3 Evils Every Man Can Fight

October 11, 2013

A few days ago, I wrote about the courageous Catholic men who scaled the walls of Lisbon to free their land from oppression. The truth is, most of us will not have to go into battle to fight for freedom, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still fight for the good, the true, and the beautiful in this world in other ways.

As Pope Francis has worked so hard to remind us, we live in an incredibly broken and hurting world. There are plenty of opportunities for us to courageously confront the broken, and in many ways, evil, world that we live in. With compassion and mercy, we Catholic men need to be on the front lines, healing the wounded people we encounter with love, and fighting the evils that would destroy them.

3  evils you can fight today

1. Abortion – Abortion is the silent evil of our day, the ultimate injustice. It happens behind closed doors in shiny (and sometimes not so shiny) clinics, staffed by smiling workers who make killing your child as simple as pulling a tooth. Because abortion is covered up so well by the industry that profits from it, it is easy to forget that over 4,000 babies a day are being violently killed each day—and that’s just in North America.

To end abortion, we need modern day heroes who are willing to sacrifice their comfort and ease in order to stand up for the little ones. Whether it means sidewalk counseling, peacefully praying outside a clinic, or financially supporting a pro-life organization, we should all be doing something to end abortion. The only thing we shouldn’t do is be indifferent.

2. Pornography – Pornography is ubiquitous, easily accessible, and incredibly destructive. I have read some incredibly disturbing things regarding the young age at which people are beginning to get addicted to this evil. I plan a longer post in the near future on this topic, but for the time being, I will simply say that the best way to fight pornography is to not view it. Ever. There are few things that will destroy your soul faster. Do not give the devil the pleasure of seeing your soul dragged down to hell—flee pornography like the disgusting reality that it is.

Also, protect your children. Never assume they are ignorant of pornography. Guard them jealously and monitor their time on the internet. Increasingly, children as young as 10 years old are becoming addicted to pornography. If you are leaving your child alone with a computer, you are leaving them with a loaded gun that can easily kill them spiritually.

3. Religious indifference – One of the most disturbing trends in the world, and sadly in the Church, is religious indifference. If I had a dollar for each time I heard a Catholic say that others in non-Catholic religions can be saved, I would be a rich man. I’ve even heard some Catholics who should know better say that it might even be God’s will for someone to remain outside the Church. This is religious indifference at its worst.

You may think I’m hopelessly outdated for believing this, but I don’t really care. I feel passionately about this because I firmly believe that the indifference among Catholics is a cancer that is sending millions of souls to hell. We are presuming upon the mercy of God, and forgetting that he is not only merciful, he is just. We are letting people believe destructive lies because we harbor the wishful thinking that God is merciful enough to save them even though they reject his Body and Bride, the Holy Catholic Church.

Is it theoretically possible for Christ to save someone outside the Church? Anything is possible with God. But should we presume that those who are cut off from the sacraments and the body of Christ, his Church, are perfectly OK and have no need of conversion? Absolutely not. Christ did not leave his Church as one nice option among many. He left as the only way to salvation. The only thing that will inspire a missionary zeal among Catholics is the rediscovery of the dogma that has been defined ex cathedra by three different popes: Outside the Church there is no salvation. “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.)

What else?

These three are just the beginning. There are countless other evils we can fight. Everywhere we look, there are individuals who are suffering from depression, despair, loneliness, and destructive patterns of sin. What evils do you feel passionate about combatting? What are the most pressing problems you feel called to confront? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Sam Guzman

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  1. Joshua Donescoss says

    You are completely wrong, guys, Unemployment and loneliness are the two MOST important evils hurting the world today. Forget about abortion, gay marriage, divorce, euthanasia, other evils caused by Freemasonry. No need to harp on any of that. Let us all “do good” and we’ll meet them half way.

      • Joshua Donescoss says

        Perhaps you don’t understand his comments because you don’t understand the cause of his comments? I understand Pope Francis to be a Humanist or an egalitarian. He is a Neo-Modernist. So his comments are not so hard to understand after all.

