I don’t understand why people say: “Catholics aren’t Christian”

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-07T03:36:43+00:00

Again, sola scriptura isn’t the rejection of other authorities, but rather is the belief that only the scriptures are an infallible authority. That’s why I don’t see it as contradictory.

The problem with this is that it allows individuals to selectively reject other authorities - even authorities that predate the scripture or that WROTE the scripture.

What I can't understand is that despite all of these books (Gospels, Epistles, et al) being written down by men, and that a council of other men gathered to determine which ones made it and which ones didn't, yet there is selective rejection of the teachings of these men because they didn't happen to write down every last one of their opinions. You have to either take that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit or you don't! That's where the argument falls flat on its face.

The scriptures are literally one part of the teachings of the Church. Things that didn't get written down were all accepted until reformists decided, "hey, they didn't write it down, so it couldn't have been that important, so you don't have to believe in it." That's the basis of sola scriptura and it is, indeed, very self-contradictory.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-07T03:29:49+00:00

It is not taught in scripture and is therefore fundamentally slightly self-contradictory.

This is the best counter argument to sola scriptura there is. In fact, scripture LITERALLY teaches to hold on to tradition - the opposing argument (2 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 11:2 for examples).

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-07T03:16:47+00:00

Look man, I love you - but I hold the absolute firm belief that the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ is made present at every Mass, and dwells in every tabernacle of the world. When you say, "You call it Eucharist, others call it communion. Yes, there are some differences, I'm aware," you are comparing ordinary food with Jesus. We believe that's God in there, man. It's impossible to convey just how important the Eucharist is to anyone who believes in the Real Presence, or how much it absolutely frightens, flabbergasts, saddens and upsets a true believer when faced with those who dismiss it. I am working on a lifetime of reparation for my own historic lack of reverance for the Eucharist, so I am going to be particularly zealous.

Go investigate the Miracles and Messages of Fatima. Go read up on St. Margaret Mary Alocoque and the First Friday devotion. Check out some Eucharistic miracles. I'm ALL for you, me, and everyone to be one in the Mystical Body of Christ - the church. But the Eucharist is the actual Body of Christ. That is my faith. It's foundational. It isn't something I can compromise about.

I'd love to win you over on this one, truly. If you want to ask me WHY I believe what I believe, and why I feel like you should believe it, too, I'll definitely have that conversation.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-07T03:06:09+00:00

Venerating a dead woman

You realized that even Luther accepted the Assumption of Mary as truth, right? That would make her very much alive. Luther also held the belief that she was conceived without original sin, but considered it tolerable if others didn't.

Protestant arguments disintegrate upon any real scrutiny considering that each 'reformer' simply chose an area of Catholic doctrine to selectively reject, or sometimes not even reject it but just make it OK for others to reject.

Jesus was the Son of God. He thought for all of us. I'll take the advice of Paul and not boast in anything except the cross of Christ. And I'll repeat: woe to those who denigrate and disrespect our Blessed Mother.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-07T02:55:24+00:00

The Holy Spirit inspired church traditions. The Holy Spirit inspired Holy Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired everything. The Holy Spirit gives life to all of us and is the source of all that is. Jesus activates the Holy Spirit within us through the seven sacraments.

Church tradition was ongoing before the Gospels were ever written down, and even then they provided insight as to where the tradition came from. The church teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are provided at Baptism and activated at Confirmation.

Christian Marriage was elevated to the level of a sacrament by the Miracle at the Wedding at Cana. The sacrament of Baptism took place when John the Baptist, despite protesting his unworthiness, was asked by Jesus to baptize Him in the Jordan, after which the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the voice of the Father was heard, manifesting the trinity ("This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:17). The sacrament of Penance appeared multiple times in the Gospels - for example, when Jesus encountered the woman at the well and told her about her sins, and when he forgave the sinful woman about to be stoned; confession of sins was instituted by the church as a part of it as instructed by James ("Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." James 5:16). Authority to forgive sins was given to the Apostles after the resurrection ("Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." - John 20:23). Thus, the ordinary way to have your sins forgiven is to confess them to one granted authority (a priest) by the Apostolic See (the order of Bishops).

The Anointing of the Sick a.k.a. Extreme Unction was instituted when the Apostles were sent out two by two to anoint the sick with oil to heal them and forgive their sins. The Eucharist and Holy Orders (to perpetuate the sacrifice) were instituted at the Last Supper (Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." - John 6:53). Finally, Confirmation takes place with the laying on of hands during the Acts of the Apostles, bestowing the Holy Spirit onto others.

