Posted on 12/30/2014 5:11:40 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Pope Francis continues his groundbreaking progressive approach to Catholicism with plans to expand next year on one of his favorite causes: climate change and protecting the environment. The pope is expected to make climate change a large part of his leadership efforts throughout 2015, according to ThinkProgress.org, using the papacy to encourage the 1.2 billion Catholics to protect the environment as “God’s creation.”
Pope Francis has even gone as far as to call the destruction of the rainforest a sin, and cautioned Catholics and non-Catholics alike that protecting the environment is a sacred matter, going as far as back as his inaugural mass in 2013.
“The vocation of being a ‘protector,’ however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live.”
Under Pope Francis’ leadership in 2014, the Catholic Church held a five-day summit with scientists and experts on the environment, and the Pope already has plans in place to address the New York general assembly next September regarding climate change and general environmental issues. Pope Francis will also attend The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change global meeting in Paris at the end of 2015.
Taking further action related to the operations of the Catholic Church, the pope will be drafting a formal letter to all Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, called an encyclical, specifically addressing climate change.
Dan Misleh, director of the Catholic climate covenant, told The Guardian these letters are rare and uses Pope Francis’ highest level of authority in creating the document, expected to be somewhere around 50-60 pages long. But the pope can expect some push-back from other church members as well as evangelical groups and even member of Congress.
“There will always be 5-10 percent of people who will take offense,” Misleh told The Guardian. “They are very vocal and have political clout. This encyclical will threaten some people and bring joy to others. The arguments are around economics and science rather than morality.”
Pope Francis has distinguished himself from previous popes in his progressive views on such topics as evolution, homosexuality, and politics within the Vatican. These views, as well as the pope’s humility and his example of leading a far less lavish lifestyle than previous popes, have made him very popular among non-Catholics as well as members of his own church.
Do you agree with Pope Francis that harming the environment is a “sin?”
Hate spelling flag.
If you dont get Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created...” you won’t get the rest of the Bible
To believe that man is a part of the equation to save God’s creation you have moved into an area of apostasy I am surprised that somebody like the Pope would not know this.
I had hope this Pope was a conservative and obviously he is not.
Freegards
LEX
The writing of the Bible began around 1500 BC.
That strawman would look a lot better if he wasn’t in transparent mode... where did this chap say “save”?
False dichotomies are not arguments.
Again, where has Francis been quoting Humani Generis, and WHAT don’t you like out of that encyclical? It is obvious that you don’t like it, but give me at least a paragraph number, if not a paragraph number and a quotation, and then there is something to discuss.
Papal documents are often nuanced, and if one rips something out of context, it may be misused. They also tend to be somewhat lengthy, so an accusation against an entire document doesn’t mean much.
There aren't 66 books in the Bible.
The Holy Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) was written entirely by G-d and actually pre-existed the world. It is the Supreme Revelation which judges all other claimants.
The nineteen other books of the TaNa"KH were added by the 'Anshei HaKenesset HaGedolah before the chrstian era.
The TaNa"KH is a Jewish book which has been appropriated by chrstians.
Do you have another date?
Of course it is possible that Job was written even earlier.
What do you think making this a sin will mean?
Think about it, it will be a sin for you to drive your car unless you buy a carbon off-set. No you can’t give money to the poor, they may buy carbon causing heat sources which means you sinned.
Really, give me another interpretation of making this a sin, with sin there is no half way.
Really, I can’t wait to read the tortured logic of how this sin will be meted out and how he will see himself as not being in violation of this sin himself.
Maybe upon writing or attempting to write it, he will be overcome with the Holy Spirit and realize the failed path this teaching will lead the Church on.
I’m referring to Christology of the Old Testament.
Try to pull something like Monsieur Z is trying to pull, with a Baptist, and you’ll get theologically fooed, blued and tattooed.
It would spell trouble in the Roman Catholic theological system which is based on sin focus because yes, here would be a sin that can’t be wiped out by any conceivable human effort.
I think Francis wants to put emphasis, in a more evangelical manner, on positive directions to do good. Help your environment. You don’t have to restore it to Edenic pristine shape. That is not even possible.
What we call the bible did not exist before Christians.
They didn’t put their wacko enviro views in an encyclical. It’s a big deal. I’ll wait until it comes out, and ignore it.
Well, its not as if Francis is not known from coming up with radically sounding statements or actions, which sets the unofficial Internet magisterium into action interpreting the interpreter (even if not binding teaching), in either indicting him to engaging in damage control trying to support his statements as orthodox.
Look what had to be done to justify the Pope Francis Posing With Anti-Fracking Activists (http://nation.time.com/2013/11/15/the-real-reason-pope-francis-posed-with-anti-fracking-activists/)
And you have statements as.
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”" - Pope Francis — http://www.newyorker.com/news/hendrik-hertzberg/father-the-atheists-even-the-atheists
Disagreement simply illustrates how RCs can interpret the interpreter, even if in non-infallible teaching, but which RCs look to as interpreting official teaching.
And which Francisology is consistent with other interpretive statements subject to interpretation by RCs:
Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said. — http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1403144.htm;
Plus the first controversial interview of Francis by Scalfari, of questionable value (http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/dolan-confirms-error-scalfari-interview - yet published with Vatican permission and which the pope seemed happy with as he granted Scalfari two more interviews), are these reconstructed recollections:
"Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us."
"Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is Good."
"And I repeat it here. Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place." - http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/10/01/news/pope_s_conversation_with_scalfari_english-67643118/?ref=search
The Bible does indeed predate Christianity.
The problem here is folks who want to cast it as some thing not foreshadowed from the word “go” in Holy Writ. Older strains of rabbinical thought were receptive to the idea of a Messiah who would do things like the New Testament attributes to Jesus.
In fact the New Testament is quite bold and says that Christ was in the cloud that Moses and the Hebrew people followed.
History’s four schisms that plague the Roman Catholic Church:
The reign and later betrayal of Charlemagne
The Prostestant Reformation led by Martin Luther
The reign of two Popes, one from Italy and one from Spain
The adoption of the American Constitution.
You have to watch for what is being insinuated.
I’ve been hearing that the Pope was planning on addressing “global warming”, and I suppose this is what was meant...
With the several areas of abject, anti-biblical statements and actions by the Pope, I struggle with figuring out who any genuine, Bible-believing Catholic could continue to see the Pope as a ma of God. Sad...
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