now am mature and i jus discovered i "saw the light" again but guess where dis time... derz nothing like being Catholic.Am Back home again to the church. Cos this is where i find full assurance of salvation in the Eucharistic Jesus of the altar...10yrs of adventuring in "born-againism"- I mean no offence cos i d@ was my perception b4 that i was born again outside d catholic church. Buh i discovered bn Born again goes beyond mere words..to b born again is to b practising in the light of Jesus n in his true presence(The catholic church)! Glory to Jesus....

30DB4FA6: My church is @ ikeja but we relocate from ketu to egbeda so transportation was a challange So naw am a partial catholic why I hate catholic is dat
1.) They dont pray just recieting 1 prayer evry masss
2.) They don't preach
3.) Always standing up and sitting down evry 1min
4.) Can't mention all ATM tho
Am just going there b/cos my bros is a catholic I wud just charge my phone and go to church and punture it till ba3 low

how does 1 PUNTURE a phone is d@ suppose to be a new techno function or mobile fone terminology?....

zig2ryme04: I had never taken the Nigerian Police seriously since childhood. any time I see police patrol van passing, different thoughts occupies my mind and in most cases I feel unsecured. To all Nairalanders, what comes to your mind when you see police patrol van going or coming towards your direction?

if u remember the movie 3rd world cop...i just think aloud in my mind "run along buati boiz!"

heisenberg33: Even most catholics do not understand that the bible does not contain the sole truth. Many catholics feel ashamed when these protestant charlatans quote bible verses to negate a catholic doctrine, and even the catholics are usually dumbfounded. I want to teach the Catholics here that the church unlike any other church is senior to the bible, and was already in existence before the compilation of the bible. The early church fathers decided what book to add or subtract before any of these mushroom and noise making churches sprouted up. Therefore, you can not expect a church which pre-existed the bible to teach only from the bible.

The catholic church has always had traditions handed down from the apostles and so we still teach with traditions. It is very important for every catholic to be aware of this, so as not to be at loss of words when these protestants come displaying their crass ignorance by quoting the bible they have no idea of. Conversely, it is normal for the protestants to depend solely on the bible for their teachings because the bible was senior to them all, however, it is a travesty of knowledge for the protestants to accuse the catholics of not following the bible which we gave to them. It is like a student trying to be smarter than his professor while taking his class. There are many things the bible did not tell us which science has discovered, so should we then discard them because they were not written in the bible?

I concede that even the catholic church may not be a hundred percent right since it is still run by imperfect humans, but if the church isn't right in some things then i imagine these mushroom churches are farther from right and need greater help. I rather remain in the church with a traceable lineage from the apostles, than take a gamble with these money-making ventures sprouting up in all nooks and crannies, and still answering the name church.

you have spoken my mind

1st of all, the Catholic church compiled the bible from thousands of books spread around the world, 2ndly KJV is incomplete cos Martin LUther took off some books. Now all ur arguments are based on ur abridged version (KJV). these protestants r jus so good with their ignorant propaganda. b4 you comment on this post make sure u have sound knowlwdge of bible origin and development. or else go argue with ignoramus peeps like u. tnx. Thank God am catholic even if am just a bench warmer!

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!
PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS RELATED QUESTIONS OR PAST QUESTIONS OF PREVIOUS ASSESMENT TESTS SHOULD LET ME KNOW. I REALLY DO NEED TO PREPARE. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS US.

i pray that God in his infinite mercy will here our prayers and grant our employment desires. May the Blessed Virgin Mary in her compasssion in union with St. Pio and St Anthony of Padua, interceed on our behalf, in Jesus name. Amen

Am not igbo ooo...but 4rm previous observation here on NL, if der was a "chucks" or "obi" or "emeka" in doz names d yoruba boiz 4 don dey use tribalistic tunes by now...but all i can see now are "Yoruba, Yoruba".... Doz that now mean yoruba boiz r rapists?...

pro01: . . .and drug dealer/scammer are better than armed robber/kidnapper/violent criminal. We also thank God for their lives.

....and armed robbers/kidnappers/boko harams are better than Politicians cos Politicians are responsible 4 all d evils in Nigeria. We thank god 4 Boko haram n robbers also....

thegreatman4ww: I also received the call and e-mail last Friday, their RSVP numbers are switched off. I believe the interview is sequence to last year dragnet Aptitude test, so I dont think we are to write any test again. Carefully considering the e-mail message. I could derived that is will be personal interview based on your CV & Certificates and with time schedule approximate 3hrs 30mins (my is 7:15am and someone say his/hers is 10:45am) their my be other brainstorming questions which suppose to be directly linked to Union Bank, customer relation and communication skills, general financial system knowledge etc. I will try if I can get the original post for the job so as to determine the essential attribute and skill the needed for the available job position.

thagreatman ok please help us do that. thanks

Policewoman: So what? I get that atimes.

u cant b beyonce by association...that a man wears dark shades doesnt make him a steven wonder

alutacontinua: My own problem still lies in the fact that if a man were to be caught cheating, the story changes!
Why should it be any different for any gender?

becos by nature , a man has more than 1 slot for a wife. God made it so. Each woman is made just 4 1 man.

alutacontinua: My own problem still lies in the fact that if a man were to be caught cheating, the story changes!
Why should it be any different for any gender?

becos by nature , a man has more than 1 slot for a wife. God made it so. Women are made just 4 1 man.