02-22-2007, 05:26 AM
In the Name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit - One God now & forever. Amen.
Assalamu alykum!
Quote:How can men change the religion of God?
They can't!
Quote:If Catholocism is perfect, then why the need for updates?
The Catholic Church is perfect because her Founder is Perfect. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ/Bride of Christ. They're inseparable.
Members within the Church aren't perfect.
There are no updates to doctrines regarding faith & morals (e.g. Most Holy Trinity, Immaculate Conception, Sacraments, divorce, contraception, woman ordination, etc). They've remained the same since day one & will until the end of time.
Quote:Why did it suddenly become okay after centurires of Latin masses to put them in the vernacular? Why was the priest turned around? I am sure that the men have explanations but none of that comes from Jesus. He didn't even speak Latin in the first place.
Sacred Tradition (which includes dogmas & infallible doctrines on faith & morals) need to be distinguished from the various theological, liturgical, or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adopted to different places & times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's magisterium.
Quote:Here is one (just one) of the splits that I had with the church. It has always seemed that when it better suited the church to change to keep people or attract more followers they would alter the beliefs.
Fair enough, Dan! You're entitled to your own opinions & there are many who would agree with you, I'm sure, but please name one BELIEF that has been altered over the years. Keep in mind that it was never a BELIEF that Mass should be celebrated in Latin. It was never a BELIEF that the priest should face the altar not the congregation. It was never a BELIEF (or a command from Our Lord Jesus Christ) that we speak Aramaic. Catholic BELIEFS have never changed, only practices which express true & permanent Catholic BELIEFS. The Church prefers quality not quantity - no compromises!!! King Henry VIII broke away from Rome taking with him millions of believers all because the Church wouldn't satisfy his sinful desires, feminists have abandoned the Catholic faith, as have practising homosexuals, secular minded people, etc. She allows apostasy for those whose hearts aren't for Christ & there's certainly no compulsion in Catholicism. You know that, dude!
As an aside... Martin Luther had a right to oppose the abuses occuring within the Church at the hands of sinful members - St Francis of Assisi did the same a few centuries beforehand. But the difference between the two is that Luther walked out & rebelled, whereas St Francis remained faithful to Christ's Church & reformed it. If I ever saw something take place in my parish that I didn't approve of, I'd condemn it but I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Quote:Look at how Catholics in Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa worship. El Dia del Muete looks like permissible idolotry. Yet Europeans do not perform such acts whereas portions of the hispanic population would feel a religious rite has been neglected if they did not celebrate this holiday.
I've never attended El Dia del Muetre (day of prayer for the dead) in other countries to know what goes on there but theoretically it's not permissible idolotry. NO WAY!!! As you're aware, Catholics do pray for the souls in purgatory & this isn't contrary to the Bible.
Catholics all over the world celebrate Mass using the same essentail parts of the liturgy (non-negotiable), however, to some degree, communities may incorporate their cultural influences into the celebration. I attend Mass in many rites - it's great!
Quote:Some priests take vows of poverty some don't, some brothers and sisters take vows of silence, others don't. Where did all this stuff come from? Jesus did not teach this and if it was supposed to be an important part of the faith why would Jesus not come right out and teach these rites so no confusion results. Then there's tithes... no longer allowed. Why not? They were.
Tithing is an O/T practice. Are you familiar with the widow's mite in the N/T??? Jesus doesn't want 10% of our wages - He's after 100% of our hearts.
Vows vary according to the order one joins - all focus on the same goal... developing a closer & more intimate relationship with God, through the Son, Jesus Christ. Religious life points to the state of existence awaiting humanity after our pilgrimage on earth. I'm actually discerning a religious vocation myself :wub: Consecration to Our Lord Jesus Christ & mortification are biblical - St Matthew 19:10-12, St Luke 18:29, 1 Corinthians 7 (the whole chapter), 1 Timothy 5:9-12, Revelation 14:3-5, St Matthew 6 (the whole chapter deals with mortification/self discipline)... just to name a few.
Quote:You can answer that other stuff if you would like but my point is that standards were set for a person to become a saint... except when the church does not want to follow them? Does this not seem politically motivated? Let's get her cannonized while the hype is up... before she fades in people's memories? Then a new modern-day saint can be celebrated?
Honestly, it breaks my heart that you guys feel this way. It's really not like that at all. The Church is very careful in her canonization procedure. The 5 year duration is to ensure that enough material has been gathered to begin the investigation. In the case of JP2 & Mother Teresa, there was overwhelming evidence & allerged miracles from day one. The Pope has grounds to waive the waiting period under special circumstances. It has nothing to do with politics or hype or memories. In fact it took over 5 years before Mother Teresa was eventually beatified. Saints aren'tt celebrities. The Pope doesn't do press releases or presss conferences. You're confusing the Church for Hollywood, man!
It's all good :)
Peace & blessings.