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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
being discouraged from becoming Catholic	stacey	Thursday, December 31, 2009
Question: I've decided to attend RCIA classes this September. I know a man who is a pastor through my job. He has tried to discourage me because he claims Catholicism is counterfeit. He told me he used to practice Catholicism for several years "until the lord convicted him it was false." He told me it was contrary to the bible and one could not be a Christian and be Catholic. I told him that I always thought that historically, the Catholic church existed several hundred years prior to the bible being put together. He said that was false. I don't agree with him. I told him how I loved learning about the Catholic tradition and reading about the saints. He said that I didn't need any of that and I just needed the bible only. Did the church exist before the bible was written? Why can't people in Protestant denominations just focus on what we have in common instead of labeling everyone with different beliefs(especially Catholics) counterfeit? That's one of the things that turns me off about Protestantism.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Stacey: Sorry for the delay in responding. I praise God that you are coming into the Church. Welcome to the Church. Do not let the devil dissuade you from joining the Church that Jesus personally founded. The Catholic Church began on the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 33. Peter was made the first Pope of the New Covenant as proven by the Bible in Matthew 16:13-20 and Isaiah 22:21-23. In the passage in Isaiah we find that the keys of the kingdom, whatever is loosed or bound, language was a quote from Isaiah. Jesus did not quote the Bible flippantly. There was a reason. In Isaiah we see that there is a succession of the Office of Prime Minister. The king is the king, but kings have their Prime Minister. That is what the Pope is, a Prime Minister of King Jesus. Further, the Prime Minister is called the "Father of the Nation". The Pope is the Father of the Church". The word Pope simply means father. Thus, the word Pope, as applied to the Prime Minister of the Church is actually in the Bible. Everytime you see the word "father", that is "Pope", which the English transliteration of the Latin, and Spanish, and Italian "papa". By the way, God has always has a Pope, a Prime Minister. Before Christ, the "Chair of Moses" was the seat of authority for the people of God. Moses and his successors were popes. Jesus even mentions the "chair of Moses" in Matthew 23:2. "Chair" in the bible refers to the seat of authority. I was a Baptist preacher, for fifteen years, and converted to the Catholic Church, because of the Bible and the Bible alone, because the Bible says that Peter is Pope. Also the theology of the "Bible alone" is actually not biblical. No where does it say that the Bible is the sole source of authority. In fact, the first Christians did not have a New Testament. The New Testament was written from around A.D. 40s to 90s. But, even then there were many books and gospels that were not legitimate Scriptures being read in the local churches. In the 5th Century the Catholic Bishops got together and began to make definitive decisions about which books and gospel were legitimate and which are not. If it were not for the Cathoilc Church, your friend would not have a New Testament. In fact, the New Testament was written by Catholics. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Timothy, Paul, etc. were all Catholics. At the time there was only one Church in existed that that was the Church in union with the Chair of Peter (Catholic). Splts came a thousand years later with the Orthodox, and fifteen hundreds later with the Protestant revolution. The Catholic Church was the original Church and still today the Catholic is the only valid Church in the fullness of the faith that exists. These are historical and provable facts, not opinion. I recommend you look over the pamphlets on Catholic Answers. Those pamphlets address typical Protestant objections to the Church and answers them. Also the follow sites prove the Biblical Basis of the Catholic Church: Biblical Evidence for Catholicism Scripture Catholic: Providing Scripture Evidence for the Teachings of the Catholic Faith As for this pastor, politely tell him that you are not interested in his thoughts on your interest in joining the Catholic Church and to leave you alone. By the way, if he is a former Catholic, which may or may not be true as anti-Catholic bigots like him often lie about that, he did not understand his faith. The spirit who told him that the Catholic Church was false was not the Spirit of God. When I was a Baptist I never said such a bigoted and hateful thing. That is the spirit of the devil to say things like that against Jesus' Church, the Body of Christ, and is actually a blasphemy on his part. Believe me, there is no use to discuss this with him, to argue, debate, or in anyway converse with him on this subject. Ask him to stop. If he doesn't stop his disrespect of you then walk away from him. If he is doing this at work, then file a complaint with your employer. I am serious about this. It is profoundly disrespectful of him to do this, and more, it is a devilish behavior. Follow the actions of Jesus who said, "Get thee behind me Satan." The devil is certainly using this guy. Pray for him. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

being discouraged from becoming Catholic

stacey

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Question:

I've decided to attend RCIA classes this September.

