Featured Universal Church

Yes Hank, but that place has been proven time & again to be a cult.....therefore anything they do or thing or dictate is Un-Biblical claptrap.

 

Maybe so, but it is the largest sector of Christendom in the world:

http://www.livescience.com/27244-the-world-s-catholic-population-infographic.html

Also, they really don't fit my definition of a cult as they believe in the Trinity and the deity of Christ.

HankD

 

Do they really Hank? I personally believe they deny the trinity but really believe in a quadrinity as Mary is not only given every title of deity, and honored by every act of worship that belongs exclusively to God but is given even more honor than any individual member of the Trinity.

With regard to the deity of Christ, they pervert his deity through transubstantiation making him not merely God and human but bread and wine.

 

You are correct, they certainly seem to venerate Mary in a way that is is idolatry.

Yes as a former Catholic I was taught as a child to pray directly to Mary in the same manner as prayer to God the Son and God the father.

Transubstantiation - yes, idolatry as well. Sometimes they put the "sanctified" host in a holder behind a little glass door (called a ceborium) and walk it through the church - everyone must bow down to it.

I was saved in the military in my room reading the book of John after listening to the gospel (several months) on a radio broadcast from Wheeling WV.

Though I was stationed in upstate NY on the BMEWS, the broadcast come through loud and clear at night.

Before that I was a typical catholic worldling never going to mass. After being saved one night, I went back to the Catholic church (out of ignorance) of my childhood and talked with priests about the church and finally left for good after 2 years of talking with them about the scriptures (which I couldn't stop reading and studying).

They were very CRITICAL of my bible studies. Most of my relatives as well.

I couldn't pray to Mary and other idolatries because in my heart I knew it was wrong.

I still don't know about calling them a cult but corrupted Christianity.
I believe some (a few) Catholics are saved but won't leave their church for fear.
Only eternity will reveal this or not.

HankD

 

TCassidy, I thought that I believed the same thing as you stated here about the "Hillsong" model. I just have a feeling that some of my father's beliefs on the "universal, invisible church" have rubbed off on me, at least in part, and that I find myself wanting to believe that though each church is still INDEPENDENT in it's nature, that it is still connected to all others through Christ. (Sorry if my reasoning here is a little jumbled around...I've not slept in three days)....So basically what you're saying is that the Hillsong model is somewhat like the RCC, and that the leader is like the Pope, or am I incorrect in that assumption?
Though I like the preaching of many of those on this channel, I find that some of their reasonings are
Blessings on you, my Brother.