As most
of the people who know me know … I was a Catholic for 45+ years. I became a
Catholic in Vietnam, the reasons are still hazy … as are most of my in-country (Vietnam)
memories from that period. Anyway, having a predilection for women who are/were
of Latin/Hispanic ancestry … I remained Catholic for many years. I began … seriously … studying the Bible, along
with many other facets of Christianity … and of other religions … 10-12 years
ago. I had been reading about those subjects for many years haphazardly as they
had always piqued my interest. Anyway, over the last few years as I became
wiser, … or more jaded - take your pick
… I began to feel ill at ease. A lot like Martin Luther (more about him
shortly) I began to feel the frustration at the utter fallacies of “my”
religion. Although I still loved the pomp and circumstance as it were, I no
longer felt at ease with the trappings and teachings.
*** Martin Luther
~ was a German composer, theology professor, former monk, and a priest. He is (was) 462 years and 3 days older than ME … 10 November 1483.
Anyway, he came to reject several teachings and practices of the Catholic
Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for
sin could be purchased with money. He proposed an academic discussion of the
power and usefulness of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses
of 1517. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope,
the Pope’s (and Priest’s) ability to forgive sins, by teaching that the Bible
is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and he opposed sacerdotalism ~ the belief that propitiatory sacrifices for
sin require the intervention of a priest. That is, it is the belief that a
special, segregated order of men, called the priesthood, are the only ones who
can commune directly with God ~ by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy
priesthood. ‘nuff said!!!
Anyway, as I was saying … reading Luther, John Calvin, the Kabbalah, the
Midrashes and various other religious texts made me rethink my Catholicism and
the more I studied the Anglican / Episcopal Church … the more I was fulfilled.
And though I have chosen (freely) to remain non-sectarian at this juncture of
my learning curve, I acknowledge my sources. I would also like to thank the
folks at Hillsdale College, Christian University, Free Will Baptist Church and
the National Association of Christian Ministers for their contributions.
So, I guess that is how a 40+ year Catholic
became … and is still becoming … a Protestant Minister.
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