Actually, I have been extremely blessed when it comes to churches. Redeemer, Grace, FPC, Unity, Hickory Grove ... so many beautiful people!
And this post is for Jenny :D
blues in july
3 months ago
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WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE IT!!!! Especially Dennis' two "uhhhs." LOL!
Emily's cartoons are pretty funny...she has a whole stack of them that she just produced out of nowhere one night...Maybe she will share some more?
ReplyDelete-DH
Remedied. May now return to total awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteJust like in real life, chibi-DH is very considerate of my feelings :D
ReplyDeleteALSO he spent two hours fixing my crazy messed up scan! <3
Hey Cuz, I wanted to let you know that I usually really enjoy reading your blog especially your cartoons. But today I was disappointed with you and I can't let the Reformation party cartoon go unanswered.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, that is not a classy way to make a religious statement. Even if you do think my religion to be wrong, you make no converts by mocking the Catholic Church. Would Christ approve of you mocking another church?
Secondly you should rename it to "The Protestant Revolt Party." Martin Luther, himself, reformed nothing. To his credit he did help to get the ball rolling to get the Church to correct her abuses as she has done time and time again. However what may have in all honesty started out as his effort to reform the Church turned into a revolt. If he wanted to reform then why didn't he accept the invitation extended to him to present his positions at the Council of Trent. But no by that time he had received such strong backing by the German nobles who were envious of the Church's property and the ignorant peasants, who were suppressed by the same nobles, that he felt that he was powerfully enough to entirely leave the Church Christ founded. Even though he didn't represent himself at the Council his teachings were discussed in 25 sessions over a period of 18 YEARS. The Church took him seriously. The abuse of indulgences was stopped, his heresies were refuted, and the Cannon of Scripture was yet again defined as containing the same 72 books that had been in the Canon since the Councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD). Want to argue that? Check out a copy of the Latin Vulgate translated by St. Jerome in the 5th Century AD.
As for the quip about the Spanish Inquisition, well first off the Church tried the people it was the state that punished them, as needed. And the people who were condemned we people who were a threat to the foundations of a just society and traitors. Not to mention from what I understand Henry VIII killed far more Catholics, who usually had only mock trials if that at all, during his reign than Spain did in the whole 365 years (1478-1843) the Inquisition was in use.
And if you think Calvin's desecration of Catholic Churches was something to celebrate then ask yourself: "Was it the will of Almighty God, which one would assume he was doing if he was truly sent by God to save man from the "evils" of the Catholic Church?"
Lastly I beg you, if you have any decency do not in any way mock or allow others to mock Mary the Mother of God or the Holy Eucharist. Because if Jesus is anything like a good Tennessee boy he wont take kindly any offense given to his mother and whether you believe it or not Jesus Christ is wholly and physically present in Holy Communion: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity!
So while I and my Catholic friends are celebrating the blessed Vigil of All Saint's Day, we will stop and remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have not yet come into the fold. May God bless you always.
Your loving cousin,
James
http://www.staycatholic.com/the_canon_of_scripture.htm
Dear James --
ReplyDeleteYou obviously put a lot more care and thought into your comment, above, than i did into the post which provoked it. I must confess, i was not trying to make a religious statement at all. I dashed off a quick cartoon about our church that simply depicted what was normal, in terms of Communion and Oct 31, for me as a Protestant Presbyterian. I apologise for thoughtlessly offending any Roman Catholic readers; this cartoon was not aimed to hurt you, or anyone else.
Specifically -- by "real bread and wine" i was not attempting a jab at transubstantiation. I am content with the Presbyterian explanation of the Lord's Supper; i would certainly be willing to discuss the mechanics with you at more length--send me a FB message or email if you like. By "real bread and wine" i simply meant real bread and wine -- not the unpleasant styrofoam disks and sticky grape juice that many Protestant churches serve, and which i think are perhaps not the most appropriate vehicle for the very real spiritual nourishment. James, the Lord's Supper is truly more holy and mysterious to me than i can say, and partaking every week is a huge encouragement to me as a Christian. That is the most i was trying to communicate in my silly little cartoon. Admittedly, it may have been inappropriate to depict something so holy as part of a lighthearted sketch.
Second -- again, not trying to make any kind of statement by referencing the Reformation Party. Again, this is a pretty common Presbyterian event. Like All Hallows' Eve, it replaces what has once again become rather a pagan holiday with a celebration of something holy. But mostly it is just FUN (especially with costumes). Again, the "Spanish Inquisition" costume Dennis had in mind was the Spanish Inquisition from Monty Python, which certainly makes no pretense at any kind of historical or doctrinal statement whatsoever! Perhaps you are a little quick to perceive an attack here because there ARE so many Protestants who have a poor idea of the history behind Reformation Day--and indeed, of what being a Protestant or Roman Catholic means at all.
I am not going to argue doctrine or atrocities here, but i assure you that i am a Protestant, and a Presbyterian, because in my own judgment and that of people whose faith and judgment i respect, that church as a group is the most grounded in the truth of the Scriptures. I am not sorry for what i believe, and if i had any doubt that it was true as opposed to other churches' falsehood or misinterpretation, then i would not believe it. I am so grateful for your prayers and your concern for my apprehension of the truth, James. Keep praying -- i know we can agree that God will save all His people by His Son, and rest in His ability to do that.
Much love,
Emily
Dude, you are essentially justifying the Inquisition by saying "These guys weren't so bad, because look at what Henry VIII did."
ReplyDeleteThat would not stand up to any serious logical scrutiny. There are many better ways to make a case for them.
You mention that the secular government of Spain actually punished the accused. This is true...to a certain extent. If the accused did not confess within a period of grace, they were "Relaxed" to the secular arm of the state- which meant burning at the stake. Essentially, the Inquisition washed their hands of the matter and let whatever happened at the "mercy" of the crown happen.
That being said, you are right- the Inquisition did do a lot of good in stamping our heresy among new converts after the Reconquista.
Since you brought up Henry VIII, I will say something about an unfortunate disadvantage that Protestants have. Even though Protestants hold many different interpretations of the scripture, they are often lumped into one group by the media and others. I certainly don't agree with Henry VIII's reason for splitting from the church- a matter of convenience for him. If one is going to do something as serious as split with the church, doing so over a divorce is certainly not the way to go!
Another sad fact in many Protestant churches is that they gloss over and even ignore church history as "irrelevant to modern people." Not so with Reformed protestant churches! Reformation Day is a day to remember the founders of our particular branch of Christianity, not to make fun of Catholics. I have a great respect for the Catholic church- they were THE church for most of Christianity's history (ignoring our "misguided brethren" in the Eastern Orthodox church ;) I even read Catholic thealogians like Chesterton...soon I'm going to read St. Augustine. We certainly don't lampoon saints or the Blessed Mother on Reformation day, or on any other day.
I conclude with this: don't cherry-pick bad examples of other Christians (though I think Henry VIII was one in name only)- there were plenty of unscrupulous Catholics as well.
-DH
P.S. Let's not turn Emily's blog into another thirty years war... why not e-mail one of us with your concerns instead?