And nobody is "the pope". No one kneels to anyone, or kisses anyone's ring. We are all equals.
You are aware, I'm sure, that every church has the right to ordain it's own clergy? We are, under the law, recognized as a church...we may be a bit non-traditional, but we met enough of the criteria to qualify. Of course, it didn't hurt that our Judge of Probate is related to my son-in-law...
The Apostles, according to scripture, set up a hierarchy in the church. The men who walked and talked with the apostles set up a hierarchy. They were not "all equals". If your church is set up where everyone is an equal, your church is not based on scripture or Christian History. That's not to say you are not good Christians and when I say your church I mean ANY church that is operating the way yours is.
Either you believe in Jesus Christ, or you don't.
Either you believe what He told us:
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
You forgot to put John 14:26 in context. He was talking to his Apostles and telling THEM they will remember everything that He taught THEM. The passage you referenced does not refer to US.
Also, as I pointed out before, you do not believe communion is His body and blood when He said it was. Therefor it seems to me YOU don't believe what He told us.
Or, choosing to pass Him by, you will rely on some man to "interpret scripture" for you.
WHO INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE FOR Love Inc? ARE THEY INFALLIBLE? Furthermore the Pope does not interpret scripture.
This is the second time I have asked this question: Who do you call in your church when one of your members needs anointing for the sick?? (James 5:14)
By your logic, I guess Jesus Christ is our "pope".
YOU have greatly twisted my logic. I am simply saying whoever is the leader of Love Inc. is your Pope. If you have no leader (elder) you do not have a church based on scripture. (I say this in reference to any church like yours. I am not picking on you)
Well, I know that there are hospitals, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc that are Catholic. As far as I know, hospitals are quite adamant that their doctors and nurses will be Catholic...and they are pretty good at what they do. Well, mostly.
Frankly, after seven kids, I was relieved to have my tubes tied so that there wouldn't be any more. Good job that I did, too...given that there could have been eight or nine by the time my David was killed.
Of course, other churches help the poor, too...and without a treasure chest hidden away in some basement somewhere.
Not sure what you mean by "quite adamant that their doctors and nurses be Catholic", however, I do recall in the news a lawsuit filed by a gay employee of a Catholic Hospital for spousal benefits. I could provide a link for you on that story and many other stories in the news about NON Catholic employees at Catholic Hospitals but your disdain for the Catholic Church and our Catholic brothers and sisters is so deep I believe nothing will change your heart/mind. I encourage you to take the time to read the truth instead of reading anti Christian writings. Not sure what is wrong with a Catholic organization preferring that their employees be Catholic. If Love Inc. explodes in growth (let's say 3,000 members) would you hire a Satanist to work for you?
I will say this...the RCC never helped me, or anyone I know. We had a homeless man living under a bridge out near Pensacola. David and I used to bring him food all the time. He wouldn't think of coming home with us, although we offered many times. I think he was concerned about all the kids he saw in our car.
And then, it was Christmas. A Baptist church in Pensacola had bought him a tent, and given him some warm clothes...remember, the climate in Alabama is mild, so camping out isn't as horrible as it might be in, say Buffalo, New York (brrrrr)...but still, he needed a little help. We gave him a little Christmas tree and some decorations for it.
Now, the Catholics knew he was there, and they do have a shelter in Pensacola. But for some reason, they either didn't see him, or they didn't care.
The end of the story is not pretty. Some thugs, thinking that he had Christmas presents, and looking for drug money, killed him and tore his little camp site apart. Two of them were arrested at the scene, the rest fled.
The Catholic Church is well known throughout history for starting missionaries to help the poor and bring the word of Jesus to the WORLD. St. Jude Hospital and Catholic Charities are both in the top 15 charities in the United States along with at least two other Catholic organizations in the top 50 list. Catholic Charities is one of the most generous in the world.
Like I said, I do not live in Europe. Good job I don't, since I don't think I'd be getting the $700...and I know the RCC wouldn't help me.
I live in Alabama, and what I do have, I share.
With most European countries being socialistic in nature you would be getting more than $700.00 a month...... You KNOW the RCC wouldn't help you?? REALLY??
The pope, on the other hand, does live in Europe.
Tom, I do not feast while others fast. The pope, however, lives in opulent splendor, while these poor folks you talk about continue to live in their cardboard houses and scrounge for scraps.
Once again, instead of reading what I wrote you are reading INTO what I wrote. The average poor person in America is very wealthy compared to the average poor person in the WORLD. What YOU have is twice as much as what the average poor person has. COMPARATIVLY you (the average American) do feast as others worldwide fast. When are you going to give up your home for those people who live in cardboard houses and scrounge for scraps?
Think of Jesus' story of the poor widow at the temple.
The rich men who put so much money into the treasury did not impress Jesus one little bit, did they?
According to Him, a poor widow, with her two pennies, put in more than any of them.
Luk 21:1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
Luk 21:2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
Luk 21:3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
Luk 21:4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
You might want to get with whoever you have at Love Inc. that interprets scripture for you to properly interpret that story. That passage isn't really about "money". It is about something much deeper.