Catholic Discussion

[hermanntrude]

Well...hmmm...I still have opinions...and they are an outsiders opinion. I may not be as well versed in the bible as some of these folks, but I can see the affects of the church on my community or what have you. I can respond to the teachings...whether I agree with them or not. You know what I mean? I mean, first and foremost it is a discussion. Those who would ignore me, already do, so they have the freedom to do that and continue the thread in any way they wish. I'm not saying anyone has to respond to me...but at the same time, if I have a point to make a particular time, I feel that I should be able to present it in a public forum. There have been times where I haven't been very nice about it, but more often I feel that I haven't been overly rude or meanspirited about it. I dunno. I mean, I know what you guys are saying...but what I am feeling is that people just want me to shut up and go away because they don't like what I am saying....but, is that...right? I don't know. I mean, what is the point of even coming in places like this if people just want to say where I should post this or that, when and how....you know? That's kind of a crappy discussion forum.

just a suggestion. thought it might make things friendlier

 

[look3467]

Heres a prayer, check it out.

This is My Prayer​

Bless me, Heavenly Father,
forgive my erring ways,​

Grant me strength to serve Thee,
put purpose in my days ...​

Give me understanding,
enough to make me kind​

So I may judge all people
with my heart and not my mind ...​

And teach me to be patient
in everything I do,​

Content to trust Your Wisdom
and to follow after You ...​

And help me when I falter
and hear me when I pray​

And receive me in Thy Kingdom
to dwell with Thee some day.​

~Helen Steiner Rice~
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/OWNER%7E1.ABE/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif​

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,
when my heart is overwhelmed:
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
(Psalms 61:1-2)​

Just you and God in this whole universe, just imagine.

Peace>>>AJ:love9:

 

[snfu73]

just a suggestion. thought it might make things friendlier

I appreciate what you are saying. I know what you were trying to do. Not a problem.

 

[mapleleafgirl]

Heres a prayer, check it out.

This is My Prayer​

Bless me, Heavenly Father,

forgive my erring ways,​

Grant me strength to serve Thee,

put purpose in my days ...​

Give me understanding,

enough to make me kind​

So I may judge all people

with my heart and not my mind ...​

And teach me to be patient

in everything I do,​

Content to trust Your Wisdom

and to follow after You ...​

And help me when I falter

and hear me when I pray​

And receive me in Thy Kingdom

to dwell with Thee some day.​

~Helen Steiner Rice~​

​

Peace>>>AJ:love9:

is helen rice catholic? is this a catholic prayer? if not, i dont want to check it out.

 

[snfu73]

is helen rice catholic? is this a catholic prayer? if not, i dont want to check it out.

Wow...how open minded of you.

 

[DurkaDurka]

is helen rice catholic? is this a catholic prayer? if not, i dont want to check it out.

Can you define what a Catholic prayer is please?

 

[look3467]

is helen rice catholic? is this a catholic prayer? if not, i dont want to check it out.

Why? Would reading it condemn you because it is not Catholic?

Peace>>>AJ:love9:

 

[sanctus]

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.​

- St. Francis of Assisi

 

[snfu73]

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.​

- St. Francis of Assisi

I like that...that's good. Just out of curiousity, why did you post that at this particular point? I mean, I guess I could read into it why, but I thought I would ask for your input.

 

[Graeme]

Better find a new source of info, the Church makes up far more than 5% in the USA, and is also, in terms of numbers, the largest denomination in the States.

I said number of churches which directly corrolates to the number of Priests, Granted there are generally more than one priest per church in Catholic churches, still there are more roman catholics to priests, than protestants to protestant ministers.

And don't fool yourself, just because roman catholicism is the largest denomination, There are far more protestants than Roman Catholics, infact of than double. Our denomination is not nearly as important as the belief that the BIBLE speaks for it self. In fact 99% of the beliefs (read interpretations) between protestant denominations are the same. It's just a different group of people who started the church orginization.


Protestants: 52% of americans
Roman Catholics: 24% of americans


So more than double the number of people, more than double the number of ministeres (especially considering we have fewer protestants per minister)


And how often do you hear about a Protestant minister fiddling with a child in compairson to a Roman Catholic Priest?

 

[Graeme]

is helen rice catholic? is this a catholic prayer? if not, i dont want to check it out.

She is a protestant, more specifically a methodist, Like virtually all protestant denominations the most important doctrine in the religion is Salvation, John 3:16, Where the only things that are needed to go to heaven and the only WAY to go to heaven is to repent and believe that the way to heaven is through jesus, because he died on the cross to atone us of our sin.

 

[Graeme]

this is such a cool prayer..im really starting to get into mary.

Ah yes another of my favourite roman catholic blasphemies, Prayer to anyone but God, or through anyone but Jesus.

(1 Tim 1-6)

 

[sanctus]

I like that...that's good. Just out of curiousity, why did you post that at this particular point? I mean, I guess I could read into it why, but I thought I would ask for your input.

