For a bit of a #Larf, I was inspired to Defend the #CatholicFaith against #Protestants (who claim that Catholics aren't Christian) | @BibleReasons @SlangDefine

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Below the subscribe-bar, I'll outline my defense against #Protestantism. 

Bible Reasons argues 'how Catholics differ from "Christians"' in a report you can access through 'the emboldened link(s)' below; I'll try to refute their arguments, but first I want to teach you about those words. And I find you understand words better if you see 'the words at their base' (then going on to look at the words at those words' bases, then the words at those words' bases, etc.-etc. ad infinitum into their Foundation)
The word “Larf” is built on a |Colloquial (|Cockney?) Pronunciation of the word "Laugh."

(I wanted to make sure I wasn't mistaking 'Larf' for similar-sounding words (like "|Lark," perhaps), but couldn't find what I was looking-for until I scrolled-down a little and saw Slang Define give the definition "a Good Time or -Idea.")

Protestantism is the Path of Christian Churches that formed when it was felt that the Catholic Church's |Papacy had been corrupted beyond the Hope of Salvation, and instead those Believers would have to start a new Church in #Protest (repeated whenever enough Believers felt that their current Protestant Church was becoming corrupt itself). 
The word “Protest” is built on ancient words that mean "to Testify (Witness) Forth, -Before (Forward, in Front of)."
#Protests #Protested #Protesting #Protestant #Protestation #Protester #Protestants #Protestations #Protesters #ProtestMarch #ProtestRally #ProtestVote #ProtestMarches #ProtestRallies #ProtestVotes #Protestancy #ProtestantWorkEthic #ProtestantReformation
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Before I start directly-responding to 'the bold links above,' I'll mention 'what brought this up'---I am a Roman Catholic (my patron is St. Jude), and so I'm 'troubled' by theological arguments against the Catholic Church.

One big one is the idea that we believe our weekly Eucharist rite--said to actually-transform the wafers & grape-juice into Flesh & Blood--"kills Lord Jesus again-and-again" (essentially 'denying His once-for-all sacrifice').

Even if that 'Transubstantiation' WERE physical (as some say it is) and not merely spiritual (like the Eucharist I 'take' every week via Heart of the Nation), I could level that same accusation at 'the birth of every new Christian' (a 'new sinner' is born, so (logically) 'new sacrifice' must be made!)

And 'Protestants' defense of new births' is the same as 'my defense of repeated Eucharist-rites'---as Lord Jesus' sacrifice eternally covers all future sinners, it eternally flows into the wafer & grape-juice offered in the Eucharist-rites.

I look at Bible Reasons' "Differences between Catholic- & Christian Beliefs," and--while I'll try to deal with them one-by-one below--the main difference I'm seeing is that 'Catholics try to apply their beliefs to reality (and thus adapt many of their beliefs TO that reality) while Protestants like to keep their beliefs in the fantasy-land much Christianity wants the world to be.'
  1. Church Origin - While the Christian Church began in The Bible with a group of house-churches that started in Protest to the Jewish church (which was essentially the same as the Christian Church, except it didn't believe The Messiah had come yet)--the Catholic Church started several centuries later when The Church put out 'an epistle' that denied several of the Gospel-truths that Christians hold dear.
    • My Defense - It's like saying the Protestants are saying 'the American government isn't American because people lived here before we wrote the U.S. Constitution.'
  2. Method of Salvation - Protestants believe that salvation is totally separate from 'good works'--oh, believers will DO good works; but those are just 'a fortunate side-effect,' and the believer is saved before that by faith-alone in only-Christ (Sola Fide, Sola Christus).
    • My Defense - Jesus spoke of people coming to Him (seeking entry into Our Father's kingdom) saying they had believed- and prophesied- and cast out devils-etc.-in His name, and He told us He would kick them out because He did not know them ("By your fruits you shall know them," and their 'fruits' won't be "the will of Our Father).
  3. Baptism - Protestants believe that it's a symbolic ceremony that demonstrates a person's faith in Christ---something they do after they've reached their age-of-reason.
    • Catholics believe Baptism is 'the actual substance of salvation'---and is usually done on the person when he is still an infant ... My Defense - I think Catholics also believe it's a symbolic ceremony; but it's more symbolic that 'the child is to be guided by the whole church' (rather than just '-by the parents').
  4. Prayer & The Saints - Protestants pray to God, and think that 'praying to the Saints' is too close to "praying to false gods."
    • My Defense - It's like when a little sibling asks their older sibling to ask the parents about. We know that God knows best what to do, but we also know that the Saints know better-than-we-do when it would be best to ask God about our concerns.
  5. Idol Worship -  Protestants hold that--since "bowing down to images is a form of worship"--Catholics' 'behavior' around saints'- & prophets' statues is a form of idolatry.
    • My Defense - I'm sure we're not bowing to 'the physical things'; but that the bowing is more like 'a symbolic bow to the presence of God in the life of the person represented by the statue.'
  6. Fate - Protestants hold that people's "souls" go straight to Heaven or -straight to Hell--forever--after they die; while they think Catholics believe that souls either go straight to Heaven, straight to Hell (if they are 'enemies of God'), OR they can be redeemed (by our faithful prayers for them) in Purgatory.
    • Luckily, nothing we do in this life will have any effect on our destiny in the afterlife.
  7. Reconciliation - Protestants believe 'all the forgiveness you need' happens when you 'tell Jesus you're sorry, then you "go, and sin no more."'
    • Catholics think Forgiveness comes when you Confess your Sins to a Priest (who has the Delegated Power of Absolution), who Absolves your Sin when he Assigns a Task known as a Penance--there's a whole Sacrament (I think it's called Reconciliation, but 'the Catechism of the Catholic Church' (CCC) calls it Penance)

      My Defense - These bodies we live in---they don't care 'how we feel about them.' If I have a scar on my body, it's there whether I acknowledge it or not.

      The immune-system heals the scar (it usually happens "automatically" (glory-to-God) if you just 'keep it clean' and don't touch it too much), but it's not gone until it's gone.

      As the spirit needs the body to live, the Reconciliation needs to be physically manifest.
  8. Priesthood - Christians believe that priests--'church-officers' in the Old Testament--were mere shadows of Lord Jesus Christ---the one & only Great High Priest.
    • Catholics see the priesthood as an office in the church to this day---the CCC says that "Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ."

      My Defense - I ... never really thought about that---never realized that "only Catholic priests can Absolve you of your sins." I always thought of priests as "church-managers or -principals or -counselors" ...
  9. Celibacy of Servants (Priests, Nuns, etc.) - Christians hold that bishops/overseers/pastors-etc. can marry.
    • Catholic clergy (all except Deacons, according to the CCC) usually cannot, in order to focus on the work of God.
  10. The Bible - Catholics hold that it is the responsibility of the church to declare authoritatively and infallibly what constitutes Scripture. They hold that Scripture is only one leg of the stool of Authority (the other two being Tradition & The Magisterium of the church).
    • ... while Protestants think that the church "discovers" which books should be included in the canon of Scripture. They affirm 'the perspicuity (clarity) of those Scriptures,' which Catholics deny---believing that those Scriptures CANNOT be rightly understood apart from the Magisterium, which bureaucratically interprets Scripture infallibly.

      I side with the Catholic Church here, as The Bible was sort of 'a compendium of ancient journals put together from collections across God's Kingdom.' The Bible itself says that God writes 'The Scripture' on believers' hearts---I'm sure some Protestants are convinced that means 'we're supposed to memorize "The Church's Scripture" by heart," but I think God re-edits The Scripture as HE rewrites it in 'our hearts.'








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