Have you been to Pull the Plug on Atheism yet? If not, check it out.
It's Ray Comfort's new site. For a while now, he has been looking
Atheists right in the face on his blog, Atheist Central...
And now he's continuing to do so with Pull the Plug on Atheism,
which provides more resources that will help you witness to your
And now he's continuing to do so with Pull the Plug on Atheism,which provides more resources that will help you witness to your
atheist friend. You'll find articles to send to someone you know,
and you can help to pull the plug on the rising tide of atheism.
and you can help to pull the plug on the rising tide of atheism.
I was corresponding with Ray the other day and said that he
should do a whole series of "Pull the Plug" sites. He liked the thought.
Any ideas for his next "Pull the Plug" site??
How about Pull the Plug on the Emergent Church...
now that I got you thinking, I want to hear your ideas.
24 comments:
How about pull the plug on Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, False Converts!
Nice!
How about "Pull the Plug on Protestantism?" It has a nice ring to it.
"Pull the Plug on Protestantism?"
How could you possibly do that?? You can't pull the plug on truth.
"Pull the Plug on False Conversions"
"Pull the Plug on 'Good' People"
How about pull the plug on dead religion? I think a lot of people would go to that and the gospel could be shared.
"Pull the Plug on Protestantism? How could you possibly do that??"
That's easy! Come home to the Catholic Church!
"You can't pull the plug on truth."
I agree, but Protestants have been trying for centuries.
How about "Pull the Plug on Heresy" instead? Or "Pull the Plug on Separation From Christ's One True Church?"
I don't know, those just don't have the same ring that "Pull the Plug on Protestantism" does.
to amontoya,
OK...i'll bite.
when i was a young girl my mom told ME that the true church was the Greek Orthodox Church. when i went to catholic school, i was told the catholic church was the true church. i was told by both sects that if you were outside of either church God didn't love u and you were going to hell. that began my quest to find out the truth.
i was given a Holy Bible when i was 6yrs old but didn't start reading it until i was 25.
when we die amontoya & stand before God on judgement day, He is not going to ask us what demonination we came from but according to Exodus 20: 1-17, He will ask us if we have ever lied? that makes us liars. have we stolen anything? even if it was small? then we are considered thieves. have we ever taken God's name in vain? that's blasphemy and God will not hold him guiltless that take His name in vain. did u always obey your parents...always? if u haven't then you have broken the 5th Commandment...we should be honoring our parents. have u loved God with all your heart, soul, mind and strenght...always? ever hated anyone? God says that if we hated anyone we are murders. God's standard is high...higher than man's.
those are but a few of the Commandments that's written in your Bible...the Moral Law is what we will be facing on the day of judgement. God's beef won't be about whether were Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, Baptists, Nazerenes, etcetera, it will be about us repenting of the crimes of breaking one or the whole Law--the 10 Commandments.
whatcha thinking? i'm game.
Dede,
Of course I've broken the commandments. I have also repented of my sins, asked God for mercy, and placed my faith and trust in Him.
As a Christian, I am a member of Christ's Body, which is the Church(1 Cor. 12:27). Scripture refers to the Church as "the pillar and foundation of truth," (1 Tim. 3:14-15). Scripture also tells us that Christ loves and cherishes the Church(Eph. 5:25-29) and that He bought the Church with His blood(Acts 20:28).
The Bible makes it seem like the Church is important to God, therefore, it should be very important to me.
Jesus promised, "...I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,"(Matt.16:18). This means that His Church will never fall away from Him or be destroyed, and will survive until His return. The Catholic Church is the only Christian Church that has existed since the time of Jesus. The Eastern Orthodox churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The Protestant churches broke away during the reformation, starting in 1517. Only the Catholic Church has existed since the first century. The line of popes can be traced back in unbroken succession to Peter. No other institution can equal that.
You claim that God has no "beef" with what church we belong to. If that's true, why would Jesus pray for unity among His followers the night before His Passion(John 17)? Why does Scripture repeatedly warn against divisions among believers(Rom 16:17, 1 Cor. 1:10, 1 Cor. 3)? It is incomprehensible to me that God would be unconcerned about the division and disunity that exists among Christians.
