₦airaland Forum

Sacluxpaint:
Jesus knew the situation at hand, thats why when Jesus replied Mary, it was boldly written 'Do whatever HE tells you' Even Mary that is probably in heaven wants you to follow Jesus and not Hail her..

Check scripture well "hail Mary" were d 1st words angel Gabriel spoke 2 Mary. Those words weren't angel Gabriel's own. Dey were of God. So if God hailed Mary, y shldnt we hail her too? R u bigger Dan God? If u r, I'm nt. So I say "hail Mary, mother of God & my mother also".

Sacluxpaint:
The bible had ALWAYS been in existence before the church, why did you think satan tried to use it against Jesus in the temptation. Please read Matthew 4:1-11. They both used the word 'For it is written' and also matthew 4:4 , we should live by every word that come from the mouth of God.

Was there a church during the temptation?

Those was no Bible then. Those were Jewish books dt was being quoted then. Portions were later incorporated in2 d bible as d old testament.

Sacluxpaint:
http://www.bible.ca/cath-why-I-left.htm

The link pasted is a MUST read article.

I read it. D fact is dt D author was practicing Catholicism just 2 pls his father. I was 1ce lyk dt until I left & later came back. All those allegations r something a priest in d church wld poke full of holes. Where he started missing it was @ d beginning when he said d church doesn't encourage discussions abt their beliefs. Very wrong. D same church dt gruels her priests in training wt philosophy, critical thinking, theology so dt dey r well grounded & truly blv in it. I wld always remember fondly when I took an adult confirmation class in my parish. It was an open discussion group where we cld ask questions concerning our doubts abt d Catholic faith. It was so lively & most tyms we might even spend d duration of dt class discussing our questions & digressing 4rm our lesson 4 dt day. It was dere dt I knew d Catholic teachings were indeed divinely inspired. If I had ample time & was less busy, I wld have researched d dude's allegations & constructed a befitting, enlightening response.

gemale:
Check scripture well "hail Mary" were d 1st words angel Gabriel spoke 2 Mary. Those words weren't angel Gabriel's own. Dey were of God. So if God hailed Mary, y shldnt we hail her too? R u bigger Dan God? If u r, I'm nt. So I say "hail Mary, mother of God & my mother also".

I believe thats Luke 1:28, it was hail, check YOUR own bible, nothing like Mary followed after the 'Hail' and the angel was just greeting Mary, more like Peace be with you, do not be afraid, the angel said that to calm her down. You Catholics are fond of twisting scripture to suit your doctrines. If this is the way you want OP to remain in the catholic faith, brother you have to try harder.

Sacluxpaint:
Jesus knew the situation at hand, thats why when Jesus replied Mary, it was boldly written 'Do whatever HE tells you' Even Mary that is probably in heaven wants you to follow Jesus and not Hail her..

What about following Jesus and hailing Mary at the same time? I'm happy you said "hail" not "worship"

eaglejay13:
Jesus Himself was baptized based in trinitarian doctrine. As He was being baptized in the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit came down on His Head in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard from above "This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased".

How does that translate to him baptized based on trinitarian doctrine?

Ubenedictus:
That is not a creed. when u learn what a creed is then i will know u are serious abt a discussion

Answer my own questions.

If you can't answer say so.

Ubenedictus:
That is not a creed. when u learn what a creed is then i will know u are serious abt a discussion

Hahaha! Okay, since you deny all I have said as being your own doctrines and all, tell me your creed, let me still prove it wrong based on the bible.

Mariner007:
How does that translate to him baptized based on trinitarian doctrine?

If you don't understand this simple explanation, then you're not yet ready for the truth, neither are you ready to be a good Christian

eaglejay13:
If you don't understand this simple explanation, then you're not yet ready for the truth, neither are you ready to be a good Christian

Please leave that talk. Show me any person that was baptized based on trinitarian doctrine in the bible, I will believe you!
Stop trying to connect different things to make it mean what you want.

