Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Pope and the Donald: A matter of perspective
American Thinker ^ | 02/19/2016 | By Rosslyn Smith

Posted on 02/19/2016 6:24:13 AM PST by SeekAndFind

As soon as I read the Pope's actual words, my first thought was he probably was not speaking of physical walls and bridges but rather of emotional, spiritual and verbal walls and bridges. Admonitions to tear down all the barriers one has erected around one's heart in order to open it to Christ's love is, after all, a standard theme in Christian sermons. 

I ran that past people from two different evangelical Christian perspectives and they concurred.  Whenever they hear a religious leader speak in terms of tearing down walls or building bridges their first thought is that those phrases are metaphorical devices.  They also thought the Pope is on solid theological ground:  A Christian must tear down walls of hate and prejudice and build spiritual bridges to other humans in order to spread the Gospel.  Charity confined to those who are exactly like us is tribalism, not Christian virtue, 

If their goal is actually to win an election, I find it puzzling that Trump and his supporters cannot or will not see this need to build bridges. I have to wonder, do they really prefer to revel in constant anger, and outrage?  The supporters certainly may feel a cathartic rush in watching their geriatric chosen leader oscillate between taunts that would be unbecoming in a junior high school bully and the vaporous threats of those special little millennial snowflakes to make a federal legal case over any statement that upsets he she or its exalted self opinion. 

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christian; donaldtrump; illegals; popefrancis

1 posted on 02/19/2016 6:24:13 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

This pope can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.


2 posted on 02/19/2016 6:28:39 AM PST by Kahuna
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Here’s my perspective:

‘El Papa’ embraces Raul Castro but calls Donald Trump attempt to defend the USA’s borders anti-Christian!


3 posted on 02/19/2016 6:28:53 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Trying to spin the Pope’s words as anything other then a political statement is wishful thinking on the part of the author.

It also utterly ridiculous given the Pope unwillingness to call Democrat politicians to task for 40 years of willful defiance on Abortion.

When a religious leader cherry picks which moral issues to stand on based on political calculations, they lose all moral authority.


4 posted on 02/19/2016 6:30:50 AM PST by MNJohnnie ( Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Dear Pope

Stick to being God solider and stop being a politician in a cassock and we will leave you alone.

The Pope should be taking to task the Catholic elites running the Central/South American nations for the rampant crime and corruption that is causing the illegals to try and flee their failed nations. Why does not the Pope try cleaning up his own corrupt culture first, before attempting to lecture the West on anything.


5 posted on 02/19/2016 6:32:51 AM PST by MNJohnnie ( Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The media baited the pope and Trump . . . and they both fell for it.


6 posted on 02/19/2016 6:34:00 AM PST by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

When you read the actual words of the Pope, they don’t sound as bad as the press-selected sound bites. Just his usual self-righteous lefty moralizing, and of course, the media can emphasize what they like from it.

However, the thing that made me laugh is that when he was asked why the Vatican hadn’t gotten involved in Italy’s recent gay marriage law dispute, he said he never gets involved in another country’s politics! Gimme a break. This whole Mexico tour was nothing but politics, mostly attacks on the United States, and of course praise for Cuba. He almost never, ever supports Catholic positions on anything.

He did actually speak more firmly in opposition to abortion than I’ve ever seen before, however, so there was something good in there. But he should just keep his mouth shut on the airplane. And off of it, too, unless he’s reading from a script. He’s practically incoherent and just says whatever rolls across his mind.


7 posted on 02/19/2016 6:35:39 AM PST by livius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: livius

RE: He did actually speak more firmly in opposition to abortion than I’ve ever seen before,

So, abortion does not involve another country’s politics?

This guy is being selectively firm on moral issues.


8 posted on 02/19/2016 6:54:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/sc/south_carolina_republican_presidential_primary-4151.html


9 posted on 02/19/2016 7:03:35 AM PST by samtheman (Elect Trump, Build Wall. End Censorship.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: samtheman

This is a thread about the Pope remarks, not about the SC poll.

Please post on the appropriate thread.


10 posted on 02/19/2016 7:05:16 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The relevance:

Americans are not listening to the droolings and drivelings of a demanded commie pope.


11 posted on 02/19/2016 7:08:31 AM PST by samtheman (Elect Trump, Build Wall. End Censorship.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Kahuna
Here's what the Pope actually said:

POPE FRANCIS: "Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as "animal politicus." So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt."

What part of that do you disagree with?

12 posted on 02/19/2016 7:15:40 AM PST by norwaypinesavage (The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MNJohnnie

See post 12. What part of the Pope’s words do you disagree with?


13 posted on 02/19/2016 7:17:48 AM PST by norwaypinesavage (The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The Devil’s string puppets, one is one his right hand and the other on his left.


14 posted on 02/19/2016 7:19:02 AM PST by inpajamas (Texas Akbar!!!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: norwaypinesavage
What any rational person disagrees with. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that.

No one gets to say "If you disagree with my political opinions, you are not a Christan". We are a nation of laws, not the emotional whimsies of personalities.

15 posted on 02/19/2016 7:28:13 AM PST by MNJohnnie ( Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: norwaypinesavage
Another thing. Pope is going directly in the face of Biblical teaching. He is saying HIS view of what is a “religious act” is greater then what the Bible teaches on grace.

Galatians 2:21

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

16 posted on 02/19/2016 7:32:46 AM PST by MNJohnnie ( Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: norwaypinesavage

I disagree with the disingenuous, passive-agressive smell of this statement: “And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

Had “il papa” ever led a campaign to excommunicate abortion-legislating liars in public life or boy rapists under his own roof, he might have some leg to stand on in judging who is a Christian. I’ll bet those mangled fetuses and hemorrhoidal little boys wished they had a wall.


17 posted on 02/19/2016 12:18:56 PM PST by Albion Wilde (Who can actually defeat the Democrats in 2016? -- the most important thing about all candidates.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson