iakov said:
Peter and the angel never objected to kissing any pope's ring because there weren't any popes at the time. You are confused.
<<Falling on on knee before the King was considered "worship",>>
No, it was a sign of respect for his office and his power. It was not the same as worshiping God or a god.
You're trying to make a point where there is no point to be made in order to excuse your slander against your brothers and sisters who worship God in the RCC. I ain't buyin' it. You've apparently been taught to hate Roman Catholics and you're doing what you've been taught by your church or whoever convinced you to ignore Jesus' command rather than obeying Jesus' commanded which was, "Love one another."
So, why do you call Jesus "Lord" if you don't do what He commands?
I find it curious and sad that so many Protestant churches have a need to teach hatred for fellow members of the Body of Christ and go to great lengths to make excuses trying to justify their demonically inspired hatred.
I suspect that Jesus isn't buying any of it because He told us to love. He said to love the LORD (Mat 22:37), love one another (Jhn 15:12), love your neighbor (Mat 22:39), and even love your enemies. (Mat 5:44)
I'm not feelin' the love. :-(
<<What it says on paper, and what is in the hearts of the common "KATHlick" are often two very different things.>>
Oh! So you know what's in people's hearts! Are you the Holy Spirit! I though you were just flesh and blood like me. My apologies.
What's in your heart? So far, you've expended a lot of energy trying to justify your hatred of Catholics.
<<But, hey...we each have a right and a responsibility to search the scriptures, like those noble Bereans, to see if these things be so.>>
Scriptures like; Mat 22:37, Jhn 15:12, Mat 22:39, Mat 5:44, and Luk 6:46???
Here's two passages to consider:
Mar 7:20-23 “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Phl 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
Does your reviling of and hatred toward Catholics better fit the first passage or the second?
How about this one, my Berean friend: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Mat 5:16)
What kind of light does hatred toward others shine?
For the sake of your soul, please, put a sock in it.
iakov
First of all, I do not hate anyone. Goodness, Iakov, you can disagree with someone, without hating them.
And secondly, speaking of hate, what is this tirade of yours? If you think I am wrong...and obviously, you do...should you not lovingly correct me? Instead, you spew a whole page of hate at me. Why?
You said:
Peter and the angel never objected to kissing any pope's ring because there weren't any popes at the time. You are confused.
So, then, Peter was not the first pope? I'm sure he will be relieved to hear it.
You said:
No, it was a sign of respect for his office and his power. It was not the same as worshiping God or a god.
What I had actually said was:
Falling on on knee before the King was considered "worship", although very few people thought of the king as a god, although in some cultures the King, or ruler, was thought to be descended from the gods.
Still, whether you thought he was a god or not, he had life and death authority over his subjects, so if he said "kneel" you hit the floor, right? And if he said he was a god, you said, "Yes, your Glory".
At one time, the Pope held this kind of authority, even over Emperors, who hit their knees and kissed that ring, just as expected. Not to do so could be a rather....uh...painful choice...
I guess you've never heard of the Egyptian pharoahs, who were thought to be gods, or the Roman emperors who insisted that they were gods...one of them...Caligula, called "Little Boots...even had a golden stall made for his horse, whom, he said, was also a god. And then there were the Mayans, who believed that their rulers were gods who had come to them from the sky...I'm sure I could think of many more examples of god-kings.
Being of Welsh descent, I know that there were those who believed in the Arthurian legend, who were sure that their duchess, the Lady Igraine, was impregnated by a god...her husband, the duke, was away, fighting Ambrosius' armies, while Ambrosius himself, disguised by magic to look like her husband, went to her and...well, if you don't know the rest of the story, I'm sure you can guess. Then, too, Ambrosius himself, being Roman...
You are the one who spelled Catholic "KATHlick"...somehow I got the impression that you had a sense of humor. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing, actually...
As a kid growing up in upstate New York, I had a great many Catholic friends. I still keep in touch with some of them. The only reason I knew what was in the hearts of some of their older aunts or grandmothers, was because they told us. The pope was, in their eyes, second only to Jesus Christ. Because he is Christ on earth, he is also divine...not in the same sense as the Trinity, but in the same way as Mary is divine. It was confusing to me, so don't expect me to explain it...I'm simply reporting on what I was told by some of these folks. I'd tell you to take it up with them, but I'm pretty sure they'd be dead by now, seeing as the child I was is now a 65 year old great grandma...
I was never taught to hate Catholics, by anyone. There are several things that Catholics believe that I disagree with, but that is not the same thing as hating them. I tell you with all the love in my heart...this elevating of a mere man to the office of "vicar of Christ" and making him "infallible" has proven, again and again, to be a huge mistake.
Iakov, my dear brother in Christ, do consider whether these things you are saying to me reflect your own light. Surely, if you are a member of the Lord's True Church, you ought to have a light to shine on my darkness...is this it? Because you aren't showing me anything...
I am very glad that the Catholic church does not have the power she once had...otherwise, my loving Catholic brothers and sisters would very lovingly burn me at the stake for being a "heretic". With all the love in their hearts, they would listen to me scream...
I suppose I ought to be thankful that the worst they can do to me in this century, is to tell me to "put a sock in it."
Yeah, I'm feelin' the love....
Feels a bit like being stretched out on the rack, or being shut into an iron maiden....