No particular reason,. it is one of my favourite prayers, and it is also a contemporary hymn sung in our Masses quite a bit. St. Francis, in the vernacular, was pretty cool;-)

 

[sanctus]

I said number of churches which directly corrolates to the number of Priests, Granted there are generally more than one priest per church in Catholic churches, still there are more roman catholics to priests, than protestants to protestant ministers.

And don't fool yourself, just because roman catholicism is the largest denomination, There are far more protestants than Roman Catholics, infact of than double. Our denomination is not nearly as important as the belief that the BIBLE speaks for it self. In fact 99% of the beliefs (read interpretations) between protestant denominations are the same. It's just a different group of people who started the church orginization.


Protestants: 52% of americans
Roman Catholics: 24% of americans


So more than double the number of people, more than double the number of ministeres (especially considering we have fewer protestants per minister)


And how often do you hear about a Protestant minister fiddling with a child in compairson to a Roman Catholic Priest?

As much as other groups, the difference being the Church gets more exposure. And here is a little shock for you, the USA is not the world. Holy Mother Church has over a billion and a half people worldwide. Think about it!

 

[sanctus]

I

Protestants: 52% of americans
Roman Catholics: 24% of americans


So more than double the number of people, more than double the number of ministeres (especially considering we have fewer protestants per minister)st?

Your figures are deceptive. Protestant is a group, not an organized Church. There is hardly inter-play between most of the protestant groups in any country, each considering itself the "true way". Like dominoes, the heresies spread and a new protestant sect arises almost yearly.

 

[talloola]

A lovely prayer, we could all take much from it, then apply to our lives, and become better people,
understand each other, get along, and be calmer within ourselves, as we go through life.

 

[Graeme]

Your figures are deceptive. Protestant is a group, not an organized Church. There is hardly inter-play between most of the protestant groups in any country, each considering itself the "true way". Like dominoes, the heresies spread and a new protestant sect arises almost yearly.

Protestants do NOT consider their individual denomination the "true way" we don't put anywhere near that amount of importance on a praticular denomination. Just so long as the denomination follows the bible and NOT other traditions nor other writtings.

Protestant "denominations" do arise all the time, but that just means they don't go under a bigger orginizations umbrella of funding and support.

There are MANY independant "might as well be" protestant churches as well.

My figures are in NO WAY deceptive.

You are right world wide there are more roman catholics than protestants, but the divergance on belief within the roman catholic church is far greater than that of the "protestant" group of churches.

there are btw 1.1 billion Roman Catholics World wide, and 1 Billion "Protestants" world wide, (although 74 million of the protestants are anglican, and I don't know if they should REALLY be included, but they are)

Keep in mind the Roman Catholics have the Fransicans, Dominicans, Jesuits, and MANY other orders.

so don't you go trying to nit pick with me there Sactus.

 

[sanctus]

Protestants do NOT consider their individual denomination the "true way" we don't put anywhere near that amount of importance on a praticular denomination. Just so long as the denomination follows the bible and NOT other traditions nor other writtings.

Protestant "denominations" do arise all the time, but that just means they don't go under a bigger orginizations umbrella of funding and support.

There are MANY independant "might as well be" protestant churches as well.

My figures are in NO WAY deceptive.

You are right world wide there are more roman catholics than protestants, but the divergance on belief within the roman catholic church is far greater than that of the "protestant" group of churches.

there are btw 1.1 billion Roman Catholics World wide, and 1 Billion "Protestants" world wide, (although 74 million of the protestants are anglican, and I don't know if they should REALLY be included, but they are)

Keep in mind the Roman Catholics have the Fransicans, Dominicans, Jesuits, and MANY other orders.

so don't you go trying to nit pick with me there Sactus.

Your figures are deceptive, and incorrect. There is not a divergence of belief within the Church in regards to its doctrines or dogmas. 1 BILLION Protestants...you should be so lucky to have that many. Counting us a faith grouping alongside traditional, not the Canterbury gang, Anglicans with the Orthodox and we by far are the majority faith group of Christendom. There are only around 500 million Protestants world wide my friend.

And your entire attitude makes you a liar, in terms of thinking yourselves the "correct, true" faith. I can't tell you how many times various protestant cults/sects have indicated to me I was going to hell because I didn't subscribe to what their pastors taught them.

