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Pope: Everyone, Even Atheists, Want to See the Face of God
Asia News ^ | 1/16/13

Posted on 01/16/2013 8:57:49 AM PST by marshmallow

General audience, Benedict XVI defines the Incarnation as "something unimaginable, the face of God can be seen, the process that began with Abraham is fulfilled." The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, he asks "for the great gift" to "proclaim together that Jesus is the Savior of the world."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The desire to know the face of God is in every man, even the atheists," but this desire is only realized by following Christ, in whom, in the Incarnation, "something unimaginable took place, the journey that began with Abraham is fulfilled. He is the Son, the fullness of all Revelation; the mediator who shows us the face of God. "

And "to proclaim together that Jesus is the Saviour of the world" Benedict XVI asked for incessant prayers for "the great gift" of Christian unity in the forthcoming week, which begins on the 18th of this month.

Previously, in his catechesis, he again reflected on the meaning of Christmas, in a commentary on John's Gospel in which the apostle Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. The answer of Jesus, "introduces us to the heart of the Church's Christological faith; For the Lord says: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9).This expression summarizes the novelty of the New Testament, the novelty that appeared in the cave of Bethlehem: God can be seen, he showed his face is visible in Jesus Christ".

The theme of "seeking the face of God" is present throughout the Old Testament, so much so that the Hebrew term "face", occurs no less than 400 times, 100 of which refer to God." The of Jewish religion which the religion forbids all images, "for God can not be depicted," and "can not be reduced to an object," tells us that "God...

(Excerpt) Read more at asianews.it ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Ecumenism; Ministry/Outreach; Skeptics/Seekers
KEYWORDS: spiritualjourney
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To: Alamo-Girl

Love that story! Thanks for sharing.


1,101 posted on 02/05/2013 1:54:36 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: xzins
>> That it was grace. It was all grace.<<

It sure is. It’s interesting how God calls at different times in each persons life. Thanks for your service.

1,102 posted on 02/05/2013 1:59:47 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: xzins

Is retaliation the correct Christian response?


1,103 posted on 02/05/2013 2:03:06 PM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: xzins

No gotcha intended. Just was trying to get to where you were coming from. I know the Methodist church and it’s beliefs well. I owned a feed and soil testing lab in a tiny little town that only have a Lutheran and a Methodist church in it. We went to the Methodist for about 3 years. The only thing I felt in that church was that most were there for the pot luck social stuff. It was a very cold church spiritually but freindly and welcoming to all.


1,104 posted on 02/05/2013 2:06:08 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: P-Marlowe; xzins; metmom; presently no screen name; boatbums; HarleyD; Alamo-Girl; betty boop
Oh my!

>> They claim that they have no doctrine, and yet they are so free to criticize the doctrines of other churches.<<

So disagreeing and posting scripture to back up our beliefs is “criticizing” now?

I suppose one could go back through the thread and look at who called who heretics and the like but that would be rather a waste of time. I’m sensing some rage. Not a fruit of the Spirit. May be time to ask where those feelings are coming from.

1,105 posted on 02/05/2013 2:19:17 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: metmom; P-Marlowe; Religion Moderator; presently no screen name

Retaliation can be the proper Christian response. I do not believe Jesus represented what we call “pacifism”.

In this instance, I attempted to prevent a blow out once I saw presently’s despicable post.

So, was it the “correct Christian response”? If I have any problem with it, it’s that he didn’t ping the RM first for pnsn to get a smack-down from the referee. I do think it merited a punishment. And knowing now that PNSN is a repeat offender with the RM, that makes a difference.

The abuse cycle, though, is that the abuser abuses, they ‘apologize’, they behave, they abuse again.

PNSN can’t help her/him self.


1,106 posted on 02/05/2013 2:19:53 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: CynicalBear; P-Marlowe

Hardly, disagreement is welcome. Discussion is welcome.

Attacks, condescension, and sarcasm will get a response. You all have engaged in the latter.

And obfuscation, of course, but there’s no law against obfuscation. Likewise, there’s no law against calling attention to it.


1,107 posted on 02/05/2013 2:24:06 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: P-Marlowe
>> when you refuse to divulge you own peculiar doctrines or church affiliation.<<

Pick up the Bible and you can read every doctrine we believe. We’ve told you over and over again that scripture is where to find our doctrine. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit and has never been found in error and has never changed. We have also told you that we are part of the body of Christ, the universal church of all believers. If you choose to disbelieve us, that’s not our problem. I think we have been rather straight forward and clear with scripture to back up our claims.

Not once have you shown any scripture that demands we also belong to some human designed orgainzation.

1,108 posted on 02/05/2013 2:25:34 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: xzins; Alamo-Girl
What have I learned? That it was grace. It was all grace. (And that grace probably in God’s mystery responding to the prayers of parents and loved ones.)

Good post.

I will always be that bakery shop kid – a Christian, plain and simple.

And, good post.

1,109 posted on 02/05/2013 2:38:07 PM PST by marron
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To: marron

Thank you Marron.

God is Good!


1,110 posted on 02/05/2013 2:45:06 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: CynicalBear; P-Marlowe
Pick up the Bible and you can read every doctrine we believe.

That is bogus obfuscation. You know doctrine is scripture on a particular subject condensed to a teaching.

Why do you persist in this silly game when everyone knows it is bogus?

I give far more credit to the orignators of the Apostles Creed than to someone who comes out with that "believe scripture from cover to cover".

That's a non-answer pretending to be serious.

1,111 posted on 02/05/2013 2:49:00 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: xzins
That is bogus obfuscation.

Indeed every single non-Christian cult claims that they get their doctrine directly from Scripture and they have the Scriptures to prove it. That's why a systematic theology and statement of faith is essential to determining and keeping sound doctrine. Without such a foundation anyone (that includes the clown possee) can fall into damnable heresy.

