No offense taken, I have found no problems with the catholic belief system, everything makes perfict sense and can be proven, as it has been for 2000 years, thats why I'm catholic. As to why I chose to pursue the priesthood, my spiritual director thought that, through our conversations I was called to the priesthood, I agreed, so he recommended me to the office of vocations, after several interviews they recommended to the archbishop that I be considered for seminary, the rest is above.
There are many problems with the "catholic" (universal) belief system. Not everything makes "perfect sense". Not all can be "proven" anymore about any religious institution.
Mr. Price, there are a lot of things that I don't know about God, but there are definitely also a few things I do know, and one of those things is that he is not found in any religious institution. People do not need human intercessors between themselves and God. People do not need "training" or to go "under the wing" of some other person based on what that person thinks, unless they are planning to become a craftsman, doctor, or what not. When it comes to God, we are all given our own consciences and we are each free to decide what and how we feel about God, and we are all free to choose how we address God.
It's about FREEDOM, Mr. Price, from ALL religious authority and control of systems that want things done their way. IF a person has a bible and reads it and chooses to apply things in their lives personally, they will eventually realize what they are really supposed to do in life. The whole point in having a bible in mass print is so that each person who possesses one can read it for themself, in their own free time.
I would like to ask you, Mr. Price, two major theological questions from the bible that don't exactly seem to fit that statement you made. Once again, nothing personal, just trying to open a door to something you may have missed in all that research you did before deciding to jump on another religious bandwagon.
You are titling yourself "Father" and people are expected to call you by that title, right? But clearly Yeshua of Nazareth gave specific Rabbinic instructions not to address any human being by that pious title. Not to be confused with a person who calls his dad "father" in a paternal genetic sense, but specifically dealing with teachers, he made this statement:
Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.Mat 23:9And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven.Mat 23:10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ.
It really is difficult to miss this, asit is specfically clear what was being taught and refuted by Yeshua here in this entire dialogue. One of his fancies, was to rebuke the religious Elders of the Pharisaic tribes of Judah/Benjamin in his day. Yeshua of course was a Jew you know, and he knew the Torah well before he was executed for his knowledge of it.
My second question, Mr. Price regards the following statement on your church's website:
The fee for each program is $50.00 and $25 for the
framed certificate (which includes shipping and handling
charges).
To start your biblical studies, please contact us via email
as to which course you would like to study and we will
issue you the materials needed via email.
Once again, the bible has something to say about this sort of thing as well:
(Mat 10:8)
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.(Rom 8:32)
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him
freely give us all things?
(Rev 21:6)
And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
I really don't see how you can ask people to blindly pay money to study what your religion is teaching, unless of course there is one major thing I have not considered... Is your church even bible based in any way?
This is of course one strategy of the WTBS that I at least did like about them. There are many truths that can still be filtered through some of the discoveries that they made. They just really bit the bullet on a lot of things. But I know in my heart that there is no Trinity, no immortality of the soul, and I know now that there is still a coming Kingdom of God to this Earth, and that this place will eventually change for the better. It has to, if the God of love is really a God of love.
So Mr. Price, what exactly is your real agenda for us? I only ask that those of you who are offended at my responses in this post to please bare with me on all things here. I am only asking this because I think that there should always be an outspoken voice who questions people and things immediately, to see what their intentions are. Also, there is a chance for some of us who know that Mr. Price is obviously in another control group, to free him from that one.
The irony here is that we may be able to help you more than you can help us. I am not sure how your fellow members of the faith would feel about you being on this web site either, since there is some slight profanity here and there and most of us are not really religious in any way anymore. Many here are probably like me, unemployed now, hungover, and disfellowshiped from the organization already.
Sorry for the rant, but I hope some of this makes sense?
Matt
