Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
My experience at a non-catholic discussion group
I post on a Christian site that is mostly fundamentalist and get the usual “The Pope is the Anti-Christ” kind of thing and so on. I just posted the piece on remembering the dead and got a lot of responses. A few were positive, others not so much so. So I decided to post this and see what would happen. I am learning not to fear sharing what I believe, knowing now that I can’t change anyone, nor should I try in any case. All the people on the site are good Christian men and women and I love them, and they accept me or put up with me, not sure which. A few support me, but none are mean, they just disagree. I have decided, however, after this, to not bother them anymore, but will comment on what is posted by others. Language is a problem and it is difficult getting through the maze of the stereotypes thy have of Catholics. Though I guess it goes both ways, with Catholics and their thoughts (at times) on non-Catholics
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Fundamentalism seems to go on the assumption that if it is not in the New Testament, then it has to be rejected. However, the NT Canon was not put together until the 4th century. A long time indeed so there was further development in Christian thought during that time. Even in the very early days of the church the Epistles deal with the problems that needed to be dealt with, some of them doctrinal. Yet apart from Paul’s mention of the Eucharist in the book of 1st Corinthians, it was not mentioned much in the NT, because it was not a problem. Does that mean that that the Eucharist was not important? Of course not, it was the central worship in the time of St. Paul. There are other writings that dealt with that, which did not make into the canon since it was not deemed necessary.
The same goes for purgatory, or there being a state after this life is ended, where the grace and healing of the Holy Spirit continues. In the first book of Maccabeus, it mentions prayers for the dead. In the early Church, this book was considered inspired, it was only when Luther decided to cut some books from the OT that the books omitted were called the Apocrypha was created. So the early Christians, mostly Jewish were not unacquainted with the concept of praying for the dead. However, to be fair to Luther, he went with the Hebrew speaking Jews understanding of the Canon. Yet that does not take away from the fact that until the reformation, the books of Maccabeus were in the canon and praying for the dead is part of one of those books.
My use of St. Paul’s analogy is still a good way to show the process of how God slowly ‘burns’ away through the fire of infinite love all that keeps the soul from true union. Now I know that many non-Catholics believe that salvation is nothing like that. The soul is covered with Christ, like snow covers a pile of dung, or a manure heap, an analogy from Martin Luther. Which is not scriptural, any more than ‘once saved always saved is’, or even the ‘Trinity’ which was a later development in the Church’s understanding of Jesus relationship with the Father. What did the first born mean? Today we read into many of St. Paul’s teaching on Christ, but actually, it took many years for the Trinity to become the central doctrine of the Church. Aryanism, now consider heterodox, was in the early church one theory considered and argued over. In fact, this understanding of Christ almost won.
Our understanding continues to develop and I believe the weakness of fundamentalism is that it has become an ideology, a system so closed that it will day simply shatter. What many consider ‘true Christianity’ actually come into existence in the 19th century. Christ Jesus is the ‘Word”, the creator of the universe, and in him, we live and move and have our being. I believe that opening of the Gospel of John states that clearly. So this is a mystery that the church contemplates and will continue to so until the end of time whenever that will be. Tomorrow or ten thousand years from now…..every generation beginning with Paul thought the Lords coming is near….indeed it is….yet in God’s timing, not ours. We are still a young faith I believe, we have yet to attain the maturity that Christ Jesus is calling us to, which is to be truly childlike.
The condescending attitude towards other religions and the treating God like he is some kind of real estate that can be owned and then used to damn just about everyone I believe is not what Christ had intended. Also, the “I am infallible’ in my take on the scriptures and everyone else wrong is also somewhat childish I believe. Rigidity is not a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is Lord; His Holy Spirit continues to deepen our understanding of his saving intent for mankind. To think that we have a complete understanding of that reality only makes us Idol Worshippers. We use Scriptures to mold God into our own image and likeness one scripture quote at a time. God has no image, Christ is God’s human face, but the mystery still remains.
Even though we argue amongst ourselves, I believe that it is Christ Jesus who holds us together. I love everyone here and respect them, even those who believe I belong to a cult . I don't belong to a cult, for the Catholic Church is the mother of all other denomination and the use of the New Testament which was put together by the RCC in ways that was not intended is a tragedy and only continues to break down the church further and further. I guess the final fruit of that is ‘Westboro Baptist Church’.
