Catholics only. Especially our expert Imacatholic2.?

Question

Please explain to me the following?

1) What are the 10 commandments according to your church?
2) Are you aware that your church changed Gods Sabbath Day to a Sunday?
3) Why do you pray through Maria if the Bible says that no one will come to God except through Jesus Christ himself?
4) How can your priests forgive sins if the Bible teaches us that only God can forgive sins?

Sorry guys, I am still studying your answers and the relevant scriptures, so I have extended the time a bit. Thank you all for the comments and the respectful way you have handled it. That really impressed me.

Answer 1

1) What are the 10 commandments according to your church?

There are actually three versions of the Ten Commandments, Jewish, Catholic (and Lutheran), and Protestant taken from Exodus Chapter 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy Chapter 5:6-21.

With the new revelations of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the early Catholic Church, a slightly different emphasis was placed on different commandments.

Then 1500 years later, the Protestant in objecting to certain Catholic practices, once again changed the emphasis of the Ten Commandments.

+ Jewish Ten Commandments (before 1000 BC)

1. I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.
2. You shall have no other gods but me.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.
5. Honor you mother and father.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Source: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Torah/Ten_Cmds/ten_cmds.html

+ Catholic (and Lutheran) Ten Commandments (about 100 AD)

1. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
3. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it, you shall not do any work.
4. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ***, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Source: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1ind.htm

+ Protestant Ten Commandments (about 1600 AD)

1. You shall have no other gods but me.
2. You shall not make unto you any graven images
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honor your mother and father
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not bear false witness
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

Source: http://www.biblicalheritage.org/Bible%20Studies/10%20Commandments.htm


2) Are you aware that your church changed Gods Sabbath Day to a Sunday?

Kind of.

For Christians the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week (Sunday) replaces the Sabbath as the day of ceremonial observance of the Commandment to keep the Lord's Day holy.

The Catholic Church follows the teaching and practice of the Apostles. In the 20th chapter of the Act of the Apostles, the church in Troas gathered on the first day of the week, Sunday.

The first Christians were Jews. They went to temple or synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday) with fellow Jews.

Then they gathered on the first day of the week, the day on which Jesus rose from the dead (Sunday), with fellow Christians to tell stories of Jesus and share Eucharist. See Acts 20:7.

Later Gentiles joined Christianity. The Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, decided that the Gentiles did not have to covert to Judaism. Therefore, they only attended on Sundays and did not have to abide by Jewish dietary laws.

This biblical practice inspired by the Holy Spirit has been followed ever since.

http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1art3.htm


3) Why do you pray through Maria if the Bible says that no one will come to God except through Jesus Christ himself?

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints is communication, not worship.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42).

The Hail Mary prayer simply recites Bible passages (the Word of God) and asks Mary to pray for us:

Hail Mary Full of grace, the Lord is with you. (These are the words the angel Gabriel said to Mary, a Bible quote.)

Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (This is Mary's cousin Elizabeth's greeting, another bible quote.)

Holy Mary, (The angel Gabriel said she was full of grace and Elizabeth said she was blessed.)

Mother of God, (the Bible says Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son)

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. (A simple request to pray for us.)

Amen.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt4sect1chpt2art2.htm


4) How can your priests forgive sins if the Bible teaches us that only God can forgive sins?

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

Oral confessing sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:
+ James 5:16
+ Acts 19:18
+ Matthew 3:5-6
+ Mark 1:5
+ 1 Timothy 6:12
+ 1 John 1:9
+ Numbers 5:6-7
+ Nehemiah 9:2
+ Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

>>1) What are the 10 commandments according to your church?<<

Here are links to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 on the Vatican website. See if you find any commandments missing:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__P21.HTM
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__P4K.HTM

>>2) Are you aware that your church changed Gods Sabbath Day to a Sunday?<<

I'm glad you admit the early Church was Catholic. Yes, Sunday was the day the early Catholics met for worship (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.16:2).

>>3) Why do you pray through Maria if the Bible says that no one will come to God except through Jesus Christ himself?<<

We ask her to intercede for us as she did at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). Do you not ask others to pray for you?

>>4) How can your priests forgive sins if the Bible teaches us that only God can forgive sins?<<

I don't know what Bible you are using, but according to the Bible I use, Jesus authorized men to forgive sin:

"Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" -- John 20:21-23

Answer 3

I am not Catholic, but I do know the answers(or atleast what others have told me while I asked the same things)

1) The 10 commandments are God's main laws...all Christians and Jews believe that.

2) On the roman calander the first day of the week is Monday, the last is Sunday...therefore since it's the last day(the 7th day), that is the day of rest.

3) They don't pray through Mary, they pray TO Mary...but not to forgive them. They pray to Mary that she will pray for them as well...like devine intervention...like "Well, if we ask someone who is so Holy to pray for us, and she does, then the prayer is more likely to be answered than if I just ask"....I mean that's not how the church explains it....but that's basically what it comes down to.

4) The priests are ordained by other priests, cardinals, bishops, etc...who through the ages were ordained by the apostles, who was ordained by Jesus. The priests are the representatives of Jesus and god on earth, therefore, since they represent God, it's like the Catholics ARE going to God for forgiveness.

