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The Bishop of Rome becoming Pope is the result of politics and religion mixing, spiritually, it's the same whether the Pope lives here or on the Moon.
 
Is there a Biblical basis for having a pope? What about the doctrine of infallibility?

From Catholic.com:

The New Testament contains five different metaphors for the foundation of the Church (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:5–6, Rev. 21:14). One metaphor that has been disputed is Jesus Christ’s calling the apostle Peter "rock": "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).


I'm not Catholic, but I spend most every evening in a PalTalk chatroom (Catholics What We Believe and Why) and I've read several books about Catholic belief (by Catholics) in the last few weeks, so I'm bordering on being Catholic-literate. ;)
 
1) Jesus famously cried to the heavens and asked while upon the cross, asking God why he had forsaken him. The fact that Jesus asked this puzzles me. Why would Jesus wonder this if he was indeed the Son of God, God incarnate, and aware of his ultimate fate long before his death?

2) Can one believe in the New Testament without believing in the Old Testament? I have read that the OT serves as a way to frame the Jesus as the messiah. It was described as "foreplay" to the NT by my religions professor. It seems that the OT main purpose in Christianity is to serve as the foundation of proving Jesus was the fulfillment of Jewish prophesies concerning a coming savior (Jesus). If you are not Jewish however, why is it important to believe Jesus fulfilled ancient semitic prophecy? Why can't you believe in Jesus without believing in Judaism?
 
1) Jesus famously cried to the heavens and asked while upon the cross, asking God why he had forsaken him. The fact that Jesus asked this puzzles me. Why would Jesus wonder this if he was indeed the Son of God, God incarnate, and aware of his ultimate fate long before his death?
Since He was a human being as well as God, we can safely assume He was in great pain…
PeteAtoms said:
2) Can one believe in the New Testament without believing in the Old Testament? I have read that the OT serves as a way to frame the Jesus as the messiah. It was described as "foreplay" to the NT by my religions professor. It seems that the OT main purpose in Christianity is to serve as the foundation of proving Jesus was the fulfillment of Jewish prophesies concerning a coming savior (Jesus). If you are not Jewish however, why is it important to believe Jesus fulfilled ancient semitic prophecy? Why can't you believe in Jesus without believing in Judaism?
At the very least you need the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament.
 
1) Jesus famously cried to the heavens and asked while upon the cross, asking God why he had forsaken him. The fact that Jesus asked this puzzles me. Why would Jesus wonder this if he was indeed the Son of God, God incarnate, and aware of his ultimate fate long before his death?

He was reciting Psalm 22, the words of David describing someone who suffers because he follows God's will, and his vindication by God.

The Psalm begins with "2 O God my God, look upon me: why have you forsaken me?" and ends with "31 And to him my soul shall live: and my seed shall serve him. 32 There shall be declared to the Lord a generation to come: and the heavens shall show forth his justice to a people that shall be born, which the Lord has made."

http://www.newadvent.org/bible/psa021.htm

All jews around Him would have recognized those words as that psalm, similar to if someone today began reciting a popular song.
 
Roughly how many of the Catholics you know believe that the Earth is ~6,000 years old or that Noah's Flood was a global event? And has your priest ever disabused people of that notion, that you noticed?

I don;t know about the Flood specifically, but my Catholic mother (and by extension my two youngest sisters) is very much a Young Earth Creationist. Which bugs the heck out of me, she doesn't even have a religious excuse for it!
 
I don;t know about the Flood specifically, but my Catholic mother (and by extension my two youngest sisters) is very much a Young Earth Creationist. Which bugs the heck out of me, she doesn't even have a religious excuse for it!

Ummm... The Bible?

I mean, you can interpret it in other ways I suppose, but if you believe its talking about six days, you can't magically make yourself think otherwise.

Why does it bug you exactly? And why does she NOT have a religious excuse?

Protestants aren't required to believe in Six Days either, but many do.
 
Well, a literal interpretation of this particular part of the Bible, when so many people (including Catholics) don't interpret the entire Bible literally, seems odd when it is at odds with science . . .
 
Well, a literal interpretation of this particular part of the Bible, when so many people (including Catholics) don't interpret the entire Bible literally, seems odd when it is at odds with science . . .

The problem is (And I don't mean to start an Evolution debate here, which is why I'm not providing any evidence myself either way) is that YOU THINK its at odds with Science. She obviously does not think that, whether she's right or wrong...

I certainly do not think YE Creationism is "Rejecting Science" and neither does anyone I know who believes it. And most people I know don't consider it a preresequite to Christianity either (Well, except my mom...) but almost everyone I know accepts it.
 
That's what's known as "small sample pools". Biblical literalism also tends to be a Protestant phenomenon these days.
 
It always have been, the Catholics on the other hand preferred to burn Protestants at the stake without any Biblical obligation to do so, and amazingly, some of them (Civ_King, I'm looking straight at you) continue to justify it.
 
The Protestants had fun doing it too, Domination, but that was a long time ago.
 
Do you think the crucifix is an appropriate symbol for your religion?

Would a more positive symbol which focussed on neighbourly love instead of one which focusses on a guilt trip be more appropriate? No idea what that symbol would be, but my question is not a practical one anyway.
 
It always have been, the Catholics on the other hand preferred to burn Protestants at the stake without any Biblical obligation to do so, and amazingly, some of them (Civ_King, I'm looking straight at you) continue to justify it.
purge the heretics :evil:
Do you think the crucifix is an appropriate symbol for your religion?

Would a more positive symbol which focussed on neighbourly love instead of one which focusses on a guilt trip be more appropriate? No idea what that symbol would be, but my question is not a practical one anyway.

The crucifix is a reminder of Christ's suffering and sacrifice, so yes, it is appropriate.

The crucifix is not a guilt trip, people choose to wear a crucifix. I for example have a rosary with a crucifix on it, it wards off temptation.
 
Temptation and guilt are still very closely associated.
 
Read the thread title, D3k. If you want a thread about filthy blasphemous heretics who should be stoned to death Protestantism then start one.
 
Why am I not surprised;)

According to the Bible, we still worship the Lord, and so do not deserve to be stoned to death :mischief:
He who hears the Apostles hears Jesus, he who rejects the Apostles rejects. What has been bound on Earth has been bound in Heaven. For it has been bound on Earth that heretics who can not be returned to the full message of Jesus Christ shall perish :evil:
Temptation and guilt are still very closely associated.

I pray for strength.
 
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