        “As Pope Francis has worked so hard to remind us, we live in an incredibly broken and hurting world.”

        Why do we live in a broken and hurting world? Because there is a Conciliar Church and a Catholic Church. The rotten Conciliar Church, the Church of Vatican II, is the rotten part of an apple, so to speak, and the Catholic Church is the good part of the apple. This apple is most rotten, including the stem (Pope Francis). And since the apple is rotten then the world around it is also rotten. If it were mostly a good looking apple then the world around it will, at least, be in a better state than it is in now. As a few great popes have said, such as Sts. Pius V and X, evils in the WORLD and due to lukewarm or liberal Catholics. These same lukewarm and liberal Catholics were the movers and shakers of Vatican II and are now the leaders of the Church. What then can we honestly expect?

        Instead of hosting odd interviews with atheistic journalists, a real Pope would have already condemned and publicly excommunicated the CINO’s in Washington DC. He would have already retracted the name of “Catholic” from the impious universities who host heretic bishops and speakers. He would have already defrocked a few of our most impious bishops. The list, for American alone, could go on forever. It literally takes a stroke of a pen and some oversight. Its not that hard.

        So Pope Francis fails to warn us of these two opposing Churches (one of God and the other of Satan) because he has been blinded by the “smoke of Satan.” He warns us of a broken world over and above the “diabolical disorientation” within the Church (in which Conciliarism has been institutionalized) because he fails and won’t recognize the cause of the brokenness of the world, the diabolical disorientation. He is living proof, in all that he does and says, of this institutionalized rottenness.

        But you are absolutely right. He is the Pope and we must pray for him always. Perhaps one day you will comment on the 6 Traditional Intentions of the Pope: (1) The exaltation of the Church, (2) The propagation of the Faith, (3) The extirpation of heresy, (4) The conversion of sinners, (5) Concord between Christian princes, (6) The further welfare of the Christian people. These are truly his only intentions, which are completely objective, for which we should be praying. Even if he does not recognize them as his divine duty to carry out, by praying for them God may give him the grace to actually do it. I always suggest to others a Holy Hour of Reparation for the Pope’s (objective) sins, particularly on Fridays in honor and memory of Our Lord’s Passion.

        Lastly, as for my rotten apple analogy above, please don’t misunderstand me. I know that God will never forsake His Spouse and that she, by nature, is Holy. Hell can never prevail against her. But Christ never promised that the Church will not experience a Passion (or several Passions). In the end, it will be so bad that, if God were powerless against all the evil in the world (which is impossible), even the elect would fall (because there would be no grace to keep them. Again, that’s impossible.). Keep that fact in mind when you try to figure out Pope Francis. Its only going to get worse. That means we must get better. Suit up, gentlemen!

      • Jakub says

        Hello Sam,
        firstly, thaks for this site, it’s really good stuff and I read almost every article as soon as it comes out.
        Now to get to the point, I’d like to share my view on Holy Father’s comments and perhaps help you understand them as well.

        The way I see it, our Pope is trying to target the evil at it’s source. Women don’t undergo abortion because they want to kill their kids. They only bend their conscience in order to do what they think is more comfortable.
        Sure, abortion is bad, I mean really terible, but it’s only a symptom. Symptom of people lacking true love and true fulfilment found only in God=Love. Coming from broken families, being exposed to modern mainstream lifestyle, they resort to recreational sex etc. giving abortion as a result, because they know nothing else. Many of them are just looking for happiness in all the wrong places. Did they get the chance to know Jesus? Isn’t this also our fault?
        What I’m trying to say is, that every abortion is preceded by some other evil, sometimes a long time ago. The same goes for many other evils of today. It is my experience, that in comunity where people love each other and parents raise their kids well, such things as abortion, divorce etc. are non-existent.
        This is not an excuse for abortion but an attempt to show that this evil may and should be eradicated at it’s very roots by preventing people from getting into such situations in the first place and this can be only done by showing them true joy in Jesus. And we, christians, should be experts in this area, shouldn’t we?
        I mean, we (pro-life people) are all very quick when it comes to telling a woman considering abortion, that it is murder, but many of us, sadly, forget to offer help to such woman, doing an actual act of love. I think:
        “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”
        fits (Lk 11,42) here neatly. I see that a lot in my country.
        I think what the Holy Father means, is that if all had been raisen in love , if fathers had the chance to provide for their families (hence the unemployment) they would choose the Good naturally, noone would ever consider abortion (I know this is a simplified view, but I hope it gets a point across).