Answer 4

1.)From http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm
---------------------------------------------------------
1. I am the LORD your God:
you shall not have
strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take
the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet
your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet
your neighbor's goods.

2.) Yes, and?
3.) This is a misconception - it's no different than asking your neighbor to pray with you when someone in your family is ill - well, no different except that Mary gave birth to Christ. Intercession of the saints is a fancy way of asking the saints to pray with you.
4.) Priests don't forgive sin, God does. Catholics have a sacrament - a ritual, if you will - during which the sinner confesses their sins aloud, prays for forgiveness, and the priest confirms God's forgiveness (which is a given if the sinner is repentant) and suggests a method of atonement.

Answer 5

I am a Catholic.

1. According to an e-pal of mine who is a minister in the Disciples of Christ, the 10 Commandments are only for the Jews....not Christians. Jesus was a Jew and so were his followers.

However, when more and more gentiles sought admission to the newly founded church, some Judaizers insisted that gentiles had to first become Jews and live as such before becoming Christians. The issue was so important that an entire council was called in Jerusalem to discuss the matter. All of the apostles were there; the issue was presented and the following solution was worked out. "28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things" (ACTS 15:28-29).

2. There is not biblical mandate to worship on any particular day. The Lord God ceased from his work on the 7th day and commanded that "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work" (EX. 20:9-10). The Jews CHOSE Saturday as a day of rest -- or, more correctly, the day to cease all unnecessary work. Since they were keeping it holy by ceasing work, they decided to worship since they had nothing else to do. The Jews coiuld have easily chosen Tuesday or Thursday as their Sabbath.

3. We honor Jesus when we honor his mother as he was bound to do according to the 10 commandments. Mary keeps nothing as her own....she directs all to her Son, Jesus.

4. We confess our sins to a priest because we believe that our priests are successors to the apostles. It was to these apostles that Jesus gave the power to forgive sins.

"And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (JN 20:22-23). NO priest forgives sins under his own stead. He does so by the word of Jesus and the power of the holy spirit. This is the only time in all of biblical history that Jesus breathes on the apostles before comissioning them. Nowhere else is this ever done except when God put his divine life into Adam (see GEN 2:7).

In order to forgives a person's sins he must first HEAR the person's sins. That means that they must be confessed. Public confession used to be the norm but who wants to confess adultery with his best friend's wife out in public....especially if that best friend might be present? We confess our sins to the priest, we receive a penance to do, we make an act of contrition to God throught the priest and we are granted absolution.

Why penance? We need to. We are members of the body of Christ and so when one member hurts, all hurt. We're all connected. Jesus DOES forgive me my sins but reparation must still be made. If you break your neighbor's window, they may forgive you but you still need to accept the responsibility and to pay for the window rather than sticking them with the bill.

Answer 6

1) Thou Shall have only one God
Thou Shall ot use the Lord's name in vain
Keep holy the Sabbath
Honor thy father and mother
THou shall not kill
thou shall not commit adultery
thou shall not steal
thou shall not bear false wittness
thou shall not covet thy neigbor's wife/husband
thou shall not covet thy neigbor's possession
(Love God above all things and Love thy neighbor as thyself)

2)The Sabbath does not necessarily denote Saturday. For those who argue semantics, in most countries, Sunday is the seventh day, not Saturday. But setting that aside. Saturday as the Sabbath is depicted in the OT under the old law. When Christ came, He came to fulfill the law. Sabbath also stands for the day of worship. Since Christ resurrected on Sunday, we celebrate His fulfillment of the law on that very day.

3) Do you ever ask your friends to pray for you? Why? Mary and the saints are our friends in heaven. They are much closer to God than we are here on earth. If you wanted a favor from someone and you had a friend who knew the person really well that you wanted the favor from, wouldn't you ask them to intercede for you on your behalf?
That is exactly what praying to Mary and the saints is... they have been given extra graces by God, not to mention, they are with Him in heaven. We ask them to intercede to God for us on our behalf. God listens to us, but sometimes we need the extra help in praying to Him. Our friends in heaven can help us pray to God.

4) That is a HUGE misconception about Catholics. You are right, only Christ can forgive sins. Priest do not forgive sins; they are acting in Persona Cristi (in the person of Christ). God has granted them the grace and uses them as an instrument here on earth to offer absolution from sins.

Answer 7

You have completely misunderstood Catholic teaching. In fact you are so far wrong that I don't even know how to start with you.

Follow the link I have given you to the Catholic Encyclopedia and pay particular attention to the articles on the Sabbath and on the Sacrament of Penance.

When you have some sensible questions come back and perhaps I shall be able to enlighten you.

Answer 8

okay I am not Catholic, but I'd like to answer #3. I asked my grandma, why she still prays to Mary. She told me she's not praying to her really, she's just praying to Mary to get to Jesus (that doesn't make sense I know)

Answer 9

I do not think you are capable of understanding the Catholic faith. Please embrace a religion you feel comfortable with or be an atheist. Then get on with your life.

Answer 10

this is from the pope:

catholic beliefs are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems that damage society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide;

The worst being: the inability of catholics to prove and validate their religious beliefs, therefore leading them to Spiritual suicide.

blessed be the believers.........................................................!