Why are there so many Christian denominations in the first place; the vast majority of which sprang from the Protestant reformation and its heretical doctrine of sola scriptura? If the Bible is sufficient, in and of itself, (without an authoritative magisterium) to guide all Christians into "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"(Eph. 4:5) without being "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine"(Eph. 4:14), then why has there been any splintering among Christian denominations?
Protestantism's core doctrine(sola scriptura) fosters division. If you don't like the way that I interpret this or that verse, it doesn't matter, because you can simply start your own denomination and interpret Scripture however you see fit. These denominations are incomplete Christianity.
There is only one Lord, one Body, one Bride, one Church. If we want to believe all that Jesus taught, and obey all that He commanded, then we must follow Him through His Church.
God bless you!
"Pull the Plug on Rob Bell"
That's probably to direct.
"Pull the Plug on Velvet Elvis"
"Pull the Plug on Modern Christianity"
Ray Comfort put "Modern Christianity" into his book "World religions in a Nutshell"
It's funny and shocking on how modern christianity can be categorized with other religions.
"Pull the Plug on "christian" music."
There's too much so called Christian music that sounds more like something written to a girlfriend. What happened to the Biblical Music, like Keith Green's Music.
The Sheep and the Goats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix8ddosjg-k
Asleep in the Light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em5gL0Rw4Aw
Biblical and Conviction. Ray Comfort quoted the lyrics for Asleep in the Light in his sermon, "Where has the passion gone."
You know, you really should read Ray's blog. Why? The atheists continually refute him there. Especially when it comes to science and evolution. Not that it matters, he keeps tossing up the same old strawmen...
Just take a good long read at his evolution-themed posts and you'll see. The comments by "Stephen J" are among the most educational.
I think the atheists are really angry now. They are infiltrating over here now.
amontoya, I was considering converting to catholicism in the not too distant past. The more I read about it (from catholic sources) the more I realized how they twist biblical truth and elevate the catechism over the bible, which is clearly wrong for so many reasons on so many levels. I was a member of several discussion boards (catholic.com for one) just to read some of the apologetic threads. Petra and Petros is one of the largest distortions to say that Peter was the first pope. I could go on, but I won't. And obviously I rejected catholicism. But I am glad that I looked into it.
Melanie,
I'm very glad that you chose to try to learn about Catholicism, especially from Catholic sources. My prayer is that you will continue your research into the Catholic faith.
The Catechism is not elevated above Scripture. The Catechism is a compilation of 2000 years of Christian wisdom and teaching. It helps people make sense out of the Bible. If you take the time to read the Catechism, you will see hundreds and hundreds of Scripture quotations. In the back of the Catechism, there is an index of Scripture references that is 32 pages long. In the Mass, which is the highest form of worship and prayer in the Catholic Church, we have four readings from Scripture, but not a single one from the Catechism. Again, the Catechism does not take the place of Scripture, but it does help us to explain and deepen our understanding of the Bible.
I'm sorry, but I don't know exactly what you mean when you write that petra and Petros is a distortion. Could you please elaborate?
God bless you.
@ Reynold, you said "the same strawmen" IRT to Ray's blog.
Not so Reynold, yourself and the other atheists on the blog continue to refute 'the truth of the matter'. You ignore the evidence found in the Bible, the inability of atheists to produce a book with 'hard evidence' to support your theories, and you "belittle" the host.. every chance you get!
Those are not the rational thoughts of a intelligent person.
If you were serious about knowing the truth of the matter, you would give it a chance. Try reading the Simon Greenleaf study (former atheist) on the Evidence of the Gospels. You can Google it, or find it in my list of blogs!
Have a Nice Day! God Bless !!!
Praying for you and the atheists.
<< The Catholic Church is the only Christian Church that has existed since the time of Jesus. >>
amontoya,
I would have to disagree, to a point. For the first few centuries, the church was simply known as the church. After a while, of course, it came to be known as the Catholic church, but even then it was not what we know of today as the Catholic church. I would encourage you to read some of St. Augustine's writings. You will find, that the current Catholic church is in stark opposition to the Catholic church of Augustine's day. As a matter of fact, much of what is taught in the Catholic church, today, would have been called heresy in Augustine's day. This is why the Reformation had to happen.
