Osama bin Laden is dead

I am seeing too many Christians rejoice. Let us remember, that even our enemies were made in the image and likeness of God and that we are called to love them as well. Yes, his evil deeds are put dead in their tracks and that is good. But there are awful pictures of Osama's head being held by the statue of liberty and such hate. Christ is mourning over a lost, unrepentant, soul. Let us follow His example.

Ezekiel 33:11 Answer them: As I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but rather in the wicked man's conversion, that he may live.

Many also rightly worry about the aftermath from OBL's followers. We should do everything we can not to inflame their hatred by celebrating the wrong thing. I am so glad OBL will not personally carry out another evil deed upon this earth. I am glad that justice during judgment is being served.

But he was also someone's child. He crawled and cooed just like anyone else's baby once. OBL was still human and that part of him, apart from his evil deeds requires respect. His mother, Hamida, must be in agony. Not to mention countless widows and their children. Let us pray with compassion, mercy, and charity.

Aftermaths: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/abbotabbads-catholic-community/

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan (CNS) — The priest at the small Catholic parish in this northern city says he has limited its activities after the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks killed by U.S. special forces. “It is crucial to maintain peace for the scattered minority communities in the area. We alter the venue at the last moment to avoid leaking the information about the gathering in a tense atmosphere,” said Father Javed Gill.

Opinions: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/killing-bin-laden-catholic-perspective?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:15:24:37Z

I was surprised that the Holy See had a statement so quickly and that it was so well done. This is what the Vatican needed to say, something that did not appear to let bin Laden off the hook morally but also did not appear to rejoice at his passing and that was an appeal for interreligious harmony and peace.

The statement that a Christian never rejoices at the death of a man is a positive affirmation that the Vatican needed to make. It’s also true in the sense that death as a physical evil is not to be wished upon anybody for its own sake. That is not to say that one cannot be glad that justice has been in some measure served, that bin Laden won’t be masterminding any more plots, etc.

Vatican Statement: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101730.htm

"In the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred," the spokesman said.

The Vatican missionary news agency, Fides, reported that Christian schools and other institutes were closed and churches put on guard in Pakistan's main cities out of fear of possible repercussions on the Christian minorities there. Pakistani Christians are often identified in extremist literature with the West and the United States.

Natural Family Planning

Many of us, unaware of (Catholic) Church teaching, have used birth control. Either one method or another, chemical or barrier. Ultimately, many women have found birth control to be harmful or lacking sensation, or both. (for more information on how Birth Control negatively affects a woman see: http://onemoresoul.com/contraception/risks-consequences/what-a-woman-should-know-about-birth-control.html) Women then begin to question each other, "Which method works best for my situation?" If you've been on a women only forum it won't take long for you to spot these women. Thousands of them are searching for something. None of them are ever told to try Natural Family Planning. Why? because of the utter failure of the 'rhythm method', lack of knowledge about the newer effective methods, and many other myths and misconceptions. Basically, we are raised in a world that believes, "Unprotected (meaning birth control) sex is stupidity." Afterall, who would want to end up like the Duggars?! is usually the next exclamation. While there is nothing wrong with a large family, it is not for everyone and the Church recognizes that. We are not required to have as many as possible, but to space our children responsibly.

Before this can really continue, we need to read what the Bible and the Church teaches:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

2368 A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality:

When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of life, the morality of the behavior does not depend on sincere intention and evaluation of motives alone; but it must be determined by objective criteria, criteria drawn from the nature of the person and his acts, criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart.156

2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.158 These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:159

Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.160

2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).

And this is an infalliable doctrine (cannot be changed):

The Church also has affirmed that the illicitness of contraception is an infallible doctrine: "The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity, it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative.aspect of matrimony), and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive.aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life" (Vademecum for Confessors 2:4, Feb. 12, 1997).

Also let's take a minute to observe the Bible and how God has worked through NFP in the past. Consider Who opens and closes a womb, mankind (contraception) or God (NFP)?

Genesis chapters 29 and 30: Jacob's wives Leah and Rachel

1 Sam. 1 Elkanah "loved Hannah" but the Lord had shut up her womb

What about the New Testament? We should not forget the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth, John the Baptizer's parents. "And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years...But the angel said unto him...Zacharias...thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear the a son, and thou shalt call his name John" (Lk. 1:7, 13).

I am going to omit Onanism, because of the widespread confusion and the large cross-referrencing that has to be done to understand this chapter clearly. Isaiah 66:9 has God speaking that it is He who can close a womb.

1 Cor. 7:5 Do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to one another, so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control. What does that mean, to be free for prayer? Prayer for what? Discernment on spacing the births of your children. Doesn't it make perfect sense that you'd be praying if the time was right or not to concieve? And further, that you'd have to abstain during this time of fertility/ovulation until you were certain of God's will. I believe this is a biblical example of NFP.

