Originally Posted by NotforSale
But you claim that idolaters are lost. Solomon was an idolater. If you don't know what happened to Solomon, you have no business making such claims about people today who you feel might be caught in the trap of idolatry.
Read the 10 Commandments; according to these Laws, God was not pleased with idolatry at any time, and that includes the time of Solomon. Paul was doing nothing more than fortifying Old Testament teachings. Whether you were an idolater in the Old or New Testament, it makes no difference.
This is one reason why we must consider Solomon, as we endorse his teachings and writings as Truth for us today, and we use his wisdom to help us understand God. In fact, the book of Proverbs is probably one of the most widely used books of the Bible. If idolaters are lost, then Solomon's teachings should be banished from Scripture.
I'll tell you what ALL of us struggle with in Faith and Religion; our deepest fear is, FAILURE! We don't know how to deal with Failure. When people fall, the issue becomes a HOT POTATO! This happens because our "Group" that we thought was perfect, is now flawed. Take divorce; this hot potato gets thrown around, and people don't know how to react to broken families and the trauma of divorce. Some preachers feel divorce is NEVER acceptable, while others feel completely the opposite.
But it's the FAILURE, it's the SIN, it's the WRONG which people do that leaves us scrambling with, "Who's Saved, and who isn't?" Until we step back and remember, when Jesus looked at the righteous man, then at the sinner, pointing his finger at the sinner and basically saying, "YOU WIN", we will continue to judge people with unproven realms which are motivated by terror. It’s our way of getting the job done. It’s how we convince people who don’t agree with us.
Apostolics can be the worst of the worst when it comes to this, because we have a very strong focus on the outward. The outward becomes the smokescreen to cover fault and failure. For instance, if a man is told he can’t remarry because he’s been married before, he may come to Church and lift his hands, run the aisles, cry at the altar, and dress with sleeves to his wrists. But his secret life will become perverted, while unnatural affection snares him. He has his fault, but he will cover it to protect his image.
Truthseeker, God can save an idolater, a thief, a murderer, a demoniac, a drunkard, a liar, and a whoremonger. He can save a man who was the wisest man in the World, Solomon, even after his heart was drawn away by a false idea. A few pages before his recorded downfall, I see a man who might have been under too much pressure, and too big of a spotlight.
In fact, Solomon became an idol himself, as EVERY King in the land esteemed him as having untouchable wisdom. People from everywhere came seeking advice from Solomon, and his downfall may have been the people themselves.
Also, like Pelathias mentioned, RC's don't intentionally worship idols. I was a Catholic for 18 years, going to Catholic School, was an altar boy, prayed the rosary, went to confession, went through Catechism, and NEVER did I feel I was worshipping anyone but God.
You are also avoiding the fact that we have our own forms of vain worship, and that humans are drawn into a focus which is tangible. Let's face it, it can be hard worshipping a Being you never see or talk too. This is why even in the Apostolic movement we might use a Cross or a painting to give us some form of spiritual visage.
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