New Pope

not at all i dont think. most popes are that old. i think there's an age limit, like you cant be less than 60 i think, im not sure though. but i think he will have a pretty good reign, probably not as long as Jonh Paul II, but a reasonable time i think. well best wishes to him and i hope he does well!

You cannot be older than 80.

I got my wish, a Catholic hard ass who'll spir identity crisis'.

That was stupid on the behalf of the Catholics though, like they need to expediate their slow and definite death.

pretty much mike. Its not about the pope himself its about the direction of the church...where do they want to take it.

quote
"As such, he has also taken some uncompromising political positions, calling for pro-abortion politicians to be denied communion during the US election campaign for instance, or arguing that Turkey should not be admitted into the European Union."

At least he's old and won't be in power long, I can't beilve that he he took that stance.

There are are about three prophecies which seem to indicate this pope as the last. none of which are dogma
e Announcement about the Last Pope and "the End of the Times"

It was during the early part of June 1963, the bells of Garabandal started to ring.

Conchita:“The bells are tolling for the dead! It must be for the pope (John XXIII, 1958-1963) Now only three remain.”

he looks like the devil...
if I really believed in this stuff...
i'd pick him as the devils...side kick...

Well said, Bob.

Can someone tell me the necessity of a Pope? What does the pope do, that the people cannot?

You can pray to God.
You can read the Bible, and interpret it.

The pope is just another man with unecessary cloths and robes on. He's no one special. Sorry to any Catholics here, but that is the truth, and if you're willing to argue with me, I would be more than happy to use the Bible (which you Catholics should believe, if you are truly Catholic) to completely null the Catholic religion.

~Ciao Lipton

Do u pray every single day AND night every hour almost (4 any religion) well the pope does!! that's he's job. he prays 4 the whole world he's sort of a messenger to God. he's sorta closer to God than any of us.

~Cam

Yes, in fact. I DO pray every day and night. Does that make me the next Pope?

Can you not pray for the whole world? The Bible specifically says:

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men; the man Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 2:5

Also:

"[Christians], pray without ceasing;"

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Does that mean that the Pope is the only Christian?

I think not. I pray all the time, and I have other friends that pray all the time, as well.

There is no need for one specific man to pray for us, or pray for the world. Anyone can do that. He's no different than you or I am.

~Ciao Lipton

Yes, in fact. I DO pray every day and night. Does that make me the next Pope?
answer no
Can you not pray for the whole world? The Bible specifically says:
answer yes many can, and the inspired authors of the bible ask some questions that are timeless.
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men; the man Christ Jesus." True the man Christ has a divine nature which is a mystery which can be accepted by faith which is above reason.

1 Timothy 2:5

Also:

"[Christians], pray without ceasing;" ideal

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Does that mean that the Pope is the only Christian?
Answer no

I think not. I pray all the time, and I have other friends that pray all the time, as well.
that is good
There is no need for one specific man to pray for us, or pray for the world. Anyone can do that. He's no different than you or I am .In the eyes of God we are all His creatures.... To as many as who have received Him have become the sons of God I have no knowledge of any Vicar of Christ who failed to encourage prayer pope John Paul 11 accepted that the church authorities with the highest title have made errors, and reached out to all faiths in the SPIRIT OF TRUTH

Can someone tell me the necessity of a Pope? What does the pope do, that the people cannot? What does your head do that your body cannot? St Paul states that the church has many parts Let's look at the protestant churches the denominations are divided ... maybe a poor example but let us look at their power.. most of them used there power to try to bring down the president, and one leader after failing,attempted to bring down tinky winky the president finished his term, and tinky winty is still standing, although I admit the reputations of both figues were damaged The pope on the other hand was given credit by most of the press with slowing christian persecution in communist countries .
you can interpret the bible as many ways as the press can inerpret the truth. The catholic faith is the oldest christian religion that has had an earthly head for centuries now with over a billion members The press reported that well over 200 heads of state attended the funeral of the last pope. I cetainly would be amazed if anyone could null the catholic faith

I didn’t read that article, because quite frankly I'm lazy and it looked daunting (I really should still be sleeping), but here is my logic about why the Catholics need a Pope.

Every establishment needs a leader, or else it will crumble. The Catholics may say that he is in some way closer to God; although the Bible also says he is NOT. He is a man, like all of us, he is also not a prophet, nor any incarnate of Jesus. The Catholics may like to believe that there is more spiritual purpose than mundane purpose for the Pope's existence, but politically (and common sens-ically ;) ), the Catholics need 1 leader who is in command and in control.

1.07 BILLION people in this world are Catholic. That is larger than any country.

Are there any countries in this world that don’t have a "President" of some sort who spear heads the people he governs? No. Generally there is always ONE person who has absolute say over everything, that's just how the world works, politically, and the Church is largely political.

