Here's something to consider for those of you that are not religious or on the fence.
🗣️ DISCUSSION 💬
Logically either all religions are either false or only ONE is true since they conflict.
If one is true and the world is being run by evil that is lying to us then that true religion would be disproportionally attacked while false ones would be left alone or encouraged.
I can only think of one religion that is attacked above all others.... Christianity.
If it's being attacked / misrepresented by the people trying to enslave / kill me then it must be a threat to them / their plans.
Ergo you should examine Christianity.
Actually Catholicism does not say “faith alone” you must also have works. Luther came up with the faith alone thing so if you’re a Protestant or any one of their derivatives then you’ve been misled by a liar and a likely jew Luther
I'm a Protestant but my standard is scripture, not traditions. And scripture is perfectly clear.
Never read anything but a couple of quotes from Luther that pop up on my timeline.
If any words about Protestants and luther, now do your pope.
Yes but you come into it with a lot of theological baggage that you don’t even know you have. Even though you never read him his errors have perpetuated Don though the years. I suggest reading about both him and what he has to say - to me its an early example of deepstate meddling though people back then didnt know it, now we can spot that stuff a mile off. So as a catholic I urge you to read up on Luther and read the things he said so at least you can articulate why the split happened
As for the heretical pope, fire away!
If you believe in the solar disk made out of bread that transforms into the literal flesh of God because a priest says a magic spell, you might be a Catholic.
As a Protestant, I argue it's your right to believe in that nonsense. As a Catholic, the Council of Trent says I'm anathema for saying that's nonsense and I need to be put to death.
I have tried that, sola scritura. It is impossible.
You know why?
@FiatLux will love this one. There is no denying that the Protestants are deeply endebted to the Nicean council of 325 AD, where pagan emperor Constantine tried to hash-out a state religion that would exert a unifying influence.
And quite a lot has been discarded. The gospel of John nearly did not make it. However, it is not surprising as it claims that all you need is the gospel of John. And that is quite something.
When it comes to Christianity, you might want to start with Christianity before Christianity, as it is neither new nor unique and did not start to emerge in a vacuum. The need for an external savior is neither unique. Dependence is a hallmark of a controlling cult.
In this sense, to its credit, buddhism is different in that enlightenment is not propagated, and this is coming from within you. However, for most people, in this life, it would already be a grandiose thing to live according to one' s design.