You don't need a Pope, because you ARE your Pope.
That's not nice Trento.
This is how your Faith works - that you may discern and create your own doctrine based on your own reading of Scriptures.
How do you know how her faith works? Just because she doesn't agree with you? mmmmm............
The problem with this practice is that your Faith is now limited on your own personal resources and abilities in regards to ths task.
Care to prove that? We have the full resources of our church, it's just not your church.
In addition, how do you know that your discernment is in agreement with your fellow discerners?
Because my church tells me so......
If there is a quarrel, who is "right"?
Not you!!
If you assent to the teachings shared by a congregation, then whoever has discerned those teachings into doctrine is your Pope.
Nah, It's scripture and the HS.
If you are a Roman Catholic and assent to the authority of this Church - the Bishop of Rome and Pontiff is your Pope.
So that IS your pope.
The Pontiff occupies the office that is the person at the head of this institution.
Yeah, kind of like a CEO or the like.:o
Church is not some abstraction then, but a living, breathing entity made up of the Body of Faithful and the people within that Body that administrate it.
Nope, no abstraction, only the body of believers.
You choose to disregard the many evidences of the unique role and special authority given to Peter.
Yep!! Cause it's wrong.
EVEN if scripture is disregarded, the bulk of HISTORICAL evidence confirms that many began to see the Bishop of Rome - and that office as a visual representative of the continued presence of Christ on earth and in his Church.
Not really. I guess you need to read more history.
As time progressed the different Churches began to look to the Bishop of Rome to carry on the role of leadership for all the Church, sought it's counsel, deferred to it's leadership.
Or burn at the stake? mmmm.......
I am of the opinion that some Faiths then consider that "self-definition" a perfectly adequate framework on which the vine of personal Faith may weave its way through.
Thanks for offering your opinion.
Roman Catholics do not accept this - they believe that the framework of Faith IS defined at some higher level than self- it has been defined by Jesus and the example of His relationship and His instruction on how we should live that relationship.
Yep! Jesus defined it but never said that the Roman Catholic Church was it.
Within a one-block world of Christendom - there's 3 different teachings on the subject, because of the doctirne of "self-discernment".
Christendom? The earthly kingdom of the Roman Catholic Church? A little prideful, don't you think?
How does He do this, whisper in your ear? Why is it that when a billion Catholics are instructed a uniform teaching of Biblical Faith to follow, that is anything other than the Lord causing that to happen.
Resistance is futile. We will assimilate you.
if two people claim to have an inspired revelation of Faith from their discernment of Scriptures, those two positions, practices or instructions better be consistent, or I am going to accuse one of them of CLAIMING Spiritual influence, without really having it.
Spiritual influence? I didn't see that in the RC cannon of law. What is the penalty for that?
If The Holy Spirit truly guided the three of you - you would all agree, as Scriptural Truth is not relative to the believer, but absolute (the same for everything and everybody).
Not!!! The HS works in mysterious ways.
Within the Roman Catholic Church, there is one Faith defined - and we choose how we follow that Faith.
"We" is not even part of the equation. What Rome says, it just is.
Therefore - I argue that because there is one uniform teaching that is clearly taught in each and every Parish - this consistency IS evidence of the influence of the Spirit - or at least a much more compelling case than three people disagreeing (which 2 are wrong?)
You can argue but................
If all these diverging discernment's are "inspired" or "guided", then the guide sure has a great sense of humor.
God has a great sense of humor.
I have always seen the Pope as the greatest servant of the Church, having given up his own life, his agenda, family, personal goals etc. to serve God by serving Church.
Have you read any of the history of the church from before the 11th or 12th century and forward? Jewel encrusted crowns? Palaces? Ruling over kings? Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, ......... Obviously not.
This subordination of self to something else is what makes one "least" in my opinion. "Greats" aspire to personal achievement and glory.
The only glory that we need or want is the glory of God. Earthly glory accounts for nothing. Remember, those that are last on earth will be first in Heaven.
