Darron Steele said:By the way, and I know our resident Catholic bashers here do not care, but again, Catholics do not worship Mary as a goddess. Their "veneration" of her does stop short of that. They believe -- quite wrongly -- that by honoring Jesus' mother so much, they are honoring Christ. I know, I know: `Who cares, the allegation makes nice ammunition, and darn it we are going to keep using it.'
When proselytizers willingly and persistently misrepresent the beliefs and sentiments of their desired converts, the desired converts are not as inclined to take them seriously. Frankly, people like our resident Catholic bashers make me think of the Catholics I know, and cause me to think more positively of their religion -- the exact opposite intent, I am sure. I can only imagine its effects on those who actually buy into it.
Further, when professing Christians present the truth while engaging in conduct Christ preached against, it does not honor Christ.
When I said God would torture and kill the 1.3 billion Catholics immediately if God applies the same treatment that Catholics did to the dissident Christians by condemning them as Heretics, It doesn't mean Mary worship only, but we can read the articles and record that Catholic killed the people just because they refused the Infant Baptism or performed the Re-Baptism, or because they refused Purgatory. On the contrary, if RCC people are found heretic because of the purgatory, and if God apply the same treatment which RCC did to the other dissident Christians, then wouldn't God have to torture and kill 1.3 billion all because they believe in Purgatory?
Another example is John Calvin who condemned Servetus as a Heretic because he denied Trinity and Infant Baptism. His concept of Godhead was not simple even though he admitted that God revealed Himself in Christ Jesus and that anyone who saw Jesus saw God, but he was wrong by denying the Deity of Jesus. but as for Infant Baptism he was right and Calvin was wrong. Calvin presented many ridiculous evidences and analogy to support the Infant Baptism. It was Calvin that asked the police to arrest Servetus in his church, and it was Calvin who presented all the accusations against him, and finally Calvin pursued the execution of Servetus by chopping him with axes, but the Geneva Council refused and burnt him alive, which happened on Oct 27, 1553.
Was Calvin right when he pursued the death penalty on Servetus?
The Bilbe says, let the tares grow until the harvest ( Matt 13) and An Heretic after the first and the second admonition Reject! ( Titus 3:10)
In his Bible Calvin may have found that the Heretics must be tortured and killed. Servetus was wrong with the Unitarian idea but was right with Infant Baptism, then does he deserve such horrible death just because of what he believed?
At the end Castellio wrote the serious essay on the issue of Christian handling the Heretics. Eventually he emphasized the right of the people to live as a heretic.
This was my repeated question, as U.S, allow the freedom of the people in many ways, can anyone live as a heretic?
Whenever I asked this question to RCC people, they refused the answer to it.
I know why RCC cannot answer this question. If they admit yes, they will be challenged about the past history of torturing and killing people.
If they don't admit it, they are exposed to the condemnation on themselves. This is the dilemma for RCC.
Darron,
What is your opinion ? Can you leave anyone who you think is a heretic, to live as a heretic? or do you think the government must take the action to kill them?