Questions about Osas for Protestants II

I had a response to my article Questions about OSAS for Protestants. 

Basically, it was just a link to my old nemesis' blog, Answering Catholic Claims.  The author of the article doesn't identify himself, but I'm assuming its Russell, the person who owns that blog.  And the link he provided is simply his testimony as to why he left the Catholic Church.

Anyway, I've got a few of my own testimonies recorded on this blog.  My testimonies explain why I left the Catholic Church and then, why I returned.  If you're interested, you'll find them here:

Analysis of a Conversion 

I think Russell and I track very closely as far as our shared experience of being cradle Catholics.  We diverge in the following facts.  

1.  I became an atheist.  He became a Protestant.

2.  I returned to the Catholic Church.  He did not.

In addition, I have a good opinion of Russell.  I think he speaks honestly and in good faith.

So, what I'd like to do is go through his testimony and simply point out where we differ and my reasons why I am of a different opinion.  So, let's go through it.

So, Russell says:

Today’s article will be different. It will be about my personal experience with the Catholic Church and its teachings. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I am not a Catholic and that I disagree strongly with the Catholic Church on many issues, although there are some things they teach with which we can agree. For the record, I did not leave the Catholic Church for personal reasons. I was not berated by a bishop. I was not molested by a priest. I did not leave the Catholic Church because I wanted to shack up and live guilt-free with my girlfriend, or because I found its views on contraception too strict. And it wasn’t because Catholics are mean people. In fact, I live in an area with a high concentration of Catholics and many of them are great people and wonderful neighbors.

No, I left the Catholic Church for doctrinal reasons. I strongly disagree with many of its teachings which I believe are not biblical.

Of course, I disagree.  I believe that the Catholic Church is the author of the New Testament and the Institution which gathered all the existing religious writings of the early Church and put them together in one volume which we know today as the Bible.  Furthermore, I believe that the New Testament was written on the basis of Catholic Doctrine and that the Old Testament texts which are included in the Bible were selected on the basis of their agreement with Catholic Doctrine.

My Childhood

I was raised on a farm and was one of six siblings and, for the most part, had a great childhood. We were raised Catholic, although we were not devout. We very seldom went to church except for weddings and funerals. My dad didn’t see attending church as a necessity, although he certainly taught us right from wrong. My mom was the one who taught us our prayers and helped us through First Communion, Confirmation, etc.

Even though I was hardly ever in church in my younger years, I was somewhat tender toward the things of God. I really did want to go to church, but just didn’t get much opportunity to do so as a child.

I vividly remember one day speaking with my oldest brother about how old some people get. He said, “Yeah, some people grew to be 500 years old and even older. It’s in the Bible.” I thought, “Wow, that’s amazing! But it must be true if it’s in the Bible.” Now, I didn’t think this because we were Sola Scriptura (“Bible only”) believers. In fact, we didn’t even have a Bible at home (that I was aware of) and I knew almost nothing about the Bible, but somewhere down the line, I became aware that it was God’s Word and it needed to be taken seriously. From that moment, I had a greater respect for the Bible and I will ever be grateful to my brother for sharing that information with me that day.

Russell and I were raised miles apart and in very different cultures.  I am a first generation American of Mexican descent, born and raised in America on the Mexican border.  Yet, I also vividly remember discussions with my Catholic friends on the fact that the Bible contained no errors.  If the Bible said it, it was true.  This is Catholic Teaching.

The Skunk

As the years went by, I started attending catechism at my small-town elementary school. Almost everyone in that school was Catholic and I remember how most of the students knew a lot more about their catechism than I did, since they attended church every week.

Anyway, as a side note, there was kind of a funny thing that happened one day. As I said, it was a small school in a small town and we would sometimes walk from the school to the Catholic Church a few blocks away to attend catechism there. On one of these trips, a group of us were walking back to the school after catechism class and we found a dead skunk in the middle of the street. As we surrounded it, one of my good friends, Greg, somehow managed to toss it on me. I don’t remember how it happened, but it certainly did and the evidence was there! When we got back to school a few minutes later, the teacher immediately smelled it and scolded Greg for his mischievous deed. We still laugh about it today.

I don't have a skunk story to tell.  I have a bunch of others, but, you kind of had to be there to truly understand it.  So, I'll just pass on this.

Trouble on the rise…

As a kid, I very seldom got in trouble. I was basically a good person in everyone’s eyes, a “goody-two-shoes,” if you will. But the sinful nature of Adam in me prevailed and I grew tired of this image. I remember walking down my gravel road one day as I decided I was going to do something bad. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to do yet, but I really wanted to break out of this “good guy” mold. At that moment, all I can describe is that something definitely changed. Something seemed to “click” in my mind. My heart was set to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

Because of this, a series of personal events occurred and things quickly went south. It was almost as though God was saying to me, “Oh, so you want to be a tough guy, huh? You want to go against the good I’ve given to you all your life? Ok, then I’ll turn up the heat!” God loves us but He will discipline us for our own good (Job 5:17; Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; Revelation 3:19). And the “spanking” began. This was the start of the worst period in my entire life. Things began to happen that caused depression, bitterness and hatred to set in. I had become a miserable, lustful, foul-mouthed and angry young man and I found out that when God decides to spank a wayward child, you’ll know you’ve been spanked! I don’t know what would’ve happened if God had extended this period of misery, but only by His grace did I survive it.

