Poor Aspen. Another example of you stating you are done, but when someone uses the correct prod, you are right back with a Pavlovian response.
"So where are these scriptures that address Mary's sex life?" - Aspen
-- That is actually the question that CATHOLICS should be answering since they are making the baseless claims.
So let me ask you since you claim she remained a virgin: Where are the scriptures that support the Catholic claim?
Here, let me help you: Matt 1:25 --
"But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
Apparently the Catholic church's beliefs contradict what the Bible says and you are fine with that.
"Catholics only pray to saints that are alive before God - Catholics do not practice necromancy" - Aspen
-- The question is, why do Catholics feel this is alright? Where would they ever get the idea that it is alright to get on their knees and and actually PRAY to someone who died (other than the person who died and rose again, that is...)
There is no justification for this process and what is truly says is that Jesus, who died for you and loves you more than you love your own children, and the Holy Spirit, who is the great intercessor between man and God almighty....are simply not enough.
But if you think that God, who by His own admission is jealous, has no problem with a person being on their knees praying to a dead Christian instead of directly to Him as he calls us to, well....
And you are correct that Catholics are not practicing
'necromancy."
That is the practice of speaking with the dead to predict the future.
Catholics do it in the attempt to INFLUENCE the future. And of course that makes it all okay...
"The Catholic Church only teaches one sacrifice - the Mass is an echo of that sacrifice." - Aspen
-- It may only teach one sacrifice, but it requires that that sacrifice be made time and time and time again.
Again, just how many times does our Saviors' body have to be sacrificed to placate you?
But the bigger question is, how can Catholics feel that God would even want you to do this? You have nothing to support this practice.
"Praying for souls in Purgatory is a practice of Charity - it is not simply to shorten their time there. We are taught to care for the Body of Christ." - Aspen
-- It may be a practice is 'charity' but it is also a practic in futility. There is nothing scripturally that advocates or supports this practice.
Hebrews states,
"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,"
Nothing is mentioned anywhere in the Bible where man can affect anything related to a person once they have died.
This idea has no basis in facts...whatsoever.
You are right, we are "taught to care for the Body of Christ." But the Body of Christ you are talking about are the LIVING members of that body.
Once they die we have no say as to what happens to them.
Perhaps Catholics should take the time focusing on someone who is dead facing judgement and use it to help those who still have a chance of not dying in their sin.
Just a thought...
"So, I find it hard to believe that you were taught these ideas as a Catholic." - Aspen
-- And I find it hard to believe that as an adult, you would actually embrace them.
You can tell a child anything and they will believe it because they are taught to trust adults.
But when a child grows and is able to think and investigate for themselves, they realize that the foundation for many Catholic ideas are built on sand.
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." - 1 Cor. 13:11
-- I simply did what it says to do in Corinthians. Perhaps you should do the same...