I used to call what these clowns did throwing scripture bricks. Rather than using the scriptures to build up faith, these clowns use the scriptures as weapons to knock down other people's faiths and beliefs while patting themselves on the back for being so spiritually attuned to the Holy Spirit.

Hogwash.

I could toss a few well placed scripture bricks into the fray here, but why waste my energy? As you so well pointed out, your Methodist confession clearly states that if any doctrine of the church is not founded on scripture, then it is void. That's as it should be. And any fellowship of believers that does not have a clear statement of faith is a fellowship that is, IMHO, doomed to be blown about by every wind of doctrine.

Obfuscation. Arrogance. Hypocrisy. And then when they are done, they effectively claim that the Holy Spirit made them do it and they have scriptures to back it up.

Well they can throw their scripture bricks all they want, but that is not the purpose for which scripture was given. Scripture was given to build up, not to tear down. These clowns have no other goal on this forum than to tear down everyone who has the temerity to disagree with them, for to disagree with them is to disagree with the Holy Spirit. Or so they claim.

1,112 posted on 02/05/2013 3:09:57 PM PST by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: xzins; CynicalBear; boatbums; presently no screen name

Do you realize that there are people out there who don’t CARE what others think of them?

I know it sounds cold, but I do not seek man’s approval for anything I do. It doesn’t affect my life one iota whether someone approves of my adherence to Scripture and my non-adherence to creeds or teachings of men. It doesn’t bother me that someone does not consider me credible because I refuse to assert some denominational affiliation. My appeal to credibility is Scripture, not my own opinion.

They shouldn’t be following me anyway. They ought to be checking what I say to Scripture and if what I say doesn’t line up with it, they can ditch what I say and point out to me that they disagree.

The unifying point for believers, Christ followers, is belief in salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ, not of works. There is no compromise on that. The rest of it consists of disputable matters and it’s God’s responsibility to straighten out the person’s thinking and guide them into truth. And sometimes that can happen through the Holy Spirit using other believers. Soemtimes through Scripture alone,

But denominationalism has only fostered disunity in the body and I’m not going there. Even if I think they’re wrong about stuff, I can still consider them brothers or sisters in Christ, pray for them, show love for them, fellowship with them, and figure that they have to answer to GOD for it, not me. Besides, I don’t know of anyone who I agree with 100% on everything. There are some people with whom I have yet to find an area of disagreement, but that’s just because we haven’t covered EVERYTHING already.


1,113 posted on 02/05/2013 3:20:47 PM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: xzins; metmom
>>Attacks, condescension, and sarcasm will get a response. You all have engaged in the latter.<<

You mean like these?

“What a bunch of rot.”

“Hardly. We're dealing with a cult here.”

“I’d say some kind of Jim Jones, David Berg, Sun Myung, etc.
And ALL of them said “we follow the bible...and you don’t.”

“Are you part of a cult and afraid to say so?”

“does that universal church of yours have a published doctrine, or is it just “every wind of...”

“That sounds like it could be a guy that stays home and thinks that's just AOK, and then he calls that "church".

“You’re not a Trinitarian.” (Which was flatout wrong)

“A cult that doesn’t reference its leader: your church”

“Shhhh....we’re hunting cultists (wabbits)”

1,114 posted on 02/05/2013 3:21:12 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: P-Marlowe
Indeed every single non-Christian cult claims that they get their doctrine directly from Scripture and they have the Scriptures to prove it. That's why a systematic theology and statement of faith is essential to determining and keeping sound doctrine. Without such a foundation anyone (that includes the clown possee) can fall into damnable heresy.

How about "ObfusClowning" as a description of their MO?

LoLoL!

1,115 posted on 02/05/2013 3:22:08 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: P-Marlowe; xzins
Indeed every single non-Christian cult claims that they get their doctrine directly from Scripture and they have the Scriptures to prove it.

Catholicism claims that.

Mormonism claims that.

As far as I know, EVERY denomination claims that.

And everyone that doesn't, adds with writings of man to it.

So which is the cult? The one who gets their doctrine from Scripture or the one which gets their doctrine from Scripture plus (fill in the blank) writings of men?

1,116 posted on 02/05/2013 3:24:18 PM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: metmom
It doesn’t affect my life one iota whether someone approves of my adherence to Scripture and my non-adherence to creeds or teachings of men.

I'm not concerned with the teachings of "men", mom. You have kids and maybe grandkids, now or in the future.

What are the teachings of YOU...not the teachings of men!

This is a terrible, ungodly age, and those kids need guidance. It good to say "go read your bible and figure it out for yourself?" There some merit in that.

But what is better is for you to share with them what God has taught you over your years here on earth. And that requires communicating it to them.

You've got to let them know about salvation, about eternity, about God Himself.

Don't let those kids down. "TRAIN up a child in the way he should go...."

1,117 posted on 02/05/2013 3:28:30 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: CynicalBear; P-Marlowe

There were no personal attacks there, CB. There was a lot of speculation due to obfuscation and refusal to answer simple questions.

So, I take you aren’t into Anglo-Israelism?


1,118 posted on 02/05/2013 3:32:03 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: xzins; metmom
>> You know doctrine is scripture on a particular subject condensed to a teaching.<<

So you read minds or what? Should I also go crying to the RM? Not gonna do it.

>> That is bogus obfuscation.<<

So relying on scripture alone is bogus? Really? Seriously?

1,119 posted on 02/05/2013 3:33:07 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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To: xzins
>> There were no personal attacks there, CB.<<

Riiiiiiigggghhhhtt! Interesting how perspective changes things isn’t it.

1,120 posted on 02/05/2013 3:41:24 PM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2)
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