Mariner007:
Hahaha! Okay, since you deny all I have said as being your own doctrines and all, tell me your creed, let me still prove it wrong based on the bible.

ill give u an example of a creed.
d word creed come form the latin credo, ie i belive, it contain a summary of beliefs
below is a catholic creed
I believe in God the father almighty maker of heaven and earth, i believe in Jesus christ his only son our lord who was concieved by d power of d holyspirit born of d virgin mary suffered under pontius pilate was crucified died and was buried, decended into hades the 3rd day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven sitted at d right hand of God d fada almighty from whence he shall come to judge d living and d dead, i believe in the holy spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the ressurrection of the bodyy and lifee everlasting



Dat is a catholic creed, if u dont know what a creed is go and learn.

Ubenedictus:
ill give u an example of a creed.
d word creed come form the latin credo, ie i belive, it contain a summary of beliefs
below is a catholic creed
I believe in God the father almighty maker of heaven and earth, i believe in Jesus christ his only son our lord who was concieved by d power of d holyspirit born of d virgin mary suffered under pontius pilate was crucified died and was buried, decended into hades the 3rd day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven sitted at d right hand of God d fada almighty from whence he shall come to judge d living and d dead, i believe in the holy spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the ressurrection of the bodyy and lifee everlasting



Dat is a catholic creed, if u dont know what a creed is go and learn.

Haba! Don't you believe these as well:

1. THE VIRGIN MARY AS CO-REDEMPTRIX, MEDIATRIX AND ADVOCATE

2. THREE gods

3. Baptism in titles and not a Name.

ANSWER my questions too.

Show me a single person baptized based on the trintarian doctrine in the bible!!

I am still waiting! Weeks have passed!

Mariner007:
Please leave that talk. Show me any person that was baptized based on trinitarian doctrine in the bible, I will believe you!
Stop trying to connect different things to make it mean what you want.

What makes it different things? You're not just ready for the truth, it's right in front of you, but you just don't want it. I won't reply you again because people like you ain't worth my time.

Sacluxpaint:
I believe thats Luke 1:28, it was hail, check YOUR own bible, nothing like Mary followed after the 'Hail' and the angel was just greeting Mary, more like Peace be with you, do not be afraid, the angel said that to calm her down. You Catholics are fond of twisting scripture to suit your doctrines. If this is the way you want OP to remain in the catholic faith, brother you have to try harder.

maka y guy? dis is an issue of simple english language. who was d angel speaking 2 when he said "hail"? was it nt mary? So in essence, what u r saying is dt God wasnt speaking thru d angel gabriel? because u r insinuating dt gabriel added his own words 2 God's message.

Mariner007:
How does that translate to him baptized based on trinitarian doctrine?

Go & read d great commision by Jesus according 2 d gospel of saint matthew "go ye in2 d world & make disciples of all nations;baptizing dem IN D NAME OF D FATHER AND OF D SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (D Holy Trinity)".

gemale:
Go & read d great commision by Jesus according 2 d gospel of saint matthew "go ye in2 d world & make disciples of all nations;baptizing dem IN D NAME OF D FATHER AND OF D SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (D Holy Trinity)".

Those are titles and not names.
Okay O! Show me ONE person baptized in that in the bible. I'll stop and believe you!

If you can't. well, I'll still be waiting.

Mariner007:
Those are titles and not names.
Okay O! Show me ONE person baptized in that in the bible. I'll stop and believe you!

If you can't. well, I'll still be waiting.

Guy ur reasoning ehn! what is a title if nt a name? Dey can b used interchangeably. If u r waiting 4 d name trinity in d bible, it doesnt appear bt its meaning is contained dere.

gemale:
Guy ur reasoning ehn! what is a title if nt a name? Dey can b used interchangeably. If u r waiting 4 d name trinity in d bible, it doesnt appear bt its meaning is contained dere.

What I am telling you is that there are no 3 gods, but 1 God operating in 3 offices.

Should I explain more?

Mariner007:
What I am telling you is that there are no 3 gods, but 1 God operating in 3 offices.

Should I explain more?

