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so many people are asking why are there
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so many Christian denominations what's
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the difference between and I'm not
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talking about whether they have
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contemporary music or traditional hymns
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whether they read that music out of a
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hymnal or whether it's projected on a
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screen
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whether it's organs or guitars nor am i
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talking about whether the sermon is
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preached behind a wooden pulpit or
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whether they have suits our clerical
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robes or whether the guy struts on a
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stage with ripped up jeans nor am i
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talking about the political structure
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which is necessary to get things done in
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any large organization I'm talking about
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what they believe and what they
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practiced based on what they believe in
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order to do this I'm going to take you
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through two steps I'm gonna show you a
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four way Venn diagram and put various
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practices on that then I'm going to show
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you what they base their practices upon
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now each one of these practices and
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beliefs is an extremely complex topic
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and could use a video of its own and yet
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I'm going to go through them in a matter
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of seconds so keep in mind these are
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more complicated this is an overview at
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the center of all Christian
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denominations is the concept of
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forgiveness of our sins
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based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the
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cross this is the center of the Catholic
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Church this is the center of the
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Protestant church this is the center of
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the Eastern Orthodox Church now here we
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clearly have a Venn diagram and you will
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note that the Eastern Orthodox Church is
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entirely within the Catholic Church this
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does not mean that the Eastern Orthodox
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Church is part of the Catholic Church
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but rather that the most of the basic
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beliefs and practices of the Eastern
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Orthodox are also accepted by the
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Catholic Church but many of the Catholic
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Church's practices are not accepted by
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either Eastern Orthodox most notably
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papal Authority only the Catholic Church
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accepts infallible papal authority
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likewise the concept of purgatory exists
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only within the Catholic Church the idea
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that priest
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should be celibate is someone shared
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between the Eastern Orthodox and the
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Catholic Church they both prohibit
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ordained priests from marrying
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however the Eastern Orthodox priests
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often marry before they are ordained now
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there are many beliefs and practices
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that are shared by the Eastern Orthodox
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and the Catholic Church for example
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transubstantiation is the belief that
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the bread and the wine of communion is
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miraculously changed into the body blood
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of Christ as you take it in communion
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also the adoration and intercession of
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saints this illustration is wonderful
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that shows the earthly woman praying but
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she is not praying to Jesus or to God
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the Father instead she prays to a saint
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and the saint prays to Mary in this case
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that is intercession the Catholics and
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the Eastern Orthodox both embraced the
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veneration of Mary the belief that Mary
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holds a very special place in the church
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and they are also users of icons and
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iconography we'll get into that
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and both the Eastern Orthodox and the
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Catholic Church baptize their members as
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infants most Protestants do not that
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would include the Baptist's Pentecostals
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Assembly of God Church of Christ
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Brethren Mennonites Salvation Army and
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many more they believe that baptism
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should come after a person repents of
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their sins and declares that they are
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going to follow Jesus which you can only
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do when you are old are perhaps not an
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adult and this is where I'm going to
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divide the Protestants into two separate
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categories I'm going to call this group
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the conservative Protestants there is an
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another group this other group I'm going
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to call the liberal Protestants this
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would include Wesleyan Methodist
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Presbyterian Calvin
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Episcopal Anglican churches and
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Lutheran's these churches also baptize
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its infants just as the Catholic Church
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and the Eastern Orthodox does this is
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based on their idea of original sin
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original sin is the very first sin ever
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done by Adam and Eve in the Garden of
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Eden
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now most a conservative Protestants
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believe that the original sin broke our
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close communication with God and created
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a world in which sin exists however the
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liberal Protestant and Catholic churches
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believe that original sin is inherited
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by each person and so you are a sinner
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from birth therefore you need to be
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baptized immediately you may have also
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heard of the concept of predestination
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that is if God is all-knowing he knows
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who's going to be saved and who is not
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going to be saved from the beginning of
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time now this is mostly associated with
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the Calvinist churches although there
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are some shades of this belief in other
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churches some Catholics are taught that
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all Protestant churches believe this
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doctrine but this is not true
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the Episcopal the Anglican and the
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Lutheran churches have officially
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accepted homosexuality within their
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church you may have also heard the term
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charismatic which may include speaking
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in tongues and other practices some
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charismatic movement has occurred within
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every one of these churches but it is
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most closely associated with the
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Pentecostal or the Assembly of God now
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let's talk about a few of the specific
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issues and we'll begin with celibacy the
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celibacy of the priesthood the Catholic
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Church does not allow its priests to
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marry Orthodox Church also does not
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allow priests to marry however many of
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them marry before they are ordained so
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I'm told that in some countries such as
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Russia most priests are
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married this does not occur within the
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Catholic Church
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the Apostle Paul teaches that an
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unmarried man is concerned about the
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Lord's Affairs how he can please the
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Lord but a married man is concerned
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about the affairs of the world how he
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can please his wife and his interests
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are divided so this is a scriptural
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practice now all Protestant churches
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allow their leaders to marry and this is
