The Supreme Canuck wrote:brite wrote:That's not what he said... what he said what it was not up to him to judge. That it was not up to the Church to judge.
The implication being that it
is up to god to judge. And god says queers go to the hot place. Saying "it's not for us to judge" is a way to dodge responsibility; it's a way to look progressive without actually being progressive.
"Oh, if it were up to me, I'd be fine with gay people. But it's not. God says so. Too bad. Looks like they get to burn."
Rubbish.
No.. That's not what God says... Not in the New Testament, which is what the Christians are supposed to be going by. Jesus says nothing about gays, abortion, birth control or who can marry whom. He says that we should love one another, turn the other cheek, and preached a message of tolerance. Which is pretty much what Francis is doing.
He is also trying to live a Christian life and lead by example, by living a far more humble life, filled with service to his fellow man.
Yes, and good for him. That's commendable. But it doesn't justify the head-over-heels praise that he's getting. Which, as I said, is my complaint.
Lots of people live the same way. People aren't dropping to the ground to kiss
their feet.
This is not something that most cardinals are accustomed to, let alone popes. Francis is an anomaly to the papacy. He is unique, not something that has been seen, probably since St Peter! He isn't totally hung up on the Pauline scripture, he isn't preaching hate, he IS preaching the New Testament, but the part of the New Testament that talks about love, and loving your fellow man, and how you are supposed to care for each other, help each other and love one another.
Except gays and atheists go to hell, and condoms are worse than AIDS. No substantive change on any of those. No substantive change on women. No substantive change on sexual abuse.
Colour me unimpressed. [/quote]see above
I'm not a Catholic (not any more, at any rate...), I'm not even Christian... But I think that this guy rocks. He's what I think that the Christian message SHOULD be. What Fisher shows me it could be. What my mother showed me it could be.
Again, he talks a good game, sure. But he still hasn't actually
done anything. Nothing to justify the "Catholicism has done a 180 and is now the biggest force for good in the universe" attitude that I'm seeing, at any rate.[/quote]
This Pope comes across as an "everyman". The kind of man that doesn't judge, because he too, knows what it's like to live life. man sneaks out of the Vatican to minister to the poor, traded in the Vatican limo for an 80s Renault, doesn't live in the Papal apartments, and probably would be happier if he could have a small apartment somewhere in Rome than the Vatican... I'm thinking that you are overthinking this... Or perhaps it's the fact that even the non-Christians think he's pretty nifty, though I wouldn't say that we are throwing ourselves at him. I will say that for once there isn't a call for the Vatican to apologize for the Inquisition...
No one expects you to be impressed. No one expects anyone to be impressed. But if you are.. it's cool. I am. I'm tired of the Christians who tell me how "Godly" they are, and then tell me I'm going to hell, because I don't follow their brand of Christianity (I have family that does that on a regular basis). Catholics come in all flavors. There are the ones that go to Mass only at Christmas and Easter, ones that go to Mass only on Sundays and ones that go to Mass everyday. There are those that think that Vatican II was too radical. But it boils down to that there is no church in the world that has all the answers. And the Catholic Church is no different... it's just bigger than most.