        So what do you think?

        God bless you

      • Alex says

        The evils we must combat are within ourselves — within our hearts. That is where the spiritual battle is waged.

        On that front, Pope Francis is a genius spiritual master. I highly recommend, before reading any blog, read and pray over the daily reflections of Pope Francis. If you do, I guarantee you’ll find them edifying. His other comments you “don’t understand” will also make more sense, as they will be in context.

        If you don’t read what he says daily, then I highly recommend not criticizing him or professing to be “frustrated” by him. Nothing is more frustrating than a growing number of devout Catholic who don’t read the words the Pope says everyday, but then take the time to criticize the man when one of his interviews hits the New York Times.

        Maybe — just maybe — he’s got something to say we should take to heart in our own spiritual battles within. Let’s “man up” by humbling ourselves to take to heart the words of the Vicar of Christ. Otherwise, we may be in danger of falling to the greatest of the deadly sins — pride.

        Read the Pope’s words everyday. Or don’t claim to be “frustrated” by him. There is no better Catholic Gentelman I know:

        http://www.news.va/en

  2. raylan2013 says

    1-Divorce-it hurts the kids more than the couple-marriage is a Sacrament–husbands need to put their wives FIRST before all things temporal
    2-Contraception-it naturally leads to abortion but also has husbands treating their wives as sex toys
    3-Weak husbands-they put too much pressure on their wives by not carrying their share of the load–men need to step up
    4-Immodest dress–this is much more prevalent than abortion even among Catholics–dads should properly form their wives and daughters on dress
    I could go on…more at http://www.fixthefamily.com
    God bless you Mr. Gentleman! Keep up the great work.

  3. colleen says

    1215 is before the protestant reformation.

    “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.)

  4. David Mannino says

    fight spiritual immaturity! as a young kid, i use to think the world of adults. they were so grown up and mature! As a teenager, its becoming increasingly scary to see that some people do not grow up, especially when it comes to their relationship with God. God isn’t for only 6 year olds (although recent religious art seems to think that)!

  5. Matthew Peter says

    How arrogant to state that no one outside of the catholic church will be saved. Did Jesus say that you had to be in my church to be saved?? Of course He didn’t! Salvation comes through Christ alone not a set of religious practices. To say that the catholic church is the only true church is a deception. It is not biblical. If you look at the different churches that Paul wrote to you will see that each church had different ways of doing things and had their problems. BUT, they all had one thing in common! It was that they all had come to know the truth of Jesus. They all had the same belief in who Jesus was, what He had done and what He called them to do. Please beware of such arrogance, the Lord detests Haughty eyes. Proverbs 6:16-19.

    • Nicholas Escalona says

      Matthew: You are right in saying, “salvation comes through Christ alone, not a set of religious practices.” * Now, the Catholic Church is the Body of Christ, as witnessed by the Scriptures and the Fathers. Hence – outside of the Church there is no salvation. This is, then, not a Roman usurpation, but a certain truth of the faith; and a work of true mercy to proclaim it to all.

      * I would amend this by saying that Christ taught and established many religious practices… but their efficacy for us is totally dependent on Christ.

