Crusader_4 Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Everytime i hear about this sort of Cult like thing i am always reminded of this famous article by Chesterton about why people see Catholicsm as a cult and such check it out its awesome [url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/CONVERSI.TXT"]http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/CONVERSI.TXT[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader_4 Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 I know the article is very lenghty but it explains VERY well why people see it as a cult definatly worth reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeenaBobba Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 [quote name='MorphRC' date='May 30 2004, 01:01 AM'] The majority of heretics believe this. Pentacostals, Mainstream Protestants, even certain Lutherans, Some Anglicans, 95% of ALL Ministrial sects, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers etc those types. Baptists believe it, then the split off's from Baptists believe it, but more stauchly, 7th DA's do for sure, JW's, Easily the 85% of heretical sects do, btw thats probably a understatement! Pax Iesus Christi Paul. [/quote] Hi Paul, I think that's a bit unfair. Not all of them believe that. Surely, [b]some[/b] of them do. Many Protestants that visit this site were offended that we'd think that all Protestants hate Catholics. If you go to Dave Armstrong's blog, you'll see that he has a list of quotations praising his work, and some of the praise is from non-Catholics. (Yes, he also gets a fair amount of bashing as well.) I certainly don't feel comfortable saying that the majority of Protestants think Catholics belong to a cult. (Of course, they all think Catholicism is wrong to some degree or another, but that's different, I think, from calling it a cult.) I just don't have the evidence to make so bold a statement. Take care, Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeenaBobba Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 [quote name='Kilroy the Ninja' date='May 29 2004, 12:33 PM'] Part of the problem here is the word "cult". In and of itself the definition of the word "cult" means a devotion to, or a devotional group. It's the current [i]conotation[/i] of the word that has everyone up in arms. Right now, in our modern society we have made the word "cult" a bad thing. We have, many times, mistakenly lumped it together with "occult" which is an entirely different thing. There are cults within the Catholic Church. For example, the Cult of Mary - those who are devoted to Mary. But the Catholic church itself is not a cult. When the word cult is used now in modernity, we should re-examine what the true reason behind using that word. More than likely we should be using the word "sect" which by definition means a religious denomination, especially one deviating from a generally accepted tradition. Of course, I think as people we should all try to be a little more thoughtful about the words we choose to use. They are meaningful! [/quote] Hi Kilroy, It's good that you explained the semantics of the word because I have a feeling that it's often unknown by many people. A lot of debates can be avoided or shortened (leaving the way for debates on more important things) if the the specific way a person is using a word is known right from the beginning. God bless, Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quietfire Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 [quote]Part of the problem here is the word "cult". In and of itself the definition of the word "cult" means a devotion to, or a devotional group. It's the current conotation of the word that has everyone up in arms. Right now, in our modern society we have made the word "cult" a bad thing. We have, many times, mistakenly lumped it together with "occult" which is an entirely different thing.[/quote] The word 'cult' changed in our modern world to something equivalent as evil. This happened in the 1970's after the Jim Jones incident, where he had his followers evetually drink poisoned red kool-aid and shot those who attempted to escape. The press, for some reason, grabbed ahold of this word and started throwing it around in an negative way. As a result, some who had any dislike for the Church 'started to notice' the word was used in devotional groups within the Church and thereby came to think that Catholicism as a whole was nothing more than one large cult. Cult has nothing to do with 'occult' as Kilroy pointed out. The two have two very different meanings. This is the problem when people dont think, when they refuse to do the proper groundwork on any study. This is the problem when people fail to distinguish what is the basis for elementary understanding. People are ignorant and turn to the media for their education. I am not blasting all media, but there are many who fail to take the responsibility for their actions. All too often parents choose the t.v. for babysitting, education, and religion. Without knowing where the content is coming from or promoting, they simply sit in front of the idiot box and become a member of the parrot society. Again, I am not against television or media. But I have always been under the impression that most things need to be taken with 'grain of salt'.(my mom's southern wit) Dont believe everything that is pushed in your face. Do the homework, ask the questions. Or you turn into a parrot. Peace :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Digger!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal4Christ Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 (edited) Sadly, I once considered Catholicism a non-Christian cult . One of the worst kind, too. The "whore of Babylon." Thankfully, I now stand corrected :squash:. However, the Protestant seminary I am a student believes that Catholicism is a cult or cult-like, at least most of the professors and students. I am afraid for others to find out that I am seriously looking at Catholicism now! They may think I am crazy . I can only imagine how this man in the article felt as he went through the conversion process! In Christ, Neal Edited June 28, 2004 by Neal4Christ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 'Whore of Babylon' types are the most stubborn and hard-headed ones. I only got thru one out of 40 I meant, but then he fell back into the old ploy. kinda sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Met* sorry typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quietfire Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 MorphRC, Try taking a whack at my sister. She is so convinced that the Church is the 'whore of babylon' that she argues it on 2 different sites. I couldnt even tell you what faith she is. It has definitely put a strain on our relationship. Peace :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 My mate was totally anti-catholic, he'd spew out so much junk, then when asked, got proof? He's like, 'dont need it, coz its true'..lol So I got 4 pages of quotes from the first century, bible, non-canonical manuscripts proving otherwise, never brought that up..LOL, then he started with the '1124/5 Eucharist Doctrine on Transub.'..I think 1124 was the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Just Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 i got family members like that. I can't stand it, they are so ignorant. They claim all this carp about the catholic church, then when I go to defend it they change the subject. I can tell em over and over what the catholic church teaches and they will not even listen to me, they insist they know everything, although they dont, they act as if they do. The insist "I'm a christian, Im not Catholic" Christians arent suppose to do the stuff catholics do. I can show them biblical proof, and historical proof on Church teachings and it's almost like they get scared and run from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmerf Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 "There are probably less than a hundred people in the united states who hate the Catholic Church. There are hundreds of thousands, however, who hate what they mistakenly believe the Catholic Church to be." -Archbishop Fulton Sheen The way Catholicism is explained sometimes by some protestant groups makes it sound very cult-like. But (to use an extreme example) you wouldn't go to a Nazi website for an explanation of Jewish Culture. I know there's an anti-catholic handbook by someone named Lorraine Boettner (I'm not sure of the spelling) but it was spread around quite a bit as a guide to understanding Catholicism but really just spread HUGE misinterpretations and outright lies. Anyways. I remember a conversation I had with a member of the International Church of Christ about why I liked being Catholic - I told him I liked how scriptural it was, and how devoted to the life of Christ it was. He nodded and thought that was good. And then I told him I also liked saying the rosary. BING! All of a sudden his mood changed a bit. He asked why I would ever do that. I told him, "If Jesus is my best friend, I better be on good terms with his mom if I want to get invited for supper!" Which is one of the best explanations of Marian Devotion I can give to anybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 When you are dealing with people spouting stupidities that you know aren't true, try some humor. Think about what the person is good at. If he is a docter tell him you have decided to study medicine and spout some silly fallacy about the body you have decided to believe. Tell you have decided to live on chocolate and bananas or something. If he is a carpenter tell him you are going to glue your house together cause you hate nails. If he is mechanic tell him you are going to take half the bolts out of your car to make it lighter and save on weight to save on fuel consumption. Look very earnest and be convincing. When he has become hysterical trying to convince you otherwise [and this IS your goal}, ask him why you should believe his opinon on something. After he is done explaining why your are wrong and he is an expert, [let him convince you], ask him if he always goes to experts for information? Then ask him why doesn't he consult you on the teachings of the Catholic Church since you ARE a Catholic? Then smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quietfire Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Thats shweet, Cmom. I'll try it. Although I am not an expert, I could always direct them here. Peace :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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