08/05/2024 – Christian Post – “American Christians increasingly leaving protestantism.”
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/are-american-christians-increasingly-leaving-protestantism.html
My hope is I can come back on article for I could write a book on it. I was blessed with God fearing devout Christians, my father a Roman Catholic, and my mother a Missouri Synod Lutheran. And they only argued about religion. My younger siblings took that as a negative toward the organized church.
Although I was a lutheran in my entire growing up years, I was an active catholic church member for over a decade in my early adulthood. In the decade as a catholic, I never heard once even an inference that protestants weren’t christians, be it from the pulpit or weekly men’s bible study groups. I wish I could say the same for my experience in protestant churches up to the present day. The barrage of false accusations over the years, even from pastors that should know better, puts an emphasis on the accuser not having a clue about christian catholic doctrine. I know, welcome to our world today but this goes way back.
We can’t measure hearts but from his actions, I indeed wonder if Jorge Bergoglio isn’t more pagan woke marxist than he is a baby christian. But even with the heretical pope, to say emphatically that “catholics are not christians”, with a raised voice, is an abomination. So..: that would include St. Francis of Assisi; Teresa de Avila; Mother Teresa; Pope John Paul?, just to name a few. And for me, you are including my Dad! I am not even going to list prominent protestant pastors that have fallen off the track, just in the last few months, let alone in recent history.
Without elaborating, when I start to explain “what I miss about the catholic church”, a liturgical and sacramentally based church, I oftentimes get cut off. But I will just say, if my wife would join me, we would be members in an Eastern Orthodox Church today. Why? Read under the “The allure of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy” section, but I will zero in on one sentence here: “The Eastern Orthodox Church is also rooted in liturgy and spiritual practice, which is deeply mystical and often quite beautiful.” “Deeply mystical!” How so? Hang with me here for just a couple more sentences: God is unfathomably loving, majestic and all powerful! Therefore, I submit that we avoid trying to bring Him down to our level: As in, “Yes, I can fully comprehend Him!” , or even for that matter, “I’m glad that I will be able to do so when I get to heaven!”
I would look forward to elaborating further, even just a couple of paragraphs maximum!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy