Thursday, July 16, 2015

5 Reasons to seriously doubt the Papacy

http://bnonn.com/5-reasons-to-seriously-doubt-the-papacy/

And more:

http://michaeljkruger.com/were-early-churches-ruled-by-elders-or-a-single-bishop/
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4 comments:

Cheryl said...

I can see that being "bossed around" by some man, who is indeed only a man, can seem to some to be absolutely stupid. Do people who follow him just have a need to be controlled? Are they unable to decide for themselves how to make decisions? What is it about Catholics (good practicing ones, that is) that make them want to follow decisions made by the Pope?

However, if we take a look at the God of the Old Testament and discern His pattern of behavior, we will truly find that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He had rules and expectations for His people that set them apart from the pagan nations. While many of those nations worshiped animals, trees, and what have you, the Israelites worshiped only God. Christians today are only to worship God -- not animals or trees or what have you.

The Jews of the O.T. sacrificed animals accompanied by bread and wine. (Why? They had left Egypt, but many still carried Egypt with them. God was trying to get Egypt out of them by having them sacrifice what they had previously been required to worship.) Today, we are to unite our hearts to the sacrifice of the true Lamb that was sacrificed 2000 years ago for us. So we no longer sacrifice other animals.

One of the things most powerful to see is that God has never set aside putting an anointed man over His people. That man represents God to the people and unites them under one leadership. Scripture says that the people were to hear Moses as though they were hearing God. God spoke to an through him to the people. Abraham, Noah, Moses...David, Solomon....Peter. There has been no stopping of God's work on the earth. Without leadership in any religion or organization, there is no uniformity. How do you raise your voices in prayer in unity if everyone is doing his own thing? There is a choice of harmony or cacophony. God expects to hear the voice of one people raised in adoration to Him. He guaranteed the Holy Spirit would guide decisions throughout the ages, and He has. Jesus guaranteed He would be with the Apostles and His disciples even unto the end of time. He has been. Even the worst Popes that have been great sinners have been unable to change the eternal teachings of the Catholic Church. God still works through one anointed man, but that man -- the Pope -- still seeks to consult other leaders in the Church before making a decision that is sent out to the people (check out Scripture where Paul goes to Peter, James, and the other elders to decide whether gentiles have to be circumcised). There is tremendous discussion and prayer over any decision made.

Yes, the Pope is not God. He can only have a guarantee for the Church of the power of the Holy Spirit in matters of faith and morals. He himself is still subject to the same laws and expectations we are. He also has a confessor and many of the popes have confessed their sins regularly, admitting and confronting their sins and asking for God's mercy and grace to move forward in holiness and to lead the people forward.

I hope this helps you understand why we follow the Pope.

11:06 AM, July 23, 2015
EA said...

Hi Cheryl,

Thanks for your explanation of why Catholics follow the Pope. That's very helpful.

I think that Dr. Kruger raised some important questions regarding the credibility of an early mono-episcopate in the Church. Did you have a response to any of the points that Dr. Kruger raised in his article?

Blessings,

EA

9:29 PM, July 23, 2015
Unknown said...

Yes, the Pope is not God. He can only have a guarantee for the Church of the power of the Holy Spirit in matters of faith and morals.

Hi Cheryl. This "guarantee" comes from the RCC itself. Do you not find that a little circular?

1:09 PM, July 25, 2015
Unknown said...

Just keep in mind that Noah and Abraham were only the leaders of their own houses, and God never intended Moses to be mistaken for leading the children of Israel.

Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"

Because of these words the children of Israel were once again given an occasion to take their eyes off of God. They looked to Moses and Aaron as the ones leading them. Unfortunately, neither Moses nor Aaron spoke up to correct the blunder, and God waited for the two men to die in wilderness so that when the people entered the promised land they would know it was God alone who was leading them. Notice, if the fault had been with Moses striking the rock twice, then Aaron would not have been involved.

As for kings, God never wanted them.

The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them."

7:31 PM, July 29, 2015

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