Pope Francis, "If Mary is not your Mother, you are an orphan!"

Charisma News ^ | 9/5/2014 | Jennifer LeClaire

[Jan_Sobieski]

Pope Francis has been a breath of fresh air for many Catholics seeking greater liberty and a growing concern for conservative Christians who take issue with his comments about homosexuality and other cultural issues.

But the pontiff's latest statement is sparking an uproar from believers around the world. Pope Francis sent a tweet Tuesday that absolutely violates the truth of Scripture:

"The Christian who does not feel that the Virgin Mary is his or her mother is an orphan," Pope Francis tweeted.

As of the time I wrote this column it had been retweeted about 4,000 times and many of the responses were in appropriately unkind. It's not appropriate to attack the pope for his beliefs. It's more appropriate to share the truth...

[metmom]

Those people look like adults.

And they’re doing this with straight faces.

[CynicalBear]

It’s totally occultic. The fascination with and “veneration” of earthly flesh and the physical remains is occultic and pagan.

[JPX2011]

And the *whole story* is just what exactly?

See #1550

Building *churches* out of bones and human remains is disgusting and perverted beyond words.

No. It's actually quite honorable, beautiful and scriptural to use relics.

[CynicalBear]

>>Satanic is the only description that I can think of.<<

Exactly.

[metmom]

It is spelled medieval FYI. If you are going to trash catholics at least try to spell right. Poor spelling make you seem lacking in education.

Oh no, caww. The spelling police are after you.

Consider it a job well done if the best they can go after you for is spelling and not the accuracy of what you're posting.

[mlizzy]

The pictures say everything anyone needs to know. There is no worthy explantation to that junk.

Junk?! The following is junk to me.

Did Martin Luther Regard the (Roman) Catholic Church as a Non-Christian, Apostate Institution?

Birth and Origin of the Pope; art (one of a series of eight) commissioned by Martin Luther to the artist Lucas Cranach, for his work Against the Papacy at Rome, Founded by the Devil (March 1545). Luther told him what to depict, and wrote a rhyming verse for each plate. Mark Edwards, from whose book I found this "art" (see below) wrote: "A third cartoon shows the Pope and three cardinals being expelled from the anus of a female devil while three furies are nursing and caring for three infant popes . . . a graphic echo of Luther's assertion in his treatise that the pope had been born from the devil's behind."

It's not surprising to me that you have a lack of respect for the Catholic Church as Luther was there before you. You know the joke, though. If Luther is not in hell, it's only because the Catholics prayed him to purgatory.

[boatbums]

This same issue applies to their hermeneutics. A protestant does not consider Sacred Scripture in harmony with Sacred Tradition, or with itself for that matter. But rather cherry picks that which they deem desirable. You'll get no argument from me that it is God's word alone. But the Word is more than the text. The Word is everything. Which includes not only what was written, but what was done. The protestant should ask themselves, "was the crucifixion an actual event and all of the implications it entails because it was written? Would the Redemption of mankind be in effect if it hasn't been recorded in scripture?"

I'm usually pretty careful when I make a statement about Roman Catholics. You'll see me using words like "some" or "many", rarely do I mean ALL Roman Catholics do such and such or believe such and such. You ought to try to remember that when you want to criticize everyone who isn't a Roman Catholic, yet still a Christian, by calling them Protestants and concluding whatever you want about their beliefs. You cannot speak for what all Protestants think or believe much less those who reject being called Protestants in the first place. You, no doubt, don't like it when people make prejudicial statements about Catholicism. Well, neither do I when a global label is used to place everyone under one umbrella when you should, I would think, know it doesn't apply.

Glad you liked the analogy, but, can we agree that our judicial, legislative and executive branches of government are all supposed to be bound by our Constitution? I don't discount the role of Tradition in the Christian faith and I look to the results of the early church councils and their endeavors to clarify and encapsulate the rule of faith for a Christian. Those councils fulfilled an essential role in establishing truth and battling ancient heresies. But...you won't find even one issue of faith that came up then where the defenders of orthodoxy didn't use the Scriptures to define, defend and support their conclusions. That rule worked well until men took it upon themselves to declare truth OUTSIDE of sacred Scripture as well as the traditions of the Apostles. That really IS what the Reformation was all about and is why, even today, you will find believers who STILL hold to the same tenets that Jesus, the Apostles and the early universal church did. I don't believe anything different than what the first Christians did and I can prove it. Can you?

'We love the Church because it is a sign of God's love and mercy. Holy Mother Church will lead us to all Truth as was promised in Sacred Scripture. We know that God did not abandon us to our own devices. The Church is the epitome of reason. Despite the objections of protestants it was The Church which authoritatively defined the Canon of Scripture upon which they rely. And I would certainly beg to differ on the characterization of the Catholic faith as requiring no real effort. Work out your salvation in fear and trembling. I don't see too many protestants doing that with the ease with which they proclaim OSAS.

Except that sacred Scripture says it will be the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth, not the church. It's the church, the assembly of believers, that must obey the truth as taught in God's word. Sure, the Christian church is supposed to be the upholder of the truth, but it is NOT the authority over God's word. That error is what Roman Catholicism allowed to creep into it and it was the abuses of doctrine as well as authority which caused the splits with the Eastern Orthodox in the eleventh century and the Reformers five hundred years later. Instead of being the support and foundation of the truth, the Roman Catholic church deemed she was not bound by the testimony of what was believed always, everywhere and by all. Presuming themselves to be the sole arbiter of truth, they actually perverted the truth. Not all of it, granted, but more than a few MAJOR ones.

