Was anything good accomplished by the Reformation?

Question

Interested in Roman Catholic and Protestant answers, mainly...but as always, it's an open forum.

Anti-Parrot: I am not going to get confrontational here, but you need to examine the seeds of the Reformation and ask yourself if the Holy Spirit is truly behind indulgences, veneration of Mary, and the papal inconsistancy. Many, if not all, of the issues that led to Protestants walking away from Rome still exist, and Rome remains un-repentant of HER heresies.

Answer 1

Yes. Truth happened. We aren't saved by works but grace.
The Bible has been translated into almost every language in this world. People can read the Word of God for themselves and not err by receiving only the priest's version. The priest and the pope are just men like the rest of us. They make mistakes and errors. We also learned that statues are against the Word of God. We are not to make graven images of anything on the earth on in the heavens. We are not to pray to saints, but we have an advocate to the heavenly Father and His name is Jesus who gave us the Holy Spirit inside of us. You can't pray people out of purgatory because if that was true what Jesus did on the Cross would be for nothing. A monopoly among men has never been a good idea especially when it concerns religion. It gives one man called a pope too much authority.

God left us His Word, the Holy Bible, and He left us the Holy Spirit to those who believe. The Holy Spirit teaches us all things. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and purifies and refines us daily. Within us we have One greater than anything or anyone on this earth.

Answer 2

It was a good concept, but got misapplied. It wound up creating a bunch of "denominations" rather than, as was intended, "fixing" the BROKEN catholic church. The entrenched power structure that was Catholicism blocked all effort of returning to its original Biblical basis after 1,000+ years of human alterations of God's plan.

Too many people seem to think that the reformer's purposes are completed. The restoration of the church to its New Testament pattern is a process which is still happening right now and will continue as we continue to learn more about the scriptures and their original intent.

Answer 3

You tell me.

"But when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will teach you all the truth. For He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He will hear he will speak, and the things that are to come He will declare to you." John 16:13

Most non-Catholic sects declare that the Holy Spirit is 'teaching' them the truth. However, there can be only one truth. Since the advent of Sola Scriptura and individual interpretation of Scripture, how can the Holy Spirit be in each of the thousands of sects, teaching all of them opposing viewpoints? It is to be noted that all of the following denominations teach from the same Bible, so why the differences in teaching?

1. How can the Holy Spirit tell the Lutherans the Eucharist is the true presence of Christ, and then tell the Baptists it is only a symbol?

2. How can the Holy Spirit tell the Methodists it is alright to have female ministers, and then tell the Baptists it is unbiblical?

3. How can the Holy Spirit tell the Seventh Day Adventists that Saturday is the day of worship, and then tell the Presbyterians the day of worship is Sunday and not Saturday?

4. How can the Holy Spirit tell the Lutherans that the Blessed Virgin Mary was and remains always virgin, and then tell the Baptists she had other children?

5. How can the Holy Spirit tell the Baptists, 'once saved always saved', and then tell the Church of Christ that Sola Fides is unscriptural?

6. How can the Holy Spirit tell Episcopalians to baptize infants and then tell Pentecostals infant baptism is invalid?

7. How can the Holy Spirit tell Mormons that the Holy Trinity is three separate persons, and then tell Methodists the Trinity is three persons in one GOD?

I could go on and on with the differences between non-Catholic sects, but I think you get the point. It takes only a minimum of common sense to realize that the Holy Spirit could not be speaking to each and everyone of those thousands of non-Catholic sects in the opposing ways of which I have sampled here. However, I was recently reminded that common sense is not so common anymore. It is easy to see that the 'fruits of Sola Scriptura' are not from GOD. There is no 'one fold and one shepherd' in Protestantism. Opposing teachings in these denominations is rampant, all caused by the false doctrine of Sola Scriptura and its accompanying 'individual interpretation' of Holy Scripture. Which, if any, of these sects is being taught all of the truth, as promised by Jesus Christ in John 16:13?

"And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom GOD has given to all who obey Him." Acts 5:32

Okay, GOD Himself has thrown down the gauntlet...TO ALL WHO OBEY HIM.
So who obeys the will of GOD? Is it the Lutherans who say the Holy Eucharist is the 'True Presence' of Jesus Christ incarnate, or is it the Baptists who say, 'It is only a symbol'?
Is it those who say we have to worship on Saturday or is it those who say worship on Sunday?
Is it those who say baptize infants or those who say not to?

Answer 4

Yes, actually. At that time the Church was rife with corruption and political posturing, and needed chastisement. But in the process, those who inherited the legacy of the reformers threw out the baby with the baptismal water (so to speak) in their zeal to jettison everything even remotely associated with Rome, so great was their disgust with the misuse of power within the hierarchy and their fear of it happening again. In doing so, they cut themselves off from a great deal of their own faith inheritance.

Answer 5

Feel Free 2 Tell (ALL) your Friends (Ram & Clan) that They can Answer me ANYtime they want !

Talk about HOG HEAVEN ! ! !

Answer 6

Bibles in languages other than Latin, would be my first answer.

Godspeed.