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also a scriptural practice no one
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disputes that at least some of the
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Apostles were married this is mentioned
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in the Bible first Timothy 3:2 also
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gives the qualifications for church
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leaders they must be blameless the
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husband of one wife vigilant sober of
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good behavior given the hospitality
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etc papal Authority the Catholic Church
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teaches that the Pope's teaching on
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scriptural matters is infallible they
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cite Luke 1016 where Jesus tells the
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Apostles he who hears you hears me no
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other Church teaches this all other
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churches teach that God alone is
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infallible and that all humans fall
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short of God papal infallibility was set
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in stone
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only in 1870 but the idea is older
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purgatorium the Catholic Church teaches
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that Christ's sacrifice does not remove
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all sin it only removes those sins
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committed before repentance and baptism
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those sins committed after becoming
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Christian are on the Christians head
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when many Christians die they must go to
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a hell-like place called purgatory to
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burn off the sin that Christ's sacrifice
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failed to remove suffering in many cases
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for centuries no other Church teaches
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this all other churches teach that
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nothing a human being can do or go
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through can bring about salvation only
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the sacrifice of Jesus can bring
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salvation and that is a complete
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salvation
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no such place that the purgatory is
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mentioned in the Bible the belief began
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around the seer 600 with Gregory the
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Great who received information about
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purgatory in visions and dreams all
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other churches teach what the scriptures
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state by one sacrifice he is made
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perfect forever those who are being made
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holy there is now no condemnation for
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those who are in Christ Jesus because
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through Christ Jesus the law of the
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Spirit who gives life has set you free
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from the law of sin and death and we
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have been sanctified through the
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offering of the body of Jesus Christ
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once and for all the adoration and
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intercession of saints both the Catholic
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and the Orthodox Church teach their
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members to adore or venerate saints they
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practice Saints days address prayers to
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Saints have patron saints for
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occupations and activities and keep
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icons of saints especially troubling to
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Protestants is the practice of
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addressing prayers to Saints Protestant
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churches follow the teaching on prayer
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given by Jesus as related in Luke 11 one
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day Jesus was praying in a certain place
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when he had finished one of his
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disciples said to him Lord teach us to
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pray just as John taught his disciples
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jesus said to them when you pray pray
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this way our Father who is in heaven
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hallowed be your name
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etc so the instruction from the mouth of
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Jesus is to address the father neither
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Jesus nor any of the Apostles ever gave
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instruction to address prayers to Saints
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on the contrary Paul said there is one
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God and one mediator between God and
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mankind the man Jesus Christ who gave
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himself as a ransom for all people
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these practices addressing prayers to
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Saints keeping icons of saints and
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having
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patron saint's seemed Protestants to
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approach polytheism the veneration of
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Mary both the catholic church and the
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orthodox church teach a special place
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for Mary the earthly mother of Jesus
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they call her mother of God and Queen of
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Heaven they teach she was born
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immaculate stayed sinless remained a
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virgin and that God took her bodily into
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heaven they addressed prayers to her
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none of these events or attributes are
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in the Bible
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Protestants find that when the Gospels
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mentioned Mary it is with a contrary
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emphasis to Catholic teaching a woman in
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the crowd called out blessed is the
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mother who gave you birth and nursed you
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jesus replied blessed rather are those
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who hear the word of God and obey it and
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in Matthew someone told him your mother
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and brothers are standing outside
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wanting to speak to you jesus replied to
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him who is my mother and who are my
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brothers pointing to his disciples he
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said here are my mother and my brothers
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for whoever does the will of my father
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in heaven is my brother and sister and
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mother it is interesting to know how
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often in the Catholic Church
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Mary is portrayed prominently with Jesus
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as a helpless child icons and
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iconography the greatest question
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involved here is whether or not this is
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idolatry it would be interesting to
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collect an opinion from someone that
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grew up in a culture that embraced
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idolatry instead of banning it what do
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you see here
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some Catholic sources say that it's only
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idolatry if it's done the wrong way
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Catholics point out that the Ark of the
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Covenant seems to have images on top and
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God commanded Moses to make this object
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the scriptural prohibitions against this
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are many you shall not make for yourself
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an image in the form of anything in
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heaven above or on the earth beneath or
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in the waters below you shall not bow
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down to them or worship them do not
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become corrupt and make for yourself an
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idol an image of any shape whether
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formed like a man or a woman or like an
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animal on earth or a bird that flies in
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the air or any creature that moves on
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the ground or any fish in the waters
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below therefore my dear friends flee
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from idolatry this last scripture impels
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us not to meddle with this topic at all
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flee from it to Protestants this
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practice is not only outside the
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Christian scriptures it's outside the
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entire Abrahamic family of faith even
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Jews and Muslims abstain from this sort
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of thing idolatry is more in line with
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Hinduism Buddhism and animism there are
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of course many other differences between
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the denominations some denominations
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observe events around the calendar like
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Ash Wednesday and Lent the catholic and
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orthodox church observe the ritual of
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confession and that of penance but the
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ones we see here can serve as an
00:14:46
introduction to the differences between
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them here are a couple the sources
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consulted which are good places to
00:14:54
continue your study from this basic
00:14:56
introduction
