“In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought… For this reason Jesus said to them: ‘You have taken away the key of knowledge.’ The knowledge of Jesus is transformed into an ideological and also moralistic knowledge, because these close the door with many requirements. The faith becomes ideology and ideology frightens, ideology chases away the people, distances, distances the people and distances of the Church of the people. But it is a serious illness, this of ideological Christians. It is an illness, but it is not new, eh?”
~Pope Francis, (October 2013)
Hmm...sounds most familiar...
14 comments:
Hmm...sounds most familiar...
It should to the cheer-captain for team blue.
And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid.
Truth is rigid. Logic is rigid. Principles are rigid.
“For I the LORD do not change;”
— Malachi 3:6a
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
— Hebrews 13:8
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
— Ephesians 2:20–21
If the foundation is not stable (rigid) a structure falls. If we cannot trust in God's nature being stable and unchanging (rigid) we cannot trust anything.
I trust Him (that's what "faith" means) because He is worthy of trust. I do not know everything He is doing or the reasons for what He does—which is why trusting Him is faith, not knowledge—but His nature, attributes, and character are clear.
Without such stability/rigidity, you are left with…
the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
— James 1:6b–8
Our very salvation depends on God's stability. Desiring inappropriate flexibility leads to destruction:
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
— 2 Peter 3:15–17
Desiring inappropriate flexibility leads to destruction
Wow. I have to ask the others in your merry band what they think about this..
Read the scripture, Mark. That's what it says.
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
— 2 Peter 3:15–17
Oh wait, I forgot. It doesn't matter what God says. Only what you want Him to say matters. My bad.
“Did God actually say…?"
— Genesis 3:1 (see also verses 4-5)
The pope is essentially describing you perfectly, NMN but I don't want to put too much effort into convincing you he is right. While I find it amusing that you are essentially calling the leader of the Christian church in the world a non believer (which illustrates the point he is making here quite well), I want you to go on believing the way you do. You need to have that totalitarian control in your life otherwise you'll go berserk and end up doing something awful. I've seen it happen far too many times...
Desiring inappropriate flexibility leads to destruction
Wow. I have to ask the others in your merry band what they think about this..
What? You think inappropriate flexibility is a good thing?
…the leader of the Christian church in the world…
There was this thing a few years back. I think it was called "the Resussi… Regurgi… oh, I remember… Reformation!" Ever heard of it?
And he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.
— Colossians 1:18
you'll go berserk and end up doing something awful. I've seen it happen far too many times...
Really? I'm curious. Can you link to an incident where someone who thinks the Bible is actually The Word of God and is careful to understand that author's actual intent "went berserk"?
Who's in a betting mood? I'm willing to bet a steak dinner than Mark's example will be someone who twists scripture as Peter described (like a cult or Westboro Baptist; but I repeat myself) or who has an actual mental illness. (Such as schizophrenia, hearing voices, etc.)
Let's take a look at what kind of people "go berserk and do something awful", shall we? (Why are they all leftists? Are you projecting again, Mark?)
What? You think inappropriate flexibility is a good thing?
Let's take a look at what kind of people
I'm curious, NMN. What is your perfect vision of our country? How would you implement control over the citizens of this country to ensure that no one would be inappropriately flexible? Perhaps you better define exactly what that means first. Unitarians are out, right?
How would you implement control over the citizens of this country to ensure that no one would be inappropriately flexible?
Example the first: People whose morality is inappropriately flexible with regards to the rights of others, to wit, their right to life - i.e. murder. Such people are 'controlled' via state sponsored punishment a la incarceration and restriction on their right to life.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
— Jesus, Matthew 7:13–14
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”
— Matthew 24:4–5
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
— John 14:6
Ignoring the "narrow gate" and proclaiming the "wide, easy road" as leading to salvation is "inappropriate flexibility" according to Jesus. In fact, according to Jesus himself, salvation only comes through him and all other proclaimed "ways to God" are false and lead to destruction.
“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 840
That's "inappropriate flexibility". It's also part of the Roman Catholic Church's teaching of universal salvation, which is a direct contradiction of Scripture (making it a heresy). See Matthew 7:13-14 above.
BTW,
"None of my predecessors ever wished to use this profane word. For clearly if one patriarch is called "universal," then the name "patriarch" is taken away from the rest…. To consent to this wicked word is nothing less than to destroy the faith…. It is one thing that we should preserve unity of faith; another, that we ought to repress self-exaltation. But I say it confidently, because whoever calls himself "universal bishop," or wishes to be so called, is in his self-exaltation Antichrist's precursor, for in his swaggering he sets himself before the rest."
— Gregory I (540-604), Epistle 18 while he was Bishop of Rome
Mark: you'll go berserk and end up doing something awful. I've seen it happen far too many times...
Me: Really? I'm curious. Can you link to an incident where someone who thinks the Bible is actually The Word of God and is careful to understand that author's actual intent "went berserk"?
It's fascinating how Mark claims this happens "all the time", yet when asked to back it up, he suddenly changes the topic. (That's Standard Response #4, "The "How 'bout that anthrax, eh?" response.")
I can't offer anything here that's better than you continuing to post comments:)
And yet, still no evidence posted to back up his fantasy.
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