This you said is true, but the three offices or manifestations of one God are employed in baptism. That portion of the Bible did not say, "baptize in the name of the father or the son or the spirit"

Anybody arguing the intercessory role of Mary has completely misplaced her place in redemption. Her last statement in the Bible is "anything He tells you, do it". Same with the voice of God during transfiguration, "this is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased, LISTEN TO HIM". The same Jesus whom we we're commanded to listen to, told us that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that we who are heavily ladened should come to Him that He will give us rest. That He is the true vine and we are the branches, which means we are attached to him. He is our source of life. He is in us and we in Him. We look on to Him, the author and finisher of our faith. Why then do we defy His instructions by treating Him as though he is very far from us by going through the saints and His mother. He is ready to listen to us, instead, we go back to His mother who has directed us to Him. Mary has done her job and has been well rewarded. I respect/love her, but she just did her job well and nothing more.

Again, the role assigned to Mary by Catholics is almost same as Christ's. Check this prayer to "OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP".
((O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.
O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred name, or even only think of thee. I thank God for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.))
Now tell me if this prayer is seeking her intercession aside exulting her "most powerful name" which is the "salvation of the dying".
How would God feel when His people exult the name of Mary instead. How would Mary feel?

Do you know also that several saints are seen to possess certain powers, exercisable from heaven. Either St Anthony or Jude is known to be the saint for lost items. you pray to him when in search of lost item. Another saint is for love, another for healing, etc. Then you pray to them when in need of those.
This is complete distortion of the Scripture. What is the position of Holy spirit (our comforter/helper) in Catholic church? Do you have any prayer to Him, but you have several to Mary and saints, why? Who is your comforter, who is your advocate? The same God, so pray to Him alone.

Peritus:
This you said is true, but the three offices or manifestations of one God are employed in baptism. That portion of the Bible did not say, "baptize in the name of the father or the son or the spirit"

What I am meaning to do is to let my friends know that there is only 1 God and not 3 as they believe. Nothing like trinity.

