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What? He would have turned into a Protestant? Maybe you might pause to reflect that the Pope knows a good deal about Scripture. Have you ever actually read any Papal documents? They're thick with Scripture citations.

I have stated he has great intelligence. He just has had questionable handling of a few scriptural issues, of which would have ended my personal following of his leadership.

1. Stating that Christ is not the only way to salvation. (Ecumenicalism)
2. Homosexuality pervading his church, and not nipping these guys bud, so to speak.
3. Pandering to scientists, in contradiction to the Word of God. (Giving room for his congregation to latch onto Theistic Evolution, which necessitates death before Adam, making death a natural occurrence rather than a choice of man, which eliminates the need for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
4. Allowing Mary's status to be similar to Christ's.
5. Not having clarity in regarding standing against evil. (Sadam, Muslim terror).

That's funny, because Scripture says (Hebrews 13:17) that we are to obey our leaders and submit to them, not ignore them, toss them aside, and declare them irrelevant "for men will ever let us down".

I am all for respecting authority, but to me he is like a foreign prime minister having no juridiction in my spiritual walk. I have consulted my Pastor on many spiritual issues, and fully respect his spiritual discernment, however, to avoid slipping back into the dark ages, I recognize that I can personally consult the Holy Spirit via the Word of God, and in prayer.

Descisions for the church that God has raised my pastor up to head, are fully in his authority. His leadership in the church is final as long as he is adhereing to the scriptures. If not his loving brothers will tactfully point out any infraction. Accountability at all levels is a key to a successful family, church and nation.

1 Tim 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Not Mary, the Pope or my Pastor.

I have consulted my Pastor on many spiritual issues, and fully respect his spiritual discernment

Your pastor is, no doubt, someone you selected, and you consider yourself free to walk away from him as soon as your own reading of Scripture convinces you that your "personal consultation" of the "Holy Spirit" is telling you to. That's what St. Paul calls "following itching ears," and is neither the obedience nor the submission commanded by Hebrews 13:17.

to avoid slipping back into the dark ages

You know, its funny, but you reveal yourself by that comment. The term "Dark Ages" was coined by the un-Christian so-called "Enlightenment" to describe an era when Christian faith, not the worship of Mammon, was the guiding light of every facet of society.

Well, 200+ years on into that "Enlightenment", we're living in the real Dark Ages, pal. Look around you. They're here, now. More than 100 million lives sacrificed to Communist atheism and Nazi paganism. 50 million lives sacrificed to hedonism on the altar of abortion in this country alone.

Doesn't seem very "enlightened" to me.

This really isn't the thread to nitpick theology on. Many of the vast misperceptions of Catholocism involve Scriptural interpretation, Mary, and the sacraments.

The main difference in scriptural interpretation is that the Catholic Church does not regard every story in the Bible as a fact of history. Some books, like Job, Jonah, the Creation story, and Revelation (and all its symbolism)are regarded more as allegorical teachings. The Church does not necessarily endorse Evolution, nor does it deny its possibility. Ironically, with all the historical whipping that's been handed down over Galileo, the Church has immense respect for science -- i.e. the way thinks work as evidently commanded by the Creator. Among these possibilities is that Man "evolved" in some manner until the emergence of "Adam", who was infused with the first soul -- the image of God. The Church does not endorse this as a certainty, it is only open to further scientific discovery on the matter.

As for the Blessed Virgin Mary, this is another brutal misconception of the Catholic faith. There is no more "worship" of Mary going on in Church, than there is of dead love ones whose pictures hang on the wall at home. Catholics honor and praise her for her free will acceptance of the seed of the Holy Spirit -- not a small undertaking for a 12 year old girl in Nazareth. Catholics refer to her as the "co-Redemptrix" not as an "equal", but as an assistant. God's plan was for Mary to be the Mother of His Son. She was necessary for Jesus' birth just as the cross was necessary for Jesus' death. The Redemption could not have taken place without her (in God's plan) just as the world could not be redeemed if Jesus died of a natural cause. It's a mystery, and it's hard for most people to accept, but that's how it is. If anything, we give her eternal gratitude. Her power is in her holiness, not in any kind of "Divinity". It's the same holiness that you and I can share with others if we live our lives right. That's the beauty of it.

On the matter of who is the mediator between God and men, it is only Christ? Yes. This is true. I also suppose the prayers your mother sent to God on your behalf when you were but an infant were completely disregarded and useless, since there is "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" That would pretty much eliminate anyone you ever asked to pray for you in your life. Mary intercedes on our behalf whether you want her to our not (see Wedding at Cana). If you've ever asked your mother to approach your father with a request on your behalf, you know what I'm talking about.

I'm not nitpicking or anything, though.

And remember: Protestants worship a Bible composed of books chosen by the Roman Catholic Church. Luther only subtracted from the Holy Bible, he brought nothing to the table.

1. Stating that Christ is not the only way to salvation. (Ecumenicalism)

Citation? The Church's position is clear. All are saved by Christ. Non-Christians can be saved by implicit faith in Christ.

2. Homosexuality pervading his church, and not nipping these guys bud, so to speak.

Maybe he could have done more. Who's to say? He has less control over bishops than you might believe. And he's running a Church with 1 billion members. He's not omniscient.

3. Pandering to scientists, in contradiction to the Word of God. (Giving room for his congregation to latch onto Theistic Evolution, which necessitates death before Adam, making death a natural occurrence rather than a choice of man, which eliminates the need for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

He gave evolution more credence as a scientific theory than I would have liked. But his statement made clear that it's still a theory. And he repudiated the theory of materialistic evolution.

4. Allowing Mary's status to be similar to Christ's.

Citation? That's plain heresy and would be quite newsworthy. She is regarded as the greatest saint.

5. Not having clarity in regarding standing against evil. (Sadam, Muslim terror).

I tend to agree with you on that one, but I think the media has distorted his statements.