In Christ,
Billy.
Billy,
For the first few centuries, the church was simply known as the church.
Around A.D. 107 St. Ignatius, a bishop, wrote a letter to Christians in Smyrna, in which he made the first written mention of the Catholic Church. He wrote, "Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" (To the Smyrnaeans 8:2). Three things are obvious from this. First, that the Church had a proper name to distinguish itself from the sects that had grown up. Second, that when this was written, the name had already been in use, because all indications are that everyone understood what was meant by the name. Third, that the Catholic Church was absolutely hierarchical and known for its bishops.
I would encourage you to read some of St. Augustine's writings. You will find, that the current Catholic church is in stark opposition to the Catholic church of Augustine's day. As a matter of fact, much of what is taught in the Catholic church, today, would have been called heresy in Augustine's day.
From St. Augustine(emphasis mine):
"The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned, nor is it to be regarded in any way as superfluous, nor is it to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic" (The Literal Interpretation of Genesis 10:23:39 [A.D. 408]).
"It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated . . . when that infant is brought to baptism; and it is through this one Spirit that the infant so presented is reborn. For it is not written, ‘Unless a man be born again by the will of his parents’ or ‘by the faith of those presenting him or ministering to him,’ but, ‘Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit.’ The water, therefore, manifesting exteriorly the sacrament of grace, and the Spirit effecting interiorly the benefit of grace, both regenerate in one Christ that man who was generated in Adam" (Letters 98:2 [A.D. 412]).
In the Church, therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptisms, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance" (Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15, 8:16 [A.D. 395]).
"I promised you [new Christians], who have now been baptized, a sermon in which I would explain the sacrament of the Lord’s Table. . . . That bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ" (Sermons 227 [A.D. 411]).
"What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ. This has been said very briefly, which may perhaps be sufficient for faith; yet faith does not desire instruction" (ibid., 272).
"If the very order of episcopal succession is to be considered, how much more surely, truly, and safely do we number them from Peter himself, to whom, as to one representing the whole Church, the Lord said, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church’ . . . [Matt. 16:18]. Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus, Anacletus by Evaristus . . . " (Letters 53:1:2 [A.D. 412]).
"If all men throughout the world were such as you most vainly accuse them of having been, what has the chair of the Roman church done to you, in which Peter sat, and in which Anastasius sits today?" (Against the Letters of Petilani 2:118 [A.D. 402]).
"But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and which the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition, we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the apostles themselves or by plenary [ecumenical] councils, the authority of which is quite vital in the Church" (Letter to Januarius [A.D. 400]).
"Heretics called Antidicomarites are those who contradict the perpetual virginity of Mary and affirm that after Christ was born she was joined as one with her husband" (Heresies 56 [A.D. 428]).
"At the Lord’s table we do not commemorate martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in peace so as to pray for them, but rather that they may pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps" (Homilies on John 84 [A.D. 416]).
"Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter, but all of them before that last and strictest judgment. But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, which are to follow after that judgment" (The City of God 21:13 [A.D. 419]).
"Whoever is separated from this Catholic Church, by this single sin of being separated from the unity of Christ, no matter how estimable a life he may imagine he is living, shall not have life, but the wrath of God rests upon him"(Letters 141:5 [A.D. 412]).
"We must hold to the Christian religion and to communication in her Church, which is catholic and which is called catholic not only by her own members but even by all her enemies. For when heretics or the adherents of schisms talk about her, not among themselves but with strangers, willy-nilly they call her nothing else but Catholic. For they will not be understood unless they distinguish her by this name which the whole world employs in her regard" (The True Religion 7:12 [A.D. 390]).
"[T]here are many other things which most properly can keep me in [the Catholic Church’s] bosom. The unanimity of peoples and nations keeps me here. Her authority, inaugurated in miracles, nourished by hope, augmented by love, and confirmed by her age, keeps me here. The succession of priests, from the very see of the apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after his resurrection, gave the charge of feeding his sheep [John 21:15–17], up to the present episcopate, keeps me here. And last, the very name Catholic, which, not without reason, belongs to this Church alone, in the face of so many heretics, so much so that, although all heretics want to be called ‘Catholic,’ when a stranger inquires where the Catholic Church meets, none of the heretics would dare to point out his own basilica or house" (Against the Letter of Mani Called "The Foundation" 4:5 [A.D. 397]).
That all sounds like the Catholic Church I know and love!
I could probably provide you with more from St. Augustine, but I work nights, and I'm very tired and need to go to bed now. I apologize for any punctuation or grammatical errors.
God bless you!
Trish, I'll have to check Ray's new site out! I haven't been keeping up on my blog readings since we were in CA for my Oma's funeral. Catching up now...
Amontoya, great examples as usual! :) Although I was disappointed not to read any responses from Dede, Melanie and Billy. I'll have to check back later to see if they respond.
Reynold, sorry you've been trying to post comments with links and #3above states that: Any comments that include website links will not be published. (Since we are unable to fully explore every web site, the inclusion of a url may mean we choose not to publish your otherwise wonderful comment. If your web site is important to you, we suggest you include it in your personal profile).
Sorry about that...please feel free to comment again but not with the link.
Re. "Pull the plug on Protestantism."
The Roman Catholic Church anathematized the teaching of Justification by Faith Alone at the Council of Trent. In doing so, she condemned the Gospel itself.
The Bible teaches us that we are saved solely by faith in Christ and his work on the cross, and that this faith produces works necessarily.
Craig
agnstheflow, we removed your comment because it had a link on it. Please repost it with out the link. If you deleted what you wrote and didn't save a copy of it, shoot me an email at email [at] fishwithtrish.com
So sorry. Any comments that include website links will not be published. (Since we are unable to fully explore every web site, the inclusion of a url may mean we choose not to publish your otherwise wonderful comment. If your web site is important to you, we suggest you include it in your personal profile).
Craig,
If we are saved by faith alone, then do we need to love in order to be saved? If so, then we are not saved by faith alone. We are saved by faith and love—which Catholics refer to as faith working through love (Gal. 5:6).
If faith alone saves us, why does 1 Corinthians 13:13 say that love is greater than faith? If salvation is the greatest thing we can achieve, and it is by faith alone that we achieve salvation, then faith should be greater than love, but the Bible says differently.
If you have faith, but have not works, can your faith save you? According to James 2:14-17, the answer is no.
Do we have to forgive others in order to have our sins forgiven by God? We cannot be saved if we do not have our sins forgiven, and we cannot have our sins forgiven if we do not forgive others(Matt. 6:12-15). Therefore, we are saved by faith and at least one work: the work of forgiving others of their sins against us.
The Catholic Church anathematized the teaching of justification by faith alone, because it is a heresy that goes directly against Scripture.
God bless you!
Jesus promised, "...I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,"(Matt.16:18). This means that His Church will never fall away from Him or be destroyed, and will survive until His return. The Catholic Church is the only Christian Church that has existed since the time of Jesus.
This is an assertion which should be supported with an argument. Perhaps you can support your position that the Roman Catholic Church is the Church that Christ was speaking of in Matthew 16. Remember faithful Protestants, as myself do not disagree that Christ established an authoritative Church, but authority does not in any sense imply infallibility.
Only the Catholic Church has existed since the first century.
Right. And the Holy Catholic Church is not the same as the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
The line of popes can be traced back in unbroken succession to Peter. No other institution can equal that.
Of course an assumption of a papacy always produces an anchronism of a Pope. Nonetheless we'd expect to find an office of Pope in the Bible. But there is not an office found.
If that's true, why would Jesus pray for unity among His followers the night before His Passion(John 17)? Why does Scripture repeatedly warn against divisions among believers(Rom 16:17, 1 Cor. 1:10, 1 Cor. 3)?
Yes, and there is also a flipside to what you said, scripture constantly warns against heresy and false teaching. It warns us to stay away, and divorce ourselves from people who speak lies. Like your Pope.
