re: Interesting how "Evangelicals" are separating themselves from "Protestants".

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This is clearly in opposition to Scripture

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You cited passages that support my point about the HS

Where in those passages, or any passages, does the Bible say the HS is going to teach about Mary worship or the narthex being on the east end of the building or that the mass is the literal re-presentation of Christ or any of those hundreds of other things?

It doesn't exist

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Squirrel is full of garbage

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Ultimately you are correct. But in this moment he is merely operating from the measure of faith given to him, and well versed in the discipline to which he belongs. I wish more Christians were as well educated in scripture as he is in his affront to it.

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Dismissive attitude. Openly celebrating your ignorance. You’ll forgive me if I don’t really care what you think about me. You don’t have an inquisitive mind.

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I’m n being dismissive- I’m showing you actual love. You skate 99/100 without anyone even paying attention to you. Wake up son. Put away your childish nonsense.

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I asked you to provide Scriptural text stating that all authority is found only in Scripture

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I'm having trouble believing that you're serious. Have you ever heard of a manual that says "important things about the operation of this are not included in this manual and they are applicable to the warranty"? No, you haven't. That would be stupid.

Jesus quoted scripture as the authoritative word of God. He NEVER hinted that there was something indispensible to salvation outside of the word of God. He never talked about something being authoritative over someone outside of the word of God. Is Jesus' teaching good enough for you?

Revelation 22:18-19

Matthew 5:18, God's word is sufficient to accomplish ALL THINGS. God's word needs no help. Moreover, Jesus accomplished all things in that he consummated the kingdom. He needed no help outside of himself. the OT pointed to a savior, the messiah. Jesus fulfilled that perfectly. There is no need for a magisterium or Sacred Tradition or Apostolic succession or the Visible Church or sacraments, etc. Jesus fulfilled the need for everything the Catholic church represents. He sums up the redemption story.

I'll say this yet again, Catholics are saying God forgot to have his authors record many, many things authoritative and necessary for salvation. How can a real person claim that?

Catholics say the work of the HS is not enough. We also need the Magisterium and the pope - humans. Laughable. How can you not trust the HS to be sufficient?

Catholics say we need intermediaries to advocate for us. We can't go to God directly.

And I did notice the sleight of hand in circumventing the question. If you believe that there are authoritative traditions outside of scripture, show me the evidence. Show me the words of Jesus or the Apostles. Otherwise, it can't possible be authoritative or necessary for salvation. If you don't have a quote from Jesus, how would you know that it's authoritative other than some people from hundreds of years later told you so. It's absolutely the equivalent of "trust me, bro"

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At no point in scripture was polytheism acceptable to the people of God. It was ALWAYS preached against and there were consequences, sometimes severe for idol worship.

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Despite this, the first temple was polytheistic. Just because the biblical texts (mostly written or at least redacted and edited during the Persian and Greek periods of second temple Judaism) say worshipping other deities was bad, and was the cause of the exiles of the Israelite and Judahite royalty and high society, doesn’t mean that it is accurately recording real history. The Hebrew Bible records a false history, but there are hints and clues of their first temple polytheism all throughout the Bible still. Plus all we have to do is look at the archaeological evidence which proves the Jews were worshipping many gods in Jersusalem deep into the Persian period.

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2 Maccabees

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Not canonical ergo, not biblical

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You must be a filthy Protestant dog. Martin Luther ripped it out of your Bible. It’s in mine, and is in the Septuagint and the Dead Sea scrolls.

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You will be hard pressed to prove that even mainstream ancient Jewish scholars considered Enoch to be canonical or authoritative meaning, appealing to it to show that purgatory was considered reliable is spurious

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You are falsely presuming “Jewish” was monolithic. There were many sects with many different beliefs. It’s not even seriously contested amongst scholars that 1 Enoch was an extremely important and influential text to the first Christians.

The Pharisees and Sadducees rejected 1 Enoch, which is why they would not accept a returning messiah, and it’s why “Jesus” in the gospel story told them they did not know the scriptures. It wasn’t that they weren’t interpreting them correctly, but that the my weren’t using the correct scriptures.

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Where in Romans 9 does it speak of salvation or destruction?

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It's most of the chapter, starting in verse 6.

Paul speaks of those who are children of the promise, not being merely of the bloodline of Abraham, but being spiritual descendants. In verse 11, Paul differentiates between Jacob and Esau as one being elected to salvation by promise while the other wasn't, and he highlights that it wasn't based on anything either had done, but based on God's election (choice).

We know that he was talking about election based on God's will and not man's, because he asks a rhetorical question in verse 14, where he admits that it could be perceived as unfair or unjust. He answers by saying that God is not unjust but chooses according to His own purposes.

