Nobody's picking a church fight

The Washington Times ^ | 7-13-07 | Wes Pruden

[JZelle]

Nothing stirs the blood like talking about religion. That's why it's taboo to talk about it in casual social conversations. Better to ask the boss's wife whether she ever considered a face-lift.

But Pope Benedict XVI is a man of firm conviction and blunt talk. Not for this pontiff the Vatican II tradition of warm and fuzzy, as the message of Vatican II, which put a friendly expression on the stern countenance of the church of Rome, has been widely interpreted in the circles of those addicted to warm and fuzzy. This week he authorized a statement of "clarification" of Vatican II, and to the consternation of some Roman Catholics here, the secular press interpreted the message to Protestants as no more Mr. Nice Guy.

[SuziQ]

Jesus died for our sins, so that if we live according to God's law, we will have Eternal Life. The Church teaches that even though we have been Baptized in Christ to remove Original Sin, we still have free will, and because of that, we can still choose to sin. When that happens, we have the ability to reconcile ourselves with Jesus, and with the community of believers.

In the Scriptures, Jesus himself gave his disciples the ability to loose and bind those sins; what we believe is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we choose not to ask for forgiveness for our sins, we can keep moving away from God's Love long enough so that we might have difficulty finding our way back. The Church does not teach that when people accept Jesus, then it doesn't matter how they live, just because they believe they're 'saved'.