Baptist church 'fake pope' sign attracting attention, criticism (Pope Bound for Hell).

Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ^ | April 13, 2005 | JEANNINE F. HUNTER

[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.

[NittanyLion]

call me a kook, or nut, that is fine

Your words, not mine...

[AD from SpringBay]

Tom - just curious - has anyone said you are going to hell for being a Catholic on this thread?

I was trying to be a good little lurker but after 900 posts, I just couldn't resist.

[Conservative til I die]

Folks, I'm really and truly out this time. Arguing with Catholics is like wrestling in the mud with a pig. Pretty soon you look at the pig and realize he is enjoying it. I am not. Have a nice day.

Translated: I have no comeback to CTID's post, because he's right. Protestants follow the doctrine of men (the aforementioned Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, et al) as much as they accuse Catholics of doing.

[Conservative til I die]

I don't see any hate in Okies post......but then I know you quite well.....you are of the same spirit that led the inquisitions, and the crusades. Relax Conservative....you'll get your chance to slaughter a few more Believers...the RCC is going to rule the earth again, actually pretty much does at this point. Just need to get all those little laws put into effect as to what constitutes a terrorist and there ya go, your killing spree can begin AGAIN........at least till a few more are martyred. But you still lose and your counterfeit church and all her daughters will be destroyed by the hand of God. No believer will lift a finger, God will do it. And yet God still cries out... "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE."

He is merciful right up till the end.

You're right. The hate in his post has nothing on your vile swill.

You're sick.

[Conservative til I die]

What about Catholics scares these people so much?

That their whole religious belief system rests on two things: 1) Cribbing our Bible and some of our doctrines and 2) Being against all the other doctrines they didn't crib.

Protestantism by its very name and nature is a negative belief system, based on a protest of the Catholic belief system.

[Conservative til I die]

Show me the WORD Eucharist.

Show me the word 'checkbook' in the Bible. No wait, show me the word 'Bible' in the bible. What kind of argument is this? Eucharist, as well as Bible are descriptive words. They describe a specific act in the former case, and a specific collection of writings in the latter.

wait...we're back to latin now which is Rome

Actually, 'eucharist' is a word with Greek roots (actually it goes even further back but...) which means 'thankful'.

But your ignorance aside, it's all irrelevant because whether you call it 'Eucharist', 'Communion', the 'Remembrance Meal' or 'Ostrich Feathers' the act doesn't change.

and excuse me but wasn't it in the Roman Coliseums that believers were fed to the lions,

Um, yeah....and, what?? America aborts 4,000 babies a day. America's about 85% Christian, mostly Protestant. What's the correlation here?

burned at the stake, and crucified? You know...the ones who refused to tie themselves to Roman Catholic and her pagan rituals.

I think you have it backwards. The days of the Coliseum were when the pagans still ruled. And it was largely the persecuted Catholics (among others) who were fed to lions and burned at the stake for sport. I am really not sure where you're getting your history from.

[Conservative til I die]

The Pope that rises out of Africa...he is the one who will consume the minds of men.

Throw a little racism in with the insanity.

[Conservative til I die]

The Pope that rises out of Africa...he is the one who will consume the minds of men.

And PS, where does it say this in the Bible?

[safisoft]

Eucharist is not found in the bible.

Well said. It was first a Greek word. Eucharist simply means "giving thanks". When one reads Scripture outside of its original Hebrew/Jewish context, it quickly becomes the source for all manner of paganism. The eucharist is one of them. The first record of this word is found in a First Century document that neither Catholics or Protestants want "common people" to know about. It is called the Didache. When one reads how the Didache uses the word eucharist and one also knows how "He blessed and breaked bread" is used it becomes pretty clear. Since ancient times, there are idioms for blessing G-d before eating. Saying, "hamotzi" or "blessing" are all within the context of the normal Hebrew model for prayer (blessing the Giver of life and food, rather than the perverted "bless the food" of the western/pagan mentality). You are right about eucharist in the sense of a sacrament is not found in Scripture. Blessing and thanking the One Who gave food to eat is very much in Scripture. Which means that there has been a huge deception going on, eh?

As for "communion" or "the L-rd's Supper" etc. I always wonder why people do not really do it as Y'shua commanded: at the Passover? Maybe because our Catholic friends outlawed Passover in 325 CE at the Council of Nicea (where the Nicean Creed came from)? You know, "Christians" celebrate "Easter" and only "JOOOZ" celebrate the "old fashioned Passover". /sarcasm

As for me, I will be celebrating Passover next week, and remembering Him on the very date of His sacrifice. And giving Him thanks for the ultimate redemption. Baruch HaShem!

[BriarBey]

Now, what makes you smarter, or more in touch with the Lord than me?
****
Truth.
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall MAKE you free."
****
my wife and close friend have both converted to Catholicism. So, as you can PLAINLY see, there is no deception here.
****

There in lies the deception. TomB..........its a war for souls, its that simple. Satan is not a red devil with a pitchfork...he is an arch angel, he is gorgeous, and he masqarades as an angel of light. He completely knows the scriptures ...he has taken generation upon generation to pervert it. The farther we get from truth the more corrupt this world becomes. LOOK at the fruit. Jesus referred to knowing a tree by its fruit. WHAT is the popular belief system producing? I don't mean just catholic...because they are joining, the protestants are no more. God warns of a system that calls herself the Queen of Heaven and he also warns his people to "COME OUT OF HER." Before He judges her..for her killing of the saints and all her wickedness.

