Is Santorum Right? How to Revive American Protestantism (and Why It is

[phkrause]

http://religiousliberty.tv/4177.html

[Pastor_Chick]

Hello pk,

Thank you for sharing this article. There were many points made by the author that might initiate some comment, but the following paragraph struck me particularly:

While Protestant churches tend to see themselves as democracies, there is no such thing in Catholic thought. In the Catholic Church there is God, the saints, the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare, then the Government which serves the civic functions of life, then you. In Protestantism, there is God and then there is you. When Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses and nailed them to the wall of the chapel at Wittenberg, his Biblical discoveries led him to realize that it was God, then you. In Protestant thought, you could assemble with other people and make a church, or not.

"In the Catholic Church there is God, the saints, the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare, then the Government which serves the civic functions of life, then you."

Protestantism -- that religious stand which protests against

1) arbitrary authority of the visible church, and

2) intrusion of the civil magistrate in matters of conscience, is truly dead in the world.

The purported "champion of religious liberty," viz., the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has resorted to the ideology of "God, the [famous SDA icons], the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare (and corporate image), then the Government which [protects the 'good name' of the Church], then you."

Consequently, we have reached what may be rightly referred to as a form of "7th Day Catholicism."

[doug yowell]

Interesting article,pk. I'm not sure what Peabody's point was. Santorum's reference was clearly to "mainline Protestant" churches, not to Protestantism as a whole.In fact, Evangelical Protestantism are his main supporters while mainline Protestant groups are his antagonists. MP's ramble about the differences between Protestant and RCC hierarchy seem irrelevant to contemporary religious liberty dangers. As usual the absence of addressing the current government's ongoing campaign to force the society to abandon their long held Jewish/Christian moral standards in favor of an offending secular moral and legal code by attempting to undermine the public defenders of the traditional American moral and legal code goes unnoticed.

[doug yowell]

Hello pk,

Thank you for sharing this article. There were many points made by the author that might initiate some comment, but the following paragraph struck me particularly:

Originally Posted By: Peabody

While Protestant churches tend to see themselves as democracies, there is no such thing in Catholic thought. In the Catholic Church there is God, the saints, the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare, then the Government which serves the civic functions of life, then you. In Protestantism, there is God and then there is you. When Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses and nailed them to the wall of the chapel at Wittenberg, his Biblical discoveries led him to realize that it was God, then you. In Protestant thought, you could assemble with other people and make a church, or not.

"In the Catholic Church there is God, the saints, the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare, then the Government which serves the civic functions of life, then you."

Protestantism -- that religious stand which protests against

1) arbitrary authority of the visible church, and

2) intrusion of the civil magistrate in matters of conscience, is truly dead in the world.

The purported "champion of religious liberty," viz., the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has resorted to the ideology of "God, the [famous SDA icons], the Church hierarchy which handles the spiritual welfare (and corporate image), then the Government which [protects the 'good name' of the Church], then you."

Consequently, we have reached what may be rightly referred to as a form of "7th Day Catholicism."

Inaccurate facts.Bad interpretation..

[Kountzer]

More like a goof ball interpretation.

[Pastor_Chick]

Christ has taught us an elementary principle -- when the blind say, "I see," their guilt remains.

[doug yowell]

Christ has taught us an elementary principle -- when the blind say, "I see," their guilt remains.

And this applies to the discussion...how?