Posted on 04/14/2005 12:00:51 PM PDT by Dean Baker
Baptist church 'fake pope' sign attracting attention, criticism By JEANNINE F. HUNTER, hunter@knews.com April 13, 2005
NEWPORT, Tenn. - Two days after being posted, a church marquee message that questions the purpose of the papacy is still attracting attention in this small community.
"What I am trying to do is to let people know there's only one way to heaven through Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Cline Franklin, pastor of Hilltop Baptist Church. "There's no need for help. God sent his son, Jesus Christ. We're all priests if we're saved. I don't need to go to anybody else to pray."
The sign's side facing Broadway, the main thoroughfare in Newport, reads, "No truth, No hope Following a hell-bound pope!" On the other side, facing the church parking lot, it reads: "False hope in a fake pope."
The message appeared days after Pope John Paul II's funeral last week.
"It is unfortunate when it comes from within the Christian church. It's really sad," said the Rev. Dan Whitman, 54, pastor of Newport's Good Shepherd Catholic parish and Holy Trinity parish in Jefferson City. "You learn how to deal with it and pray not to be that way yourself."
It does not reflect mainstream Baptist thought, said Dr. Merrill "Mel" Hawkins, associate professor of religion and director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City.
"When you see signs like that, they are almost like relics or artifacts of a bygone era," Hawkins said.
He spoke about animus between Protestants and Catholics persisting after the Protestant Reformation and for centuries, during which "harsh things were said, couched within misperceptions, misunderstandings."
Among the major misperceptions is that Catholics "venerate the pope on the same level as Jesus," Hawkins said, and that "the pope is connected to their salvation in place of Jesus Christ."
Catholics make up about 12 percent of the population in the South.
"Catholics are a minority faith in the South, and there's often bias toward minority religious communities because people don't understand," he said.
James Gaddis, a lay speaker who also chairs the board at First United Methodist Church, said he had not seen the sign but had heard about it.
"I understand that it's very degrading," he said. "I think it's tragic that any church group would stoop to this posture."
Following Tuesday night's council meeting, Newport Mayor Roland Dykes Jr. said he was a little saddened by the message.
"It doesn't behoove any of us to determine who is going to heaven or hell. I think the pope is a highly, highly respected person," he said.
Franklin's church is a five-year-old independent Baptist church. When asked what the message meant, he said: "What does 'pope' mean? It means father. We have a heavenly father, and the Bible says we shall call no man a father. "
He said people have been driving by or taking pictures or calling to share their views. He said the intent was not to offend Catholics and people are misunderstanding the sign.
Copyright 2005, Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
Thanks....I saw them as lined up....Passover during the plagues in Egypt and the last supper, the blood of the Lamb protecting in both instances, I just don't put a date on it or celebrate is as Easter.
OK...go for it, you can chew me up and spit me out but in all honesty I am very relieved, this one will not consume the minds of men. How long this one will last I don't know but as I said...when you see the one rise out of Africa..be afraid.
Is this the part where you claim that somehow Cardinal Ratzinger rose out of Africa?
LOL - I'm not going to do that! I've got my husband (who's Catholic) telling me in my other ear that there's only one Pope left before the end of the world. Oh well....what are you going to do? Watching all this has done one thing for me - it's got me interested in wanting to learn more.
Is this the part where you claim that somehow Cardinal Ratzinger rose out of Africa?
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NO..no way...this one doesn't match AT ALL. I'm not catholic in the least and altho I am very relieved to NOT see the one that I know is not good...this one just doesn't seem to have the appearance of a STRONG leader. I am old enough to remember when the John Paul was set into power and he appeared to have the demeanor about him that showed strength. It's not over yet...just remember, the one prior to John Paul only lived a month. Not only that but the whole push for The Council of Trent was for ecumentical and pulling unity within the religions, which does line up with bible prophecy. From what I'm reading this guy is the total opposite. This is not the one to be concerned about. BIG SIGH of relief, I was terrified to see Arinze step out or one from the African region and not because I think he will be black cause I am not prejudiced at all. I know what he will do. This one is a cup cake and may not make it long. (MY thoughts, has nothing to do with the dream I had.) But still feel a great sense of relief...more time.
LOL - I'm not going to do that!
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You are tooo kind..lol. Seriously does this one just elected strike you as a man of strength and power?
Good for your husband, because I know within the depths of the arcives of the RCC there are prophecies of the one after this one being the last one, and the obvious one, and you should want to learn more.....I still do.
