Primary Reason I left the Catholic Church:

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Sid2

Primary Reason I left the Catholic Church:

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Posts: 22125

(11/07/07 06:20 PM)

Inner Guard

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Quote:

I had a dramatic conversion experience where I was led by the Holy Spirit to:

come before Jesus

understand how sinful and desperate my spiritual condition really was

understand that Christ's work on the cross was to pay my personal debt to God

that I needed to have complete faith that it was only by HIS blood shed on the cross that would allow me to come into the presence of God

I was overcome with the real and true knowledge that God existed

I was overcome with grief at the deepest level for my past sin and unbelief

I understood for the first time the significance of, the truth of, and the personal nature of the sacrifice of Jesus for me

I understood for the first time that Jesus was alive

I became super sensitive to my own sin and sin around me - I could not even watch the tv anymore

Anger toward my parents that I had held all my life, disappeared

Jealousy toward my siblings disappeared

My priorities changed - personal ambition and work lost its lure

I had a hunger for the bible that was insatiable, for the first time in my life

I understood both the literal and spiritual message of the bible for the first time

I knew the bible was true

I lost any fear of death

I had a deep desire to pray for others

I knew I had to be in a bible based church.

This happened with no one witnessing to me. I did not know any born-again Christians. I was born into an RC family, educated K-graduate school in Catholic schools. Married into another RC family. Raised my children Catholic.

However I came to a point where I knew I was spiritually starved and desperate. I knew I had made mostly selfish choices in my life and they had led to a place I didn't like. This is what led me to seek God's help.

None of my Catholic family or friends understood or could explain the experience. I had received ALL of the sacraments of the Catholic Church that were available to me. As had my family and friends. None of them knew Jesus or the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that I was in the midst of experiencing. The bible clearly explained what was happening.

My life was turned upside down.

I thought about Jesus 24x7. I would wake up in the middle of the night with scrip-tural answers to questions I had, even though I hadn't even read those portions of the bible yet. By leaning on Jesus and trusting His ability to lead my life and provide for me in EVERY detail, I was able to stop drinking alcohol for the first time in 30 years. I lean on Him.

There is nothing offered to or available to me in the Catholic Church that led me to assured salvation in Jesus Christ. It was only by coming directly to Jesus that I was brought into the light of Jesus and the Father.

Praise His Holy Name. I pray the veil is lifted from every single Roman Catholic I know who feels they need religion or the RCC to attain salvation. They only need humble themselves, be broken over their sin, seek to know Jesus, and trust in His shed blood alone. That's it. They only need Jesus and He will lead them to the rest.

That is why I left. And I am confident through the Holy Spirit and confirmed through His word that it was His mercy that showed me the way....His one and only way.

Pegmo

Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.

--Andre Gide

Sid2

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Posts: 19313

(03/14/09 06:41 AM)

Inner Guard

Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity are opposed to each other. They have different gospels and are built on different foundations. What is different IS NOT THE SAME. You cannot hold to both and claim both. You either believe one is true or the other.

You either believe that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is sufficient for your salvation or you don't.

You either believe that you are justified in an instant by faith alone in what God accomplished through the shed blood of Christ or you don't.

You either believe the atoning work of Jesus is finished or you don't.

You either believe that Jesus is your only mediator with the Father or you don't.

You either believe that you have no righteousness of your own and need to receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a gift directly from Jesus through repentance or you don't.

You either believe Jesus is unique in His sinlessness or you don't.

You either believe grace is unmerited favor received directly from God or you don't.

You either believe the Bible is your spiritual authority or you don't.

You either believe you are infused with the Holy Spirit through water baptism, Confirmation and frequent reception of the Sacraments or you don't.

Please figure out what you believe and who you believe. There is only one gospel that saves. One. And it is NOT preached or believed in the Roman Catholic Church. God does not look lightly at the denial of the sufficiency of His Son nor at the spiritual idolatry of the Roman Church. If your ultimate purpose is to please God and worship as He teaches, you need to seriously reconsider what you are doing in a Catholic Church.

--Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

Last Edited By: Sid2 04/06/09 08:03 AM. Edited 1 times.

Sid2

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Posts: 19314

(03/14/09 06:51 AM)

Inner Guard

I think you conveniently missed Rev 18:4which says very clearly, "I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;"...the bible also says to those in the church at Thyatira that those who do not repent of their idolatry will be thrown into persecution and their children will be struck dead. Rev 2:20-23

Please, please do not encourage people to stay in a church where they are required to deny the finished work of Christ and participate in idolatry. When someone is saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit does not require them to stay and participate in SIN in order to reach others. The Holy Spirit is concerned with the spiritual growth and Truth received by the new believer and moving them into fellowship with other true believers. It is also a better witness to leave than to stay.

I know many, many Ex-Catholics that were given a very strong message to get OUT of the Catholic church when they were saved. I was one of them. The Holy Spirit does not risk our spiritual health by leaving us there. Nor does He want our money and resources going to build and enhance the false church.

I will also say, that if you are someone sitting in the Catholic Church, and you don't even recognize the biblical conflict in terms of who and how you are worshipping, then I say check yourself to make sure you are in the faith. The Holy Spirit testifies to these things....you should be hearing the voice of the Spirit to get out and worship the Lord Jesus in TRUTH.

--Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

NMOCM

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Posts: 70

(04/06/09 01:14 PM)

I once thought there was something in the journey these people make. As I followed it away from the Church, though, I found these Churches supposedly bathed in the Holy Spirit to be disturbingly empty. The Holy Spirit is Truth... whatever it is that they're spouting, it isn't Truth.

The Catholic Church is at the forefront of proclaiming the Truth of the value of the natural family, the value and dignity of life, the necessity of brotherhood among men, across lines of class and nationality. Protestantism consistently lags behind.

Gods Trombone

Not A "Protestant" Board Here

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Posts: 4420

(04/07/09 09:05 AM)

NMOCM,

If you haven't noticed it yet, we do not foster or defend "Protestantism" on this board as a policy. Some posters may, or seem to do so
but that is not the reason we exist. What we exist for is to show that RCism, in its official positions (out of Trent and other councils and papal statements) is not based upon "the Word of Truth" as found in the Pauline epistles. The Pauline epistles on the other hand, contain
the basis of the Church, the Body of Christ. This separates "official" RCism and by implication, the Catholic Church from a scriptural foundation. It is not denied here that one may hear truths in a Catholic setting, just as in other denominational settings.

Sid2

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Posts: 20363

(05/30/09 08:54 PM)

Inner Guard

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjmamula

Lets not jump to conclusion here. We do not know the popes heart. There are many people in the Catholic church who are truly saved Christians though I do not know if the pope himself is saved. And yes all people in authority are appointed by God According to Romans. Since he realized that, the pope should humble himself.

I strongly disagree with your statement that there are many truly saved Catholics in the RCC. After 50 years as a practicing Roman Catholic, I can testify that it is a rare occurrence to find someone who is saved in the RCC. However, it certainly happens, as it did for me. But salvation comes DESPITE Catholicism, not because of it. One has to hear the true gospel elsewhere.

And please know that a truly saved, indwelt Christian, will be moved out of the Catholic Church by the Holy Spirit - not IF, just a question of WHEN - the timing can be different for each believer.

It is a horrible thing to give an unsaved person false hope. Do not continue to assume that Catholics are saved. Catholicism is built on different foundations, different authority and a different gospel/plan of salvation. Two gospels that conflict with each other are NOT the same. There is only ONE gospel that saves, and it is no where to be found in Catholicism. Catholicism is heavily idolatrous and blasphemous.

Catholicism gives the glory due Jesus alone, to men and creatures of every sort. What an offense to the sufficient and finished work of the Lamb of God to assume that those who deny HIS Truth are somehow regenerated and restored to a relationship with the Father through some other means than His son.

--Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

Sid2

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Posts: 20495

(06/13/09 06:17 PM)

Inner Guard

Anyone trusting in a false Gospel will not be saved.

For Roman Catholics, they must trust in the sufficiency of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ to pay their entire sin debt.

They must trust that the work of atonement is complete and finished in the work of Jesus Christ.

They must trust that Jesus is unique in His sinlessness which makes Him the only mediator between God and man.

They must trust that the only righteousness that will allow them to stand in the presence of God is that of Jesus Christ, not their own. In God's sight, they have no righteousnes of their own that aids in salvation and never will.

They must come directly to Jesus with empty hands and ask Him alone for the precious gift of salvation that is available nowhere else. The only thing they contribute to the exchange with Jesus is admittance of their sin and agreement with God's assessment of it.

They must understand that every sinful thought, word and deed condemn them to death in God's eyes, not just the man-made category of "mortal" sin. And it is from all of these that we repent and turn.

They must let go of the idea that their church membership, their infant baptism, their good works, their sacraments and their personal sacrifices have any part in making them acceptable to God.

To repent for Catholics means to let go of all of those things they have been taught that bring them grace and righteousness administered through the Roman Catholic Church, and put ALL their trust in the risen, living God, Jesus Christ. Grace is by defintion unmerited favor, not earned - it is a gift of God by His choice.

To repent for Catholics means turning from their blasphemy, i.e. prayer to created beings - the Catholic Mary, the saints etc., attributing the traits of omniscience and omnipresence to anyone other than God Himself.

To repent for Catholic means turning from their participation in the ongoing sacrifice of the Mass which denies the completed and sufficient work of atoning for sin by Jesus Christ.