The Pope has more ultimate power than most any country; the Catholics have huge pull because of their mass numbers. Monetarily they also have huge influence. They own tons of real estate and historical artifacts.

Look at the United States, my personal belief is that the President does not ACTUALLY do or control much, he is a bobble head. It is the establishment and the long-standing, intrinsically prominent (not necessarily publicly prominent) people who run the show.

I believe that the Pope is somewhat the same way, but probably has more pull than the president (after all, they do serve longer than 4 years, therefore they gain more control). The Pope has his advisors, and they help him make most decisions. Pretty much though, everything that they do is easy. They have one simple goal: Take over the world...

Basically. They want as much money, real estate, and people as they possibly can have. They are in a constant state of expansion, so the Pope markets.

That's a huge part of what the Pope does. The world needs one person to look to for answers and an image (it's easier to identify with one person), and the Catholics need the closest thing to God and Jesus they can find on Earth, which is the Pope. Someone to look up to and who has more say over God's word than we do, or that is indirectly the belief pushed upon them (as the Bible directly contradicts that), yet they go to the priests and cardinals for a clearer version of Gods word. Catholics don’t make sense to me, but anyway, back to the point.

The only establishment I know of that does not have 1 leader who is prominent is Alcoholics Anonymous (and other 12 step programs based upon the same concepts). It has over 2 million members, and yet they do not crumble without a leader. Why is this? Firstly, each group is self-supporting, it is a none profit organization, and is based upon anonymity. That is the way that the "fore father," Bill W. set up the organization, because he knew otherwise it would be doomed to corruption and failure. AA does not need a bobble head to identify with. They want people to identify with the PRINCIPLES that the program teach. This is a quote from their official website:

"There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."

This is totally different than the Church, or any other establishment in the world for that matter. Whilst the Church would like to pretend to uphold all those principles and NOT be political, the Church is more political than anything else. Why do you think they don’t pay taxes to governments? Hmmm.

Anyway, in short, the Church needs a leader for psychological reasoning’s (people being able to identify with him and heeding his word, as his is "closer" to God's), marketing reasons (representing the Church abroad and with political leaders), and general reliability and consistency. Also for faith, religion is all based upon faith, while religion is based upon dominance. This is also the reason we shouldn’t be expecting a female Pope anytime soon. The older they are, the more that they exude wisdom and command respect, as we are taught to respect our elders, and because they are men they have a more domineering quality that makes them seem more powerful. The "father" comes before the "Mother." And the Pope wears his robes, sits upon throans, speaks from podiums, etc. as well for psychological impressions and reasonings. The whole point is to make him "bigger" than us in so many ways, worshiped, "Godly." Hence, people will listen to him, in some respects "fear" him, and generally heed his commands and direction.

That's my spin on it.

Wow, I wrote a lot.

lol good point bob.. i was never batptised.. but i spent the first 10 years of my life completly under the control of the enternal... i still believe and do feel that some people need to get over this whole homosexual thing aye?

Someone, answer this one simple question:

What is the need of the Pope?

To direct where the church goes? What the church thinks?

You know, if the Pope okayed murder, I bet tons of people would believe him. =P

~Ciao Lipton

Nada:

"...no one can null the cathokic faith..."

I can. Read the Bible that the Catholic church HASN'T tampered with.

~Ciao Lipton

Catholics scare me.

Mathew chapter 16; 17 Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I will give the keys to the kingdom of heaven and whatever thou shall bound on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever thy shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven. That is when Catholics believe Christ appointed the first pope. The title means father and catholics believe this succession has not been interrupted since the authority was passed to Peter by Jesus. Peter by his authority passed it to pope Linus and so on to the present pope. The King James Bible that you are familiar with was not translated until after the protestant reformation. Translated in 1619 .The catholic bible was still in Latin. The powerful Catholic Church was becoming tolerant of the heresies that the Catholic Church thought was threatening it. I guess you have a point in the early history of the church the popes said it was ok to murder.. Catholic leaders were turning so called heretics over to the state to be burned at the stake. The divisions were as numerous as protestants, which derived from the word protesters, were becoming divided among their selves. Many groups looked to new leaders. The first Baptist church was probably organized in Holland by John Smyth..1609. Anyway as a charismatic catholic I had hopes that Christians were uniting under the unity of the Holy Spirit. There have been in all of Christian history terrible things done in the name of God. When I was studying it the hardest it was not to defend the catholic church, but to rebel. I remember when you and I, Lipton ,were on the same side of the debate in.. the do you believe in God post..... Churches, sadly, have always been persecuted, and persecuted other churches. We cannot rewrite history to suit ourselves although I have seen many try. I have a lot of history in the Catholic Church and as of now have no intention of denouncing my ties with it. It bothers me just as much that these terrible scandals happened but I have understood Christ to say love your enemies return evil with good forgive trespasses as we are forgiven. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. Even if I were to follow Bob Shank in throwing red bricks from the Vatican on down, their would still be sins that would be better dealt with in Christian humility. I fear too many people are stating estimates assumptions, and speculations as facts. May the peace of the Lord be always with you.