So if I allow God to open and close my womb naturally (via ovulation or not ovulating), then it stands to reason that I can space my births based upon God's plan. That to me is the biggest thing. It is not my job to close the womb with contraception! This is the difference between spacing children via contraception or using natural family planning. The means, not the ends, is how it is morally decided.

Benefits and Effectiveness of NFP:

The Crieghton Model (For example) CrMS is 99.5% effective with perfect use and 96.8% effective with typical use. The WHO (World Health Organization) has performed several large-scale trials that have demonstrated an unintended pregnancy rate of between 0.3 and 3%, which is as good as any artificial form of birth control except sterilization. One very large trial involving about 20,000 Indian women showed an unintended pregnancy rate of less than 0.3%. The condom has a failure rate that is estimated to be between 10-30%. This means...you are more likely to get pregnant using condoms, then you are NFP.

When we say this is the best kept secret, that's no joke. NFP works and not just for women with 'special' bodies that have regular cycles and are some kind of 'exception' to the rule. Most women are irregular and use NFP sucessfully, including me. You are not 'taking chances'.

Benefits include (but not limited to): easy to learn, personalized for each couple, monitors a woman's health and teaches a woman more about their own body, no side effects, inexpensive (the price of paper charts and stickers, making them cheaper than condoms), can be used at any stage in a woman's life (breastfeeding), morally acceptable to God, respects fertility instead of treating it like a disease, promotes marital bonding, views children as gifts, involves the husband for support and decision making, encourages talks between spouses about fertility, the 'honey moon' effect (basically, after abstaining for a week, you feel like it's your honey moon all over again), helps prevent women from becoming solely an object of sexual gratification, no increased risk of cancer. Couples who use NFP have a divorce rate that is less than 5% far lower than the national rate of about 50%. And finally, it's green to NFP. Couples that throw away condoms or have hormones come out from the woman's urine (that we are not able to get out of the water supply despite techonology) harm our Earth, ourselves and our children (some say the fact that children consistently hit puberity sooner is caused by increased hormones in our water suppy), doesn't being able to recycle old charts and stickers sound so much more enviormentally friendly :)

Now the question becomes, not why would you use NFP, but Why would you not?!

For more info on the Creighton Model including where to find a teacher: http://www.fertilitycare.org/

Challenging

Evangelization and standing up for the faith is challenging. Sometimes you can place all your knowledge down and all the knowledge you've collected from others and very little is accomplished in the discussion. But there is still hope...you can be an example of your faith. Doing that by becoming all that God created you to be. Furthermore, you can add by studying your faith. If you don't have it, you certainly can't offer it to anyone else. Don't just try to collect the days' apologetics, but know the foundation of your faith for 'no other foundation can be laid'. 1 Cor 3:11 Don't expect that sharpening your arguments is going to produce faith in yourself or others. But expect that Christ will, pray! Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8) and if you feel your fellow neighbor needs it, don't ever hesitate or feel too foolish to pray.

I got caught up so recently in trying to 'do' myself that I forgot something so simple and so crucial...to ask my Father for help! We must come as children and ask for help...that is part of prayer. As a mother, it reminded me very much of my daughters learning to do things for the first time. If they attempted it, first, without coming to me...it wouldn't take long for the shouts of frustration to follow. I can come in almost instantly and say, "Let me help you. Next time just ask." And I think that is what God is calling out to me, to pray and ask for help. To become more child-like in my faith. To realize what is challenging for me to do on my own, is easier if I reach out to Him first.

Cussing is Sinful

Matthew 12:34-37: You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile.

Ephesians 4:29 No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear.

Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.

2 Timothy 2:16 Avoid profane, idle talk, for such people will become more and more godless,

Sirach 23:9 Let not your mouth form the habit of swearing, or becoming too familiar with the Holy Name.

Sirach 23:13 Let not your mouth become used to coarse talk, for in it lies sinful matter.

Confirmation

As most of you know...I am still going through times of abstinence and prayerful studies this Lenten season. I don't post every study I come across, but this one is particularly worth mentioning. The completion of Baptism, the sacrament of Confirmation.

Tradition describes confirmation as the "seal" of the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, to bear someone's seal, or wear it, was to be identified as with that person, to be known as that person's child or servant. Confirmation marks us as God's own children. It confers a certain maturity upon us and empowers us to witness to the faith, defend the faith, and live responsibly within the Church. All these deeds are graces from God, and they do not depend upon our individual strengths or skills. Some western dioceses delay the sacrament until high-school matriculation or graduation, emphasizing that it is a sign of maturity, of coming into one's own in the Church. The Church teaches that confirmation, no matter when we receive it, "completes" our baptism. - Scott Hahn

Confirmation in the Bible:
They laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me (Is 61:1)
And when Paul laid (his) hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)

Effects of Confirmation:
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord
Fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

The Protestant Reformers, influenced by their rejection of all that could not be clearly proved from Scripture and by their doctrine of justification by faith only, refused to admit that confirmation was a sacrament (Luther, De Capt. Babyl., VII, p. 501).

