Why We Don't Answer Your Questions

[Robyn]

Have you ever thought about how many times a non-catholic has given a heartfelt answer to a question posed by a catholic only to be attacked or belittled?

Have you ever seen how people rip others' answers apart brutally?

Have you ever considered that many questions go unanswered for these and many other reasons?

Who is gonna bother replying to something that isn't gonna get them anywhere and make them fell like they're "feeding the vultures"?

There are valid answers to valid questions. The problem is that many who ask the questions don't really want an answer unless it supports their own (or their church's) view...

Just something to think about :)

[jasJis]

Robyn,

You know it's not a Catholic thing. Look at the YA board. It's exactly the same. What kind of response did you get for your thread about 'justifying one's faith'? You know and I know, sometimes it how the question is asked. [jas] changed his attitude a little and it came about. We've got Bro. Adam, and ReformationNow that have been here for a while. Their questions and answers have been addressed with openess and sometimes intolorance or irratation. We're human. They're human. Neither is perfect and neither expects perfection from the other. They are not just welcomed, but wanted here. Send them a PM and ask them how they handle it.

jasJis

[Anna]

Robyn,

Have you ever thought that you non-Catholics do the very same thing?

No, really, I think that you are worse about it.

I'm sorry, but you entered a Catholic Forum's Debate Table.

This is a place where Catholics will put our Faith on the Table, and you can put yours on the the Table, and we can see how they measure up to history, tradition, and Scripture.

Many, many, of your posts and those of your buddies have been ad hominem attacks, name calling, general insults, etc.

At least one of you has deliberately tried to provoke anger, just for the sake of then pointing a finger and saying that we don't have the fruits of the Holy Spirit...and admitted it! This same person has said that although we're all members of the Body of Christ, the Catholic Church is the the Lord's buttocks.

Another encouraged this person to "keep on fighting."

Yet another poked fun of a miraculous image of Christ's mother.

This isn't a place to fight.

It's a place for healthy debate.

Admit it, you folks came here with a mission.

Those poor Catholics who don't read a Bible, think the Pope is sinless, worship Mary, don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, need to be evangelized! Let's go tell 'em what's real!

And I admire you for your zeal.

But have you yet learned that Catholics do inDouche have a Bible?

That in fact, it was the Catholic Church around 400 A.D. who compiled and approved the very first Bible?

That it existed unaltered for 1,500 years, until Luther began editting out the books he didn't agree with?

Have you learned that the Pope is a direct successor of St. Peter, the rock, upon whom Christ said, "You are 'Rock' and upon this Rock I will build My Church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."? Can you see that we have Christ's promise, not that our popes will be sinless, but that His Church, which He founded upon Peter, will not fail?

Have you learned that prayer is not necessarily worship, but rather conversation and intercession, and that those who've gone before us are described in Scripture as a great cloud of witnesses, to whom we can turn and unite our prayers to God with theirs?

Have you learned that not only is Jesus our personal Friend, He is also the Lover and Bridegroom of our souls?

Maybe, just maybe you came here thinking that you knew it all, and we knew very little.

And maybe you've learned that the Catholic Church does have something very special to offer after all.

If that makes you uncomfortable, well, maybe that is a good thing.

It made Scott Hahn uncomfortable, too.

So, do you suppose we can still debate civilly? I sure hope so.

And, if you don't answer the questions, I will still assume that it is because you CAN'T. Because we have all answered your questions and attacks, no matter how insulting they came across. You won't find a single question that one of us hasn't attempted to answer civilly.

May God bless you.

Pax Christi. <><

[IXpenguin21]

the reason why it hurts you so, is because the mannor which you are made aware of the teachings is by reading them on the internet.

if Christ wanted us to figure things out that way, He would've sent us the new testiment w/o comming down to Earth.

there must be some sort of action to convey a belief. simple words are not enough for conviction, nor have the ability to show the proper compassion that's called for in dealing with the sensitive situation at hand.

st. francis of assisi is famous for saying 'preach the gospel, use words if necissary'

he called us to live the word, not speak it. if a Catholic showed a non-Catholic the way of what they believe in their actions, it wouldn't be the same thing as reading it on a PM message board because the message board feels like you're being lectured at. obviously, because you really can't do anything other that listen (or read) to what someone else wanted to say.

i'm sorry that the means for your explanation of Catholicism is a mear message board, and i hope if you're really curious about the Catholic faith, that you find a humble Catholic to explain things in the compassionate way that is deserved for that situation! :D :D :D

[CatholicAndFanatical]

Good call everyone, couldnt of said it better myself. No matter how many undisputed facts we present on the table..eh never mind, you three said it best.

God Bless,

CatholicAndFanatical

[[jas]]

Going back to the original topic...

I'll be honest for a second here... there's a number of posts that I've gone to reply to, but then decided that I won't bother for the simple fact that I know I'll get the usual "the church teaches it and the church can't be wrong therefore we're right and you're wrong" answer. And I've heard it so many times it's so repetitive. Plus it's not very convincing. So maybe I'd respond more (can't speak for anyone else) if I didn't keep getting the same response to everything.

[cmotherofpirl]

Jas when somebody makes a comment or asks of question we reply with Church teachings. We catholics don't use private interpretation to decide what to believe.

We go by what the Church, Tradition, and the Magisterium teaches.

WE beleive we are to conform ourselves to God, not the other way around.

So if your looking for lots of varying opinions you probably won't find them here. We teach ONE faith and ONE baptism.

Remember we believe Jesus founded the Church in 33 AD and left full authority to his Apostles, and it still resides in His Church today. So if we were to deliberately preach or teach anything different we would commit mortal sin (it would be grave with free will and full knowledge). We would be cutting ourselves off from God and risk losing heaven.

[ironmonk]

We Catholics respond with what the first Christians taught.

With all the misunderstandings in the Scriptures, what makes anyone think that they can know the bible just by reading it? - no one thought they could until within the last century.

Even St. Peter states that the scriptures and St.Paul's writings are hard to understand and that people will distort them... 2 Peter 3:15-17.

The First Christians wrote about the Scriptures and the teachings of the Apostles explaining them to other Priests and people... There are hundreds of records and copies of these writings because all of the major churches had copies, copied by monks. Rome, Corinth, Antioch, Jerusalem, etc...

Not to mention, most people couldn't read, all bibles had to be hand copied (it was copied by Catholic monks) until well after the printing press was invented.

How did early Christians learn of Christ? - From the Catholic Church, reading Scripture at every Mass.

There are facts about Christ, and the Church that He built. It is not ancient history, the facts and records were not destroyed in a great fire or flood. Facts do not change if you do not like the facts... the facts always remain facts. Maybe some people don't feel the facts...

Truth is based in facts not feelings.

There are some of our Christian brothers and sisters that feel that same sex relationships are ok and they also feel that it is wrong to say that ssa is wrong.... What is the Truth? The Truth is based in fact. Facts taught by the Church of the Living God.

Feelings do not determine what is true and untrue... Facts do.

What about a brother or sister who loves to gamble? They feel it's right... does that make it right?

What about a brother or sister who feels that fornication is ok as long as you "love" the person?... Does it make it True...?

Some people feel that Islam is the truth. Does that make it true?

Some people feel that paganism is true. Does that make it true?

Some people feel that Hinduism is the turth. Does that make it true?

No... feelings do not determine facts... our minds do....

We can only find Truth in facts.

God Bless, Your Servant in Christ,

ironmonk

[Anna]

In other words, we don't make it up as we go along.

The path is clearly defined, by the Scriptures, history, Sacred Tradition, and the Church. All we've gotta do is follow the path.

If you ask directions, how many different roads do you wanna be told to take?

[Unshackled]

We Catholics respond with what the first Christians taught.

