>>761285
>I… would be extremely careful with that wording. There is no such thing as "magic", except from demons. Miracles are not "magic"
I appriciate that. Thank you for helping me refine my terminology.
>except that Catholics 1) state that we will be resurrected with spiritual, transfigured bodies
Cortinthians 15 is my favorite part of the Bible. It was in fact what converted me - I was a transhumanist, and suddenly I saw that the Bible promised the same thing.
I'd become convinced that you could build a super-human, immortal body from graphene. But I wasn't sure if I personally would ever get one. The verses about quickening clued me in;
>https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Corinthians-Chapter-15/
>36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
>37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
>38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
>43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
>44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body
>45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit
Graphene can be made by burning lignin - in other words, 'quickening' the lignin. Wheat, and all grains contain lignin. Thus, by collecting together Earthly matter, the body is sown - but God alone quickens the wheat into graphene.
Many other amazing things, such as epigenetic transfer of memory, makes me believe.
>; and 2) absolutely rejects the idea of a literal period of 1000 years where Jesus reigns. This is a heresy called "chiliasm". The Catholic doctrine is that the 1000 years in Revelation are symbolic and the rule of Jesus after the resurrection will be eternal, full stop
I see. Below you say;
>You know, shopping for a church that specifically agrees with everything you believe right now is not a good idea
I'm not shopping in terms of doctrine - I want the original, real church. My criteria is how other Christians see a particular denomination, and how true to the Bible a given denomination is.
Like I said, I think Catholicism or Orthodoxy is the true church, but I don't want a watered down, liberal Christianity. I don't hate gays or anything and treat everyone with respect, but the Pope has condoned some crazy stuff.
>Actually investigate the various denominations and see who appears to have the true faith (in doctrine and in practice), and let it transform you after that (no one who joins the Church is expected to remain as they are)
My understanding of Catholic doctrine is that it's a sin to interpret the Bible myself. So, for instance, I expect to be wrong on many theological matters regardless of which denomination I choose - like how you corrected me above. Being humble in the face of correction seems to be a very Christian stance to take.
>A Catholic can only receive the Eucharist if they're baptized, believe the Catholic doctrines, and are prepared spiritually (by having fasted, prayed, given alms, done penance…) Being baptized won't be sufficient to be able to receive communion at a Catholic church
Yeah, I've read about it, and it seems quite involved. I don't have transportation, so unless I could find someone who could take me for all that I could never complete the process.
Maybe I should find a local Catholic who can drive me to introduce me to their church?
>I would rather say that she did, by taking on the mission to raise you in the faith so that your faith will be in accord with your taking of the Eucharist, and yet you ended up falling away from Catholicism. But I'm not going to judge, here. Just answering your question…
My Dad says he was confirmed, and after that he never went back to church. He's always condemned religion, and says he's an Atheist and a Communist. He never took me to church or taught me anything about Catholicism.
My Mom is also an Atheist, but she read a childrens' Bible to me that my Christian half brother sent (I'm a bastard.)
So it kind of feels like I'm one generation removed from Catholicism, and like the bed had been made for me to come back to it. I'm not shopping around in terms of doctrine, but in terms of my connection to the denomination and it's closeness to the original church.
>Yes. If you cannot give proof of your baptism (like a baptism certificate, normally given by the pastor who baptized you) they may give you a conditional baptism, just to be safe
I'll get baptised by anyone I can, as soon as I can, than. Thanks for the info.