Posted on 03/17/2013 9:59:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
It’s easy — maybe too easy — for people with progressive political views to dismiss the Roman Catholic Church as a vile anachronism, a nightmarish patriarchy of aging pedophiles, woman-haters, homophobes and/or closet cases that can offer nothing of value to the contemporary world. When it comes to the church hierarchy, and especially the Roman Curia, the corrupt and labyrinthine Vatican bureaucracy that makes the Soviet-era Kremlin look like a model of transparency, that point of view seems more than justified.
But the church is not just the hierarchy, and as the spectacle of the last several days has demonstrated, there are millions or billions of people around the world — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — who wish the newly elected Pope Francis well and yearn to see in him the possibility of hope and renewal for this ancient, powerful and heavily tarnished institution that claims direct succession from the apostles of Jesus. As the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit pope, Francis represents a break with tradition in several ways. Both the name he has chosen and his personal modesty and humility are meant to recall St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most adored figures in the Christian tradition, and no doubt also St. Francis de Sales, a 17th-century mystic, author and ascetic known for his devotion to the poor.
But the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio emerges from a Jesuit order that has been largely purged of its independent-minded or left-leaning intellectuals, and his reputation at home in Latin America is decidedly mixed. While Francis seems to be an appealing personality in some ways — albeit one with a shadowy relationship with the former military dictatorship in Argentina, along with a record on gay rights that borders on hate speech.....
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
It always amazes me that these learned people fail to comprehend that there are foundational principles in any religion that can not be challenged. These principles are call doctrine.
For the Christian faith these principles are for the most part specifically stated in the Bible. They can not be questioned because the Bible says that these things are so.
The Bible says that homosexuality is a great sin and an abomination before God. That can not be questioned regardless of “the principle of freedom of conscience, the principle that theologians have a right to think.”
Certainly theologians have a right to think. Theologians have the right to question things that are open to question. But some things are not open to question. Some things can not be changed because if those things were to be changed the Church would no longer be the Church.
You can not rip out your house’s foundation and have your house remain standing.
The Holy Spirit.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
Nothing for their itching progressive ears to hear from the new Pope?
Exactly as I predicted. The left couldn’t wait even a week to show their fangs.
Makes me happy to see raging fang-tooth feminazis having a conniption over Francis.
Which protestant church has stood as steadfastly for life as the Catholic Church? Which protestant church has not capitulated on gay marriage, contraception, abortion, etc....?
And it's even easier to dismiss people with "progressive political views" as freedom despising, God-hating, baby killing, homo-loving wallowers in sin, who offer destruction to the contemporary world.
The Pentecostals, for one.
Re #27- I wanted to go on Salon to post that to their forum, but you have to sign up to do so. No thanks!
The Church, whether or not it has a “label” (Roman Catholic, Baptist, Assembly of God, Lutheran, Orthodox, et al), stands against the tide. It is an institution that is universal; it is a body of believers and followers of the Way of Jesus. It is not to be divided up into merely geographical or cultural groupings. That is why, I believe, that the brother mentioned that the Holy Spirit leads believers against the wickedness of the world. It is definitely true that the Roman Catholic Church has maintained a consistent stance that is pro-life; however, it does not mean that other believers cannot do the same with constancy.
At the end of the day, even the Roman Catholic Church could be led astray by an imposter who would cast aside this cherished principle. At that point in time, if it were to happen, the individual believer would have to decide what the Holy Spirit, in light of Scripture, says about the sanctity of life. And, that decision is a no-brainer for the follower of Christ; LIFE is from God, and we value it above any challenging philosophy.
Which Catholic church has not predictably voted for and self-identified with Democrat candidates?
Not true The Pentecostals I have met all permit the use of contraceptives specifically condoms.
You have it exactly backwards. The RCC will never be led astray, individuals may be, but never the Church herself.
Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Individuals may but the Church itself does not.
Lots and lots of individuals. A predictable majority of Catholic individuals, priests, and bishops.
You wrote: “Scoreboard: “Progressive” governments 100,000,000 dead”
bttt
Environmentalism and Human Sacrifice
The Obama administration allies itself with extremist adherents of a false religion.
By Dennis Prager http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/341519/environmentalism-and-human-sacrifice-dennis-prager
Documentation please.
Let him who is with out sins cast the first stone.
Which protestant is a beta orbiter?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.