Protestants claiming the pope is too powerful

[Daniel Peres]

Protestans always claim that the pope is too powerful. I find this accusation funny. One of the reasons I perfer Catholicism is because, compared to other churches’ leadership, the pope is weak.

Just think about all of the changes protestant learship has made to Christianity that the pope could never do. For example, most Protestant leaders now teach contraception is ok. The pope has no authority to do that. Most protestants deny the real presnce of Jesus in the Eucharist. The pope has no authority to do that.

I find great comfort in knowing that my leader has no authority to mess around with Christian orthodoxy. I find great comfort in knowing the pope has actually very little authority compare to the leadership of other churches.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Protestans always claim that the pope is too powerful. I find this accusation funny. One of the reasons I perfer Catholicism is because, compared to other churches’ leadership, the pope is weak.

Just think about all of the changes protestant learship has made to Christianity that the pope could never do. For example, most Protestant leaders now teach contraception is ok. The pope has no authority to do that. Most protestants deny the real presnce of Jesus in the Eucharist. The pope has no authority to do that.

I find great comfort in knowing that my leader has no authority to mess around with Christian orthodoxy. I find great comfort in knowing the pope has actually very little authority compare to the leadership of other churches.

Amen.
Not only is divorce followed by remarriage, contraception, and number of other moral issues in the hands of Protestant leadership and people to change as they please. They may also change their own church polity as they please, change from Calvinist to something else if their leaders and people please. Adopt new theories and trendy doctrines as they please. How else can one explain the explosion of Charismatic and Pentecostal doctrines currently so much in vogue?

Yet Catholic laity can be influenced by these things with tacit approval from the hierarchy. So while our Protestant brethren are in this particular doctrinal difficulty deeper than is the Catholic Church it is nevertheless true that many Catholics have jumped in as well.

 

[Daniel Peres]

Amen.
Not only is divorce followed by remarriage, contraception, and number of other moral issues in the hands of Protestant leadership and people to change as they please. They may also change their own church polity as they please, change from Calvinist to something else if their leaders and people please. Adopt new theories and trendy doctrines as they please. How else can one explain the explosion of Charismatic and Pentecostal doctrines currently so much in vogue?

Yet Catholic laity can be influenced by these things with tacit approval from the hierarchy. So while our Protestant brethren are in this particular doctrinal difficulty deeper than is the Catholic Church it is nevertheless true that many Catholics have jumped in as well.

It is true that many Catholics have jumped as well. However, the Catholic Church has safeguards which prevent any official changes. No pope or Ecumenical Council has the authority to contradict the deposit of faith nor any prior infallible teaching. They can try, and they certainly have tried, but they cannot because they don’t have the authority.

 

[Jonaitis]

Protestans always claim that the pope is too powerful. I find this accusation funny. One of the reasons I perfer Catholicism is because, compared to other churches’ leadership, the pope is weak.

Just think about all of the changes protestant learship has made to Christianity that the pope could never do. For example, most Protestant leaders now teach contraception is ok. The pope has no authority to do that. Most protestants deny the real presnce of Jesus in the Eucharist. The pope has no authority to do that.

I find great comfort in knowing that my leader has no authority to mess around with Christian orthodoxy. I find great comfort in knowing the pope has actually very little authority compare to the leadership of other churches.

Where is the "pope" in Scripture? As far as I am concerned, Christ "is the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18).

 

[Daniel Peres]

Where is the "pope" in Scripture? As far as I am concerned, Christ "is the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18).

Christ is indeed the head of the body, the church. He is the Jewish Messiah, and like all Davidic kings he appointed a chief steward to act on his behalf while he was away. Scripture in the OT is clear that the chief steward is the one with the keys to the kingdom. The OT also says this chief steward is like a father to the kingdom and pope means father. The NT is clear that Jesus, as king, gave the keys to Peter. Is that enough scripture for you?

I guess you can ask if Peter is still the chief steward operating from heaven, but that sounds silly to me. Therefore, the office holder must still be here on earth, and it is.

Bottom line, the Messiah must have a chief steward. So, who can he possibly be?

 

[Jonaitis]

Christ is indeed the head of the body, the church. He is the Jewish Messiah, and like all Davidic kings he appointed a chief steward to act on his behalf while he was away. Scripture in the OT is clear that the chief steward is the one with the keys to the kingdom. The OT also says this chief steward is like a father to the kingdom and pope means father. The NT is clear that Jesus, as king, gave the keys to Peter. Is that enough scripture for you?

I guess you can ask if Peter is still the chief steward operating from heaven, but that sounds silly to me. Therefore, the office holder must still be here on earth, and it is.

Bottom line, the Messiah must have a chief steward. So, who can he possibly be?

It does not satisfy me.

The East-West split was more than a theological departure, but also a politically influenced one. The pope is the result of the political climate of the time up until that split occurred. Defending the "pope" with Scripture is like defending Donald Trump with Scripture.

 

[Daniel Peres]

It does not satisfy me.

The East-West split was more than a theological departure, but also a politically influenced one. The pope is the result of the political climate of that time, but it has no place in the Christian faith.

The east-west schism is comical to me. First, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Constantinople. Well, guess who established the patriarchy of Constantinople? The pope. Now look how things have turned out. The west has grown dramatically, and the pope now has his own country. The east has been decimated, the Patriarch of Constantinople is subordinate to the Muslim president of Turkey. Wouldn’t he be better off if he had remained loyal to the bishop of Rome?

You may not be satisfied, but scripture and present reality convince me.

 

[JoeT]

Where is the "pope" in Scripture? As far as I am concerned, Christ "is the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18).

Matthew 16:18, the authority of the Church is found in Matthew 18:18; 28:19-20. Christ is the head and the Church is comprised of the members of body of Christ. Protesting the body is not being members of member unless you belong to another.

JoeT