I was an anti-Catholic non-denominational “born again” Christian and got into a debate with a Catholic. I used the same tired lines – you guys don’t read the Bible, you’re basically pagans for worshipping Mary and the saints, etc. He challenged me on the topics of apostolic succession, sola scriptura, and Marian prayer. So I began researching. I needed to understand Catholicism better so I could more effectively debate these fools! But the more I researched, the more I struggled to find valid arguments against the Catholic faith. I set out to disprove Catholicism, and found myself unable to do so – so much so, that Catholicism became impossible for me to disprove. I didn’t become Catholic because I wanted to. I became Catholic because the Holy Spirit called me home to the Church Christ founded. It wasn’t up to me. Catholicism is much harder than being a Protestant; I am called to a much higher standard. It is at times unpleasant. But God calls us to worship Him in the manner in which HE chooses. Worship isn’t about us. Church isn’t about us. It’s all about Him.

Just be Catholic at that point if the trappings are going to be essentially the same. Apostolic Succession Better theology Valid sacraments No reason not to.

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (AD 296-373) He defended the Christian faith from the Arian Heresy, which threatened to destroy the fledgling Church from within. He suffered great personal loss and was driven to exile in the desert on five occasions. He nonetheless remained committed to championing the truth in the face of a church filled with hostile clergy who denied the dignity of Christ. For this he earned the nickname Athanasius Contra Mundum — “Athanasius against the world.” Shortly after his death, the First Council of Constantinople was convened in AD 381 and would affirm the theology that Athanasius fought his entire life to defend. The Trinity was formally and dogmatically declared, as was the Nicene Creed, which is prayed at every Sunday Mass around the world and is perhaps the most famous statement of faith in all of human history. He is also my confirmation saint. Saint Athanasius, pray for us — that we may always defend truth no matter the cost.

- He claimed that at the Mass, a priest “kills Christ again” when confecting the Eucharist That is a lie. That is in direct contradiction with Catholic teaching. - He claimed infant baptism arose only after Christianity became politically convenient under Constantine That is a lie. In the third century, over 150 years before Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, Origen wrote that the Church has received the tradition from the apostles to give baptism even to little children. - He claimed the Church “suppressed” Bible reading during the Middle Ages That is a lie. The vast majority of European peasantry after roughly the 6th century were illiterate; there was almost no one to suppress at that time. The claim utterly lacks evidence. - He claimed that no Christian had a “personal relationship with God” until the Reformation That is a lie. Works such as St Augustine’s Confessions and those of Catholic mystics such as St Francis of Assisi and St Ignatius of Loyola easily disprove this claim. - He claimed that pre-Vatican II Catholic teaching was that unbaptized infants go to Hell That is a lie. The Catholic Church never formally taught this; it was proposed at times that unbaptized infants go to “Limbo,” but never adopted as Church doctrine. Furthermore, the source MacArthur used to make this claim actually came from a 1999 book “When a Baby Dies” by an anti-Catholic polemicist. In other words, he falsely claimed something to be Catholic doctrine by citing a heavily biased non-Catholic source. That’s incredibly dishonest. I could go on. The man never actually had a dialogue with an educated Catholic in any meaningful way. He would go on monologuing diatribes about the evils of Catholicism without ever allowing the Catholic arguments to be presented. Several Catholic organizations attempted to enlist him for debates and discussions, but he always declined (or refused to respond to the invitations). He knew that his lies would be exposed if he talked to anyone who actually understood the Catholic faith and could defend it. You might say that I have no proof he was lying, and perhaps he was merely mistaken. That would be an egregiously generous take on MacArthur’s well-documented falsehoods, but for the sake of argument let’s entertain the possibility. Even if that were so, he would necessarily be lying about something else — his authority to speak on such matters. If he was so mistaken about Catholicism, he clearly had never done any serious academic work to understand it at all. In so doing, he lied about his credentials to speak authoritatively on the topic of Catholicism. There is no way out of the fact that he was a liar. The only question I suppose is what exactly he was lying about — but one way or another, he was lying.

Then beat their worst football program Oops, you can’t

I made this video for my people. It's important to understand that while we can never return we must remember and rebuild. There's an endless road to rediscover ☀️⚡🇺🇸

Roman Catholic

Reminder that communists are actually worse than nazis

Notably missing from Scripture: The canon of Scripture Sola Scriptura Sola Fide The deity of Christ The Trinity Once saved always saved Pre-trib rapture Sunday worship

It is crazy that I am Catholic because of the historical/biblical arguments I discovered but just recently discovered that miracles prove Catholicism as well. Convert everyone. The truth is overwhelming.

Absolutely ridiculous logic. Your arguments make no sense whatsoever if the Bible is to be believed. It is a perfectly sound refutation, whether you accept it or not. Scripture makes it very clear that those who are alive in Christ never spiritually die. Do I really need to list the dozen or so scriptural references for this? We are surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses” (the saints who have passed before us) and Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4 show the saints in heaven offering prayers before the Lord. 1 Timothy 2:5 is not a refutation of intercessory prayer directed toward the saints. It is simply acting in communion with the Church Triumphant, as we are instructed in 1 Timothy 2:1. Nothing impure can enter Heaven (Revelation 21:27), and the prayers of the righteous are powerful (James 5:16). The saints in heaven are purified of all sin, made perfect and holy so as to stand in the presence of the Father. Scripture tells us that not only are they in Heaven offering prayers before God, but that the prayers of the righteous avail much. Asking for their intercession logically follows. You falsely equate prayer to a worshipful act reserved solely for the Divine, but that is not the definition of prayer. It simply means to make a request. We are not treating the angels and saints as divine creatures, but rather as heavenly creatures who have been made holy by God, and who desire to see us join them in Heaven. Intercessory prayer is powerful not merely for supplication but also for edification of the soul. That is what the rosary is primarily for, for example. Scripture tells us to “pray without ceasing,” and that is the origin of meditative prayer (such as the rosary) in the Christian tradition. Emptying yourself of earthly focus and desires, even for just ten minutes, and entering a state of meditating on Christ’s life through the rosary is incredibly powerful in helping one grow in holiness.

This is just embarrassing (h/t @XCkyro)