Chili

No Catholic and not even the pope would torture a person for the good of their soul. They never have and never will while protestants are all over the world trying to clean it up so JC can come back.

Joan of Bark

So the Inquisition was a myth?

Chili

For sure not, but that was not done for the good of the person's soul but for the good of the flock. They believed that to lead 'a good Catholic' into a personal relationship with Christ was to lead them astray and that deserved a millstone.

Chili

And you know what Joan? They were right!

Chili

According to the Church it is good to have a personal relationship with Christ but it is wrong to lead someone else into such a relationship because their idea of a good time is not the same as God's idea of a good time. Roughly speaking the difference here is that to consciously seek Christ is self serving (like Macbeth who wanted to be "king hereafter") while "to seek the kingdom of God" instead of Christ is to gain Christ and be called into service for the betterment of mankind (like Mother Theresa as we knew her).

The bottom line here is that those who seek Christ for self gratification will be given a scorpion while those who are willing to take care of others will be given a fish.

figuer

This is theologically unsound (and even perverse). The condemnation of those who led someone else into a "personal relationship with Christ" was due to the fact that it established a Universal Priesthood of Believers, and thus destroyed the institutional power of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church tolerated hermits and monks who did not undertake any "service for the betterment of mankind", as long as they supported the traditional authority of the institution.

To consciously seek Christ would lead to the effect of "service for the betterment of mankind", since that is the logical conclusion of the "Imitatio Christi".

Chili

Yes, like 20.000 of them with nobody really knowing what they are doing except for hoping in better times ahead after they die. There is nothing wrong with being cold and the Church even tolerated lukewarm witches if they left the flock alone. Just a new kind of slavery by doing good works to gain richess in heaven instead of enjoying the richess of heaven in the here and now.

figuer

Better that than following one pompous fool in Rome that did not know what he was doing.

This contradicts your previous position, where you said that "to seek the kingdom of God instead of Christ is to gain Christ and be called into service for the betterment of mankind (like Mother Theresa as we knew her)." Witches were seeking a personal relationship with the "devil", were rejecting the kingdom of God, etc., yet you consider that as more tolerable than seeking a personal relationship with your "saviour".

This also contradicts your previous statement. It is the Catholic position (yours) that doing good works leads to Christ and the riches of heaven. The position I mentioned (Protestant), is that the relationship with Christ leads to the riches of heaven here and now, and to doing good works as a consequence.

seven8s

That would be because the witch’s looked better then the hags, correct? Don’t bother to answer, I know the answer.................

Chili

We don't exactly follow him but we just want to know where the forbidden fruit is at (Romans 7:8).Witches were seeking a personal relationship with the "devil", were rejecting the kingdom of God, etc., yet you consider that as more tolerable than seeking a personal relationship with your "saviour".[/quote]

Witches were born again Christians that had entered the race but could not complete it because they had been given a scorpion instead of a fish and this includes all self proclaimed Christians to the same degree that they have drank from the cup of God's anger. [quote]

You mean like singing 'patient endurance songs' from the foot of the cross?