Understanding Christianity

[Banquo's Ghost]

Isn't Catholic Confession a sacrament though, which it isn't in Anglicanism?

Yes it is, and described these days as the sacrament of reconciliation - which for once, is more descriptive of the idea than the old name.

I still prefer being shriven though.

[Husar]

I have a question, Husar, do you truly believe? Your post suggests that you are Christian.

I think I'm drifting hard towards agnosticism for many reasons I don't want to lay out here. I did believe before but it's become harder and harder for me.

[ICantSpellDawg]

I am drifting back towards Roman Catholicism. I still don't believe in a God, but I've decided to fake it until I do.

[Pannonian]

Yes it is, and described these days as the sacrament of reconciliation - which for once, is more descriptive of the idea than the old name.

I still prefer being shriven though.

Sounds painful. Do you need to go to the hospital after being shriven?

[Vladimir]

Sounds painful. Do you need to go to the hospital after being shriven?

I believe it's performed in a hospital, and that they use a local anesthetic.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Yes it is, and described these days as the sacrament of reconciliation - which for once, is more descriptive of the idea than the old name.

I still prefer being shriven though.

So how does that square with what Don said? Isn't the participation of the Priest essential in order to administer the sacrament, in which case you can't be forgiven without his blessing?

Sorry, I have trouble getting my head around Confession.

[ICantSpellDawg]

So how does that square with what Don said? Isn't the participation the Priest essential in oder to administer the sacrament, in which case you can't be forgiven without his blessing?

Sorry, I have trouble getting my head around Confession.

The Roman Catholic faith is a faith of intercessors. You pray THROUGH Saints, you confess THROUGH priests. It is a way to pray and do penance in community with others. It is a big deal in many faiths, but the RC church happens to use it in reconciliation as well.

Why not? It makes us unique.

"The Catholic Church maintains, however, that there is also a social aspect to sin. Sin not only affects our relationship with God, sin also alienates us from other people and the Church." - www.americancatholic.org

-------After his Resurrection, Jesus told the apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23).

-------The Letter of James says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (5:16).

[Quirinus]

What exactly happens when you get 'shriven'?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The Roman Catholic faith is a faith of intercessors. You pray THROUGH Saints, you confess THROUGH priests. It is a way to pray in community with others. It is a big deal in many faiths, but the RC church happens to use it in contrition as well.

You don't have to pray through Saints. The only one besides God that I've ever prayed to is the Virgin Mary. Never even prayed to St. George (archery), St. Sebastian (athletes), Sebaldus (my hometown), or Julian the Hospitaller (murderers).

Wait, did I really say that?

[ICantSpellDawg]

You don't pray TO Saints, you merely pray in community with them TO God.

I updated my previous post with some new stuff that I found.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

You don't pray TO Saints, you merely pray in community with them TO God.

Well, yes, true.

[Banquo's Ghost]

What exactly happens when you get 'shriven'?

To shrive is the archaic term for the act of a priest hearing confession and pronouncing absolution.

I'm just an old traditionalist. To me, religion went downhill when the peasantry was allowed to have its own bibles...

The Chapters between William I (1066) and the Tudors (Henry VIII etc) are always called the Middle Ages, on account of their coming at the beginning; this was also The Age of Piety, since Religious fervour was then at its height, people being (1) burnt alive with faggots (The Steak) (2) bricked up in the walls of Convents (Religious Foundations) and (3) tortured in dungeons (The Confessional).

All this was not only pious but a Good Thing, as many of the people who were burnt, bricked, tortured, etc. became quite otherworldly.

Nowadays people are not so pious, even heretics being denied the benefits of fervent Religion.

[Kralizec]

I'm just an old traditionalist. To me, religion went downhill when the peasantry was allowed to have its own bibles...

If that's such a large beef for you, maybe you should consider Scientology

[HoreTore]

I think I'm drifting hard towards agnosticism for many reasons I don't want to lay out here. I did believe before but it's become harder and harder for me.

We all know you're a nazi, Husar, you're not fooling anyone.

[Rhyfelwyr]

If you don't mind my asking, what country do you live in? I'm in the U.S. and my experience has generally been that people who refer to themselves specifically by denomination rather than as just Christians are more likely to have that attitude.

Well coming from a more mainstream Protestant grouping, the Evangelicals I know call themselves 'Christians', not by their individual denomination, and do not recongise other denominations as Christian.

[Adrian II]

We all know you're a nazi, Husar, you're not fooling anyone.

And this from a notorious Stalinist. Tsk tsk.

*unfurls Trotskiite banner*

[caravel]

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well coming from a more mainstream Protestant grouping, the Evangelicals I know call themselves 'Christians', not by their individual denomination, and do not recongise other denominations as Christian.

Do they sing catchy songs about how everyone else is going to hell?

They do here, and they are catchy. Doesn't stop me having a profoundly negative opinion of their theology though.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

One, two, three!

