On the face of the former, they don't even need to be, as it is the pharisees say that only God can forgive sin. But even taking the word of the Pharisees as inspired in this instance, Christ (God) has placed the Holy Ghost (God) into the apostles and then empowered them to forgive sin. The only reason this is met with any mental resistance in the Protestant world is the extrascriptural anticlerical indoctrination.
On the face of the former, they don't even need to be, as it is the pharisees say that only God can forgive sin. But even taking the word of the Pharisees as inspired in this instance, Christ (God) has placed the Holy Ghost (God) into the apostles and then empowered them to forgive sin. The only reason this is met with any mental resistance in the Protestant world is the extrascriptural anticlerical indoctrination.
I disagree. It is interesting that Jesus, starting with the very next verse in Mark, "Immediately" issues a correction to the Pharisees. However, the one point He does not correct at all is the one we are talking about. That speaks volumes to me.
I don't need any "extrascriptural anticlerical indoctrination" to be against the idea of God delegating away His sovereign powers. I'm just looking at the scriptures as they are. You are forced to completely re-write Mark 2:7 in order for it to conform to Catholicism. I object to the re-writing of scripture by men.