It's in this section, and in verses 17 and 18 in particular, that he mentions Pharoah and how God raised him up for his own destruction through hardening him.

Paul against anticipates an objection: how can anyone be at fault for not believing if he has been predestined to destruction as Pharoah? He responds that God is God and it's His prerogative to create according to His purposes, one person for glory and one person for destruction (v. 21)

So here we see the doctrine of predestination unfold, where God saves according to His good pleasure and creates others for destruction as He sees fit. This is really a continuation of chapter 8 where he speaks of God predestining His people according to His own purpose, as he says in verses 28 and following:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

I should note that when he speaks of foreknowing, he says that people are the object of the foreknowledge, not actions (or beliefs) of people. Here he isn't talking about a knowing beforehand of what a person will do, but he speaks of an intimate "knowing" of a person, as Adam "knew" Eve and they produced a child. God--before the foundations of the world--chose to create a people for Himself and to set His love on that people, predestining them to salvation. The "golden chain" goes from an intimate foreknowledge of a people, to their choosing them out, to saving them, to preserving them to glory. It's quite beautiful and highlights God's amazing grace.

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Tommy doesn't have enough mental capacity to have an evil thought, Foo, so, how is it possible for Tommy to commit sin?

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Considering the Bible says that every person has fallen into sin through Adam, and all sin and fall short of the glory of God, you'll have to take that one up with God, who says that everyone is guilty of sin.

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What if Tommy was an infant in a coma? No way to have an evil thought.

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We sin because we are sinful. We aren't sinful because we sin. Tommy is already guilty of original sin regardless of whatever other sins he either commits, or whatever commands he fails to obey.

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But when Paul said "all have sinned" he can't have been talking about Original Sin because Original Sin is injected into our Souls. We don't have to commit sin to get it, so, while Tommy as Original Sin on his soul, Tommy himself did not sin, so the phrase "all have sinned" can't have applied to Tommy, which begs the question whether there are any OTHER exceptions to this doctrine of "All Have Sinned".

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Nope, all are guilty of sin in Adam and for whatever particular sins of commission or omission have been performed by an individual. No one is innocent, and no one has the perfect righteousness needed to enter into Heaven on their own. It's why every single person needs to perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them to stand before a holy God.

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Don't forget to get back to our hypothetical conversation you and I are having as we do our Missionary work in Africa.

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Yes, repent of trusting in a false gospel.

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Tommy doesn't have enough mental capacity to have an evil thought

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Why are you continuing with this? Does God make mistakes? Is God going to allow a godly person to be condemned. Yes or no?

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If the Faith Alone Doctrine turns decisively on whether a Soul is one of God's Elect or Not, then, the doctrine of Faith Alone can't stand on its own, since it cannot Save unless the Soul is one of God's Elect.

Faith Alone + being one of God's Elect = Salvation

We should call this equation: Foo's Salvation Equation

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You keep conflating God's secret purposes and actions with His revealed will in what we are commanded to do.

We are not saved by the instrument of election, we are saved by faith in Christ. Faith is the mechanism or instrument that receives the benefits that Christ obtained by His obedience. Election is the mechanism that God uses to select a people for Himself, and then faith is the gift that He provides to those elect people to apply Christ's righteousness to their account. Both election and faith work together in the process of salvation, but we are not saved by our election; we are saved by Christ through faith. Faith is given to the elect only.

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Remember, Tommy is a deaf, dumb and blind kid. Tommy has never had the capacity to have an evil thought. He's never had the mental capacity to do an evil act. He has no way at all to form the Know, Assent, Trust components of Faith Alone. No way, because Tommy doesn't know what day it is. He doesn't know who Jesus was or what praying is. How can he be saved from the Eternal Grave?

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The only way sinful Tommy can be saved is by God's grace alone, the same as all others who are saved. If Tommy is one of God's elect, God will give him the seed of saving faith to receive Christ's benefits.

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Not even Foo's Salvation Equation can help Tommy. So, I asked Foo, How then can Tommy be Saved under Faith Alone and Foo says "Well, God can Save him anyway if God Wills it."

Another exception to Faith Alone?

I'm beginning to wonder about the soundness of this doctrine.

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Your inability (willful or not) to understand it doesn't mean it isn't sound.

All who are saved are saved by faith. That faith is more complete and full with the more knowledge and understanding one has, but at its core, faith is a gift of God's grace to all He gives it to.

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Have you ever asked Grok about the weaknesses in your argument for Faith Alone? Let me assure you , there are plenty.

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Enlighten me. It's tough to get you to provide your own arguments in these discussions, so please show me what Grok has to say