At sixteen years old I was encouraged by my fiance to go into the confessional to confess to the priest. Right before I went I watched a very large "friar" looking man in robes walk into the little box. I didn't know everything to do so I opened the other door got on my knees in front of this little window with a door. It was dark and foreboding in that box, but I wasn't afraid. The big man on the other side slid open the little door and said some meaningless and dead words at me, then I began to confess.
The first time I went into the confessional I didn't know the "act of contrition", because I wasn't raised Catholic, I was a very young convert. The priest chewed me out for not knowing it. Then I began to chew out the priest, I told him that I believed God forgave me, it doesn't matter what words you say. He became embarrassed and reluctantly absolved me of my sin because I didn't say those words. LOL
I never went into the confessional again!
I had the nasty habit of thinking for myself, it drove the priests and nuns crazy every time I asked "why do we do that."
After I became born again I began to read the word of God, ravenously devouring it every day. While still in the church I became even more frustrating to priests, nuns and parishioners, when I would proclaim often to them, "that's not Scriptural" or "that's out of context."
Needless to say I was born for such a job as this, to be a continual prod in everyone's side, not meaning too, but just couldn't stand following something just because everyone else did it. I am happy to follow others when they get it right according to the Word, but am not willing to obey something that is wrong so others will like me, it's God I want to please.
I thought when we left the church, now I would have more friends and fellowship, after all I am now in "Bible Believing" groups who claim to love the Lord. Little did I realize after many years of study, that the "Protestant" denominations in many ways are just as wrong as the Catholic church.
I was once asked "Can a Catholic be saved?" My answer was a question, "Can a Protestant be saved?" Sensing the person hearing me was confused, I explained that no one who loved the Catholic church and will not leave it cannot be born again. Anyone who has been changed into a new creation by Christ couldn't sit through the heresy that goes on in the mass week after week, the Holy Spirit would nag them until they left.
Continuing to answer the rest of the question, "Can a Protestant be saved?" I explained that protestants have their own set of heresies based on human wisdom and rules, they even have their own "Protestant Popes", they are called "ordained ministers." These ordained ministers carry nearly the same weight as the Pope does in the minds of church goers.
We were taught in the Catholic church that a non-priest couldn't know the truth, that only the priest could interpret the Bible. Sadly I have actually been told this by "evangelical" church goers, that I couldn't understand the Bible because I didn't go to seminary.
Of course this declaration that only seminary students could understand the Bible brought forth belly laughs, feeling like I had been transported back into the Catholic church momentarily. I asked the people who said this to me, "Oh, you mean the Holy Spirit only goes to seminary?"
You see, the organized, one man paid pastor, 501c3 organizations are not following the Biblical model of worship as the first century church did, instead they have a modified Catholicized form of religion hardly recognizable according to the Biblical church, not to mention their own set of human traditions that they hold very tightly to just as do the Catholics.
The moral of this story is this; If you want to know truth, read the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit that lives in you and question every single thing you were taught and every single things you are being taught! Leave nothing unquestioned.
Human hierarchy teaches man to trust the leaders above all else. The Bible teaches us to trust on man but to only trust Christ, this leaves much room for testing all things according to the Bible and leaves no man higher than any other man.
How wonderful to be able to go to God knowing He will give us the answer to all our questions correctly. Of course we listen to good teachers, but we evaluate what they say in front of Christ, He is our final authority.
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