InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Listen to me.Are you listening"

~* Tonichelle *~ (tonichelle) wrote,
@ 2008-04-19 07:51:00

Current location:	Anchorage, AK
Current mood:	apathetic
Current music:	MSNBC
Entry tags:	rant, religious, the pope

The Pope - a religious "ranting" - ye be warned
I am watching MSNBC this morning, and me not being Catholic I forgot that The Pope would be the main topic as he spoke at Mass. So I'm stuck watching the 'worship' of the Pope.

I don't get it. I honestly don't. Protestant and Catholic Christians alike are falling all over this man like he's Christ. Believing if they just touch his cloak their lives will be all the better.

I hate to break it to you, folks, but he's not Christ, and he ain't Holy. There is none but ONE who is, and He hasn't come back yet. He might be leader of a big group of churches but he is not THE Church. The Church is the BODY of BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, not the Pope. The Pope cannot redeem you or save you or forgive you - only God through Christ can. It's CHRIST'S blood that was on that cross, not Pope Benedict, or John Paul or Mother Teresa.

The Virgin Mary did not stay a virgin, either. She had other children apart from Christ and they weren't all miracles. Joseph was the true father of the other children, not the 'adoptive father'. She also is not a deity and she's not God, so she is NOT a window to forgiveness. Praying to her to be your messanger is futile. We get to God through ONE PERSON, and that is Jesus Christ.

Jesus had to die for his mother, too, lest we forget. He died for the Pope, btw, just in case you didn't know.

The Pope is just as much a sinful being as you and me. He cannot save you, he cannot be Holy (that doesn't happen until he gets his new body in Heaven), he cannot do anything but bring God's word to the people. Don't kid yourself into thinking otherwise.

When religious tradition gets in the way of the relationship with Christ, something is truly wrong.

(Post a new comment)

	(Anonymous) 2008-04-19 08:23 pm UTC (link)
	I understand the Catholics feeling that way because that is what they have been taught and they aren't encouraged to read the Bible for themselves (or they might find out otherwise) but who are these Protestants who see the Pope as divine? Protestantism broke away from that centuries ago! What are they thinking? --Julie E. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	rumination 2008-04-20 07:23 am UTC (link)
	Protestantism broke away from that centuries ago! What are they thinking? The feeling I'm getting is that it's an "in" thing now-a-days for all Christians to think the Pope is hot stuff. Which is so odd and wrong. (Reply to this) (Parent)

rumination
2008-04-20 07:22 am UTC (link)

I don't really get it, either. Well, that's not entirely true - mostly, I don't really understand the "worshiping" of the Pope in our modern times. As a History Major, I can see how having a Pope made sense back in, say, the eras of monarchies 'n what-not, if that makes any sense, but today? I think people are smart enough to realize that they don't have to talk to God through this one old guy. Y'know? But, that's just me. =/

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	tonichelle 2008-04-21 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	I think it just might be easier to have someone on earth to see and follow than it is a "Heavenly being" or whatever. I honestly don't get it either. There's a freedom in Christ that I just don't see the Pope and the other big wigs even trying to show! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rumination
2008-04-21 10:50 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, the pope seems to put a lot of...limitations on that freedom. I went to a Catholic School for 1st and 2nd grade (I'm not Catholic, but when we moved to this town my mom enrolled me 'cause my cousin went there so that I'd be in school with someone I knew) and it was...an interesting experience, to say the least. Thank God my mom pulled me out of there before I had to go through confirmation.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tonichelle 2008-04-21 10:58 pm UTC (link)
	my mom went to a catholic school till high school... she was an awful child to those nuns! LOL (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	rumination 2008-04-21 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	lol. I was pretty awful to them, too. I skipped PE all the time. And I think I annoyed the crap out of them with all the questions I'd ask during the religion portion of our class--not my fault that I was getting confused with religion and school and religion outside of school. Was a bit jumbled up for a while there. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tonichelle 2008-04-21 11:20 pm UTC (link)
	I can imagine! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	rumination 2008-04-21 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah. So glad I only went there for two years. (Reply to this) (Parent)

falling_leaf
2008-04-21 01:38 pm UTC (link)

Wow! If I were you I'd lock this post so you may get some angry Catholics after you. I'm catholic and not only do I worship God and Christ but I pray to Mary and I listen to the Pope.

I think you may be missing the point of who the Pope is... a spiritual leader for the Roman Catholic Church. He relieves people of their sins just like in confessions and beatify those who worship him. The Pope is no different from any other spiritual leaders in the world. And you can't deny the good they do.... especially what Pope John Paul II did.

And you are right. Christ did die for the Pope. The first Pope was Peter one of his disciples.

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tonichelle
2008-04-21 04:44 pm UTC (link)

If it angers people it angers people. The Bible angers people and I wouldn't lock it away.

I don't think I've missed the point at all. My pastors do not forgive and bless and make me able to get into Heaven. They present the message, that's it. They don't sit there and tell me 'do this, this, this, and then you are forgiven.' that's not how God works. What's the point of Christ coming down and dying for all if we still have to work to get into Heaven?

Yes, the Pope is a good person who does good things. So are a lot of other people who don't hold a religious title.

Whether or not Peter was the first 'pope' is a matter of religious opinion and debate. Peter was a disciple of Christ just like 11 or so others. Peter failed and fell in his faith just like everyone else. No one got to Heaven because of something Peter did. He was just a messenger, and all Christ-Followers are called to do that.

This is a protestant vs Catholic thing, and I doubt I'll convince you any more than you'll convince me. My mother's family is all catholic save for my mom and her younger brother who have 'turned to the dark side' and converted to protestant... so I do know a *bit* about "the church" but most of the traditions that the Vatican pushes don't really jive with what the New Testament says about salvation.

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