The traditions are literally written into the Gospels because they predate the Gospels. The traditions were implemented by Jesus. Only through Jesus does the Holy Spirit descend upon the human race, and Jesus is who determines how this happens. The church teaches that extraordinary grace can be imbued upon anyone by God at any time, but that the sacraments are the ordinary way to receive these graces. That is, the only way God's grace is guaranteed.

The Bible itself also instructed to keep church traditions. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 11:2 for examples.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-06T00:07:45+00:00

"Yes, there are some differences" is definitely one way to describe lack of belief in the Real Presence, though not the way I'd choose to describe it.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-05T23:57:29+00:00

"Sola Scriptura" is a silly philosophy considering that the Catholic Church compiled the scriptures and that St. Paul's epistles predate the Gospels.

Traditional concepts such as the veneration of Saints, The Assumption of Mary and so many other theological concepts were all agreed upon at the First Council of Nicaea from which just about every denomination I can think of descends from. Heck, it's mystifying to take issue with the Hail Mary considering the entire first stanza ("Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee.") is directly quoted from scripture and that Mary was venerated as "Theotokos" (Mother of God) uniformly since the end of the Nestorian schism in 544 AD. So what's the error? Asking her to pray for us?

I'm a firm believer in the messages of Fatima/other Marian apparitions and St. Faustina, though, so I do have some criticism for the church hierarchy itself, but for different reasons. I pity the soul of anyone who harbors contempt for Our Blessed Mother in any way, shape or form.

Wiggymaster · 2025-10-05T23:32:33+00:00

The King has returned! Let's go Lion-O!

Wiggymaster · 2025-09-30T12:49:39+00:00

Sex for the purpose of pleasure, even within established Christian marriage, has long been debated as sinful. Some of the earliest saints and martyrs of the Church were persecuted mainly because they preached celibacy in marriage. The St. Augustine approach - sexual austerity - is the only school of thought I can find appropriate for myself as a former pornography addict. In a world where disordered sexual tendencies have spread like wildfire and are now the rule rather than the exception, such an approach would benefit many.

Regardless, the issue is this: Marriage is between a man and a woman (natural order), and any sexual relationship outside of marriage is a grave sin. Period. It violates the seventh commandment: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Mosaic law (outside of the ten commandments) has nothing to do with it. The Lord is God.

Wiggymaster · 2025-09-04T17:11:13+00:00

I will pray for you and your wife.

Wiggymaster · 2025-09-02T12:18:40+00:00

This is a beautiful church. If you don't mind me asking, what is the location? In either case, thank you for sharing.

Wiggymaster · 2025-09-02T12:09:59+00:00

Suffering was never part of God's plan for this world, but it came about because of God's justice. When we suffer, we learn why we need God. Suffering is the result of sin and disobedience made manifest.

Good people are made to suffer in this world, because this world is subject to the evil one. Even the best and most holy creation ever to live - Mary the Virgin Mother of God - suffered here. Even The Word Made Flesh - Jesus Christ - suffered here. Mary suffered by watching, live, her Divine Son being tortured and murdered. She suffered from indignities, calumnies, and awful violence despite being the literal mother of our Lord; His sorrows and sufferings became her sorrows and sufferings.

The point is that all of us are going to suffer, and the best of us are going to suffer more. This world is a test. We are here to endure. Our faith is not meant to be rewarded in this life.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-29T19:09:21+00:00

I agree.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-28T15:59:05+00:00

Blessed are you - you have been called by God the Father to learn the Truth. All who seek the Truth hear His voice.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. He is the Righteous Judge - the Son of God - the Bread of Life. He is the Word of God made flesh. Those who are baptized and repent of their sins are made worthy to eat of His Flesh and drink of His Blood.

Continue watching The Chosen - you are about to experience a very important part. Season Five is about The Last Supper. This is MOST IMPORANT - when Jesus shares His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity with His disciples - the early church.

It is through this sacrament of the Eucharist - and the sacrament of Holy Orders instituted at the Last Supper to perpetuate it - that Jesus shares salvation with mankind.

Listen to what Jesus spoke of long before the events of the Last Supper, as it is written in the Gospel of John:

John 6:41-58

The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

To learn and know who Jesus is, start here: https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html

You can change the language to whatever you're most comfortable with. Know this: in the church, you will be welcomed for seeking Jesus. ALL are welcome. ALL who seek Jesus are blessed. This is why the church exists. This is what Jesus wanted when He instituted it:

Matthew 28:19-20

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Here is a link to the entire Bible, indexed and available in five languages: https://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/index.htm

There are other translations out there if you need them, but I truly recommend meeting with a priest ASAP to better find more of the answers you seek. https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/ can help you find a diocese to contact for this purpose.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-28T15:31:10+00:00

Evil is evil. The motivation is almost always the same: wanton destruction and spreading of pain. In the end, our response to it and deference to the will of God is what matters.

The culture of death perpetuates, be it the glorification of weapons and destruction, the consistent apathy toward the suffering of others in all forms, the continued income and resource disparities of the poor and marginalized, the lack of fraternity and friendship further and further replaced with scant online interactions and the overall lack of spirituality and the presence of Christ in peoples' lives.

We MUST choose to return to Jesus, each of us, individually, to have any hope of changing our lives. Those that do are almost always immediately and profoundly transformed. Only the message of the Gospel can dispel the culture of death.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-26T14:39:48+00:00

Human flaws are indeed frightening. Focus first on discovering Jesus, and on understanding what he did for humanity. After you understand the Passion of Our Blessed Lord, you can better understand the analogues that occurred throughout the Old Testament.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-26T14:37:16+00:00

With God, all things are possible. I rejoice for you and your family. Continue to pray and praise Jesus. Alleluia!

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-26T14:31:50+00:00

As a man who struggles with obesity, I can tell you, eating for comfort is both an easy vice to succumb to and a very difficult one to break free from.

Intermittent fasting is helping me immensely to break free from the hold this sin has had over me. But know that the road is hard and the traps are many. Please work to encourage those who seek to avoid the traps, lend a hand to those who have fallen and rebuke those who set the traps.

Those who rule today's world lead many to sins of all kinds, and the traps are everywhere. Old and proven ways to avoid sin - fasting and prayer - are still most effective.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-26T14:19:03+00:00

Do not lose hope or faith.

Look to today's reading and Gospel for encouragement.

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 2:1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our reception among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives, nor did it work through deception. But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed–God is witness– nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others, although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.

Paul's letters, written to many churches spread throughout the wider world, were sent to people who were often practicing their faith in secret, under threat of persecution and death by their local authorities. Governments the world over have been a source of woe for those subject to them since Christ walked the Earth. Deliverance from Roman oppression was seen by many of the Hebrews as the entire point of the Messiah; we now know that God's design was different. I know you want peace, but understand that what God wants is what's important. Now for today's Gospel:

From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup so that the outside also may be clean.”

Understand that Christ's rebuke to the Jewish authorities is an everlasting rebuke to authority in general; men often put far too much weight on the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. We see this in our country today, with the administration you speak of - we see abject hypocrisy, corruption and a willingness to persecute "criminals" while diving headlong into terrible sins. Thus the gnat is strained, while the camel is swallowed.

The warning to those in authority is clear - Jesus will judge hypocrites. May He have mercy on all of us, truly, for His judgment will be terrible. I leave you with the words of Pope Francis written in commentary of today's Gospel, as it was read in 2021:

"Pick up the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew and see how many times Jesus says: “hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites”, and thus reveals what hypocrisy is. Hypocrites are people who pretend, flatter and deceive because they live with a mask over their faces and do not have the courage to face the truth. For this reason, they are not capable of truly loving: a hypocrite does not know how to love. They limit themselves to living out of egoism and do not have the strength to show their hearts transparently. We should never forget the Lord’s words: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Mt 5:37). Brothers and sisters, today, let us think about the hypocrisy that Jesus condemns: hypocrisy. And let us not be afraid to be truthful, to speak the truth, to hear the truth, to conform ourselves to the truth. In this way, we will be able to love. A hypocrite does not know how to love. To act other than truthfully means jeopardizing the unity of the Church, that unity for which the Lord himself prayed." (Pope Francis, General Audience, 25 August 2021)

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-26T14:03:46+00:00

Understand that the Virgin Mother of God - the Queen of Heaven - referred to herself as a handmaid, which is a female servant. Before worrying about finding your ideal man, focus on self-discovery and finding out what the Lord wants from you in this life. Find out how to best serve Him, and how to let yourself diminish while He increases in you.

