I'm not sure you know who is and isn't Christian based on the posts in this thread. What I find laughable is people who find the Pope's example of Christian living to be somehow worthy of criticism by them. So you know the best example of being a Christian? Are you a good example?
Christ hates the gays, blacks and poor... Especially poor black gays. It is in the good book. Jesus was pro death penalty and hated lazy poor people. Especially fat black women.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="el"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Pope, now inside MSG, just asked one of his advisors "why haven't they raised a banner since 1973?"</p>— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) <a href="https://twitter.com/FisolaNYDN/status/647528753988562944">Σεπτέμβριος 25, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
People love to take one verse from the bible and run with it. Its when you immerse yourself in it is when you find the real truth.
I dunno man. He's pretty solid when I think of the Gospels. ofc, I'd assume the Pope has done a lot more immersing in the Bible than years you've been alive. If I'm to be appealed by your authority, then...
The only authority here is God, if you're a believer or not. My problem with the Pope is he is simply being glorified by masses (not saying just this thread) moreso than the main subject he is supposed to imitate. That's pretty deceptive, if you ask me. The Pope is just a man, just like any of us. A sinner saved by God's grace. There is this other video on Youtube where some Catholics were bringing a statue of a saint to set down inside a Church during a mass service. One guy accidentally slipped, and the statue broke in pieces. If you see the reaction of all the people who watched that thing break, it is disturbing. To see them scream and cry and all these puzzling things over a statue....all too reminiscent of the golden calf passage in the bible. In the end, there's only one thing that can save us.... and that's Jesus. My heart simply burdens from people who are putting their eyes at the wrong thing. Things that lead them away from the true Savior. Just because the Pope has come from a lineage or has read the bible longer than me, doesn't make him a better person than you or me. That's the great deception. And I pray teachers who preach this kind of gospel learn the true gospel, that the only way is Jesus.
Your lack of knowledge concerning the New Testament, early Christianity and the basics of the original religion are shocking. Instead you cling to a branch/view of Christianity made popular over a thousand years later to control people. If that is what you choose to believe, so be it, but at a minimum be aware of it.
Why should anyone trust your discernment? From what I've seen your discernment is by no means a certainty.
It seems like what people in general and certainly in this thread admire about the pope is how much he actually lives by the message of Christ, and how talks about it. The Pope is just a man and isn't perfect, but he's done a lot that exemplifies the teachings of Christ.
what do you think the odds are that jesus was david koresh but just before they had things like video cameras? i mean the odds of are seemingly low that jesus is the one true answer to all of space and history of everything in the universe. i mean by all means pin ALL your hopes on that single proposition. and count out every single other possibility. there are a trillions of different explanations of why we could be here on earth doing what humans do. the fact is there are probably aliens out there somewhere. what would jesus have to do with them? good luck though trying to equate the golden calf to people being upset over a statue breaking and the pope. it all makes sense now.
but what gives you that? you are taking people's accounts from thousands of years ago. when you look at people from 200 hundred years ago you had people in chains that were slaves. very few could read or write. yet you take these people's word that they were just on mushrooms or peyote. or if you were born in iraq or yemen you probably wouldn't care too much about jesus. or in thailand perhaps. but since you were born where you were, and your parents are i assume to some extent christian that is the only possibility to be right. so far fetched, but good luck with that.
My reason for believing comes from what God has done in my life. You take His word and you have a relationship, not religion, and invite Him in all aspects of your life and it will give you freedom, as it has given me. I realize there are a lot of people here who disagree, and thats fine, because the bible did say there would be who will disagree with me. People have such a small view of God that what they don't realize is that you dont use logic to find out who He is, you use your heart to seek Him. In the Word, you will find truth. And His name is Jesus, the alpha and omega.
All that is fine and good and I'm glad that your faith has provided you solace, but what about the Pope's message do you find questionable in relation to Jesus' teachings?
i want to say i'm not saying you are wrong in any way to believe what you do. i find it much harder to find anything rationale when it comes to jesus. when someone uses the word "god" it's much easier for me personally to accept that. have you ever read the Bagvadhgita? i read it when i was 15 years old it was one of the more interesting things i have read, even to this point in my life. along with the torah and most of the quran. i had read the bible 3-4 times before i was a teenager and have barely cracked one open since then (i do have a very nice jerusalem bible made in the early 70's). i was raised catholic and had memorized practically half of my catechism before i became disinterested in catholicism.
Again, it isnt about memorizing or reading the bible like a textbook you have to study for a quiz next week. I will go further on this later, im out of town.
What it sounds like is that your issue has more to do with Catholic doctrine, such as the belief in works versus faith, and veneration of saints, than with the Pope himself. As a non-Christian I am not going t weigh in on doctrine or which makes one a Christian or not. Certainly on issues of religious doctrine in general I neither agree with you or the Pope. What I find appealing about this Pope isn't how faithful he is to religious doctrine. Now that isn't what you want to hear as your interest appears to primarily be about a declaration of faith and fealty to religious doctrine as you believe it. That is fine for you but you should consider that in a pluralistic world of many faiths, and non-faith, that there are many who don't car for that message and most likely would be alienated if that was primarily the Pope's message. As I've said before the Pope' influence isn't just limited to the Catholic Church and also as the leader of such a large institution this Pope is very aware of the church's place in the world. He wants the Church to be more than just limited to a narrow religious focus but also wants it be a force for political change also. As such he is more concerned with just proclaiming and / or defending doctrine.