United forever in friendship and labour,
Our mighty republics will ever endure.
The great Soviet Union will live through the ages.
The dream of a people their fortress secure.

[HoreTore]

And this from a notorious Stalinist. Tsk tsk.

*unfurls Trotskiite banner*

Yeah, well...

My guy stayed in power longer than your guy, hah!

[KrooK]

"Undestanding Holy Trinity is like putting sea into bottle."

Understanding Christianity is like trying to be god - only god can absolutely understand god. :) I believe faith.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Understanding Christianity is like trying to be god - only god can absolutely understand god. :) I believe faith.

Well said. Christianity is faith, a belief.

[Navaros]

Misinformation right there.
Atleast keep the stories straight.
Being the son of god while being the god himself is just well sick.
Like something out of "Deliverance".
Unless Jesus is one god and "god" is another which makes christianity a polytheism. Of course with the trinity factor christianity is already one so I guess that just another deity to the tree.

Until you die of disease, old age or shot by some random drug addict etc
Reminds me of South Park.
"having sex with children had made him immortal so he lived for an eternity until he got hit by a train"

So that's why you don't get eternal life. Jesus gets jealous.
Common problem among first born

Is the one and only son us or Jesus ??
Make up your mind.

Now that is just plain wrong.
If he offered it freely you wouldn't have to worship him or submit yourself to him or even depend on him.
That's like giving away free samples of food as long as you pay for it.

Sorry but there is nothing wonderful about an eternal life.
It's a curse, not a gift.

According to the Bible, God encompasses three distinct personalities that make up the Godhead. All 3 parts are just as much God as each other - each of the 3 personalities is 100% God all by itself, and none of the 3 personalities are any "more God" than the other. And they are also 100% God when combined together, too. Those three personalities are: God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. That is the best way to explain it in a way that humans can be able to somewhat comprehend it. But yes, it doesn't make much sense because humans have a limited, human understanding. God is one, and three, at the same time. Jesus Christ is both God, and the Son of God, at the same time.

However, this concept being confusing and hard for a human to understand, doesn't mean the OP had misinformation in it. The OP's information is completely in line with what the Bible claims.

This is why in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, has God saying things like "Let us make man in our image". The "us" and "our" is the 3 parts of the Godhead.

In regards to your problems with the statement "He will forgive you and give you eternal life ". Eternal life refers to continuing to exist after one no longer exists in his her her human body. It was never meant to refer to living eternally in a human body. That is simply a personal misinterpretation of what the OP is saying, not misinformation.

I thought you thought that Jesus was a bleeding heart good for nothing liberal? What's happened to your religious rigour man? I used to admire the way you stood up against these newfangled wishy washy cults, and how you preached hell and brimstone old testament. What's happened to the old Navaros? Has he mellowed?

I still have real trouble trying to reconcile the Old Testament with the New Testament, and still do agree with the Old Testament much moreso. But I still believe in Jesus' divinity even though I don't agree with all his teachings. And I woulda understood the content of the OP as not being misinformation even if I didn't happen to agree with the information in it. The OP did not misrepresent the information represented in the Bible, so it's not misinformation. One could argue that he or she disagrees with the information in the OP, but the word "misinformation" implies the OP was deliberately posting information that is contrary to the information in the Bible, which is not the case.

[Tribesman]

I still have real trouble trying to reconcile the Old Testament with the New Testament

well that might be because you are tryng to reconcile very different things by many different authors that have been altered countless times ... or it could be that as Zuch suggests you havn't heard the word of god .
Then again it could be that Zuch hasn't really heard the word of God and is claiming he has so he doesn't have to address the contradictions .

[Paradox]

come on people, an elephant's head on a kid! How cool is that? ;)

What the heck are you talking about?

One post I read that Jesus was the son of god and the other says that he IS god, which is it already?

[Vladimir]

What the heck are you talking about?

One post I read that Jesus was the son of god and the other says that he IS god, which is it already?

I believe that question was answered by the consul of Nicea. If you love theology read up on the Nicene creed.

[Husar]

One post I read that Jesus was the son of god and the other says that he IS god, which is it already?

Both.

[Vladimir]

Both.

I believe that question was answered by the consul of Nicea. If you love theology read up on the Nicene creed.

Pretty much.

[Banquo's Ghost]

According to the Bible, God encompasses three distinct personalities that make up the Godhead. All 3 parts are just as much God as each other - each of the 3 personalities is 100% God all by itself, and none of the 3 personalities are any "more God" than the other. And they are also 100% God when combined together, too. Those three personalities are: God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. That is the best way to explain it in a way that humans can be able to somewhat comprehend it.

What you need here, good Navaros, is a shamrock.

[Don Corleone]

The elephant head was in reference to Ganesh.

The way I had the Trinity explained to me was with reference to geography (courtesy of Sister Priscilla Paradis). The Atlantic Ocean is NOT the Pacific Ocean, yet they ARE the same body of water, no?