In all honesty..I am not a person who runs around yelling about dreams and visions....like I said I am 51 and in my lifetime, I have had 5 of them and they scare the crap out of me!! I can't bear to think about the first one....my oldest son's baby furniture turned black when he was around 5yrs.old. (That one certainly wants me to be proven wrong cause he is headed for Iraq as we speak, I'm afraid I'm going to lose him), the other two, were more for me and that death was coming for me but God would intervene and I would be fine,(those have proven true), the church that I was attending would go down and the destruction it would cause (that one was proven true).........and this one.
All I know is at this point I feel a GREAT sense of relief and if this pope dies quickly I shall surely throw up and have a severe case of the outhouse trots!!
Dreams nor visions is something I definately DO NOT ask for, But...He did say we would have them. It can be just so agonizing figureing out what they mean.
And regardless of the intent of your heart...people do love to attack, but then I also realize they think I am attacking them (I'm not) I love them...ask my kids how I act when I see them headed for danger. LOL They'll tell you I go after them just as hard!!
You're just like all the other fraud prophets.
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I was wondering how long it would take that mocking, murderous evil spirit to show up, I'm also sure you were there when Jonah foretold judgment on Ninavah and it didn't happen till 15 yrs. later. Jonah obeyed what he was told to do, altho God didn't do it right away. Its not over with yet. Work while you can, gather and deceive souls while you can, because you know your time is short.
You're just like all the other fraud prophets.
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I was wondering how long it would take that mocking, murderous spirit to show up, I'm also sure you were there when Jonah foretold judgment on Ninavah and it didn't happen till 15 yrs. later. Jonah obeyed what he was told to do, altho God didn't do it right away. Its not over with yet. Work while you can, gather and deceive souls while you can, because you know your time is short.
I guess your nose doesn't work very well.
Here's a big clue. YOU'RE NOT JONAH! You're also not Moses, Isiah, Ezekiel, or any of the other real Biblical prophets. How arrogant, and frankly schizophrenic of you to equate yourself with any of them. Seek help.
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God said He was no respecter of persons, He also said His gifts were without repentance. And if the Blood of Christ doesn't make me equal to them, then I guess its obvious what importance you put on the Blood of Christ........none.
Go talk to one of your dead saint statues made by the hands of men and see how far you get. Can't STAND the lack of religious control can you? Can't STAND that my attitude towards you is the same that early believers had against the Pharisees, can you? White-washed tombstone full of dead mans works. Go away....I can't stomach a religious self-righteous spirit, I'd rather sit down with a die hard sinner any day of the week. At least they don't crucify and murder in the name of God. No wonder Jesus preferred them, and spent so much time with them, I don't blame Him.
I just read today, in the USA Today, that one of the Popes made this claim about Mary.
And what's with the "Feed us to the lions" stuff? You seem a bit paranoid.
I just read today, in the USA Today, that one of the Popes made this claim about Mary.
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????
No, not paranoid, just know that as we move closer to the return of Christ. The same enemy of the true CHURCH..(people..living stones) will once again come upon Her, and try to destroy her.
Rev. 6:9-11
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimoney they had maintained. They cried out in a loud voice,
"How long , Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"
Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
(Have you seen all of this happen yet? Also read my tagline.)
Scripture...."THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN."
The Dark Ages are a historical FACT, 1260 yrs. of bloody Roman Catholic Rule. Have you ever researched how many she slaughtered in the Inquisitions and Crusades? I don't care how much they apologize, I do not find anywhere in this that God says He forgives this system. It's the same in Rev. 18, when He warns His people to leave it.
I can't image Ratzinger lasting very long, given he is not ecumentical.....the harlot daughters (Protestants or what ever else branched off of her) have to return to the harlot Mother, before God judges her in her fullness. And we all know who claims to be the Mother Church, the Queen of Heaven.
I'm not trying to be mean but its so obvious who she is.
The deception is sitting in our living rooms while we watch out the front door for it to get here.
BriarBey's a schizophrenic. Don't encourage him.
BriarBey's a schizophrenic. Don't encourage him.
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You are obviously not real in tune to what you do read or you would have figured out by now that BriarBey is not a man, which I have let you call me him for quite sometime just to see how well you do understand what you are reading. Real quick on the uptake aren't you?
http://www.catholic-pages.com/grabbag/malachy.asp
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This must be what your husband was referring to, if you have not read it. I just found it a few days ago.
As I'm sure you have deduced from my posts - I don't believe in that stuff. The Bible says only He knows the hour of His return. So why sweat it? Why be so worried over a dream your having about who the next Pope is going to be? If you're on the straight and narrow like you say you are - I'd think you'd be welcoming it.
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