First off, let me say, that from here on in,..this blog will be dedicated to promoting and defending the Catholic Church, a little along the lines of Apologetics with Attitude. I cannot change my character or disposition, I am a man and make no apologies for being blunt. I am however compassionate and will try to think on the right (intellectually) and my heart will be on the left (socially).
Now, before I begin to cut a promo,..I received an email recently regarding a fellow brother being shaken in his faith by the evangelical/pentecostal anti-catholic crowd. Disclaimer: Before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, I am very ecumenical, I believe the Holy Spirit calls us into dialogue so that we can understand our seperated brethren, thereby making it easier for them to come home. Jesus Christ established one Church, (one flock, one shepherd)and did not intend it to splinter into thousands of competing denominations. I do not believe that protestants are necessarily going to hell, but I believe that Christ calls us to know the Truth, so that we can be set free. In other words, the protestants that died and are in Heaven are now Catholic!...Okay, got that out of the way before some flaky universalist attempts to paint me as a bigot!
The arguments and strategies from the evangelicals are very typical,..the conversation, I believe would go something like this..
Prot: Have you been saved?
Cath: What do you mean?
Prot: Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
Cath: Sure I'm Catholic, I go to Church.
Prot: Well that's nice, but if you don't confess Jesus as Lord you'll still go to hell,.The Catholic Church teaches works salvation and has led billions of souls into damnation. It contradicts the Bible.
Cath: What do you mean?
Prot: Where do we find Mary worship? the Saints, Purgatory, the Pope...All we need for Salvation is in the Bible.
Cath: uhhh,..uhhh,...gotta go,..(faith shaken)
You see for the last 40yrs we have experienced a breakdown in the catechism, Catholics are either secular or biblically illeterate. Vatican II (an awesome council!) has been hijacked by people advocating the 'spirit of Vatican II' hippie non-sense, leaving catholics without a sense of identity. So now,..well try to answer some of those objections. For fun, let's start the dialogue one more time,
Prot: Have you been saved?
Cath: Yes, I've been baptized as it says in 1st Peter 3:21. I confess that Jesus Christ died to redeem me and now I work out my salvation in fear and trembling like Saint Paul.(Philippians 2:12)
Prot: So you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
Cath: Yes I'm Catholic,..I try to participate in the Sacrements.
Prot: You can't really be saved,..That's works salvation,.Sacrements aren't in the Bilbe,.what about Mary and the Saints,.Purgatory, the Pope? All we need is the Bible.
Cath: That's not entirely true,..It is the Church who discerned the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit, under the reign of Pope Damasus and Saint Jerome. As for the other things you mentioned there in the Bible. Gen 3:15 prefigures Mary, and Luke 1 argues her Immaculate Conception,..the Greek word being Kecharitomene). At the Wedding feast of Cana she intercedes on behalf on the bride and groom running out of wine,..In the book of Revelation she is the Woman clothed with the sun giving bith to the man-God,..Dude I really don't know what you're talking about. Purgatory is hinted at in 1st Peter 3:19. The Pope, well Peter is always first among the apostles...
Prot: Whoa,..1st Peter 3:19 doesn't explicitly say Purgatory,.I told you the Bible doesn't say it!
Cath: Okay, then where in the bible do we find the word Trinity or Incarnation?...Didn't think so,...it is the Church which made explicit that which was implicit in scripture! It is remarkable how you protestant guys tend to ignore Sacred Tradition only when it suits your own man-made dogmas,..
Prot: Never mind,..gotta go.
What a totally different conversation. Anyway to that one reader out there who requested this particular post, I hope this helps. Don't forget to pray (especially the Rosary,..also found in scripture...) and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
That's all for now...
Peace
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