I'm not going to tell you that you are hell bound, I don't know what choices you will make, I can only hope those choices will be according to true scripture.

Clue 1.

Scripture says, "There is nothing NEW under the sun."

Clue 2. The Whore of Babylon is in Genesis...the beginning of the bible.

Clue 3. The Whore of Babylon is in Revelation...the end of the bible.


Identify HER because she is that Mystery of Iniquity that goes thru the ages from beginning to end. She is religion and joins to a political system.....politics and religion crucified Christ.

There is NO separation of Church and State....not when a tax exempt contract is signed.

We stand by FAITH...trust in One God thru Christ. Our foundation should be unmoveable because it is on the rock which is Christ...not Peter..but what Peter said...again the little twist of deception to pull mankind away from truth.

TomB...."work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
Search....its there, just as much for you as it is for me, and its free. Time is short....even if its another 7 yrs. time is short. You will not be able to hold up in the storm standing on false doctrine, you won't have the spiritual strength or fortitude, your foundation will shift like sand out from under you and you will fall. What do you think Satan's plan has been all these many many years.
Deception is something that looks right but isn't.

The more you see, the more you will understand.

[Conservative til I die]

You are correct. The word, "eucharist" is not found in the modern day english version of bible (nor in the King James Version, for that matter). But the word originates from the earliest Christians (100 AD or so--several hundred years before the Bible was formed)

According to the fundamentalists, the Church apparently died as soon as Christ died, only to be found in a book (interestingly written decades after and compiled centuries after this Church died) only to be resurrected with the Protestant Reformation.

What is happening here is what Jesus said.--"Take this, eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you. Do this in rememberance of me."

It's still witchcraft because apparently Christ didn't have the ability to turn bread/wine into body/blood, nor did He have the power to have His apostles do it either. Heck, makes you wonder if the poor chap even really died for us. But, BriarBey calling Christ a practicer of sorcery is duly noted. How disrespectful.

"If I made you a sandwich out of that thing you call bread you would starve to death."

More ignorance from BriarBey thinking like an American and a Protestant, that the world and Christianity only came into existence when he decided to become saved. I'm sure that the purpose of bread has not always been to make a hoagie. Nevermind those crazy Jews with their matzo bread. Try making a hero out of that!

[Conservative til I die]

I don't even know where that came from.

But remember, BriarBey only uses the Bible. Surely there are prophecies about an African Pope (of course, the Papacy doesn't exist according to the Bible...smell the contradiction yet?)

[mware]

I watch EWTN who often has a bishop from central Africa on. To be prefectly frank I would rather see him as pope than most of the cardinals in the United States.

[Conservative til I die]

So I've been reading along here for a while - enjoying your posts. Sounds like you are neither a protestant nor a Catholic. Good for you. There are better things to do with faith, eh? btw - I think you are writing sound words for those who have ears to hear.

The schizophrenic prophet finds his first disciple. Scary. Remember to run when he busts out the kool-aid.

[BriarBey]

You're right. The hate in his post has nothing on your vile swill.

You're sick.
****
I quoted you written prophecy and its vile swill and I'm sick. Why...because its the truth, and you KNOW it. You're not deceived...you KNOW what your doing. Like I said, I know you, its the same spirit that led the crusades and inquistions to slaughter those who would not join your harlot. Your time is short.

[BriarBey]

Show me the word 'checkbook' in the Bible. No wait, show me the word 'Bible'
****

I'm not teaching people to worship my checkbook or my bible.
WHAT are YOU doing?

[safisoft]

95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

I sure love Luther's "95". I am amazed at his courage and greatly admire his dedication to truth. All of our Catholic friends on this thread are amazed at what they see as "hate" against the Catholic church, and yet what they so conveniently forget is how they held sway upon the western world for 1,300 years and brutally oppressed all those who followed the Master by His own footsteps instead of by the mandates of the papal throne. Millions of men, women, and children from Jews to Waldensians, to Huguenots were systematically murdered by the "church" of Rome. No amount of revisionism will erase that memory. Later day "popes" have attempted to erase this stain by vague apologies - and yet still persist in their revisionist history with their congregants.

[Conservative til I die]

The first record of this word is found in a First Century document that neither Catholics or Protestants want "common people" to know about. It is called the Didache.



You couldn't be any more ignorant or uninformed.

[safisoft]

You couldn't be any more ignorant or uninformed.

I study ancient documents. Do you even know what the Didache is? I am amazed at the standard refutation taking place on this thread. A person quotes Scripture, and then a Catholic calls names. A person brings up a historical fact, and then a Catholic calls names.

Speak up. Please use something other than kindergarten responses though.

[Conservative til I die]

I quoted you written prophecy

Where is this prophecy about African Popes in the Bible? You have *NO* clue! You're the worst kind of anti-Catholic bigot, the foaming at the mouth types who broadcast their rants over the short-wave radios out in the sticks.