Posted on 10/24/2011 9:35:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
And that is my point - if something comes out of the Vatican (and/or the Pope) that you do not agree with, you would be right to "condemn the church" as every word from fallible man must be measured against the benchmark of Scripture - "What sayeth the Word"? should be our guide as followers of Christ.
If it hasn't, then Benedict has a serious problem with authority. Nothing should go forth from the Vatican without his seal of approval. Either way, the Church has a problem.
Yes... but as I said in my earlier post, there's more. If we are going to follow Christ, then we must follow everywhere He led... and there is more than was recorded in Scripture (John 12:25). The Word of God shouldn't be reduced to a Book (no matter how Good it is). The Word of God is Christ and He did more than what was written down.
If we stand upon Scripture as the only authority on truth, we should be able to turn to Scripture to find where it is held up as such. However, turning to Scripture reveals 1 Tim 3:15 where we find the Scripture holds up the Church as the pillar and bullwark of the truth...
As noted in my previous post, divine revelation isn't a personal and individualized matter (2 Peter 1:20 and 2 Peter 3:15-16). Teaching authority was given to the Church and Scripture is Her textbook. You can't kick your professor out of your classroom and think you have all knowledge in your textbook! Our watchword as Christians should be to trust the Church as the one given authority by Christ to teach the nations (Matt 28:18-20).
None of this should come to the surprise to anyone.
The Church always is calling for people to unite for the common good of mankind and for economic and social justice rooted in love of neighbor..
The Church is not calling for this to be done forcefully either as is stated in the document
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-council-proposes-a-global-financial-authority/
However, the encyclical also cautions that “an Authority with a global reach that cannot be imposed by force, coercion or violence,” but only through “free and shared agreement” on the needs of “the world common good.”
Even back in 1891 you can see the Church calling for these things, and not by force
From Pope Leo XIII
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html
It is a duty, not of justice (save in extreme cases), but of Christian charity - a duty not enforced by human law. But the laws and judgments of men must yield place to the laws and judgments of Christ the true God, who in many ways urges on His followers the practice of almsgiving - ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive”;(15) and who will count a kindness done or refused to the poor as done or refused to Himself - “As long as you did it to one of My least brethren you did it to Me.”(16) To sum up, then, what has been said: Whoever has received from the divine bounty a large share of temporal blessings, whether they be external and material, or gifts of the mind, has received them for the purpose of using them for the perfecting of his own nature, and, at the same time, that he may employ them, as the steward of God’s providence, for the benefit of others. “He that hath a talent,” said St. Gregory the Great, “let him see that he hide it not; he that hath abundance, let him quicken himself to mercy and generosity; he that hath art and skill, let him do his best to share the use and the utility hereof with his neighbor.”
This announcement is no surprise.
Not surprised at all. Been trying to warn folks about the Vatican for the last 7 years.
RE: “What sayeth the Word”? should be our guide as followers of Christ.
OK, what sayeth the Word regarding a Central World Bank?
But this is my question to my Catholic friends. I get that the church’s position of papal infallibility is that it only applies in matters of faith. But what do you do when/if the church begins to assert that social issues are matters of faith? Do you have the freedom to determine what are issues of faith and which are not, or does the church have the perogative to say we are declaring an issue “a matter of faith”. I dont think its too far fetched for the church to declare that poverty and treetment of the poor matters of faith and thereby justify dictating policy positions.
This isn’t an attack...I have many dear Catholic friends who I consider to be fine Christians, but i’ve always seen this a huge potential catch 22...church authority is only absolute on matters of faith, but who decides which are matters of faith if not the church?
Yep...wrong house...and they're building it in vain.
The real question is why they should they should be saying anything like this at all?
The Vatican does not have a particularly happy history with respect to banks, either during the Renaissance or in the mid-20th century. This is simply a very bad idea, better forgotten.
Well, since you asked, I would say in the first place the "Word" doesn't tell us to set up a global religious governing entity - that doesn't seem like the 1st Century church's model at all.
And in the second place, I'd paraphrase the Gospels: "Store up riches in heaven, where it's safe from the IRS...."
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