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Posted on 09/11/2014 11:19:06 AM PDT by 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...
Ask Little Red Riding Hood. They're the one lobbing condemnations all over the place because one doesn't share their world view. But there it is. Jesus for me and not for thee. I knew it would come out eventually.
Thanks for making my point lady. Protestants: all style, no substance = epic fail. Too bad they're content with their superficiality they might have been of some value in this fight against Islam. They do make good propagandists. But alas, the rejection of Rome is paramount, to their dying day. Even if that death comes at the tip of a scimitar.
I see you still use scripture from the Catholic Church established by Christ to try to support your case. You are very devoted to your cause...very admirable. God bless...
Praying the a rosary is a personal calling....deeply personal and I can give testament to the power of this prayer.
You can pretty much see anything in symbolism. Have you studied early Christian, Byzantine and Medieval Art history ?
Who did the Holy Spirit gift scripture to? Christ’s Church founded through Peter....not Luther...not Calvin...not Joel Osteen...
Well it wouldn’t have become a issue had the catholic church initially headed the warnings not to include pagan symbols and rites into the faith and copying heathen practices.
But here it is today...and over the centuries continued to add to the mix more and more til these symbols and relics, shrines, and various other idols and practices have displaced entirely the centrality of Jesus Christ.
....”You can pretty much see anything in symbolism”....
and your point is it’s about art?
.....”scripture from the Catholic Church”....
The unfortunate psychological effect of saying that Roman Catholic ‘tradition’ is what gave us the Bible is that it elevates their tradition to a level far greater than what is permitted in Scripture. In fact, it is contradicted by scripture:
“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” (1 Cor. 4:6).
As a result of the catholic churches claim ....it results in various justifications of its non-biblical teachings such as prayer to Mary, purgatory, indulgences, penance, works of righteousness, etc. Because it has deviated from trusting God’s Word alone, it has ventured into unscriptural areas. Nevertheless, did the Roman Catholic Church give us the Bible? No, it did not.
The Christian church, as an earthly organization, recognized the Word of God (John 10:27). It didn’t give us the Word of God. Also, it was the Jews who gave us the Old Testament. The authenticity of the New Testament documents rests in the inspiration of God through the apostles—not the Catholic Church. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church did not give us the Old Testament. The Jews did. How can the RCC claim it gave us the Bible when it did not give us the Old Testament? Finally, when the Catholic Church claims that it is the source of the sacred Scriptures, it is, in effect, placing itself above the word of God by claiming that through its authority we received the word of God.
http://carm.org/did-roman-catholic-church-give-us-our-bible
Here's the thing about that: For whom is it an issue? Is it an issue for those who are contemplating coming into the Catholic Church or for those who've already made up their mind? I've yet to meet a potential convert to the Church say, "Well I'd convert if it wasn't for all that pagan symbolism." You know why? Because it's not an issue. You bring up rites. Let's take the Eucharistic rite, the source and summit of our Catholic Faith according to Blessed Pope John Paul II. The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Now, what do you think the primary issue is with that for some people? Is it that it's the Body and Blood of Christ or that it's a round wafer which could be interpreted as sun worship?
This is an issue only for those who've already made their choice and decided to throw paganism in the mix for whatever purpose, most likely because it satisfies some itch for a good conspiracy theory (the da Vinci code syndrome I mentioned earlier) or they are channeling their inner Indiana Jones.
But here it is today...and over the centuries continued to add to the mix more and more til these symbols and relics, shrines, and various other idols and practices have displaced entirely the centrality of Jesus Christ.
And so I said, Christ is central to our Faith. If you don't accept the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that's fine (well, not really but that's another discussion) but don't hide behind the "Church is pagan" mythology in order to shield yourself from confronting the question of Christ really, truly and substantially present in the Eucharist.
It's only an issue because people want to make it one.
Yes it is...cultural traditions that carried over as Christianity spread throughout the world. Peoples in these regions did use symbols they were familiar with in translating the new word the way of Christ. Look at this through the prism of art history... Pretty obvious.
....”Who did the Holy Spirit gift scripture to?”....
Mankind....that all men might come to Him....learn of Him ...and love Him all the more for doing so.
Further God’s church is founded on Jesus Christ and His finished work...... The Old Testement tells us the Messiah is coming....the New Testament tells us HE’s here.....Revelations tells us HE’s coming again.
Correction: Saint John Paul the Great.
I tend to think you're mistaken when you hear and see how these are worshiped and bowed to by members, as well as the Popes continuously leading the church to emphasize these as they practice these rites/rituals and 'use' these symbols in their worship. God clearly warns against creating any idol before which anyone should bow.... It goes without saying that the countless 'images' of Mary strewn throughout Catholic churches all over the world are most assuredly shrines of idolatry since thousands of times a day Catholics over the world break the commandment of God by bowing before these images in worship.
“Finally, Catholics don’t worship Mary as a goddess but they honor her as the Mother of God.”
Fine, Catholics should stop saying the Rosary in her name or genuflecting in front of her statues...because from where I stand there seems to be a very thin line between the “honoring” and “worshiping” of Mary as Catholics describe and practice it!
When Stephan was stoned and just before he died, he forgave those who stoned him and then declared that he saw Christ at the right hand of the Father before giving up the ghost. I guess he died an orphan because he didn’t say he saw Mother Mary hanging around or mentioned her in the sermon that got him stoned. None of the Pauline letters include benedictions or salutations inclusive of “ the name of Mary full of Grace” or even the ones written by Peter, John, Jude, ect. When the Bible was put together in its current form, where were the books written by the apostles exclusively about Mary...certainly there were traditions in “formation” concerning Mary at that time...why was it not all written down as Holy Scripture and included? Were the early apostles asleep and inadvertently inattentive to the role of Mary as “Mother of God”? Why no books by them or by John about the final disposition of Mary (by John who took Mary into his house)? No real eye witnesses to the ascension of Mary or anything written on a parchment written by John,Paul, or Peter?
The written scripture is all we have to verify truth! If you want to make big stink about the apochrypha vs’s KJV...fine...even the apocrypha gives no written support for Mary worship(or adoration or “honoring”...whatever)!
And you just sabotaged your own argument by conflating all of those terms. If words have no meaning then why the appeal to the written Word?
Art of all religions have to do with culture of the participants and passed down tradition. Introduction of new religion into existing cultural tradition will naturally result in blending of old and new.
....” Why not go to the source, Jesus?”.....
Because they are praying “through” not “In”... as Jesus taught us to pray.
Jesus said:
“What ever you ask the Father “in” My name, “. This is why we pray “in” the Name of Jesus....... Prior to Jesus’s resurrection prayers where generally made “through” prophets and priests, they didn’t have access to God except “through” them
Now as Christians, ‘we have already gone through him’ (accepted his sacrifice) and are in Gods presence...... We do not need to pray “through” Him but only “in” his name..as our position has already been established by Him.
Many catholics do not have a clear understanding of thier position “in” Jesus Christ if they indeed are his. Additionally much in the catholic faith goes “through” Priests still..and “through” mary” or the “pope” and others they worship.
So the “gap” between God and man Jesus bridged himself....is to a catholic closed by someone else.
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