I know a man who is a pastor through my job. He has tried to discourage me because he claims Catholicism is counterfeit. He told me he used to practice Catholicism for several years "until the lord convicted him it was false."

He told me it was contrary to the bible and one could not be a Christian and be Catholic. I told him that I always thought that historically, the Catholic church existed several hundred years prior to the bible being put together. He said that was false. I don't agree with him.

I told him how I loved learning about the Catholic tradition and reading about the saints. He said that I didn't need any of that and I just needed the bible only.

Did the church exist before the bible was written? Why can't people in Protestant denominations just focus on what we have in common instead of labeling everyone with different beliefs(especially Catholics) counterfeit? That's one of the things that turns me off about Protestantism.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Stacey:

Sorry for the delay in responding.

I praise God that you are coming into the Church. Welcome to the Church.

Do not let the devil dissuade you from joining the Church that Jesus personally founded. The Catholic Church began on the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 33. Peter was made the first Pope of the New Covenant as proven by the Bible in Matthew 16:13-20 and Isaiah 22:21-23. In the passage in Isaiah we find that the keys of the kingdom, whatever is loosed or bound, language was a quote from Isaiah. Jesus did not quote the Bible flippantly. There was a reason.

In Isaiah we see that there is a succession of the Office of Prime Minister. The king is the king, but kings have their Prime Minister. That is what the Pope is, a Prime Minister of King Jesus. Further, the Prime Minister is called the "Father of the Nation". The Pope is the Father of the Church". The word Pope simply means father. Thus, the word Pope, as applied to the Prime Minister of the Church is actually in the Bible. Everytime you see the word "father", that is "Pope", which the English transliteration of the Latin, and Spanish, and Italian "papa".

By the way, God has always has a Pope, a Prime Minister. Before Christ, the "Chair of Moses" was the seat of authority for the people of God. Moses and his successors were popes. Jesus even mentions the "chair of Moses" in Matthew 23:2. "Chair" in the bible refers to the seat of authority.

I was a Baptist preacher, for fifteen years, and converted to the Catholic Church, because of the Bible and the Bible alone, because the Bible says that Peter is Pope.

Also the theology of the "Bible alone" is actually not biblical. No where does it say that the Bible is the sole source of authority. In fact, the first Christians did not have a New Testament. The New Testament was written from around A.D. 40s to 90s. But, even then there were many books and gospels that were not legitimate Scriptures being read in the local churches. In the 5th Century the Catholic Bishops got together and began to make definitive decisions about which books and gospel were legitimate and which are not.

If it were not for the Cathoilc Church, your friend would not have a New Testament. In fact, the New Testament was written by Catholics. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Timothy, Paul, etc. were all Catholics. At the time there was only one Church in existed that that was the Church in union with the Chair of Peter (Catholic). Splts came a thousand years later with the Orthodox, and fifteen hundreds later with the Protestant revolution.

The Catholic Church was the original Church and still today the Catholic is the only valid Church in the fullness of the faith that exists.

These are historical and provable facts, not opinion.

I recommend you look over the pamphlets on Catholic Answers. Those pamphlets address typical Protestant objections to the Church and answers them.

Also the follow sites prove the Biblical Basis of the Catholic Church:

Biblical Evidence for Catholicism

Scripture Catholic: Providing Scripture Evidence for the Teachings of the Catholic Faith

As for this pastor, politely tell him that you are not interested in his thoughts on your interest in joining the Catholic Church and to leave you alone.

By the way, if he is a former Catholic, which may or may not be true as anti-Catholic bigots like him often lie about that, he did not understand his faith. The spirit who told him that the Catholic Church was false was not the Spirit of God.

When I was a Baptist I never said such a bigoted and hateful thing. That is the spirit of the devil to say things like that against Jesus' Church, the Body of Christ, and is actually a blasphemy on his part.

Believe me, there is no use to discuss this with him, to argue, debate, or in anyway converse with him on this subject. Ask him to stop. If he doesn't stop his disrespect of you then walk away from him. If he is doing this at work, then file a complaint with your employer.

I am serious about this. It is profoundly disrespectful of him to do this, and more, it is a devilish behavior. Follow the actions of Jesus who said, "Get thee behind me Satan." The devil is certainly using this guy. Pray for him.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum