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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Pilgrims' Daughter: Tony Bartolucci; Drowning in the Tiber: Parts 10 and 11 are now up!

A heated debate here. Pastor Bartolucci is even participating.



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10 comments:

just evelyn said...

I don't know if I'm doing any good, and I probably ought to quit before I get sucked in and never get around to walking my dog before it rains. But it drives me crazy to hear all the straw man arguments get trotted out again and again.

I have two bachelor's degrees and a master's. I've read the Bible cover to cover a couple dozen times. I went to a baptist school for 12 years. Thereafter I was a committed adult evangelical for 18 years. I ever went to Dallas Theological Seminary. And yet, somehow, I am Catholic.

I went to Mass at least once weekly for nearly three years before I converted, which was two years ago. I hassled every church staff member by phone or in person at least weekly for those three years. I cringe when I remember routinely calling the deacon and asking if he had a minute, which usually stretch into half an hour.

I fought it every step of the way, yet here I am. It is insulting to be told by someone who either never set foot in Mass, or who did but wasn't paying attention, that I am totally missing the mark on the single most important issue in anybody's life.

ExCatholics are sometimes the worst, because they think they know what they're talking about, but the misrepresent the faith terribly. At least we call Protestants separated brethren, rather than idiots, you know?

Well, that's the end of my rant.

Elena LaVictoire said...

If you were here I'd give you a hug. Yes, I agree with you completely.

I just wrote on my other blog that if I were having this conversation with Jennie across the dinner table I'd launch the mashed potatoes at her - and enjoy doing it.

Wonder if I have to confess that? Thanks for the assistance Just!

Barbara C. said...

Darn you, Elena!!!!!!!;-)

Barbara C. said...

just,

I just want to say you were awesome. I posted something but it hasn't gone through...too long probably. Probably not nearly as good as what you wrote.

just evelyn said...

Well, I expect I'm done. I mostly write because sometimes there are lurkers who could benefit from the clarifications.

I see from more poking around that Jennie isn't just anti-Catholic. She's anti a whole bunch of kinds of Christianity. It's confusing keeping all the protestant flavors separate. I was once jumped on about once-saved-always-saved, by a person who had no idea that the vast majority of Christendom disagreed with him, not just the Church.
Protestant almost-fundie-evangelicalism is a wholly American phenomenon, which only exists in other countries if the churches were directly planted and sustained by those Americans. But they don't usually realize that.

just evelyn said...

Oh, and I don't know why google comments cuts me off, but my name is Just Evelyn. You can call me Evelyn :)

I don't know if you have to confess the mashed potato thing, but maybe you should do something hospitable as a pre-emptive penance :D

And now I am really off to Adoration. The highlight of my week.

Erin said...

Elena, Evelyn, Theresa, and everyone else -

My hats off to you. I wish that I had the patience to withstand the constant misinterpretations and flat-out refusal to see God's hand in the Catholic faith. When I read these conversations, I think of St. Justin Martyr, who I think has to be the saint I've most enjoyed reading about so far. Even when he could get killed for his faith, he ventured to his old stomping grounds to argue his newfound faith.

Erin (also NewCatholic, on one of her threads)

just evelyn said...

I'm really confused. Does Jennie really believe that God never speaks except through the words of Scripture?? Really? My spiritual director is a cradle Catholic, who was really taken aback when I told her what a struggle it was to be open to God's voice in ways that were totally new to me and had the tendency to set off the heresy alarm, just because they weren't explicitly Scripture. I'll have to cut and paste her some stuff to enlighten her :)

just evelyn said...

I just posted something at Jennie's that didn't stick the first couple times I tried. I don't know if she is moderating, but right now it's up. It's about sheep knowing the Shepherd's voice and it's mystical and I don't know if it will stay up or not.

Sue Bee said...

I notice I always have to enter the "code word" and my password at least twice when I comment. I think it is a blogger thing.