To repent for Catholics means turning from their idolatry i.e. of adoration of the man- made Eucharistic host as God, of veneration to the Catholic Mary in any form especially of praying the rosary to the Catholic Mary, or participating in any kind of prayer and trust in any saint of any kind for any protection of any kind.

To repent for Catholics means trusting the bible as their authority, not men in any way, shape or form, i.e. priests, church hierarchy or their unbiblical traditions.

The true gospel is trusting by faith alone, by God's grace alone in what Jesus already completed on our behalf. Jesus paid our sin debt in full and is able to completely reconcile us to the Father. It is our sin that has separated us from God and we have to admit that. Salvation is a work of God alone. When we realize we have no other hope, we turn from that sin, ask Jesus in faith to save us, and HIS Righteousness is imparted to us as a downpayment on eternal life. It is HIS Righteousness that begins the eternal transformation in the form of His Holy Spirit. Nothing else.

Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

Sid2

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Posts: 20609

(07/02/09 09:43 AM)

Inner Guard

First of all, Catholicism is not biblical Christianity. Far from it. Catholicism has different foundations, different authority and a different gospel/plan of salvation.

Since when does God smile on those that look the other way at "another" gospel and those that align themselves with it? This is in direct dis-obedience to 2 John 1:10-11.

We are not called to judge someone's salvation by our "experience" with them as people as you have done. We are called to judge all things by the Word of God. And its unfortunate, as you say, that your experience is all you have to go on. Because God has given born again believers much more than that to work with.

The reason the Catholic Church is big is because it represents the broad road. Its power and wealth has come at the expense of Truth and much blood. The Catholic Church has authority on earth from the prince of the earth, not the Living God. It is a political animal with a very thin quasi-religious veneer.

The Catholic Church has represented itself as God's replacement, taking for itself the glory due God alone. It has replaced Jesus as head of the church with its Pope, replaced His cleansing blood with their baptism, replaced the teaching of the indwelt Spirit with its Magesterium, replaced the Truth of God's Word with their traditions, replaced Jesus as mediator with Mary, the saints and their priests, given the glory due God to its Pope, its hierarchy, its magesterium, its tradition, its "Catholic Mary", its sacraments, its overall organization, replaced the free gift of God's grace with its sacraments, and on and on. God is very clear that He will not share His glory with anyone.

How ironic that you would suggest that we cannot know who is saved and not, and then declare yourself to know that many Catholics are our brothers and sisters in Christ; that they are travelling sojourners of some sort, as if justification were a process. It is not.

Born again Christians are either blood bought or not. They are either under the authority of Jesus Christ or not. They are either saved, or not. They either trust in Jesus alone by faith alone by God's grace alone, or they don't.

One cannot hold to two contradicting gospels at the same time. That's impossible. Roman Catholicism directly contradicts God's gospel of grace and the sufficient and finished work of His Son on the cross for the full payment of your sin debt.

Defending the glory of, the name of, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is definitely NOT ungodly as you suggested. It is what Jesus empowers us through His Spirit to do. We are here to testify for Him and Him alone.

If someone holds to the teachings of the RCC and has no problem participating in the rampant idolatry and blasphemy of its worship and system, then clearly they are not of Jesus Christ. And to say otherwise is to deny the teaching of the bible.

Either you believe what the bible teaches or you don't. Either God's Word is your authority for wisdom and discernment or it isn't.

Your postings regarding Catholicism clearly indicate that the Word of God is not your measuring stick. If it were, you would not look the other way at a false gospel and chastise those who condemn it.

-Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

Sid2

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Posts: 21114

(08/27/09 03:52 PM)

Inner Guard

If he thinks the Pope was set up for the purpose of true interpretation, he must have a misguided idea about the purpose of the indwelt Holy Spirit. The bible says the Holy Spirit is our guide to all Truth. The role he assigned to the Pope is substituting a man for the role that the bible said is one of God alone.

Having been Catholic, I know it will be hard to deal with these secondary issues such as the rapture and final authority until your friend is actually born again. Once you are both being led by the same spirit, he will understand. Until then, its an uphill battle.

I know he says he's saved, and I know you think he's saved, but anyone deferring to the Pope, instead of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is very confused.

And anyone who does not have a hunger for The Word of God which testifies to Christ, sends up a red flag about where they are at because the indwelt Spirit testifies to the Truth of Jesus Christ and points those of Christ to The Word.

Anyone comfortable worshipping in a service where Christ is re-offered in an unbloody sacrifice for ongoing forgiveness of sins and submits to another intermediary such as a priest instead of Jesus alone, is still very confused about why Jesus is unique, who Christ is and what He accomplished. And its pretty hard to have total faith in the sufficient and completed work of Christ if you don't understand those Truths about who He is or what He did and how completely unworthy you are in relation to Him.

-Pegmo

I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

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