gemale:
My sister (nt tryn 2 famz). What or rather who u r looking 4 is exactly where u r. As d saying goes "wetin u dey find 4 sokoto dey ur sokoto". I once was @ a similar situation u were in.
During my 100 level days, I started attending a Pentecostal church around my hostel. D fact was dt it was fascinating @ first. D melodic singing u cld dance 2, lively praying, speaking in tongues etc. I felt lyk finally dis was where Jesus was. It was reminiscent of wt was written in d acts of D apostles. I was determined 2 quit d Catholic church, which I saw as a non - Bible believing church. I even got baptized in my new church telling myself dt my infant baptism was fake. I saw prayers lyk d "hail Mary" as satanic & started 2 c Catholics as worshippers of idols.
When my mom heard about my 'conversion', she went ballistic & in her usual way tried 2 intimidate me in2 submission. However, I was adamant & counted her Intolerance as persecution. Finally she reported 2 a priest temporarily residing in our parish. I was instructed 2 go & c d priest which I did albeit reluctantly. Anticipating further antagonism 4rm d priest, I had 'armed' myself wt parts of Scripture 2 discredit d Catholic faith. As I arrived d priory of my parish, I called d priest (fr. Ralph I think) on his line & informed him of my presence. He directed me 2 a little room where I awaited his arrival, going over d finer point of D argument I anticipated. He soon joined me & after d normal salutations, did something I didn't expect. In a calm, friendly voice, he asked me 2 explain myself. Dis totally took me by surprise bt I did as he asked. After I finished speaking, he kept quiet 4 sometime & inwardly I was already anticipating a reprimand or something similar 2 my mother's words. I mentally went over my argument once again 2 make sure dey were still intact (which dey were). He then spoke & complimented me saying dt he sensed d hunger 4 d truth in d search of God in me, which was rare 4 most youths of my age. He then said dt it wld b wrong 4 him 2 tell me wt 2 blv in or nt. He then asked me if I had a bible, which I replied affirmatively. He asked again if I liked reading, which I also replied "yes" to. He then excused himself 4 a moment & went 2 his room. When he returned, he came wt some books on articles of D Catholic faith. He asked me when I would b able 2 finish dem all. I gave a date & he then instructed me 2 first ask d Holy spirit 4 true enlightenment & read wt an unbiased mind referencing it wt d Bible & dt I shld report back 2 him @ d appointed tym & then we wld discuss any doubts I had abt d Catholic faith, . D most touching part was when he told me dt he trusted dt my hunger 4 d truth wld lead me 2 it.
As I got home, I immediately [b]delved in2 d books he lent me [/b]cross-referencing dem wt d Bible. Book after book I devoured hoping 2 find d falsehood in d Catholic faith. I was disappointed when I finished d books & I cldnt find anything significant!
I even discovered dt d pillars of Martin Luther's schism (fide Sola, scriptura Sola & Gracia sola) were wrong. I went back 2 D priest a 2nd tym having no doubts 2 raise wt him. He gave me another set of books dis tym most of dem were in a q & a format abt reservations & doubts abt d Catholic faith. In these books, I found some of D questions earlier plaguing my mind as well as their answers wt scriptural backing. I went back 2 D priest humble in my newfound knowledge & appreciation of D Catholic faith. He then told me he went through a similar phase in his early lyf in d search 4 truth even delving in2 d followership of mystics lyk Harry Krishna b4 he was led by his insatiable quest 4 d truth back 2 D Catholic church. He then spoke more about d Catholic church. By dt tym I needed no more convincing dt I was in d ryt church & if Eva I left, it wldnt b because Jesus wasn't present in her.
I compare most xtians nowadays 2 D prophet Elijah @ mount Horeb. We r too busy looking 4 God in d fire, wind & earthquake often ignoring d soft, still voice dt resonates in d peaceful, meditative sections of our mind. D Jesus we seek in d speaking of tongues & oda manifestations in Pentecostal churches is present quietly in d Eucharist day & nyt calling silently 2 us. Do u nt feel him in d meditative mood of adoration? D anointing dt most of us r running helter skelter 4 & even toadying up 2 some general overseer, pastor, or bishop 4 is present in d poor, sick, downtrodden & less privileged among us. After all as our Lord said in d parable of D sheep & goats, dey r "d least of My brethren". Most Pentecostal churches nowadays teach their followers 2 regard odas nt belonging 2 D same church as dey r with suspicion instead of dt beautiful prayer said afta d magnificat in my parish by d Legion of Mary (which u claimed u belonged 2)dt urges us 2 c Jesus in our fellow men. U speak abt d Catholic church condoning iniquities lyk in (ur words) clubbing, drinking, cheating, premarital sex etc as long as u go 4 confession. First some of these things u mentioned r nt sins eg drinking of alcohol as long as one doesn't bcom drunk (aftarall Jesus turned water in2 wine & don't let anybody deceive u dt it was non-alcoholic) & as 4 clubbing, didn't Jesus eat, drink & party wt tax collectors, prostitutes & sinners? A lot of Pentecostals r lyk d pharisee in d parable dt exalted himself whilst praying "I fast, I pray, I pay my tithes, I read my bible" instead of dem 2 b lyk d tax collector dt asked 4 mercy in humility. Actually d church doesn't blv in condemning any sinner who ask 4 4gvns. D sincerity of D individual is btw himself & God. So no mata hw many tyms 1 stumbles, she is always ready 2 accept her children in2 her fold as long as dey r washed in d showers of grace channeled by our Savior thru d sacrament of D confessional. Do u want 2 compare dis 2 D Pentecostal notion dt dey r above sin & therefore do not transgress against God when it's clearly written in d 1st letter of John "if we say we have no sin in us, we make God a liar"? U think d Catholic church instructs her children 2 sin 2 their fill? No, she isn't happy when any of her children fall in2 sin bt her love 4 Dem can't let her cast dem away. Even God himself doesn't give up on any sinner. He is always searching 4 a way 2 bring dem back 2 himself. If u were 2 b privy 2 D sordid details of D lyf of some of those pple u tnk r nt sinning, u wld shudder & if care isn't taken, lose faith in God. Nobody is perfect be it pope, pastor, priest, bishop, G. O, or whoever. Dey r men just lyk us so r liable 2 stumble 1 tym or anoda. I once witnessed an exco member of 1 Pentecostal fellowship in my skul (campus pastors) caught stealing my friend's BlackBerry. So d grass isn't greener on d oda side in dis case. Find out more abt d faith u were born in2 b4 deciding 2 go elsewhere. FYI I'm nt perfect, I'm wt most Pentecostal wld call a hell bound candidate bt dt is no fault of D Catholic church. By d grace of God, I wld keep on struggling Sha 2 b a beta xtian. Everyone is given freewill by God. Wt d church doesn't do is infringe on dt will of urs. God wants us 2 choose him bt he doesn't force us. We have 2 make d decision 4 ourselves. No mata hw much someone else forces u 2 observe God's commandment, if it doesn't come 4rm within u, u r wasting ur tym.

