Answers to Questions Catholics Are Asking

Coffey Tony

Description

More and more Catholics are asking tough questions about their faith and the leadership of the Catholic church. With sensitivity, insight, and well-researched, biblical responses, former-Catholic Tony Coffey answers the more pressing questions, including: Who speaks for God? Which is the one true church? Is the papacy taught in scripture? Did the first Christians believe in the mass? Should we go to confession? This clear and simple presentation of the differences between Roman Catholic tradition and the teachings of Scripture helps Catholics examine the Bible's view of everything from Mary to purgatory and divorce. Christians who want a foundation when talking to Catholics will find Tony Coffey's information invaluable.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Catholic Church

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 août 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736954112
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

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Vésés maké drv aé také Fomhe Holy Bible, Donay Reims Version,éisé y Bisop Rica Calloé, –52, pulisé i  y Jo Mupy Co., Balti- moé; a épité y TAN Books a Pulisés, Ic. .

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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS CATHOLICS ARE ASKING A éisé a upaté éitio oFOnce a Catolic Copyigt © 2006 y Haést Housé Pulisés Pulisé y Haést Housé Pulisés Eugéé, Oégo 02 www.aéstousépulisés.com

Liay oF Cogéss Catalogig-i-Pulicatio Data

Coféy, Toy, -  Aswés to quéstios Catolics aé askig / Toy Coféy.  p. cm.  ISBN -0-6-6-5 (pk.)  . Catolic Cuc—Doctiés. 2. héology, Doctial—Popula woks. I. Titlé.  BX5.C5 2006  20'.2—c22 20060050

All rights reserved.No pat oF tis pulicatio may é époucé, stoé i a étiéal systém, o tasmitté i ay Fom o y ay méas—éléctoic, mécaical, igital, potocopy, écoig, o ay oté—éxcépt Fo iéF quotatios i pité éiéws, witout té pio pémissio oF té pulisé.

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Contents

 A Journey from Rome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Speaking the Truth in Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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 1. e Catholic Church Today15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2. e Formation of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27  3. e Living Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41  4. Upon is Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65  5. e One True Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93  6. Unity: at ey May Be One115. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7. Made Right with God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127  8. e Sacrifice of the Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143  9. e Souls in Purgatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167  10. e Royal Priesthood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181  11. Confess Your Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193  12. Mary the Mother of Jesus207. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13. Apparitions, Signs, and Wonders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229  14. Making Sacred Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241  15. God’s Provision for Divorce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253  16. inking Jesus Was in eir Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

 Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

For฀Leslie Godliness฀marks฀your฀life

A฀Journey฀from฀Rome฀

t is amazing how one event can change the course of your life for- I A police announcement on the radio, aer the morning and mid- ever. What started out, for me, as just another ordinary day turned out to be the most extraordinary day of my life. day news, asked for two young women driving a foreign-registered car to contact the police immediately for an urgent message. e car was first spotted in west Ireland, and the message given. e father of one of the young women had died suddenly in the United States. She flew from Shannon Airport while the other young woman made her way to Dublin, where she was stopped by two men who had also heard the police bulletin on the radio. And that is how I met Leslie, who led me to the Lord and later became my wife. My upbringing in Ireland was during a period when the Roman Catholic Church exercised power in every area of a person’s life: family, society, education, and politics. e Church’s power was never ques- tioned, and everyone submitted to its authority. During this period the Church enjoyed unprecedented growth—the seminaries and convents were full, and foreign missions enjoyed a high profile. e Church took full advantage of this by placing a great emphasis on mission work, par- ticularly in Africa. Looking back now, I marvel at the ingenuity of the

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Answers to Questions Catholics are Asking

