What is a Heathen?

Barnabas:

I have always attempted to be respectful on Baptistboard. Almost anything said in defense of our faith can be interpreted as “proselytizing” and result in being kicked out, especially since it is stated the reason to ban some Catholic members has to do with these members believing salvation is through their church, and this will not be tolerated. Of course Catholics believe salvation is through the Church Jesus Christ established. This is the basis of our faith. We believe in Jesus Christ and everything he said, taught, and did for us.

Contrary to what you say, “Sheep stealing” is not a Catholic term. I understand that Baptist and Catholics together in places like Russia have to deal with charges of proselytizing all the time from the Orthodox. Speaking the truth, should not have these charges of sheep stealing or proselytizing attached to them.

Banning membership to Catholics, then eliminating the few left for defending that Jesus established one Church as he said He would, is the reason I believe there is not free speech for Catholics here.

I have never called anyone here on Baptist board a heathen, or a pagan, yet Catholics on BB are called the same more times than I can count. You guys provide the website and make the rules. You can say I am free to defend my faith, if I stay within certain guidelines, but this is not true. At this point, Catholics are not free to defend our faith. As the Catholic bashing increases with no response, I think the staff is going to see a spirit of darkness that Baptistboard has not had in the years that Catholics have participated as your guests and watched Baptistboard grow with you. The real Catholic bashing websites turn into ugly places. Hopefully someday the Other Religions Forum will open its door to Catholics as fellow Christians in free dialog. Good bye and may God bless you.

 

Kathryn, your post seems to be soaked in emotionalism - which is clouding your judgment and true reasoning. You are mixing together unrelated concepts, and do not see the greater picture at all.

Item number one:
If you are unfamiliar with the term "sheep stealing" then say so, but please do not throw doubt that the term did not originate with the Catholics. Here is a little background, of which I believe you should know.

Back in March 29, 1994 key Catholic and Evangelical leaders we coming together to sign a document entitled: "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the 3rd Millennium." The result of the ensuing discussion between these leaders (on the Catholic side) a word was recoined from "proselytizing" to "sheep stealing". In other words, the Catholic leaders wanted to make it sure that the closing of the gap between Catholics and Evangelicals will not result in "sheep stealing" from their respective churches. Focusing on that very same aspect, we on the Baptist Board did not want something like this happen either. But even though we had an open door policy, it seemed lately that some of our Catholic friends were engaged in the same practice, trying to woo readers in the Other Religions Forum to come over to their faith - as if returning to the true church.

Item number two:
Defending one's faith is not the same as proselytizing. Catholics were members of the Baptist Board for years! They were hardly, if ever, were restricted what to post. Their defense of their faith was challenged all these years, but never opposed by the Moderators or Administrators. You must turn a blind eye toward the past rush of posts by some members who were not trying to defend the Catholic Church but to engage in an open invitation to those who are new Christians or babes in Christ to come and see that the Catholic Church is the only and true church! There were links to private as well as public (school based) websites where the personal testimonies as well as the official statements adhered to this. But the clincher was Carson Weber's threads where he "braggingly" reported the conversion of a Baptist person back to Roman Catholicism. Again Kathryn there is a big difference between defending the faith and open proselytizing - and this Board will not stand for any group which will do so.

Item number three:
You are insinuating that the board cannot be truthful, and it becomes a dark entity without the Catholic witness. You must place your head in the sand again, for you do not observed all these years that the Catholic witness was never stifled. As I said earlier, it was challenged, as are all other religions in the mirror of the Bible. So your argument does not hold much weight.

But, hey, keep pushing the perimeters (with the exception of proselytizing) and you will see that I am right. Wishing you God's blessings!

 

I am going to add my tuppence worth.

Buddhism does not have an acknowledged All Mighty as in the Godhead of the Christian Beliefs....

Some one please differentiate for this ignoramus heathen and pagan???

 

Thanks again Dr Bob. Incidentally have you gained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Theology or Divinity?

 

Born Again Catholic, that is not the case. People here are free to express their views, even about the Catholic church. If not you wouldn't still be here talking, would you now.

To antagonize meant to counteract, to act in opposition to. Yep, I'm guilty. So are you. It's not a bad thing. It gets our points across and gets the opposite opinion holder to defend his position, which is pretty much the whole point in posting in this section, is it not?

As far as Clint goes, he's here and can speak for himself.

George?! Let's go with Joshua, or Michael. I could never be a George.

As far as the water getting choppy and cold, it seems you're the one having a hard time with what I say, not the opposite!

Gina

 

I think we need to point out once again that there is a great fallacy involved here. There are some who think that Catholics can approach the "table of truth" on equal footing with historic Baptists. They cannot, simply because Catholics long ago left the biblical teaching. This has been obscured by the constant appeals to authority that the RCC makes. Catholics may indeed defend "their faith," but they cannot defend "the faith" since they, as a church, abandoned it. It is the RCC which most widely demonstrates a religion built on the tradition of men. The Baptist and Protestant (if you think they are different) were called a "Reformation" for a reason. They embodied a return to the truth long obscured by the dominance of the RCC through the ages.

We must be able to separate Catholic bashing from defending the truth. I do not believe we should bash Catholics. But it would be most unloving to allow Catholic adherents to remain unconfronted by the truth of Scripture. Some will not respond, but that does not lessen our obligation of love for both truth and people. While dogmatic statements are rarely well received by those not already disposed towards them, it remains necessary for us to dogmatically defend the truth of God's word in hopes that the Spirit will moving in the hearts and minds of those opposed to it, blinded by religious tradition.

For the Catholics among us, "coming home to the church" should not be equated with conversion to Roman Catholicism in any sense. Such a statement fails to take into account the biblical teaching on the nature of the church.

My point is this: We need to be careful not to relegate biblical truth to an equal position alongside RC dogma and tradition. While RC dogma and tradition can and should be discussed, it must be discussed in light of biblical teaching rather than as a replacement of biblical teaching. It must be accepted for what it is ... dogma and tradition. It cannot be automatically subscribed to as truth. That is reserved for Scripture alone. RC dogma and tradition, like any other, is truth only when it corresponds to what Scripture teaches. It is error when it fails to correspond. Failure to make that distinction has led some to posit an authority for the RCC of which it is not deserving.

Let us return to the supremacy of Scripture as the pure, sufficient revelation from God. Let us dispense with the notion that the traditions and dogmas of men, no matter how old, can be placed on an equality with Scripture.

 

Amen Pastor Larry!

 

My mom raised four boys and when we were young, she would often tell us, "Don't act like a heathen!"

We were also accused of being "a pack of wild indians."