to lipton
The bible has been translated hundreds of times, but I am sure you will read the one King James tampered with, but I am sorry that does not null any denomination or translation.

i diasgree with the thing about the pope establishing murder thing. thats what makes the pope a great man, he wouldnt do something like that, he cares for people. though, it makes me think about the thing about molesting children, that was an awful thing and shows how even the church these days is becoming corrupt in that the reason they had to wave it away was so they wouldnt be attacked and to keep it in good esteem. i disagreed with that, they should have delt with it which would have been an even better way to show that they truly care. but apparently they thought it was the only way out of it, again, i diasgree. but what the pope should stand for is the moral catholics should uphold and should be a symbol of goodness ect. we choose someone like that to lead the church and their decisions because we trust that they should make the morally best choices. that is the purpose of the pope imo, which i truly hope will be upheld.

lol. it is a shame. i just wish that at least the church wouldnt become corrupt like the rest of pretty much everyone and everything else. as for 'we' choosing, i really wish we could, but it is the cardinals who do. everything would work out if everyone wasnt so corrupt. as long as the cardinals have the best interests of humanity in mind, they should be able to choose one among them to lead the rest of the church well, but i guess that doesnt always happen...

Mr. Nalley:

The Catholic Bible has 1 & 2 Macabees in it. It explains the time period between the Old and New Testament.

The only reason it's not accepted among Baptists, and such, is because the particular book is basically just a bunch of historical stuff, and is not seen as God-inspired. I'm not too up on the whole reason why it's not accepted, but all I know is that John Macabee (the man who wrote the Macabee books) basically included a lot of his opinion into the books.

And the pope okaying murder was a figure of speech. An extreme. I was saying that Catholics would do anything the Pope says that they can, or should do.

~Ciao Lipton

that was my point when i said that wasnt true, that they wouldnt if it wasnt a right and just thing to do, or at least most catholics who arent completely corrupt...

Mr Lipton

The Catholic Bible has 1 & 2 Maccabees in it
I WILL SAY BEFORE YOU POINTED THAT OUT I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT for some reason the revised American Catholic Bible seems to agree with some of your opinions on those books briefly exaggerated historical stuff written by an author over 2000 years ago. My purpose in this is not to weaken your faith in the bible or any translation of the bible. But you clarified your bet that the followers of the faith would murder if the pope said it was ok. No offense taken. As you did not mention my response to your question' What is the need of the pope? I presume I answered your question satisfactorily I must admit that I misinterpreted your statement about that you could null the catholic faith and the 1.07 billion followers with your bible... I would bet that Bob could more damage chucking bricks at all of the clergy in the hopes that he would kill the ones that committed the horrible abuses of the children. It is getting late and I could write a book on the Balance of the Heart, Soul, and Mind. in fact I have already published a book by that title. God bless you in Christian brotherhood and keep the faith

Prayer for the Mission

O Lord, we pray for the strength to carry out these holy missions
That You may look with favor upon our humble petitions
We pray, that Your most holy living word, that proclaims salvation
Can be understood by all of us, in our own personal situation
We pray for more faith, with the most holy symbol of
The crucifix, that is the greatest proof of Your love
We pray, the light of Christ can be seen by all, so that the darkness of sin will cease
That the Easter candle shines, like the light of Christ to create harmony, and peace
Give us this day our daily bread, the bread that is Jesus, we pray
That nourishes our life, and makes us the bread of life, for today
We are called to Your altar, with Jesus our brother
Sent forth on a mission to serve You, and one another
Lord accept our prayer, as a love poem from all of us to You
So that all of these symbols can be understood before we are through

2/13/03

i think im gonna have to disagree with you there. not all catholics are that bad. maybe some of them are, but definitly not all of them. most catholics act pretty similar to everyone else, they just believe in different things. some can be mean, some can be nice, it depends on the person mostly, not the religion.

Extremist Catholics scare me.

LoL Kaitlin! =)

~Ciao Lipton

That's insane. I don't think a pope should be liberated to be more inline with the modern world. If the Catholics would not accept the doctrines of the Church then they shoul find another church to follow. The church is built on Peter, the unshifting rock! His successor cannot revise any doctrines to modernize this 2000 years old church.