Comments on: Now at the RCC Carnival: Bingo, Beer, and a Hot Tetzel

By: Don Costello

Don Costello — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:34:25 +0000

Dan,
I was raised Cata-holic, going to grade schools at St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart, and for High School I went to Moeller. After nine years of drugs, sex and rock and roll I received Christ, and the last thing I wanted to do is go back to being Catholic. Then I started seeing in Scripture teaching that condemned much of Catholic theology. Needless to say, I have a lot of problems with Catholic beliefs.
Don

By: Dan Edelen

Dan Edelen — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:36:59 +0000

Josh,

Truth be told, this indulgences thing is marketing dependence. By making it a quasi-sacrament, it forces people to go to the church to get it. “Hey, don’t want to spend 1,000 years in purgatory playing Microsoft Solitaire and never winning? Have we got a deal for you! All you need to do is show up on Sunday, go to confession, and say your prayers here, and we’ll do this for you!” So in a way, there is a gotcha attached to this.

That said, I can understand where the RCC is coming on this. It’s losing people like crazy. Offering indulgences, which themselves offer a spiritual benefit unattainable elsewhere, keeps people from leaving—so long as those people believe in the power of the indulgence. It’s harder to be a lone ranger if you can only get this spiritual benefit from going to church and being observant publicly.

By: steve martin

steve martin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:59:52 +0000

George,

You have a valid point.

The semi-Pelagianism of the Evangelical chuches is akin to the semi-Pelagianism of the Catholic Church.

‘A little bit of God and a little bit of me.’

Only it ususlly turns out to be a little bit of god and a lot of ‘me’.

By: Dan Edelen

Dan Edelen — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:59:43 +0000

George,

Sounds like you’ve been reading Bonhoeffer, my friend!