I reflect back on my own Confirmation which is equally as big a deal as Baptism, since it completes it. My Godmother and Grandmother Joy (RIP) was my confirmation sponsor. But living states away she couldn't be there and had to have a proxy stand in for her, my mother. Sponsors, Proxies or Godparents must be Confirmed Catholics. (Which is why my mom was the only available Godmother for my girls, being the only nearby female Confirmed Catholic in the family. She will also be Godmother for our new addition.) There was a huge ceremony with my class (church group). We held candles and received the seal by the Bishop. We were then adults in the church ready to be soldiers for Christ to defend the faith. (2 Tim 2:3) I remember knowing the importance and receiving the fullness of the gifts and fruits. A good feeling. From that point on when the Devil came knocking, I was not a child in my faith but an adult. Stronger, more fortified. But I needed to learn to yield these gifts and that would not come for many more years. I had my sword (the graces), but I needed training. Still always training to fight the good fight. Lent is like boot camp, lol. And it never ceases to amaze me how all the sacraments tie into each other, you can hardly talk about one without mentioning some of the others.
Have you ever prayed to the Holy Spirit? He's the third person in the trinity, not just some kind of tool or instrument God uses. If you want to pray for His gifts and fruits, it is the Holy Spirit you should ask. The Holy Spirit is in charge of giving us wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, etc. When you want to know His Truth, you should pray to the Holy Spirit and ask to receive it. (John 14:16-17, 26)

A verse I found and liked and very much related to the gifts/fruits of the spirit that enable us:
2 Tim 2:24 A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, 25 correcting opponents with kindness

Creed is not a dirty word

I speak in Merriam-Webster, so let's start with the definition.

Creed -
1 : a brief authoritative formula of religious belief
2 : a set of fundamental beliefs; also : a guiding principle
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/CREED

I have heard (not talking about anyone specific here, just being very general) people say, "I don't believe in Creeds, because they are traditions of men." Like it is some kind of dirty word, forbidden man made invention. Yet a creed is simply a statement of belief, from the Latin word credo, to believe. Thus if you believe in anything you have a creed. Your creed could be: I don't have a creed. Because that is a guiding principle, fundamental belief, or creed on what you believe.

Too many times people think a creed is there to tell people what they should believe. It is just the opposite. People put in the creed what they believe.

An example of a creed could be Jesus' sermon on the Mount. Just like other creeds it is told many times, many ways (languages and translations vary), and is passed on through the generations. It is a set of beliefs and an authoritative formula.

Okay, so then let's think about some more creeds. Take for example: The Nicene Creed. You may or may not believe in it. Many Catholics and non-Catholics alike do believe this creed, but also many do not. Many argue, its not in the Bible. True you won't find the Nicene Creed word for word written in the Bible, but you will find its truths throughout the Bible. The Bible itself was not dictated word for word by God, only its Truths were dictated. The exact words are the words of each individual author and how they spoke. Well, the Nicene Creed was written to protect against heresy, by stating their basic beliefs of faith. Everyone states their basic beliefs of faith, this is something even Jesus did. Competely a biblical practice.

How biblical is the Nicene Creed?

We believe in one God,
Deuteronomy 6:4 4 " Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

the Father, the Almighty,
Matthew 6:9 9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

maker of heaven and earth,
Genesis 1:1 NKJ Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

of all that is seen and unseen.
Colossians 1:16 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.


We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
Acts 2:35-36 36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."


the only Son of God,
John 1:18 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

eternally begotten of the Father, Through him all things were made.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
John 14:6 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

of one Being with the Father.
John 10:30 30 "I and My Father are one."

For us and for our salvation
Matthew 1:21 21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

he came down from heaven:
John 3:13 13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
John 6:41 1 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."
John 6:51 51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
Luke 1:31-35 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

and was made man.
Hebrews 2:14 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
John 1:14 4 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
Mark 15:14-15 14 Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!" 15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

he suffered death and was buried.
Mark 15:37 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Mark 15:44-47 44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

On the third day he rose again
1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

in accordance with the Scriptures;
Luke 24:26-34 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

he ascended into heaven
Acts 1:8-11 8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Matthew 26:64 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
John 5:22-23 22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

and his kingdom will have no end.
2 Peter 1:11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
John 6:63 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.

Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
John 15:26 26 " But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me

With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
Matthew 28:19 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

He has spoken through the Prophets.
Acts 28:25 25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
Matthew 16:18 8 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.


