What the Pope can and cannot do.

     Not too long ago, Pope Francis seemed to have come out in favour of same sex civil unions.  Whilst we're not sure (Vatican spokesmen don't always speak clearly), but one thing that will never change is Church TEACHING on on homosexuality.

    First, let's start with the Old Testament, "If a man lies with a male, as with a woman; both of them committed an abomination: They shall be put to death, their blood is upon them". (Leviticus 20:13, RSVCE, 2nd Edition).

    Now, I'm not sure we need capital punishment for homosexual acts, but the Old Testament does point to one very important truth: Men and women are made for each other.  Take for instance, this verse:

"And the Lord God said: It is is not good for man to be alone: Let us make a help like unto himself". (Genesis 2:18 Douay Rheims)

    Now, there are some people that say they support Civil Unions for Same Sex couples, but not same sex marriage.  I understand the logic, but, in legal terms, it would still be analogous to marriage.  If you get the same benefits and legal protection as marriage, that's the way the law looks at it.  

    Now, there are some people that make the mistake of saying that Jesus never said marriage was between one man and one woman.  There are two problems with that.

1) He did, and

2) An argument from silence doesn't disprove or prove anything.  By that logic, your neighbour is a serial killer because he never said otherwise.

    So, where did Jesus mention marriage being between one man and one woman?  When the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, and that the commandment about divorce was written for the "hardness of heart".(Mark 10:2-12, and condemns divorce in Lk 16:18, amongst others, not to mention, the Old Testament flat out says God hates divorce, Malachi 2:16)

    Now, I know the classic proof text in defense of the Pope's authority (See Matthew 16:14-19), but I want to focus on this verse: "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.  (Lk 22:31-32 Douay Rheims).

    Now, here's the thing, the office is protected, not the Pope's personal opinions.  A Pope can be heretical, a Pope can even make heretical statements, but a Pope can never teach, as dogma, heresy.

    Here's some more information:Papal Infallibility

     PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER THREE I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT ARTICLE 9 "I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH"  

Jesus is God, not merely a human prophet, and the crucifixion is historical fact

     According to Qur'an, 112:3, "He (God) neither begets nor is begotten".  Odd, as Christians believe Jesus is the only (John 3:16) begotten Son of God (Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, Hebrews 5:5).  Now, Islam claims to be a continuation of Christianity, but, since it denies this (My guess is that Muhammad didn't know what Christians meant by that phrase, Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, but not the same way that you reading this and I typing this are sons of our respective biological fathers). 

    I think that Muslims are wrong about who they think Jesus is (and wrong about the "prophet" Muhammad.  I do not mean to offend well over a billion people, but the evidence that he was a divinely appointed prophet, just isn't there.  For one, no serious historian doubts the crucifixion (which makes Surah 4:157 very problematic)  even if they may doubt the resurrection.  Yet, over a billion people deny an historical fact. 

    Here's the thing:  Jesus's contemporaries certainly believed that he was crucified.  (Antiquities 18:3:3).  So, whom am I going to believe?  Someone several hundred years after the fact, or someone that was at least born (and writing) in the same century?  Islam is not a continuation of Christianity, and it doesn't correct Christianity.  I'm willing to concede that Muslims and Christians worship the same God (there's no other God to worship, and, also, Middle Eastern Christians call God "Allah"), but their Isa, is not my Jesus (Yasū). 

    If you live in an Islamic country, without access to a Bible (if you have Christian friends and you live in Jordan, you should be good) please download TOR, and read it here.  http://bible4u2lvhacg4b3to2e2veqpwmrc2c3tjf2wuuqiz332vlwmr4xbad.onion/en/bible?lang_ref=en&bible_ref=DRA&book_ref=Gen&chapter_ref=1, that is the Douay Rheims version, but, be warned, I am pretty sure that the site is hosted by a Protestant,but this is a Catholic version.  I am going to give you a list of verses to lookup, but, keep in mind, the DR has a different numbering than most modern Bibles, so there's that.  Anyway, in the modern numbering, check out:

    Matthew 27:64, 28,  Mark16:6, 16:14, Luke 24:5, 2 Timothy 2:8, also, important to remember that he appeared to his followers AFTER rising from the dead.  The Quran conveniently ignores this, so it doesn't have to try to explain it away.  Here are some verses, Luke 24:34, (and here's one for, at the time, a non-follower Acts 9:4), 1 Corinthians 15:5-8).  Here's the thing though, whilst the Quran does acknowledge that God does forgive sins (Quran 3: 15–16, Quran 4: 3),but, does not think that blood sacrifice is necessary  (Qur'an, sura 22, ayat 37)  For the Christian, that is EXACTLY what is required.  1 Corinthians 15:14.  Judaism has the the idea of blood sacrifice as well (see the Book of Leviticus), so Christians are hardly alone on this. 

    As for my own views on this, I think many Muslims are misinformed about WHAT Christians believe.  They have been told things that are a misrepresentation of Christian belief.  I think many Muslims may be good, holy people, that try to serve God.  But they are wrong about Jesus.

 

          By the way, least I forget, the Bible does explicitly call Jesus God.  See, Philippians 2:6, John 1:1-4, and John 8:58.  The whole reason that Jesus's death is a big deal is because he is the one mediator between God and man, because he IS God and man.  (1 Timothy 2:5).