Church. ey organized for every school in Ireland to be involved in missions: Each week, every child brought “a penny for the black babies.” Each student had a card with a decade of the rosary printed on it, and each time we gave a penny, we marked the card. When we completed the card, we wrote our name on it, and this was sent to the foreign mis- sion. We were told that, as a result, African children were being chris- tened with our names. is would not be politically correct in today’s culture, but at that time no offense was intended, and this system was an ingenious way of both raising money and making all the Catholic children aware of the mission work of the Church. Today there are many Africans living in Dublin, and when I am invited to speak at their churches, I tell them about “the penny for the black babies.” For all I know, one of them might very well be named aer me! While growing up, I never questioned the power exercised by the Roman Catholic Church and was content to observe the rules and reg- ulations enjoined on me. Church was important to me, and I prac- ticed my religious duties faithfully. For some years I served Mass as an altar boy, and at age 11 I went to boarding school for five years to be educated by the Dominican priests. Mass, evening devotions, and the rosary were part of daily life. During those formative years it was instilled in me that the Roman Catholic Church held the keys to the kingdom of heaven and was the custodian of the sacraments, which were essential for my salvation. I counted myself fortunate to have been born a Roman Catholic. What, then, caused me to leave the Roman Catholic Church and embrace a faith based on the teaching of the Bible alone? Among the reasons were major changes that came from Vatican II (which con- vened from 1962–1965) and the influence of Pope John XXIII. Some of the beliefs and practices I had been taught were changing. For example, eating meat on Friday was no longer considered a sin, and some “saints” to whom I had prayed were removed from the Church’s list of saints on the grounds that they probably never existed. So when I was introduced to the Bible as the sole authority for a person’s life, I was greatly impressed with the idea of placing my trust in something that never changes.

A Journey from Rome

7

I began attending a Bible study and felt drawn to what the Bible said. ough a spiritual awakening was taking place, I wasn’t entirely comfortable. I missed the “bells and smells,” the statues, and pomp of the Roman Catholic Church. Like most Roman Catholics I had a reli- gious vocabulary, but the reality of the concepts the words expressed never registered with me. To a great extent my faith was in the Church, not in a personal God. I thought I was right with God because I was in the right Church. Loyalty to the Church was equated with being loyal to God. And I certainly was not alone in that line of thinking. ere was never a time in my life when I did not believe in God, or that Jesus died and rose again. But I still sensed something was missing. I possessed religious information, but it didn’t translate into anything personal for me. en “the light went on.” From the Bible I began to see that God really did love me and that Jesus died personally for me, securing a full pardon of all my sins. Rather than simply viewing Good Friday merely as a historical fact, I now began to see that what hap- pened on Calvary directly involved me. Jesus had died for me. What I had always believed was beginning to become real for me. While I rejoiced over my spiritual progress, I was also aware that the inevitable decision facing me would be devastating to my family. And it was. For about two months before I committed my life to the Lord, I knew what I needed to do. I delayed because I was counting the cost of following Jesus. ere could be no turning back. I had to give my life to Jesus irrespective of the cost. To this day I cannot be certain if someone said this to me or if the Lord put the thought in my heart, but it came to my mind that if I followed Jesus I would never go wrong; I could never be lost if I put my full trust in Jesus. And so, in June 1967 I committed my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and was baptized, trusting the Lamb of God to take away my sin (John 1:29). Shortly aer my conversion I felt God’s call for me to enter full- time ministry. is was something I had given serious thought to while a Roman Catholic. I entered Bible school and quickly learned that I was biblically illiterate. e Bible was not studied in Catholic boarding school. e next few years of study brought me into new territory that was both enlightening and challenging, and I began finding answers

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Answers to Questions Catholics are Asking

to my questions. One scripture in particular opened a panoramic view of God’s will: “ere is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). I saw in those words that Jesus is the answer to all my questions. He and he alone is the one I must always follow. ere is no one else. My walk with the Lord has not been problem free; a relationship with God does not immunize us against the difficulties that life some- times brings. Yet never once have I doubted the faithfulness of God or the blessed assurance of his redemptive work in my life. Never have I wavered in my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have seen God come to my rescue again and again, sustaining and strengthening me by his grace. Even in the midst of some difficult times, God has always been there for me. In fact, it has been during those times that I have grown closer to him. Trials have a wonderful way of refining our character and making us more dependent upon him. I look back on my life without regret for the decision I made, in spite of the personal hardships that came my way. Truthfully, there is never a day that passes that I do not love the work God has called me to do. I am constantly filled with grat- itude for what the Lord has done for me and through me. I continue to be amazed at the truth of the gospel: Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sin, and he did this because he loves me with an unconditional love. e daily reading of God’s Word is woven into my life, and I never tire of hearing what God has to say. His Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit and through his Word his voice is heard (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12). His promises, faithfulness, unfailing love, and holy sovereignty continue to impact my life. e further along the road I travel with the Lord, the more I grow to love him who has been exceedingly gracious to me, a sinner. e good that is in my life has all come from God, who, through the Holy Spirit, works to transform me more and more into the image of Jesus. And when I fail him—and I do—he is always gra- cious to me. I always point people to that which touched my heart years ago: “Trust Jesus and follow him; then you will never be lost.” I have not had any reason ever to doubt the veracity of that statement and have staked my life on it.