Your following statements demonstrate the ignorance of the protestant position. You proclaim that we have a responsibility of testing our Church leaders for adherence to the Truth and in the same breath you use the depravity of previous church leaders as an example. As if the impeccability of an individual is the guarantor of Truth. It is not. Our guarantor is the Holy Spirit. Too many times here on the RF Catholics have explained with great patience how the Pope cannot err in teaching of the Faith and of Morals. But protestants skim over that. Which is why a Catholic cannot help but think that it is the default protestant position of testing the veracity of a Church leader's claim based on their moral character. In effect placing their faith in men all the while exclaiming that we are the ones who do so.

If your church claims it alone is the one, true church Jesus established, that its Popes are divinely-anointed successors to the Apostles, and all Christians must be subject to the Pope of Rome, then you're darn tootin' its leaders will be held to higher standards than anyone else. Seeing as many can't, and couldn't, even pass the qualifications Paul set up for elders, much less members, then it should be no surprise that it calls into question what else is the RCC wrong about? Examining Scripture - in its plain and clear sense - shows the Roman Catholic church preaches an accursed Gospel based upon works instead of grace through faith. It places burdens upon people that God never required and usurps the word of God by traditions of men. It is disqualified from claiming the sole ownership of the title "Bride of Christ". That's why we can know that the church is NOT your organization - nor mine - but is a spiritual house of which all genuine Christians are living stones - some Roman Catholics, even. We enter through Christ, who is the door to the sheepfold. That is the "true" faith. Our faith is in HIM and not a church.

[metmom]

That's because it's all about your own sensibilities and not due to any reasonable understanding of things.

That's cause there's nothing sensible or reasonable about the death fetish that Catholicism displays.

It's mind blowing that Catholics would not consider the desecration of the dead to be unreasonable.

[metmom]

If you are going to trash catholics at least try to spell right.

How is pointing out the practices of the Catholic church *trashing* them?

BTW, Catholics, as used in the name, should be capitalized.

[metmom]

Mary is Dead!, You're dead in Christ! Your faith is dead. You shall experience death and torment in the eternal fires of Hell! Dead! Dead! Dead! etc. etc. ad nauseaum.

I am alive in Christ, my faith is a living faith.

I am not part of the dead in Christ because I am still alive on this planet.

Christ came that I might have life and have it more abundantly.

You really ought to learn a little bit more about Scripture so you can get it right next time.

[antceecee]

; )

[CynicalBear]

Luther was a Catholic. He pointed out some of the errors but retained most. True followers of Christ see Luther for what he was and hold him in no regard whatsoever.

[CynicalBear]

Wow! Well done!

[metmom]

Luther did the best he could under the circumstances.

What he did was so revolutionary compared to where he started.

But he started it and that is the important thing.

[caww]

There's a process they go through in digging up graves to retrieve these bodies and cut parts off from them or out of them for displaying.....though of course they give it a more “colorful” name as they do all their evil practices...and after all the stuff I've seen it is evil!

Then they ship these body parts around the world to various churches so they can see them too...the catholic faith is far more deceptive then so many realize.....

I just read today about the so called Catholic school in Ireland where they killed and abused girls sent there for “discipline”.....just another “cover-up” of crimes this church has done for centuries....yet the masses still continue to believe....I am of the mind it's because of it's “largeness” most catholics remain...and all the twinkling stuff.

Interesting is they always try to justify these so called “Holy” practices by comparing them with earthly or worldly type things. When the spiritual is not of this world that they so often claim themselves to be by their practices.

Catholic 'Magdalene Sister's ...slaves of its Catholic workhouses who were locked up and brutalised, raped and murdered, (as well as their infants born there)... by nuns and priests for years...both in Ireland and the USA

[boatbums]

Catholic tradition has been changed over the years. The truth in the Bible has not. When I was in school in the good ole days, we had fish on Fridays for the 3 Catholic families in school. Then, lo and behold, they said that was no longer necessary. Then, a Kennedy wanted an annulment. He could not get one without “paying” a fee even though children were involved. I just never understood that.

The explanation for the "no meat on Friday" will be that it's just a "discipline" and not a dogma of the Roman Catholic church. Like the "rules" for fasting before Communion were. Except, I remember as a little kid being told it was a SIN to eat meat on Friday as well as how long I had to fast before communion. I still remember being about ten years old and being SO hungry before Sunday morning Mass that I sneaked a donut and then felt such remorse and fear that I went to confession as soon as I could and did penance for it. Imagine that...making a kid think she was going to hell because she was hungry and ate a little bit before Mass! When churches are guilty of "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men", they give up any claim to be the sole authority for Christians.

[CynicalBear]

God decided it was time and used Luther no doubt. To God be the glory.

[caww]

...”The fascination with and “veneration” of earthly flesh and the physical remains is occultic and pagan”.....

Imagine anyone having the audacity to say this is lovely and beautiful...

Otanto 'Catholic Cathedral'...Southern Italy.

Inside there are 800 “Holy Skulls” Hundreds of them overlook the alter with an idol of Mother and child.

[metmom]

The explanation for the "no meat on Friday" will be that it's just a "discipline" and not a dogma of the Roman Catholic church. Like the "rules" for fasting before Communion were. Except, I remember as a little kid being told it was a SIN to eat meat on Friday as well as how long I had to fast before communion.

It used to be nothing to eat from midnight until communion on Sunday.

Then it was 3 hours before the mass.

Then one hour before the mass.

I don't know what it is now, nor does it affect me.

But the curious thing is, they claim that it's was always just a disciple, not a dogma. But if that's the case, then why was it a sin?

If it was a sin you were going to go to hell for, then it's not *just a discipline*.

[JPX2011]

am alive in Christ, my faith is a living faith.

As is our Blessed Mother.

You really ought to learn a little bit more about Scripture so you can get it right next time.

I'm good, thanks. You should direct that to your cohorts in their respective ecclesial communities.