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It's amazing how intellectual we can be—not in the sense of being highly educated or reading a lot of books, but in the importance we tend to place on what we know. Especially in this age of the computer and the Internet, of online blogs and twenty-four hour news networks, we can put a lot of confidence in what we can learn or discover. It seems that now, more than any other time in history, knowledge really is power.
This may be true when it comes to building a career or making a successful life in the world. But when it comes to our life of faith, knowledge is not always the most valuable commodity. Of course, it is important to know our faith and to try to understand what the church teaches and why. But in the final analysis, “How much do I know?” takes a backseat to questions like, “Who do I know?”
As we said in our first article, faith is a matter of a disposition before it is a matter of knowledge. This means that our faith can grow as we learn to be open to God and his work in our hearts, even as we try to increase our understanding of his teachings. It is good to try to form our minds and learn…
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I like the concept of helping others as a preventative measure against stinking thinking verses building points with God.
good article lots to think about
Donnie Kincaid
Well said. I have experienced a situation where one of our separated brethren in Christ criticized us Catholics for believing that we have to earn our way to heaven. After careful investigation (using the CCC as my resource) I found this to be absolutely untrue. It is great to here a Catholic speak of faith as something we cannot acquire on our own! For any Catholic who thinks this you are sadly mistaken about what our Church teaches, and for those separated bretheren who also mistake what we believe, please do a thorough search into the CCC! Please, do not accept as true what some Catholic may have told you about earning our salvation. If indeed a Catholic believes this then they have been seriously misguided. The Roman Catholic Church does not teach this!