to Karlin and Zule

There are good points made by both of you. I would like to try to list the good points by each side and then offer an opinion. I believe the truth should be told no matter who is offended, but my purpose is just to put this in perspective, not deliberately offend someone.

Points made by Karlin

** Respect must be earned.
** The silence of the rank-and-file Catholics is deafening (This same silence is evident in Islam regarding 9/11 and other atrocities)
** Historical silence by the RCC shows official lack of resolve or acceptance of responsibility

Points made by Zule

** No organization is perfect
** All cannot be judged by a few
** RCC should admit problem and renounce it


My Biased Opinion

To be sure, every ‘church’ has its skeletons in the closet, but that does not either excuse the failure of churches to administer firm and prompt discipline nor justify a blanket condemnation of all in the church (guilt by association). The problem is that “Christians” cannot even agree on what makes a person a Christian, much less on what is tolerable and what is not.

I define Christianity from the Bible alone. It is the sole and highest authority on earth. It determines right and wrong, and by studying it we can find the wisdom to judge. Whether and when to ‘judge’ has been discussed in this forum before so I won’t open that up again.

The official teachings and decrees of the RCC show that they add certain deeds to the Bible’s simple salvation by faith alone, so I do not regard that organization as meeting the Biblical definition of “Christian”. However, it is possible that individuals within that organization are true Christians who know that salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone. I would advise such believers to disassociate themselves from the RCC, painful as that may be.

Many religions are popular but of course that is irrelevant to whether they are Christian. Many that have come out of the RCC, especially from the South American countries where it is strong, report harassment of Protestant missionaries to the point of confiscation of property, loss of jobs, and sometimes even murder.

Catholicism may be better than voodoo, but it still isn’t the simple Gospel truth. I’ve said before that religion is like an inoculation against a disease: you get just enough of it to keep you from catching the “real thing”. Being Catholic gives many people assurance and a beautiful religious experience, and most Catholics are good people--- but then, so are most Mormons, most Buddhists, etc. The goodness of the people is not the issue; it’s the soundness of the doctrine. Jesus said that the TRUTH would set us free, not the experience.

Zule, it may sound like I’m picking on you, but from what you wrote in another post I believe you are a real Christian. It’s not you personally I have a problem with, it’s the RCC. I really don’t have anything against you, but I hope you’ve gone to that “Just for Catholics” site.
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