The problem with you is that you tried to seek answers with a carnal mind(1 Corinthians 1:20-31). Did you genuinely give your life to Christ? Did you personally accept him as your personal lord and saviour? Instead you went to a priest who is a human being like you and he gave you books of human wisdom.(James 1:5) . Let God be true and every man a liar( Romans 3:4).Even if Jesus appears before you today, you would still run to virgin mary and the saints. If you want to seek God, worship him in truth and in spirit(John 4:24). God bless you and help your soul to seek divine understanding. Amen.

Mariner007:
What I am meaning to do is to let my friends know that there is only 1 God and not 3 as they believe. Nothing like trinity.

Truly u are ignorant,been observing your post and trying to avoid this but what the hell,no catholic believes in tree gods.drop ur know it all attitude and get your facts right, if u truly want to have a meaningful discussion (obviously it seems like u want to say u know better and your words are absolute).

eaglejay13:
What about following Jesus and hailing Mary at the same time? I'm happy you said "hail" not "worship"

Trying to be clever by half, you know what I am talking about...

Sacluxpaint:
The problem with you is that you tried to seek answers with a carnal mind(1 Corinthians 1:20-31). Did you genuinely give your life to Christ? Did you personally accept him as your personal lord and saviour? Instead you went to a priest who is a human being like you and he gave you books of human wisdom.(James 1:5) . Let God be true and every man a liar( Romans 3:4).Even if Jesus appears before you today, you would still run to virgin mary and the saints. If you want to seek God, worship him in truth and in spirit(John 4:24). God bless you and help your soul to seek divine understanding. Amen.

Did you think before writing this,or are all this just assumptions from a mindset with a feeling of grandiose? Go find out the problem with you before you see that in others. Again to mariner and sacluxpaint and any other protestant(funny beyond words),for as long as you are a christain you are still doing something Catholic. Stick to your beliefs and drop your know it all attitude.

dukum:
Truly u are ignorant,been observing your post and trying to avoid this but what the hell,no catholic believes in tree gods.drop ur know it all attitude and get your facts right, if u truly want to have a meaningful discussion (obviously it seems like u want to say u know better and your words are absolute).

I don't know it all. I am basing everything on the bible they say they wrote.
And to emphasize, baptizing with titles is just as if you are not baptized.

Let me shock you more.
Marriages done based with the titles are not even marriages.

Let me break it down my friend.
Let's use someone popular, say Buhari.

Buhari has a wife, and she calls him her HUSBAND
Buhari has a daughter, and she call him FATHER
Buhari is the presiding over a country, and we call him PRESIDENT.

Now tell me, do you or I have the right to Buhari as our HUSBAND or FATHER? NO! But he is the PRESIDENT to us.

Does ZAHRA have the right to him as a HUSBAND? no! But he is her FATHER.

But watch he is the very same person. But manifesting in 3 offices and not 3 different people.
Just as I said.

To summarize, all I am saying is that the titles you cling onto, is nothing without the NAME.
So the name (and not names) of the Father, Son , Holy Ghost is Our Lord Jesus Christ.


Well, if you don't believe, I wouldn't force you. I am just pointing out the holes.

Sacluxpaint:
Trying to be clever by half, you know what I am talking about...

I don't.

Sacluxpaint:
The problem with you is that you tried to seek answers with a carnal mind(1 Corinthians 1:20-31). Did you genuinely give your life to Christ? Did you personally accept him as your personal lord and saviour? Instead you went to a priest who is a human being like you and he gave you books of human wisdom.(James 1:5) . Let God be true and every man a liar( Romans 3:4).Even if Jesus appears before you today, you would still run to virgin mary and the saints. If you want to seek God, worship him in truth and in spirit(John 4:24). God bless you and help your soul to seek divine understanding. Amen.

see below 4 reply.