      ** e.g. St. Augustine, Sermo 267,4: “What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church.” And when Augustine says “Church,” he means the Catholic Church, as you can read in Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus, ch. 4. (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1405.htm) If you have no interest in the Fathers… I ask you, from whom did you receive the faith? Whom, therefore, must you trust to interpret it?

    • Joshua Donescoss says

      “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – St. Matt 16:18

      “And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.” – St. Matt 18:17

      “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” – St. Matt 28:19-20

      “Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” – Acts 20:28

      “…the church is subject to Christ…” – Eph 5:24

      “…Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.” – Eph 5:25-27

      “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – 1st Timothy 3:15

      So concerning your statement about St. Paul writing to the various churches during his time, I beg you to understand that the variety of churches then is not the same as the variety of churches we see in Protestantism. The churches the city of Rome were not at odds, in matters of Faith, with the churches in the city of Corinth like one may see today with a Baptist Church in America with a Seventh Day Adventist Church in South Africa.

      Those ancient churches were all Catholic. Period. They believed in One Lord, One Faith and One Baptism. They professed the SAME creed St. Paul gave them, i.e., the Apostle’s Creed. They had the same mass, nearly the same mass you would see today (also know as the Traditional Latin Mass) and they all believed in the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

      And understand that for Catholics it is heresy to profess that there is salvation outside the Catholic Church. There have been two “ex cathedra” (i.e., infallible) declarations on the subject:

      “There is one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all can be saved.” – Fourth Lateran Council.

      “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” – Pope Boniface VIII (Unam Sanctam).

      These following errors were formally condemned forever by Pope Bl. Pius IX in his Syllabus of Errors:

      15. “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.”

      16. “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation and arrive at eternal salvation.”

      17. “Good hope at least is to be entertained of the eternal salvation of all those who are not at all in the true Church of Christ.”

      18. “Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion, in which form it is given to please God equally as in the Catholic Church.”

    • David says

      “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15).

      The Church, not the Bible, is the pillar and bulwark of the truth! The Bible is the main source which the Catholic Church uses when she declares and defends the truths of God, but she herself is the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

  6. Paul says

    I totally agree with this article. I think that almost all of the horrible sin we see today (abortion, pornography) stem from a disordered view of sexuality. Gay “marriage” could also be lumped in. Something must be done about the rampant disordered views of sexuality.

  7. Michal says

    Divorce and how divorce Catholics can still participate in the church and how to get the reconciled so they can receive the Eucharist.
    Also, I don’t know if you or your readers have read Al Kresta’s book “Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism’s 21-Century Opponents” , but I had a chance to ask him the #1 problem in this country and he said Consumerism. That chapter is in his book and the one that focused the most on.

  8. Rod says

    Good post! Thanks for writing it. My 15 year old son posted it on FB so it is reaching the young! One thing though, please be careful about the whole salvation outside the church issue. Technically what you said is correct but it’s a question of definition of terms. Here is a very interesting article on the history and development of that issue showing that the Church teaching is not quite as black and white as you imply: http://catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0155.html

  9. Matthew Peter says

    I am not trying to say that there is salvation outside the body of Christ, but merely that the Catholic Church is not the true body of Christ. When Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:18 He is telling Peter that He will build His Church on the acknowledgement by Peter of who Jesus was. Peter was as you know the first of the disciples to acknowledge who Jesus really was. To say that Jesus was going to build His body on one flawed man is not biblical. Yes Peter means rock and Yes Peter was a big part of Jesus’ plan, BUT Jesus us the only rock on which His body stands. HE is the only one that gives us the ability to stand against the gates of hell and not be over taken. In essence you are telling me that I am not saved because I am no longer apart of the Catholic religion, even though I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and walk with Him on a daily basis which according to the bible makes me apart of His body. To say other wise is to deny that salvation actually comes through the cross and that it comes through participating in the practices set up by man. The religion that Jesus came to set up is clearly stated in James 1:27 as the only religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. No rituals or confessions to a priest.