Furthermore, I have unity in the Gospel with all orthodox Protestants.
It is incomprehensible to me that God would be unconcerned about the division and disunity that exists among Christians.
I agree.
Why are there so many Christian denominations in the first place; the vast majority of which sprang from the Protestant reformation and its heretical doctrine of sola scriptura?
That is a problem of man, not a problem of scripture. The scripture also says people will twist and pervert its teachings.
If the Bible is sufficient, in and of itself, (without an authoritative magisterium) to guide all Christians into "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"(Eph. 4:5) without being "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine"(Eph. 4:14), then why has there been any splintering among Christian denominations?
Because man is sinful, and stuck in a mire of death and destruction aside from God's regenerating spirit. Perhaps you forget that Sola Scripture has led the Reformers to hold to a doctrine of tota scripture, and from there total depravity which teaches that man is depraved and supresses the truth of God in unrighteouesness. You defend Rome not because you love God, but you love Rome and implicitly its idolatry.
Protestantism's core doctrine(sola scriptura) fosters division.
Excuse me but the core doctrine fo Rome fostered divsion itself. Why? Well we wouldn't have a Reformation had it not been for Rome.
If you don't like the way that I interpret this or that verse, it doesn't matter, because you can simply start your own denomination and interpret Scripture however you see fit. These denominations are incomplete Christianity.
I agree. This is incomplete in fact heretical. But who said this was the doctrine of Sola Scriptura?
There is only one Lord, one Body, one Bride, one Church. If we want to believe all that Jesus taught, and obey all that He commanded, then we must follow Him through His Church.
Which is why you should repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not of Popes and false teachers.
to: amontoya
Thank you very much for responding. You asked some interesting questions.
You said: If we are saved by faith alone, then do we need to love in order to be saved? If so, then we are not saved by faith alone. We are saved by faith and love—which Catholics refer to as faith working through love (Gal. 5:6). (emphasis added)
The issue here is Justification, which is part of a threefold salvation. Believers have been Justified, are being Sanctified, and will be Glorified. Scripture uses the term "saved" in referring to each aspect as well as the whole thing. It is crucial that we understand this distinction in order to avoid confusion.
Justification is God's declaring sinners legally just, only for the merits of Jesus Christ's sinless life, and paying the penalty for their sins, on the cross, as their substitute. We do not and can not add any merit of our own to what Christ has done to pay our debt and make us acceptable to God.
The Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way. God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sins, and had myself accomplished that which Christ has fulfilled for me; if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.
(Titus 3:4-5: Romans 3:24-26, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 4:3-5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:18, Acts 16:30-31, Romans 3:22 & 28, and Romans 10:10 are a few of the scriptures that support this.)
If faith alone saves us, why does 1 Corinthians 13:13 say that love is greater than faith? If salvation is the greatest thing we can achieve, and it is by faith alone that we achieve salvation, then faith should be greater than love, but the Bible says differently.
We are saved by grace because of Christ's work. Love is a fruit of the Spirit in those who are Christ's (Gal. 5:22), not a work that contributes to our justification.
You said, If you have faith, but have not works, can your faith save you? According to James 2:14-17, the answer is no.
You have misquoted. Verse 14 reads: What use is it my brethren, if a man says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?[NASB] Note the words "say" and "says" in verses 14-18. The Faith posessed by those who have been justified will always result in works. See again my first comment on this thread.
Do we have to forgive others in order to have our sins forgiven by God? We cannot be saved if we do not have our sins forgiven, and we cannot have our sins forgiven if we do not forgive others(Matt. 6:12-15). Therefore, we are saved by faith and at least one work: the work of forgiving others of their sins against us.
Those who have been justified by having received forgiveness, on account of what Christ has done, will themselves have a forgiving heart. It is evidence of God's grace in them.
The Catholic Church anathematized the teaching of justification by faith alone, because it is a heresy that goes directly against Scripture.
Justification by Grace alone, through Faith alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls. It is the doctrine by which you and I stand or fall.
Adding even one work of our own is to deny the sufficiency of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
May God astound you with His marvelous grace. May God save you.
Craig
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