Sacluxpaint:
The problem with you is that you tried to seek answers with a carnal mind(1 Corinthians 1:20-31). Did you genuinely give your life to Christ? Did you personally accept him as your personal lord and saviour? Instead you went to a priest who is a human being like you and he gave you books of human wisdom.(James 1:5) . Let God be true and every man a liar( Romans 3:4).Even if Jesus appears before you today, you would still run to virgin mary and the saints. If you want to seek God, worship him in truth and in spirit(John 4:24). God bless you and help your soul to seek divine understanding. Amen.

Dude! it seems u didn't read wt i typed well. All those things u asked, i had done all dt & even started vilifying d catholic church (lyk u). I felt i had reached where God wanted me 2 b & dt all i needed 2 nw was ask d Holy spirit (who i received) 2 help me interpret scripture when i read it. I was initially reluctant 2 c d priest because i saw dem as blind leaders of d blind bt in line wt d 10 commandments dt tells us 2 honor our parents (d only commandment wt a blessing attached),i had 2 obey. So i left wt d purpose of defending my new found 'faith' (kinda lyk saul). I prayed b4 leaving asking God earnestly 2 let His spirit take control so dt dere wld b no manifestation of d flesh. I expected d priest 2 try defending d catholic faith bt he didn't. Those books he gave me werent books dt derided Protestantism & Pentecostalism. Dey were an in depth delving in2 d reasons behind d various articles of d catholic faith wt scriptural & theological backing. B4 reading every book i was given, i asked d Holy spirit 4 illumination & discernment (nw i understand d meaning of d 1st words spoken when saying d Rosary "come Holy spirit & fill d heart of d faithful" 2 which d response is "& en-kindle in us d fire of Ur love" )& disabused myself of d mindset dt "catholic is evil & Pentecostal is good" & adopted d mindset of "is Catholicism really of God?, does it teach divinely inspired doctrines?, is it possible dt i could b wrong abt d catholic church?, y does it teach wt it teaches?". Wt every book i read, d same feeling dt made me decide 2 c d priest (divinely ordained obedience) made me realize i was wrong abt d catholic church. 2 reject d discoveries & knowledge i garnered 4rm reading those books wld have been me rejecting d truth i claimed 2 seek. Reading those books made me realize dt d bible is a basic instruction manual. 2 rely on it solely wld b lyk a student of chemistry saying new school chemistry (popularly called ababio) is d only true chemistry textbook & any oda chemistry textbook dt doesnt replicate wt it says exactly is false. Imagine if dis student still sticks 2 d same mindset when he is running a masters or doctorate program. Ur snide comment abt me seeing d priest shows pride (a vice) & ignorance of d fact dt God speaks & acts thru humans sometimes even in their imperfections. Nobody is perfect or infallible bt everybody is created in d image of God therefore dere is still d tendency (no matter hw small) 2 reflect His nature. After all St. Augustine said "O God who created our hearts; truly our hearts r restless until dey rest in You". In seeking Jesus, i found out dt He isn't alone. He is in d company of God d Father,d Holy spirit, His mother Mary, the angels & saints. My relationship with Him means dt i am His & He & His is mine. His mother is my mother. His followers whether on earth or in heaven r my brother & sisters & dey can offer prayers of intercession on my behalf (what Pentecostals call "standing in d gap". We r all in d family of God. I cant claim 2 b a member of dis family & shun oda members. Dts y d church is a community & isnt isolated ie members interact wt 1 anoda. Yes Christianity is abt a personal relationship wt God bt it is reflected by our relationship wt odas.