With all the misunderstandings in the Scriptures, what makes anyone think that they can know the bible just by reading it? - no one thought they could until within the last century.

Even St. Peter states that the scriptures and St.Paul's writings are hard to understand and that people will distort them... 2 Peter 3:15-17.

The First Christians wrote about the Scriptures and the teachings of the Apostles explaining them to other Priests and people... There are hundreds of records and copies of these writings because all of the major churches had copies, copied by monks. Rome, Corinth, Antioch, Jerusalem, etc...

Not to mention, most people couldn't read, all bibles had to be hand copied (it was copied by Catholic monks) until well after the printing press was invented.

How did early Christians learn of Christ? - From the Catholic Church, reading Scripture at every Mass.

There are facts about Christ, and the Church that He built. It is not ancient history, the facts and records were not destroyed in a great fire or flood. Facts do not change if you do not like the facts... the facts always remain facts. Maybe some people don't feel the facts...

Truth is based in facts not feelings.

There are some of our Christian brothers and sisters that feel that same sex relationships are ok and they also feel that it is wrong to say that ssa is wrong.... What is the Truth? The Truth is based in fact. Facts taught by the Church of the Living God.

Feelings do not determine what is true and untrue... Facts do.

What about a brother or sister who loves to gamble? They feel it's right... does that make it right?

What about a brother or sister who feels that fornication is ok as long as you "love" the person?... Does it make it True...?

Some people feel that Islam is the truth. Does that make it true?

Some people feel that paganism is true. Does that make it true?

Some people feel that Hinduism is the turth. Does that make it true?

No... feelings do not determine facts... our minds do....

We can only find Truth in facts.

God Bless, Your Servant in Christ,

ironmonk

Read and meditate on 1Cor 2:10

Edited October 17, 2003 by Unshackled

[jasJis]

Unshackled,

Read a little more of 1 Corinthians. You are pulling a single verse of Scripture out of context. Note that Apollos and Paul are specially graced ministers of God and are God’s Co-Workers. They plant, they water, and the Corinthians are the field. We are not self-ministers. The Foundation that Jesus Christ laid is His Church that He clearly says He established and has sent the Holy Spirit to abide in forever.

jasJis

1 Corinthians

When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, 1 I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,"

1 Cor 2:10 this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

1 Corinthians Chapter 3

Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.

I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. inDouche, you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way?

Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human? What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.

For we are God's co-workers;you are God's field, God's building.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.

[Mateo el Feo]

Going back to the original topic...

I'll be honest for a second here... there's a number of posts that I've gone to reply to, but then decided that I won't bother for the simple fact that I know I'll get the usual "the church teaches it and the church can't be wrong therefore we're right and you're wrong" answer. And I've heard it so many times it's so repetitive. Plus it's not very convincing. So maybe I'd respond more (can't speak for anyone else) if I didn't keep getting the same response to everything.

Hi Jas,

Ironically, I've heard many non-Christians use the same logic with the Holy Bible. Something like:

"I know I'll get the usual "the Bible teaches it and the Bible can't be wrong therefore we're right and you're wrong" answer. And I've heard it so many times it's so repetitive. Plus it's not very convincing."

• Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. The Catholic Church teaches that it's true, despite "personal Biblical interpretations" that claim he was only a man (Arianism) or only God (some Gnostics deny the Incarnation of Our Lord).
  
• The Trinity (One God in Three Persons) is true because the Catholic Church teaches that it's true, despite "personal Biblical interpretations" that claim the Trinity was three Gods (Tritheists).
  
• Sunday Worship, not Saturday. The Catholic Church teaches it.
  
• Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the only inspired Gospels (no "Gospel of Thomas," for example) in the New Testament. The Catholic Church teaches it, despite those who would include the Gospel of Thomas (Gnostics).
  
• Ad infinitum...
  

"Roma locuta est. Causa finita est." (Rome has spoken. The cause is finished.)

Our Lord Jesus Christ and His One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church (inspired by the Holy Spirit). They're right.

God bless you,

Mateo