We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 2:37-38 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Philippians 3:20-21 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Now I am not writting to convert anyone to Catholicism or any other faith. I am not trying to get anyone to profess the Nicene Creed or believe in it. My point is simply this: Creeds can be good, biblically supported, and are done by everyone who is able to believe in anything. My purpose was simply to educate on a topic that seems to blurred by modern times. Everyone has a creed no matter what language or translation they use, because creeds are just statements of basic beliefs. Creed is not a dirty word.

False Prophets

I have found that Paul and many other parts of the Bible are especially concerned with False prophets. It was a early prediction of the splintering of Christianity. It's as if Paul knew about the Protestant Reformation before it began. And it did not start with a false church, the danger and pitfall began from a false prophet, namely Martin Luther. Notice: Jesus even began this warning by saying, "Beware of false prophets" (Matt. 7:15) not beware of false churches. The emphasis was on the teachers, not the systems they represented. Matt 7:15-16 ""Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"

Why was there such a great concern? Wouldn't people just know by nature when they were being decieved? Couldn't they just pick up the Bible and know? Looking at the world today obviously, no matter how smart the theologian it doesn't matter. We can be tricked and even having the Bible does not help. (Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!) They carry a 'gospel' too. In fact, to decieve Christians they go so far as to disguise themselves as real apostles : 2 corinthians 11:13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Satan quoted scriptures in the temptation of Jesus, but twisted their meaning. 2 Peter 3:16 This is what he says in all his letters when he writes on the subject. There are some difficult things in his letters which ignorant and unstable people explain falsely, as they do with other passages of the Scriptures. So they bring on their own destruction. 2 Peter 1:20 Above all else, however, remember that none of us can explain by ourselves a prophecy in the Scriptures. Acts 8:30-31 Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 The official replied, "How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?" And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him. The "Bible alone" theory was not believed by anyone in the early Church. It is new, having arisen only in the 1500s during the Protestant Reformation. The theory is a "tradition of men" that nullifies the Word of God, distorts the true role of the Bible, and undermines the authority of the Church Jesus established (Mark 7:1–8). The Protestant churches were established during the Reformation, which began in 1517. (Most of today’s Protestant churches are actually offshoots of the original Protestant offshoots.) matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people.

Now not all are trying to decieve, some really believe the false teachings they preach. They honestly seek and love God, but have fallen for lies. 1 Timothy 1:7 "They want to be teachers of God's law, but they do not understand their own words or the matter about which they speak with so much confidence."

So who then has the authority to interpret the scriptures for us? 1 Tim. 3:15 "But if I delay, this letter will let you know how we should conduct ourselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." The church of Christ that is the pillar and support of the Truth has that authority. Jesus promised to guide his Church into all truth (John 16:12–13). The Church has remained one, holy, catholic, and apostolic—not through man’s effort, but because God preserves the Church he established (Matt. 16:18, 28:20). 2 Tim 2:2 "And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well." So not everyone who picks up a bible has been entrusted to teach others, you need the authority of the Church. Malachi 2:7 "It is the duty of the priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will becuase they are the messagers of the Lord Almighty" Back in the OT the preists were decendants of Levi and Aaron. The people gave 10% to the priests, verse 9. 11Even though the Law of Moses says that the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. 12And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed. 13The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. 14Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said that priests would come from that tribe. There was a holy nation of peoples and an ordained priesthood. The ordained were to teach! And not just by letter, but by face to face 2 John 1:12. And these teachings could come by letter or word of mouth 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Not everything was written so that their joy may be full and because all the books in the world could not contain all the Jesus said and did. John 21:25 "Now there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written." Do not fall for the traditions of men. Mark 7:7 It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!'

Which man started your “tradition”?

1968-1970, Independent Charismatic Church, Former Denominational Pastors, all around the USA

1914, Assemblies of God, Former Evangelical Pastors, Hot Springs, Ar.

1908, Church of the Nazarene, Phineas F. Bresee, California

1907, Church of God (Pentecostal), Ambrose J. Tomlinson, Cleveland, Tn.

1901, Pentecostal Churches, Charles Parham & John Seymour, Topeka, Ka.

1879, Christian Science Church, Mary Baker Eddy, Los Angeles

1865, Salvation Army, William Booth, London

1830, Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, New York

1827, Church of Christ, Thomas & Alexander Campbell, Kentucky.

1800, United Brethren Church, Philip Otterbein & Martin Boehm, Maryland

1739, Methodist Episcopal Church, John & Charles Wesley, England

1600, Congregational Church, Robert Brown, England

1600, Baptist Church, John Smyth, England

1560, Presbyterian Church, John Knox, Scotland

1534, Anglican/Episcopal, Henry VIII, England

1524, Lutheran Church, Martin Luther, Germany

A.D. 33, Catholic Church, Jesus Christ, Jerusalem