Catholicism--Curious About It

by White Dove 64 Replies latest jw friends

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  Robert7

  I used to be Catholic. When you look at its history, it has been a more dangerous religion than the JWs. It may not be a high control group now, but it used to be for centuries. People were killed for owning the bible, or talking against the church. The church meddled in politics, killed dissodents, and engaged in wars.
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  BurnTheShips

  Thanks for that Beks. It is a great explanation. I think that outside of politics, we probably agree on a lot of things. I know you are not a believer, but I notice that you see through the lies.

  BTS
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  beksbks

  Thanks Burn, I honestly do search for truth.
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  BurnTheShips

  One thing also, I recall scripture saying that no man be called "father", in regards to God being called our father.

  I don't recall which scripture, but how does the RCC justify their priests being called "Father".

  If you take that text hyper literally, then you can't even call your father, father.

  BTS
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  Amazing

  Robert7

  When you look at its history, it has been a more dangerous religion than the JWs. It may not be a high control group now, but it used to be for centuries. People were killed for owning the bible, or talking against the church. The church meddled in politics, killed dissodents, and engaged in wars.

  How's that? What solid, credible, historical facts to you have to support these assertions?

  Here are some solid historical facts as just one example of the inaccuracies of the above assertions:

  • It was the Catholic Church that first compiled what we call the New testament.
  • It was the Catholic Church that debated for centuries what books belong in the Bible.
  • It was the Catholic Church that finally established the NT canon, and declared it inspired by the 8th century (700 years before any other Christian denomination existed)
  • It was the Catholic Church that urged the first mass printing of Bibles, starting with the Douay Rheims Bible, which preceded the King James Bible. The first printed Bible was Gutenberg, which was done as an example of the invention of the printing press. But, it was the Catholic Church that got the mass production going.

  Tell me how this jives with the assertion that the Church killed people for owning a Bible when the Church made sure they were printed for people to buy? Could it be that some of that good old fashioned JW brainwashing is still messing with your sense of history?

  Example: Some anti-Catholics have quoted the Council of Trent in 1546 to say that the Church prohibited reading or owning a Bible. The truth is that the council fathers decreed on April 8, 1546, (over 70 years before the printing of the Catholic Douay Bible) ". . . the synod, following the examples of the orthodox Fathers, receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety and reverence all the books both of the Old and New Testament, -- seeing that one God is the author of both, . . . ." But no where in the records of the Council can anyone find any such alleged prohibition of reading or owning a Bible. In fact, the Church has granted special blessings for any Catholic who reads the entire Bible, OT and NT. The Church at times has strongly discouraged reading fake works purporting to be inspired or Biblical.

  What we have today with respect to the Bible was a product of the Catholic Church ... and to assert otherwise is to display a gross ignorance of history, or a willingness to spread any sort of nonsense without checking facts and sources.

  Likewise the other assertions you made are not accurate, but I thought that one example was good for now.