(January 22, 2014 at 7:46 pm)rasetsu Wrote:
I think your Catholicism is showing.
You obviously went to a lot of effort in your attempts at stealth evangelization, except like most bad lovers, you came like a rocket even before we'd progressed very far into foreplay.
I'll simply point out two errors. First, there's good evidence that, informally, without the influence of a central authority, a stable canon was shaping up by the end of the second century. Furthermore, many of those who exerted the strongest influence on the solidification of canon did so without explicit mandate from any centralized Roman authority. Moreover, the consolidation of power in Rome happened rather late in the process of canon formation, and throughout the centuries, the Holy Roman Catholic church has been as much an unstable and decentralized force for orthodoxy as not, with significant events being the late consolidation of power, frequently weak and impotent early papal regimes, the Avignon crisis and other occurrences of multiple or false popes, the Great Schism which led to the split between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Western Roman Catholicism, and finally the schism with the orthodox Holy Roman church which led to the Protestant reformation. So, no, far from being a bedrock upon which one can rest a consistent, unified, and enduring legacy, the Catholic church has been a Johnny come lately, wracked with numerous problems and divisions, and as often caused as many stumbling blocks in the path of consolidating the faithful as it might arguably be said to have solved. And now, in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Catholic church's mishandling of the problem of sexual abuses among its ranks of clergy, its unpopular stance on reproductive rights, as well as its vacillation between using the carrot or the stick in managing relations with its faithful, has left us in a world in which the Catholic church is once again causing the faithful to splinter and divide, rather than serving as a strong force to encourage a cohesive and unified faith. So, again, no, the Catholic church hasn't been a unique voice, encouraging unity and salvation in Christ's name, but just another weak, often impotent, and frequently divisive voice in the history of the body of Christ as a whole.
Since the pope was ban may I have this dance Ms. rats-et-sue?? (Pronounced Rats et or ate Sue) I like alpo better but this works too
While the Catholic Church has been far from the Rock Jesus promised to build His church on it has indeed played a pivotal role as a member of the body of Christ. I don't feel the need to waive the banner as strongly as the pope did, but for the sake of argument (just playing pope's/devil's advocate) I will stand behind most of the historical stuff the pope put In his op, but at the same time point out the diversity and ability to hold different understandings of various doctrines is what has kept the body of Christ alive and vibrant. (And it is what pulled us out of the dark ages)
Aside from that I also see the RC church playing a pivotal role in the future as well. John of Patmos has her playing the great harlot of the book of revelation, which means her involvement and support of the anti Christ will finally usher in the end of Days, and God's Kingdom will come. You can't say that does not set the RC church apart from all other churches. So In A sense the pope was 100 % right, non catholic Christians do not have the unity, legacy, tradition, nor the prophetic evolvement the RC church has going for it.