Ditto.  I was a nice kid.  But I was also a pain in the butt.  But, when I started misbehaving, I didn't get the spankings from God that Russell describes.  In fact, I remember liking the results of my misadventures, at first.

In desperation one day, I suddenly remembered I had a book written by a preacher collecting dust on my bookshelf. I opened it and read for the first time about God’s plan for His people. It was as though the author was speaking directly to me. I began to cry like a baby in a much-needed emotional release. At this time, God wonderfully began to change my heart and my whole situation.

If you read my conversion story, you'll see that I didn't get to this point until my wife conceived our first child.  I was 30 years old by then.

Something Lacking

A short time later, my girlfriend and I got married and since we were both Catholic, we were attending a local Catholic church. One day at work, I met a guy named Elliot, who shared the gospel with me. He told me things from the Bible that I had never heard in the Catholic Church. He also encouraged me to read the Bible for myself. So, I bought one and began reading it. This was an eye-opening experience.

My wife and I were still going to the Catholic Church, but we both felt like it was similar to going to a restaurant with a large buffet, yet only taking a tiny taste and leaving unsatisfied. We enjoyed the very short “homily” (sermon), but everything seemed to be swallowed up in rituals. As time went on, we discovered that many things the Catholic Church taught were not found in Scripture and that some things actually went against what the Bible teaches. Once again, we did not leave the Catholic Church for personal reasons, but because of what it teaches. If you are wondering about which teachings I object to, there are many articles on this blog which will give details on different topics. One of the most important topics with which we disagreed with Catholics was justification, i.e., how a person is saved, and the differences here are too important to ignore.

So, here's a big diversion in our experience.  The Bible had a great deal to do with my leaving the Catholic Church.  I thought the Bible was ridiculous.  And the Bible had nothing to do with my returning to the Catholic Church.  In fact, at the time that I returned to the Catholic Church, I was still unaware of the relationship of the Bible to Catholic Teaching.

Conclusion

I want everyone to know that this blog was not produced out of bitterness or to personally attack Catholics.

Well thanks.  And I want everyone to know that I also have no bitterness towards Protestants.  Many Protestants are good friends of mine.

Throughout the blog, I am just attempting to share what God has shown me.

I'm doing the same thing.  I'm sharing what God has shown me.  I don't think God is giving contradicting messages.  So, one of us is wrong.

Again, I have many great Catholic friends (and family) and this blog is not meant to disparage them. Rather, I hope that this article arouses their interest and lets everyone know where I am coming from.

Ditto.  I have many Protestant friends and family.  I am not disparaging them.  But I hope someone will understand where I am coming from.

Having said that, if I am wrong about the content of all these articles, you may have nothing to lose… but if I am right, there are serious spiritual consequences for those Catholics who choose to continue to embrace the teachings of Rome.

Same here.  If I'm wrong, you have nothing to lose.  But, if I'm right, then there are serious spiritual consequences for the Protestants who choose to continue to reject the Catholic Church.

There's a difference though.  The Catholic Church teaches that a righteous person can be saved whether he is Catholic or not.  So, according to Catholic Teaching, a righteous Protestant will be saved.  Righteousness is achieved by keeping the Commandments.

Lastly, I want to urge everyone – Catholics, Protestants and otherwise – to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), including the things I say, with Scripture, since it is the only God-breathed revelation for mankind today (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Certainly, I agree.  Please test all things.  I'd urge you to start with Russell's interpretation of 2 Tim 3:16-17.  It does not say that Scripture is the only thing that is God breathed.  It merely says that Scripture is God breathed.  In other passages, men are also God breathed.  See, for example,

John 20:22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Since Jesus was breathing on the Apostles, the Foundation of the Church, we know that the Church is also, God-breathed.

It also does not say that one should pick up the Scriptures and interpret them apart from the Church.  It describes teacher, teaching, preaching and admonishing a student.  Something the Bible, a simple book, can't do.  Here's what it says:

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

It also says that the Church is the Pillar of Truth:

1 Timothy 3:15if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

And that His Word is brought down to us in oral Teaching:

2 Thess 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[a] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[b] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

Yes, but God assigned the Church to Teach us all that He commanded.  And all that He commanded has to be true.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So, that's where Russell and I differ.  Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church.  That's why I follow the Catholic Church.  The Catholic Church put the Bible together and wrote the New Testament.  That's why I believe everything in the Bible.  Protestant teaching contradicts the Bible.