Posted on 04/14/2005 12:00:51 PM PDT by Dean Baker
Baptist church 'fake pope' sign attracting attention, criticism By JEANNINE F. HUNTER, hunter@knews.com April 13, 2005
NEWPORT, Tenn. - Two days after being posted, a church marquee message that questions the purpose of the papacy is still attracting attention in this small community.
"What I am trying to do is to let people know there's only one way to heaven through Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Cline Franklin, pastor of Hilltop Baptist Church. "There's no need for help. God sent his son, Jesus Christ. We're all priests if we're saved. I don't need to go to anybody else to pray."
The sign's side facing Broadway, the main thoroughfare in Newport, reads, "No truth, No hope Following a hell-bound pope!" On the other side, facing the church parking lot, it reads: "False hope in a fake pope."
The message appeared days after Pope John Paul II's funeral last week.
"It is unfortunate when it comes from within the Christian church. It's really sad," said the Rev. Dan Whitman, 54, pastor of Newport's Good Shepherd Catholic parish and Holy Trinity parish in Jefferson City. "You learn how to deal with it and pray not to be that way yourself."
It does not reflect mainstream Baptist thought, said Dr. Merrill "Mel" Hawkins, associate professor of religion and director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City.
"When you see signs like that, they are almost like relics or artifacts of a bygone era," Hawkins said.
He spoke about animus between Protestants and Catholics persisting after the Protestant Reformation and for centuries, during which "harsh things were said, couched within misperceptions, misunderstandings."
Among the major misperceptions is that Catholics "venerate the pope on the same level as Jesus," Hawkins said, and that "the pope is connected to their salvation in place of Jesus Christ."
Catholics make up about 12 percent of the population in the South.
"Catholics are a minority faith in the South, and there's often bias toward minority religious communities because people don't understand," he said.
James Gaddis, a lay speaker who also chairs the board at First United Methodist Church, said he had not seen the sign but had heard about it.
"I understand that it's very degrading," he said. "I think it's tragic that any church group would stoop to this posture."
Following Tuesday night's council meeting, Newport Mayor Roland Dykes Jr. said he was a little saddened by the message.
"It doesn't behoove any of us to determine who is going to heaven or hell. I think the pope is a highly, highly respected person," he said.
Franklin's church is a five-year-old independent Baptist church. When asked what the message meant, he said: "What does 'pope' mean? It means father. We have a heavenly father, and the Bible says we shall call no man a father. "
He said people have been driving by or taking pictures or calling to share their views. He said the intent was not to offend Catholics and people are misunderstanding the sign.
Copyright 2005, Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
Well, it's time to rile the Calvinists!
church. There is only one being who will decide whether you go to Heaven or Hell and that is YOU!
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Christ offended the Pharisees, the offended always go for blood.
I'm not about to defend any system or religion and I certainly don't have to defend my heavenly Father.
The wheat and the tares will grow together...they look alike, God will do the sifting.....people better be alot more concerned for their own standing then with everyone elses.
I'll just sit back and watch, the false unity and the we just have to all love one another will come with the next pope, he will be black and he will consume the minds of men.
He will be charismatic...ecumentical...peace maker....the world is going to love him. Then God will handle it.
Everyone will have their popegasm and be mislead, then they will be crying for the rocks to fall on them in sheer terror. Play while you can, sleep while you can, be ignorant while you can........rebel.........while you can.
"baptiso"
It's Greek.
You may want to look it up.
That quote was from another poster, I was responding to him/her in my post which you can read.
And while I believe that Catholicism is the one faith that holds the totality of God's revealed Truth, I condemn no one.
Not my job.
Perhaps the name Allah was originally applied to a moon god, but that is irrelevant to how the word is used today. If Muslims say that they worship the God of Abraham, and not some moon god, who are you or I to argue with them? They know their beliefs better than we do.
To be blunt, Mohammed pulled his whole religion out of his rear end . . .grafting together Arab pagan moon practices with most of the old and new testament.
To be blunt, your comment is crude and offensive; it damages your credibility.
It's fundamentally inconsistent and theologically unsound.
I have a colleague -- a very intelligent and well educated Muslim -- who would disagree with your assessment.
Tell me, have you made an extensive study of Islam, its origins, teachings, and practices? Or are you merely repeating what some religious bigot has told you?
I don't get the use of hate, of damned to hell and Jesus 'won't' (not can't) help you or have mercy on you. This minister clearly has that kind of fear message based on old prejudices and misunderstandings.
Just WHEN did this 'teaching' begin in the Catholic Church?
I remember one of our prayers...Seems like "Mary worshiping", but for a very good reason. It starts...
"Holy Mary, mother of God".
Seems OK to me. Because it's TRUE!! And I don't see any problem with it. It's not like Catholics are replacing God with Mary.
As I see it, people who choose not to learn about other faiths, yet presume to criticize them, represent a sad combination of arrogance and ignorance. It's shameful behavior.
I agree, although I would NOT agree anyone who's not a Catholic is unAmerican - if that's what you mean. Other faiths are just as American as Catholics.
Each can choose their own faith as long as they don't bother the others about it. Christ is the answer. All the rest is pomp and decoration.
Could you please give me the biblical reference where "purgatory" is defined?
Thank You.
Ha! I just ate one!
Well, then Jesus and animals and plants and stones and electrons have sinned too. The "all" is delimited by other parts of theology, but don't let me stop your proof-texting.
-A8
YOU WIN!!!!
Actually, I was (am) a Jew who searched extensively, looked at Islam quite a bit and while praying in --- of all places --- Saudi Arabia (during the first gulf war) came to know and accept Christ.
I am sorry I offended your friend, but Islam is internally inconsistent. It is clearly just grafted together nonsense.
I remember when I first realized that I was "Different" because I was Catholic...
Someone (Jahova Witness?) came to the door and asked me: "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?" (And/or...I don't remember): "If you died today, would you go to Heaven?"
My answer was...
"I'm Catholic".
And the response was: "Yes, but...Repeat the same question(s)"
It was then I realized that those of other religions simply don't consider "Being Catholic" as being enough. I always had.
You, and the "Protestant" examples you're complaining about, appear to be "ign'ant" of the fact that God's elect are free. They love God and are free to do as they damned well please.
Uh, yeah. All Catholics believe that worship of the Pope is blasphemous, you know .....
Just like your comment about Jews not believing in Heaven is patently untrue and I directed you to two sources with the correct answers.
"I myself follow the Church's teaching that a special exception was made for Mary the mother of Jesus.
Just WHEN did this 'teaching' begin in the Catholic Church?"
It has always been taught from the time of the apostles, although a small minority of the Church Fathers disagreed. However, it was not formally defined until 1854.
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