gemale:
Dude! it seems u didn't read wt i typed well. All those things u asked, i had done all dt & even started vilifying d catholic church (lyk u). I felt i had reached where God wanted me 2 b & dt all i needed 2 nw was ask d Holy spirit (who i received) 2 help me interpret scripture when i read it. I was initially reluctant 2 c d priest because i saw dem as blind leaders of d blind bt in line wt d 10 commandments dt tells us 2 honor our parents (d only commandment wt a blessing attached),i had 2 obey. So i left wt d purpose of defending my new found 'faith' (kinda lyk saul). I prayed b4 leaving asking God earnestly 2 let His spirit take control so dt dere wld b no manifestation of d flesh. I expected d priest 2 try defending d catholic faith bt he didn't. Those books he gave me werent books dt derided Protestantism & Pentecostalism. Dey were an in depth delving in2 d reasons behind d various articles of d catholic faith wt scriptural & theological backing. B4 reading every book i was given, i asked d Holy spirit 4 illumination & discernment (nw i understand d meaning of d 1st words spoken when saying d Rosary "come Holy spirit & fill d heart of d faithful" 2 which d response is "& en-kindle in us d fire of Ur love" )& disabused myself of d mindset dt "catholic is evil & Pentecostal is good" & adopted d mindset of "is Catholicism really of God?, does it teach divinely inspired doctrines?, is it possible dt i could b wrong abt d catholic church?, y does it teach wt it teaches?". Wt every book i read, d same feeling dt made me decide 2 c d priest (divinely ordained obedience) made me realize i was wrong abt d catholic church. 2 reject d discoveries & knowledge i garnered 4rm reading those books wld have been me rejecting d truth i claimed 2 seek. Reading those books made me realize dt d bible is a basic instruction manual. 2 rely on it solely wld b lyk a student of chemistry saying new school chemistry (popularly called ababio) is d only true chemistry textbook & any oda chemistry textbook dt doesnt replicate wt it says exactly is false. Imagine if dis student still sticks 2 d same mindset when he is running a masters or doctorate program. Ur snide comment abt me seeing d priest shows pride (a vice) & ignorance of d fact dt God speaks & acts thru humans sometimes even in their imperfections. Nobody is perfect or infallible bt everybody is created in d image of God therefore dere is still d tendency (no matter hw small) 2 reflect His nature. After all St. Augustine said "O God who created our hearts; truly our hearts r restless until dey rest in You". In seeking Jesus, i found out dt He isn't alone. He is in d company of God d Father,d Holy spirit, His mother Mary, the angels & saints. My relationship with Him means dt i am His & He & His is mine. His mother is my mother. His followers whether on earth or in heaven r my brother & sisters & dey can offer prayers of intercession on my behalf (what Pentecostals call "standing in d gap". We r all in d family of God. I cant claim 2 b a member of dis family & shun oda members. Dts y d church is a community & isnt isolated ie members interact wt 1 anoda. Yes Christianity is abt a personal relationship wt God bt it is reflected by our relationship wt odas.

Bros, well done, but if you think these people will listen to you and have a change of heart, you're wasting your time, I know their type, they know the truth but don't want to accept it, they just want to find non existent faults. Imagine somebody saying Catholic believes there are three God's even when the Catholic Creed begins with "I believe in One God".

