From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" 
Subject: RE: (urth) Sinner Question
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 13:05:19 -0700

Quoting me, Dragonfly wrote:

> >Another critically significant point of the Christian episteme is
> >that sin is a kind of bondage; that as long as we remain sinners,
> >we are not in fact free.
> [More Snips]

> I do not know much about the particular differences of the 
> many Protestant flavors, and I know even less about Catholicism.

Oh. Well, you know we're all a bunch of pagan goddess-worshipping
slaves of Rome, I presume, so what more would you need to know? 8*)

> I was raised in a Methodist setting, and I was taught that 
> all people are sinners, whether they accept Christ as their
> savior or not -- being a believer does not exempt one from being
> a sinner.  Is this different for the Catholic system?

Of course not -- St Paul is clear on this; all are sinners (tho'
Catholics and, I believe, Orthodox believe that Mary is an exception,
not through her own doing but through the "immaculate conception,"
a special miracle which allowed her to be born without the taint of
original sin, as a fitting "vessel" for Christ); and even after 
salvation, we continue to be sinners -- Paul speaks of "doing what
I hate," etc.

--Dan'l


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