Will, I just survived an intensive 2 1/2 days with my biological family in Southern California. We got together for an open house for my mother's 102 birthday. I have a cousin who says she is a Christian scientist; the only thing Christian in the Christian science faith is in the title. Being around her younger sister is like walking on eggs as I dare not even allude to anything Christian. My the sister-in-law is a lifelong Catholic and very devote. Her husband, my brother, challenges me at every opportunity.
I'm not sure what's set my Christian scientist cousin off, perhaps it was my mentioning the Christian rock group the Newsboys. In the course of conversation I mentioned how great the movie "God is not Dead" was in that I enjoyed the Newsboys so much I bought their album. My cousin blurted out I don't believe there is such a thing as hell glaring at me and blurted and I don't believe there's purgatory either glaring at my Catholic sister-in-law. That was the day of my mom's birthday.
The next day when my cousin came over I pretty much ignored her and worked on my KI studies. Later in the day my brother and sister-in-law came over and I don't know why my brother brought up the final pope but he did. So I started to talk about the prophecy of the popes and my sister-in-law said she was Catholic all her life and never heard of such thing.
My brother challenged me on the validity of the Bible as was written by mere man. I started to give him facts such as the hundred plus prophecies and the Old Testament fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. He of course didn't listen to me. As always seems to be the case, my brother and I parted on reasonably peaceful terms.
I'm rather losing patience with unbelief and/or false doctrines. Many, including myself, are the opinion that we are in the end of the in days. So I put being PC aside and emailed my sister-in-law a PFD, from the Roman Catholic News Volume 5, Issue 66 WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL 2005 titled "Hoax or Authentic? The Prophecies of St. Malachy (Part 1)." I also emailed my brother the PDF that is part of CM's commentary on "Defending the Bible."