gemale:
Dude! it seems u didn't read wt i typed well. All those things u asked, i had done all dt & even started vilifying d catholic church (lyk u). I felt i had reached where God wanted me 2 b & dt all i needed 2 nw was ask d Holy spirit (who i received) 2 help me interpret scripture when i read it. I was initially reluctant 2 c d priest because i saw dem as blind leaders of d blind bt in line wt d 10 commandments dt tells us 2 honor our parents (d only commandment wt a blessing attached),i had 2 obey. So i left wt d purpose of defending my new found 'faith' (kinda lyk saul). I prayed b4 leaving asking God earnestly 2 let His spirit take control so dt dere wld b no manifestation of d flesh. I expected d priest 2 try defending d catholic faith bt he didn't. Those books he gave me werent books dt derided Protestantism & Pentecostalism. Dey were an in depth delving in2 d reasons behind d various articles of d catholic faith wt scriptural & theological backing. B4 reading every book i was given, i asked d Holy spirit 4 illumination & discernment (nw i understand d meaning of d 1st words spoken when saying d Rosary "come Holy spirit & fill d heart of d faithful" 2 which d response is "& en-kindle in us d fire of Ur love" )& disabused myself of d mindset dt "catholic is evil & Pentecostal is good" & adopted d mindset of "is Catholicism really of God?, does it teach divinely inspired doctrines?, is it possible dt i could b wrong abt d catholic church?, y does it teach wt it teaches?". Wt every book i read, d same feeling dt made me decide 2 c d priest (divinely ordained obedience) made me realize i was wrong abt d catholic church. 2 reject d discoveries & knowledge i garnered 4rm reading those books wld have been me rejecting d truth i claimed 2 seek. Reading those books made me realize dt d bible is a basic instruction manual. 2 rely on it solely wld b lyk a student of chemistry saying new school chemistry (popularly called ababio) is d only true chemistry textbook & any oda chemistry textbook dt doesnt replicate wt it says exactly is false. Imagine if dis student still sticks 2 d same mindset when he is running a masters or doctorate program. Ur snide comment abt me seeing d priest shows pride (a vice) & ignorance of d fact dt God speaks & acts thru humans sometimes even in their imperfections. Nobody is perfect or infallible bt everybody is created in d image of God therefore dere is still d tendency (no matter hw small) 2 reflect His nature. After all St. Augustine said "O God who created our hearts; truly our hearts r restless until dey rest in You". In seeking Jesus, i found out dt He isn't alone. He is in d company of God d Father,d Holy spirit, His mother Mary, the angels & saints. My relationship with Him means dt i am His & He & His is mine. His mother is my mother. His followers whether on earth or in heaven r my brother & sisters & dey can offer prayers of intercession on my behalf (what Pentecostals call "standing in d gap". We r all in d family of God. I cant claim 2 b a member of dis family & shun oda members. Dts y d church is a community & isnt isolated ie members interact wt 1 anoda. Yes Christianity is abt a personal relationship wt God bt it is reflected by our relationship wt odas.

You didn't tell me the names of the books as you promised.

Speechless3:
If someone had told me i will be making a life changing decision like this many years ago i would have been enraged, not at he or she but at the force that would dare cause that.

Was born a catholic, baptised by a priest and cofirmed by the state bishop. I annexed to this by becoming a member of the legion of mary (tho left at one time) i was still faithful to the blessed virgin mary with my bead ritual.

The truth is i only had to do this and that and then the other and relax. By relax, i mean do what ever i wanted. Club, have sex, drink, curse, lie, cheat, disobey other authorities, go nude etc as long as i came back for confession all the time and obtained mercy from God through the priest, i was fine. Maybe they didnt think it was fine i.e my lifestyle but the silence and indifference they showed, gave me the wrongest impression. After all i was always encouraged to go for confession like my life was hanging on it.

This is something that all catholics will understand. After confession we feel a bit unburdened with guilt...for a while. I dont know about others, but mine was not always more than an hour and i would be back to square one (or may be i never left there but thought i did). I was not freaky about the sunday communion thing like others cos i didnt think i was worthy.

Going to the university exposed me to other religious groups. I didn't like the way they shouted while praying but i admired the way they reverred the bible and talked about Christ more.
I thought the catholic church was doing little in the teaching of biblical truths but was still a good model for other churches, mushroom churches.

There were times i made resolutions to turn a new leaf but they always never came to a fruition.
Up till now. I couldn't, i cant keep them. All the rules of right living get lost on me. I just cant change. Talked with our priest every day about this after our doctrinal classes (joined the Opus dei) He suggested i read books of saints who had lived and overcame evil and of course by following the many laid down rules and rituals of the church. I read about mother Theresa, Pope John Paul the II, Saint José maria. Still nothing. It only made me feel unworthy but no power in them.

I decided to read the bible at last after so many procrastinations. I started with John and i have not seen any slight resemblance with the Church. I will continue with Matthew, Mark and Luke this month.

So many things in this old boring book are startling me.

firstly,you need to hand over your life to christ.....blv me sir,catholic dont teach the bible,and if you continue reading the bible,you will soon find out y everybody is not a sinner as you were thought in catholic.the word of God will so purify u dat u will hate sin with perfect hatred and you will begin to see yourrself live far above sin.i recommend you find a good bible believinng church or fellowship.