    • Joshua Donescoss says

      “When Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:18 He is telling Peter that He will build His Church on the acknowledgement by Peter of who Jesus was.”

      But read the following verse: “And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” (Cf. St. Matt 18:18)

      Twice he gave to His Apostles, and to Peter the supreme authority, POWER to do something no man, or group of men, in the history of the earth could do. Jesus did not give Himself the keys to Heaven. He WAS the key to Heaven! He gave them a part of His own power for the building up and edification of His Catholic Church on earth.

      Christ also gave them the power to forgive sins in confession, to cast out demons, to heal the sick in the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, to ordain priests and consecrate Bishops (to continue the line of Apostolic Succession, of course) and to work all sorts of wonders in this life (and the next). He commanded them, as Bishops of His Church on Earth to TEACH and Baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. He gave to each of His priest the power to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

      “To say that Jesus was going to build His body on one flawed man is not biblical.”

      This is false. God has built two other Covenants upon flawed men like St. Peter (Noah and Abraham) to prefigure the New and Eternal Testament of Jesus Christ. Christ built His Mystical Body, i.e., the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, upon St. Peter, the first Pope, and His Apostles. This same Church, the Church of the New Testament, has lasted for nearly 2000 years because of a solid line of Apostolic Succession and a faithful passing on of the Deposit of the Faith/Divine Revelation. Since men are flawed, these two thing must have divine protection to last for so long. After all, without the two there can be no Church. The Protestants lack both!

      “The religion that Jesus came to set up is clearly stated in James 1:27 as the only religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. No rituals or confessions to a priest.”

      True. But then what was St. James speaking of here:

      ” Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.” – St. James 5:14-16

      Or what about the ritual Jesus Christ Himself performed on a sick man in St. Mark 7:32-37 (These same acts are in the traditional rubrics for Baptism in a church)

      Or what about the description of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in 1st Corinthians 11? Sounds like a ritual to me. In fact, Jesus Himself commands His Church to continue it forever.

      It is by these 7 Sacraments (your so called “practices set up by men”), Baptism into the Catholic faith being absolutely necessary for Salvation, we try to keep unpolluted in the world. That is why Confession is so necessary and that, at Holy Communion, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the communicates head with the consecrated Host and prays this (in Latin): “May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.”
      One of our greatest Popes, St Pius X, decreed that the faithful should make an effort to receive Holy Communion, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Our Lord Jesus Christ, on a daily basis.

      To prove all of this I offer you two links that helped me convert from Protestantism to the true Catholic Faith not too long ago:

      http://scripturecatholic.com/the_church.html

      http://scripturecatholic.com/primacy_of_peter.html

    • Pero says

      Yes, because you left the Church. And this is because you are part of a generation who no longer knows what it is to be Catholic. Blame Vatican II that you do not know that their are only two churches- the churches that come under the wing of the Bishop of Rome and those of the Eastern Rites, i.e., the Orthodox churches. The rest are sects. We are not a social club, we are the Church of God as established by Jesus. You cannot pick what suits you and discard the rest. You either are Catholic or not. You are either Orthodox, or not. You are either Christian, or not. It is an eternal commitment. Put your ego aside, humble yourself, get on your knees before communion, learn the laws of the Church then you will understand that the Communion is the Body of Christ. I truly feel sorry for you and your generation who live in the Anglo-Saxon west, you cannot see past your pop psychologies and liberal ideologies. Though to be fair we in the Old World are rapidly become like you. What a shame.
      Btb

  10. Matthew Peter says

    “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved”

    The bible says that Jesus is the the only name by which men may be saved. Catholic does not equal Jesus…

  11. Matthew Peter says

    I appreciated the resource, it was very informative. However, there are many as you like to call them “Protestant” articles that give much evidence of the opposite. I agree with you as far as it goes that Jesus chose Peter to play a large role in establishing His church. Here is the question that still remains. Why would Jesus give complete leadership and power of His body to one man? A man who as we know had his flaws just as we do. And then to later to establish thousands of years later in 1870 that His predecessors i.e the Popes, have an infallibility. To say that Peter was chosen by Jesus to be a leader in the church is true, but to declare his authority over Christ’s body and his infallibility in doing so is denying the flaw of men. This is shown by the papal corruption displayed by Some popes.

