|
Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
|
This Rock
Volume 3, Number 8
 August 1992 
|
|
|
Never on Sunday?
Q: On the radio I heard an Evangelical apologist answer a caller's question about sabbath worship. He assured her that, contrary to the claims made by Seventh-Day Adventists, it was not the Catholic Church that changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, but the apostles and "the early Church Christians." He said this is demonstrated by second- and third-century Christian writings.
A: Although Adventists are wrong in their interpretation of the command to keep the sabbath day holy (Ex. 20:8-11), they are correct in asserting that the Catholic Church changed weekly worship from Saturday to Sunday.
The early Church was the Catholic Church--there has been no interruption, no time since Jesus established the Church, that it has not existed. The apostles were Catholics. The early Church leaders were Catholics. This is a fact easily demonstrated by a study of what the early Church taught and believed: The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass, purgatory and prayers for the dead, baptism of infants, the veneration of saints. Not only are these all Catholic doctrines, but there is no evidence of any kind that any early Christian Father taught or held any of the peculiarly Protestant doctrines such as sola scriptura, the idea of being "once saved always saved," or that the Church is merely an invisible unity of believers.
The apostles themselves made the change from worshiping on the sabbath to Sunday. This is evident in such Bible passages as Acts 20:7, Romans 14:4-6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Col. 2:16-17, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.
Seventh-Day Adventists, Evangelicals, Mormons, Fundamentalists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other sectarians all know what the Bible says, but none can agree on what it means. That's why it's a laudable thing to hearken back to the writings of the early Church Fathers to determine how the first Christians understood the Gospels and epistles.
The writings of the Church Fathers clearly show they understood the gospel in a thoroughly Catholic sense. (Sorry, Adventists: Among other things, the first Christians were taught by the apostles that the Old Covenant requirement of sabbatarian worship was no longer binding on them because Christ had fulfilled the Old Covenant and instituted the New One in his blood. The proof is there if one is willing to look at it.) The Evangelical fellow should think twice before appealing to the early Church to support his position. He should compare the doctrines of the early Church with those of the Reformation and see how they match up.
Q: What is meant by an ecumenical council as opposed to a regular council? Please list the names and dates of the Ecumenical Councils.
A: For a council to be considered ecumenical the college of bishops must be assembled under the presidency of the pope (even if he is not physically present). Vatican II, the last ecumenical council, explained, "A council is never ecumenical unless it is confirmed or at least accepted as such by the successor of Peter. It is the prerogative of the Roman Pontiff to convoke these councils, to preside over them, and to confirm them" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 22). The twenty-one ecumenical councils were:
Nicaea I (325), Constantinople I (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople II (553), Constantinople III (680-681), Nicaea II (787), Constantinople IV (870), Lateran I (1123), Lateran II (1139), Lateran III (1179), Lateran IV (1215), Lyons I (1245), Lyons II (1274), Vienne (1311-1312), Constance (1439-1418), Florence (1439-1445), Lateran V (1512-1517), Trent (1545-1565), Vatican I (1869-1870), Vatican II (1962-1965).
Q: I've been told that Mormons worship Satan in their temple ceremonies and that they wear satanic symbols on their clothes. Is this true?
A: No and no. Mormons do not worship Satan either in their temples (which only a minority of Mormons visit) or in their regular Sunday services, nor do they wear satanic symbols on their clothes. They do have an actor play a Lucifer character in their temple endowment ceremonies. By means of skits Mormon temple patrons witness episodes in the Mormon concept of salvation history, including Lucifer's efforts to tempt Adam and Eve, but there is never any homage given to Lucifer during these rituals. As for symbols, Mormons who have been through the temple endowment ceremony do wear "sacred undergarments" which they believe have the ability to shield them from bodily and spiritual harm. These undergarments, basically white, short-sleeved union suits, have on them embroidered markings, such as the carpenter's square, which are patterned after Masonic symbols.
Q: I'm interested in evangelizing Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'd like to know more about what they believe. Do you think it's wise for me to attend their Sunday services and mid-week Bible studies so I can learn all their arguments?
A: It depends. You probably aren't ready to venture into that lion's den unless you've spent a lot of time preparing for it by study, Bible reading, and prayer. What's "a lot of time"? Well, for each person it's different, but a safe rule of thumb would be six months of serious preparation for dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses. They are well-trained in the art of attacking the Catholic Church, and they are equally well-trained in answering the standard challenges people make against Watch Tower teachings. That's why you have to know more than they do about not only your own religion, but theirs too, if you want to be effective evangelizing them. If you haven't done so already, purchase and study several good books on the subject of refuting Watch Tower theology; familiarize yourself with their history and their track record of false prophecies; get back issues of The Watchtower and Awake! in order to study the arguments made against the Catholic Church. Learn how to answer their charges, and then practice your delivery.
When you walk into a Kingdom Hall and announce you're a Catholic, you'd better be prepared for an onslaught of tough questions laced with out-of-context Bible verses, historical falsehoods, and misquotations from the Church Fathers. If you don't think you can handle that barrage (you'll be double-teamed by their elders), then you aren't ready yet.
Another way to tell if you're ready: Do you have a solid, well formed understanding of your own Catholic beliefs? Are you comfortable using the Bible to explain Catholic doctrines such as the sacraments, the divinity of Christ, and hell? You believe in the Trinity--one God in three persons--but can you explain why you believe it? Why not one God in four persons? Why not simply one God in one person? If you can't answer these questions, you're not ready to visit the Kingdom Hall.
And finally, is your spiritual life healthy? Do you have a strong prayer life? Do you frequent the sacraments and attend Mass regularly? Have you spent time preparing spiritually for the task of explaining and defending the faith? Is your personal relationship with Christ strong and getting stronger? If you answer no to these questions, you're definitely not ready for the Kingdom Hall.
Q: I don't feel comfortable working in apologetics because I don't have a theology degree, and I don't have the time or means to get one. Any suggestions?
A: Yes. Stop fretting. You don't need a degree, and getting one may not help you at all in apologetics work because most schools that teach theology don't teach apologetics. (Some of them, alas, don't even teach real theology.)
Apologetics requires two things, mainly: a knowledge of answers to questions about the faith and an ability to convey those answers convincingly. You can learn the first by reading and the second by following the examples of others (listening to tapes of their talks is recommended) and by getting out and engaging in door-to-door work or something similar. Aim to master just one topic at a time.
At our seminars we tell listeners that they can learn enough to get started as apologists by reading for one hour a night for six months--not too much, really--but they have to read the right books. We recommend titles mentioned in our "Fine Print" sidebar, in our book reviews, and in our ads.
Most of these books are available through Catholic Answers. A few are out of print and can be found at your local library or can be purchased through used-book dealers. We think you'll find that reading them is not only helpful, but fun (a very Catholic attitude, by the way).
|
C A T H O L I C A N S W E R S :
[TOP]
of
