Part 8. Catholicism Mistakenly Called Christianity (article is divided into three sections)

  Section(1)
   Jesus Christ died an awful death to free us from the sin that began with Adam, Eve, and that snake of a serpent. We are called to remember that death through communion:
 

  1 Corinthians 11:24-26

     24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, " This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

    25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

    26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

  In response to three major points that Catholicism defends, I am going to point out the truths of which have been twisted in the Catholic belief. As I have tried to state before, this is in no way  a personal attack on someone who is a Catholic. I am after the belief itself, not the people. 

   In ancient times there was a time where Catholicism shown the light of Jesus, until the belief slowly became corrupted (I encourage you to read and study on the full history of Catholicism). Later on from it came a group (or groups) of people who broke off from it. They were called Protestants. Now, the Catholic belief has mellowed out, but it still professes things that are not Biblically sound. Three of them are 1}the reason why the crucifix is shown 2} the reason why prayer to the saints is taught 3} the reason for why Catholicism is mistakenly called Christianity. 

  The crucifix is used in Catholicism as a reminder of how we are to pick up our cross and follow Christ. Yes, Christ did say that we must pick up our cross and follow Him.

    Mark 8: 34-38

  34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them,"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 

  35"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

  36"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

  37"For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

  38"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

  In the verse above, it talks about denying oneself, picking up his own cross and following Jesus. This is a personal thing that will look different in every single individual life that follows Jesus. The crucifix in the Catholic belief may have a representation of Christ's death, but that is not what is supposed to remind us of His death. The communion is what serves as that reminder in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. As to the denying of ourselves, we do not need an object to remind us of that. The Holy Spirit reminds us of that and convicts us about it. As followers of Christ we must deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him.

  The cross in the Bible stands as the symbol of the Gospel. The cross that it speaks of is one where Christ was on it, but then is no longer there. The empty cross is the symbol of the fact that Christ died and rose again. Why is a crucifix always being shown in Catholicism when Christ had left an empty cross? In showing the crucifix all the time, is Catholicism missing the point of the Gospel? It seems that way, because in the Bible it does not portray a crucifix all the time; only when it speaks of Christ's crucifixion does it show it. In Christianity the cross is empty because Christ left it that way. He never left it with Himself still hanging on the cross. Is it right, according to the Bible, then to portray the crucifix like it is presented in Catholicism? The Bible does not teach this. 

Part 7. Humanity's FREE WILL

  We all have a sense of freedom in us. We all have a desire for it. Whether it is recognized or not. The ability to choose anything for ourselves is a wonderful gift. It is what allows us to express different aspects of our individuality. It is called FREE WILL. Without this free will in us, we would be like robots. Very much so.
   On the flip side, Free Will also allows for the choice to make wrong decisions. Whether it be taking something small or actually taking the life of your fellow man. Free Will, while it is a great gift, can also be perceived as a very dangerous threat. Never go to the extreme that says that every one should be of the same mind so that no one has the choice to do wrong. Anyone who believes this or even exercises that ends up as a hypocrite. He or she also ends up with a very big ego.
   The reason why that person would be a hypocrite is because they do the very things that others are prevented from doing: choosing. It does not matter to them if it is against the perimeters they set or not. They want to control. All the while that control feeds the ego. Communism is an example of this. Socialism is a lighter form of that, but leads to what Communism is. Furthermore, ISIS, Islam, legalistic churches (doesn't matter what denomination), the current American government, and other foreign/domestic religions will try in one way or another force you to give up certain freedoms; those freedoms that are okay, which are neither right nor wrong. In the extreme cases, if you deviate from any of their rules, you will be punished, not because if it was morally wrong.
   To be human is to be imperfect and to make wrong or right choices. As soon as anyone decides that they want to change that in another human being, it backfires. It is the same as trying to change the way the solar system is. You cannot try to change the basics of nature. You end up suffering the consequences of doing that.
  Don't ever give up your freedom. Fight for it. Know for certain what those freedoms are; so that you will understand what you are defending and why. In the meantime, watch yourself. Make sure that you are making the right choices and not falling for the very thing that you're fighting against.

Part 6. Lying Islam and ISIS Threats

 So much has happened since I last wrote a blog entry. ISIS rose to power and they called the Muslims to kill or convert other people. This is ridiculous, yet horrific. I am watching my fellow Americans commit treason as they give their lives to the enemy's evil institution. Some children who were captured by ISIS are coming back brainwashed. Boys and girls are put through hell if they are captured by ISIS.
   America, what do you think will happen if ISIS gained power here on our soil? Seriously, think about it. Think about what they believe. Think about how they would change every aspect of American way of life in the name of Islam.
  Girls, are you really okay with being told to cover your whole body in a black garb? Never allowed to wear even a simple, decent dress. There will be no more proms. It does not matter to ISIS what you want at all. Your freedoms would be taken away. If you disobeyed in any way, you would either be brutally beaten or executed. Also, it is not just your whole way of expressing yourself that would change. You would be told to obey your husband or else. Obey your father or else. Obey your brother or else. Later on in your life, do you really want to forfeit your choice to be independent as a woman?
  Men, are you really okay with dying for Islam? Do you really want to follow their way of life? Also are you honestly okay with going to a Mosque to worship a false god, which in reality will never fill the space inside you? Are you okay with beating your wife or daughter because they disobeyed Islam? Or worse watching them be murdered? Are you okay with killing another person just because that person doesn't believe in Islam?
  My fellow Americans, there is much more to the picture of ISIS gaining power on our continent. Please stop saying things that you have no knowledge of or even have any means to defend what you are saying. Otherwise, you look like a stupid person who doesn't know any better than the other uneducated people. Please take the initiative to answer your own question by researching, studying till you find the answer. Then don't stop studying, learning. Keep an open mind, but guard your heart. There is much more than Islam out there that would very much like to lead you down a lonely, dark path.
   No matter how much power ISIS gains, they will never be right. You do not kill or forcibly convert others to your belief, no matter how much you think you are right.  You turn people off when you do that and not to mention the fear that is instilled.
  We can not win this war on ISIS by being wishy-washy or diplomatic. We can't win this war with the current president in office. We have got to be confident. Know why we should be confident.
  ISIS has committed acts of war. They are now the enemy. They have threatened the lives of every American. People, we are no longer safe. Our Military can't even protect us as well anymore because of our president. The Western War on Islam has been in action for a long time. It was never won, but do we really want to lose?