    • Joshua Donescoss says

      Even though the dogma of infallibility was declared at the First Vatican Council in 1870, the belief in the infallibility of the Pope can be found professed even by the earliest of Church Fathers and Church Doctors. Since it is dogma, it must be considered a truth revealed by God to the Apostles. All of Revelation ended at the death of the Last Apostle. So for example, if you could go back in time and ask St. John the Apostle, the last to pass away, if he believed that St. Peter was 1) the supreme pastor of the whole Church and 2) that when he taught the Church as the supreme Pastor that he could not err he would no doubt say yes to both of your questions.

      No Catholic denies that Peter and his successors (all 265 of them) had and have flaws (one can see that today in Pope Francis). But God loves to choose flawed people to do extremely extraordinary things. Noah was flawed! Moses was flawed. David was flawed. And Solomon was flawed. The list could go on for some time. The only exception is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was conceived without sin and never once sinned. Catholics firmly and without doubt believe that, despite these men being flawed, when they teach the whole Church that they will be granted the protection of the Holy Ghost.

      Also, it is insane to believe that God would found a Church to last to the end of time, to remain pure and spotless, and not have any teaching authority whatsoever (something the Protestants lack) and the protection of that same teaching authority. We all recognize that we, men, have flaws and can easily err. Flawed men can’t protect, by themselves, the Deposit of the Faith in its purity, as God has willed. Therefore, the Chruch, as a whole, constantly begs God to send the Holy Ghost to protect the Church from erring when she teaches all the faithful something He has reveal.

  12. Matthew Peter says

    By the way I am really appreciating this discussion and I hope that it can continue in a respectful and friendly manner. I believe that it is good to discuss things and even to challenge what we have been taught.

  13. Matthew John Peter says

    I just have one quick question before my response. How come you say protestant? Isn’t it Christian or non-Christian and that is it?
    I too agree that God is in the business of using flawed people to do great things. He is still doing that. My point though is that if He gives everyone who believes in the Him the Holy Spirit which is the counselor and helper to empower us in our walk with the Lord to sanctify us and to lead us then why would He appoint complete authority to one man when all are equal in Christ because of that reason. People look at the Pope as if he is above them in some way. He is called Holy Father and other names that are not deserving of anyone but the Almighty God. If I am not mistaken, the Catholic Church does not believe and does not teach any assurance of salvation which comes by the deposit of the Holy Spirit that you say the catholic church seeks.

    The “Protestants” do have a teaching authority which is God. I believe that you have to make a distinction between the religions of people that have left the catholic church and the true followers of Jesus Christ. Some say they are christians, but are merely practicing a sunday religion.

    • Joshua Donescoss says

      I say that because that is what you are. Those who adhere to Luther, Calvin or the other revolutionaries are Protestants. Only Catholics are true Christians.

      “why would He appoint complete authority to one man when all are equal in Christ because of that reason.”

      We are equals in Christ yes, but not equal in position. That is Scriptural. St. Paul was above Timothy in position. St. Paul had authority of St. Timothy and St. Peter over Sts Peter and Timothy. Its the way God designed society. He did not choose St. Peter as the supreme authority BECAUSE he was a flawed man. I don’t know exactly why He choose St. Peter but He did.

      “People look at the Pope as if he is above them in some way.”

      He is the Vicar of Christ. I am not. He is above me.

      “He is called Holy Father and other names that are not deserving of anyone but the Almighty God.”

      Judges in the Old Law were called gods by the people and God saw that it was fine. So Holy Father is bad at all.

      “If I am not mistaken, the Catholic Church does not believe and does not teach any assurance of salvation…”

      Correct. Catholics are not “saved” until they are judged by God on the particular judgment (soon after death). We have all been redeemed but none who are alive right now can be called saved.

      “…which comes by the deposit of the Holy Spirit that you say the catholic church seeks.”

      I don’t follow? Elaborate please?

      “The “Protestants” do have a teaching authority which is God.”

      No they don’t. You folks have Private Interpretation. Meaning every man for himself, basically.

      Because if that were true, you would be Catholic. Because God would have to teach you that the Catholic Church is the only Church of Christ. But You are not. And Mormons preach differently than the Baptists and the Methodists different from them. There are over 53,000 different and warring sects of Protestants and they ALL preach (1) that they alone interpret the Scriptures rightly and (2) war against the Catholic Church.

      Your own will is your teaching authority, not God.

  14. Matthew Peter says

    First of all I do not follow Luther or Calvin or any revolutionaries but Christ Jesus.. When I read scripture I ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand it. I do not open up a big book of protestant beliefs or anything. Second of all I was in the Catholic Church for 18 years and did not hear the gospel of the kingdom of God that is in the bible. I heard it from a born again child of God. God opened my eyes to Him. I started to understand His word and what He did for me. I did not go to some “Protestant” class or something. God changed me heart. I found victory in sin and direction in life. Before that I was lost in a darkness of trying to be good enough and trying to earn His love and forgiveness. He has done so much in my life since then and I have seen Him bring healing to my wife physical and emotional. He has brought 4 of my siblings into His family and has radically changed their lives as well. By the way my mother is Mormon and that group is in a whole different category. There is so much deception in the world today just as Jesus said, but those who have been born again can be confident for we know what we have seen and that is Jesus Christ. Yes there are many, many “christian” churches out there that are arrogant enough to say they are the true church and have it figured out, but we both no that isn’t true. the true church of Christ is made up of those who are born again in the Spirit of God (John 3:3). We know that we are sinful, but we know that we have a perfect savior. I am not warring against the Catholic Church. I am simply questioning why you believe what you believe. Please friend can you with completely honesty and confidence that you are born again of the Spirit of God? If so then I greet you brother, but if not I strongly encourage you to seek the Lord for what that means and I will pray with you.

    • Joshua Donescoss says

      If you say that the Catholic Church is not the true and only Church of Jesus Christ, His mystical body described by St. Paul, then you are warring against the Catholic Church. This is Protestantism.

      If you say that you don’t need to be subject to the Pope, Bishop of Rome and true successor of St. Peter, then you are not a real Christian (Cf. St. Matt 16:18; St. John 21:15-17).

      If you don’t profess the Catholic Faith then you cannot please God (Cf. Hebrews 11:6).

      You are outside the Catholic Church and you will die in your sins if you continue to live outside the Church (Cf. St. Matt 18:17).

      I say this honestly, as a Roman Catholic, am totally confident that, being baptized into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, am “born again” in the same sense the Holy Scriptures and, thus, the Catholic Church teaches (i.e., the transformation that God’s grace accomplished in a person during baptism).

  15. Matthew Peter says

    These statements that you profess are quite bold, but misguided. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith no one can please Him. It says Faith! not being catholic. Just because you are catholic does not mean you have faith in God. Furthermore it goes on to say that you must believe He exists and believe that HE rewards those who earnestly seek His face. I pray that the Lord will open your eyes to His word.Your verses are being used out of context and used to serve your beliefs. that is not how it works. Please do not rely on the teachings of the catholic church, but rather read God’s word yourself and ask that the Holy Spirit would teach you. I am not being arrogant here. I admit that I do not know everything or even a whole lot, but I do know what God has done and He offers Himself freely to whomever would seek Him.
    I am subject to Christ and Christ alone. And my friend to be baptized as a baby is not the same as being born again in the Spirit of God. Read the scriptures on being born again. I was baptized and raised in the catholic church. What I saw was a religion that deceived and imprisoned.

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