Holy Inappropriate.

At church last Sunday, while talking about the Sunday School lesson about the early church, the latest Papal Missive entered the conversation. He didn't really say anything that old school traditional Catholics haven't always felt -- but like the late Jerry Falwell, and the all too current Pat Robertson, he still probably should have kept his yap shut...

The Catholic church -- Excuse me, the Roman Catholic church is the only true church. The rest of us, since we can't claim to have been founded by an apostle, are false churches. That sounds extremely presumptuous to me -- Paul received his call from Christ in a vision on the road to Damascus. Other denominations were founded by men with equally valid (or bogus) claims. The idea is, The Church was founded by Jesus Christ -- not the disciples -- and anyone who follows Him is a member of His Church. The Roman Catholic church (much like the children of Israel) strayed from God's teachings too many time to still claim to be the sole keeper of the Truth (would Peter and Paul, men who died for the Faith, have wanted any part of a church who killed for the faith (i.e. the Spanish Inquisition)?) I think the high point in the history of the Catholic church was when they switched to services in the local languages -- when they encouraged the members to read God's Word -- when they reached out in Love, not vengeance to a lost world. This new pope seems to want to undo all that.

You know, I look at today's world, and sometimes I wish things were like they were in days past. So does the pope (the name he chose indicates that -- he isn't continuing the outreach of the John Paul's -- he's going back to the "good old days"). But retreating back to tired old rhetoric and rituals will not erase the memory of the priest scandals, the shrinking leadership, and the diminished influence. It won't undo the collusion with cruel and Godless political regimes, the Fascists, and the Nazi's. Spanish conquistadors still slaughtered thousands and thousands of innocents all for the benefit of the church in Rome. Thousands of God's chosen people were still tortured and murdered by zealous priests doing a Pope's will rather than God's.

Trying to undo the changes that have reached so many for the cause of Christ in the modern Catholic Church seems somewhat unwise to me. But what do I know, I'm Southern Baptist...



PS Unlike some old school Southern Baptists, I am not anti-Catholic. I've had many friends who are Catholic and wholly committed followers of Christ. I find some of the ritual curious (and the obsession some have with Mary) -- but I'm sure a lifelong Catholic would find a Southern Baptist business meeting a bit odd. I'm concerned that the statements coming from the pope seem to indicate a step back to a "we'll tell you what you need to believe - no need to study God's word for your own benefit" time in the church. Hang Tough, my Catholic brothers and sister, we'll be praying for you...