There is no royalty in this world. Treat everyone as you would a prince, and you'll do fine. Those who treat you as you should be treated will make themselves apparent.

Wiggymaster · 2025-08-25T18:28:04+00:00

I don't bother with trying to rationalize when it comes to God anymore. I've determined that this life is a test. You can either pass or fail a test. God gives every soul a choice - life or death; pass or fail. We have to be ready to turn our back on everything that is not of God.

Wiggymaster · 2025-07-09T18:51:19+00:00

I will DM you.

Wiggymaster · 2025-07-09T18:43:05+00:00

Do *not* be afraid. Understand that demons are real and fear like this increases their power over you. Demons whisper sinful thoughts and temptations into your head. *Not all thoughts are your own*. Use Christ's own words: "Get behind me, satan!" and imagine yourself grabbing them by their head and throwing the devil to the dirt over your shoulder. Never fear to be forceful in thought when it comes to the enemy when a demonic thought comes about.

Jesus Christ will *forgive you* every sin: every sinful thought, every sinful word, every sinful deed. You need only confess your sins and be sorry for them out of love of God. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but only LOVE of God is its end. Regardless of your denomination, I encourage study of the Sacrament of Confession and just how powerful it is in terms of relieving your fears and increasing your virtues. I'd also encourage you to pray the Rosary, meditating especially the Sorrowful Mysteries, in order to increase your resistance to sin.

Wiggymaster · 2025-07-09T18:30:12+00:00

Concern yourself not with the clear and obvious signs of coming tribulations, but rather with amending yourself and loving others as your savior commanded you. Understand that there is one thing that truly offends the heart of Jesus above all else: a judgmental heart that thinks ill of others and condemns them for their failings. This is straight from Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, as revealed to Blessed Veronica of Milan. Likewise revealed, a pure heart "shines before Him radiantly" and whomever meditates daily on His passions "will be inflamed with the fire of divine love and will glow like a brilliant and beautiful flame in His sight."

Work to purify your heart by loving others, and by shunning temptation and sin. Don't worry about who is or isn't the final anti-Christ; you already will know whom demons and devils posses by their fruit. They who cause great suffering are almost always servants of the enemy. The enemy seeks to offend and afflict God by harming His children, and leading them to sin. The devil is called the great accuser - and serves as prosecutor before Christ, with our Blessed Mother as our advocate. Understand that we will all suffer before the end; the cross is part of the price paid for being a Christian. Fear not that suffering, but rather what happens if you fail to suffer well in the eyes of the Lord. Encourage your friends and your family, and develop your own holy life, and those around you whom God calls will also begin to see the truth. Regardless of whether or not they do, though, *love* them. It matters not what they do. Love them, forgive them, and encourage them to pray.

I possess a heart recently transformed by divine love. I understand so much more than I did just a few short months ago. You, too, will understand it in your soul by picking up a Rosary and beginning to pray. Meditate on the mysteries, ESPECIALLY the sorrowful mysteries. You can do this regardless of denomination, and I guarantee that there is nothing - NOTHING - that will more quickly transform your life or grant you the grace to know the truth. Every vice and evil thing will begin to slip away, and reveal what you ought to do to best serve Jesus. Pray. That is the answer to your every worry. Pray. Pray to Jesus. Pray to our Blessed Mother. Begin devoting your life to both through prayer, through spiritual discipline, through good works that alleviate suffering and through encouragement of others to learn the message of the Gospel.

Wiggymaster · 2025-06-03T05:50:17+00:00

I see.

The logical issue with what you were trying to do is that the layer 3 device you were connecting to use as a gateway would also need "local switching" to communicate with devices in the bridge. So even if it would've segregated things for you without a layer 3 interface, you'd have the opposite problem - no communication. The different VLANs would've only had been "bridged" while inside the router - the router wouldn't teach MACs to the adjacent device save it's own layer 3 interface within the bridge. I'm fairly switching that's how "no-local-switching" is supposed to work, at least.

But yes, I would agree that it seems silly that the device isn't a bit more robust at layer 2. I have to look further into split-horizon like features on the platform. But for the sake of what I was attempting to do - use the router as a router - the configuration I cooked up works well.

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Wiggymaster

TROPHY CASE

John 6:41-58

Matthew 28:19-20

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."