Largest denominations in the world

Largest denominations in the world
Catholicism - 1115 million
Roman Catholic Church - 1100 million
Eastern Catholic Churches - 15 million
Old Catholic Church - 0.5 million
Continuing Anglican Movement 1-2 million


Eastern Othodoxy - 225 million
Autocephalous churches
Russian Orthodox Church - 120 million
Romanian Orthodox Church - 20 million
Serbian Orthodox Church - 10 million
Church of Greece - 9 million
Bulgarian Orthodox Church - 9 million
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church - 5.0 million
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - 3.5 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch - 1.5 million
Orthodox Church in America - 1 million
Polish Orthodox Church - 1 million
Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church - 1 million
Albanian Orthodox Church - 0.6 million
Cypriot Orthodox Church - 0.45 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria - 0.35 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem - 0.26 million
Autonomous churches
Ukrainian Orthodox Church - 35 million
Moldovan Orthodox Church - 2 million
Metropolis of Western Europe - 0.1 million
Finnish Orthodox Church - 0.06 million
Chinese Orthodox Church - 0.03 million
Estonian Orthodox Church - 0.02 million
Japanese Orthodox Church - 0.01 million
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia
Latvian Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
Churches in resistance
Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance)
Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church
Old Calendar Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Not universally recongnized churches
Macedonian Orthodox Church - 2 million
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kiev Patriarchate
Croatian Orthodox Church
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
Karamanli Turkish Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church in Italy
Churches which opted out
Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece
Russian True Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Old Believers
Oriental Orthodoxy - 72 million
Ethiopian Orthodox Church - 39 million (incl. abroad)
Coptic Orthodox Church - 15 million (of which 11 in Egypt, 4 abroad)
Armenian Apostolic Church - 7 million (of which 3 in Armenia, 4 abroad)
Indian Orthodox Church - 4.5 million
Syriac Orthodox Church - 3.5 million (incl. Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church)
Eritrean Orthodox Church - 2.5 million
Mar Thoma Syrian Church - 1.5 million
Malabar Independent Syrian Church - 1 million
Assyrian Church of the East - 0.5 million


Anglicanism (Anglican Communion)- 73 million

Protestantism - 500 million

Historical Protestantism - 340 million
Baptist churches - 110 million[1]
Calvinist churches - 75 million
Reformed churches
Presbyterianism
Congregationalism
Methodism - 75 million
Lutheranism - 70 million[2]
Anabaptism/Radical Reformation - 4.5 million
Mennonites - 1.3 million
Amish - 0.2 million
Hutterites
Church of the Brethren - 0.13 million
Brethren in Christ
Open Brethren - 1.85 million[3]
Quakers - 0.35 million
Pentecostalism - 120 million
Assemblies of God - 51 million
New Apostolic Church - 11 million
Kimbanguist Church - 8 million
Church of God in Christ - 7 million
The Pentecostal Mission - 6.7 million
Apostolic Church - 6 million
Church of God (Cleveland) - 5 million
Christian Congregation of Brazil - 2.5 million
Church of the Lord (Aladura) - 2.5 million
Zion Christian Church - 2.5 million
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - 2 million
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - 2 million
Calvary Chapel
Restorationism - 30 million
Seventh-day Adventists - 14 million
Latter-day Saints - 12.5 million
Restoration Movement - 4 million
Church of Christ
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ
Nontrinitarianism - 10 million
Jehovah's Witnesses - 15 million
Iglesia ni Cristo - 1.68 million[4]
Oneness Pentecostals
Unitarianism
Christadelphians

 

[Graeme]

Ouch, I hope you didn't include some of those churches in the count of protestant like Jehovah's Witness (which is actually called latter day saints), New Apostolic Church, and Nontrinitarianism. At least you don't have mormon there. In no way are those churches Protestant ( I am sure there are others you listed that aren't as well) at minimum they are not churches that "most" protestants would consider protestant.

anyway world wide there are 435 million "Independent protestants" Which see them selves as indpendent bodies resembling lutheran, presbyterian, baptist, methodist, or one of the other churches with the very similar (or the same) views.

And your entire attitude makes you a liar, in terms of thinking yourselves the "correct, true" faith. I can't tell you how many times various protestant cults/sects have indicated to me I was going to hell because I didn't subscribe to what their pastors taught them.

I dont' see how my attitude makes me a liar at all, I haven't lied about anything, I also haven't said anything that may be incorrect with knowledge or intention to decieve. but I don't think I have said anything which is incorrect.

Infact you are the one that said there are 1.5 Billion Roman Catholics, it is only now that you are correcting yourself. Which is fine, I understand a mistake. I wouldn't call you a liar because of it.

As for various protestants saying you won't go to heaven, well first they are being a little presumptious thinking they can speak for God with such certainty.

But if I may appologize for them and tell you that what they mean to say is that if you have not repented to god, and if you don't believe that the way to heaven is through Jesus, because he made himself the ultimate sacrifice and took punishment for our sins so that we can go to heaven. - THEN we dont' BELIEVE you will be going to heaven.

Quite frankly everything else is icing on the cake.

Anyway I got out the old calculator and added up as many denominations as I can find which have the basic belief I posted above, I end up with 925 000 000, Now information on independents is damn hard to come by, but two things I have read (one US, one World) had there independent numbers as closely relating to the religions I posted above (lutheran, baptist...).

 

[talloola]

The word "liar" should be banned from this board. Everyone's opinions can get through quite nicely
without throwing that word "about".
I don't think anyone on these threads every "really" deserves to be called A " Liar", it's worse than
many swear words.