How Can You Not Want To Be A Catholic After Seeing The Pope ?

[Righteousone]

How can one not want to be Catholic after witnessing the pope’s visit all this week? This humble and holy man, an Apostle of Peace, who went out of his routine to speak with abuse victims, who was invited to the Jewish synagogue where they treated him very well.
A man who is invited to Ground Zero to pray, (I don’t remember any non-Catholic pastors or people being invited) where it was televised for all the world to see. A man who gathers thousands in his presence by the blink of an eye.
Benedict the XVI is the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. After seeing His holiness, why would you want to be anything else? Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Catholic church.

 

[thecoach]

A) I think this is an inappropriate post for the thread, Non-Catholic Religions.
B) With this Pope, it is VERY easy to not want to!

 

[JimmyJeff]

I definately don’t see with the same eyes as you do. Honestly, his wardrobe seems ostenatious (I can’t imagine Jesus wearing any of those concoctions) and when I saw an article about his clothing and tradition I thought, “here is a man who wants to be Pope waaaay to badly.”

I’m not saying I’m right. I’m just telling you my perception. As to why not be Catholic, the main reason is that I refuse to join a church that tells me I’m sinful for using birth control. I have a hard enough time managing 3 children and a dog without someone telling me I need to be open to more life. So for that reason alone I’d never be Catholic, although I’m not anti-Catholic, don’t hate the Catholic Church and enjoy posting here occasionally.

I’m just being honest.

 

[sandusky]

How can one not want to be Catholic after witnessing the pope’s visit all this week? This humble and holy man, an Apostle of Peace, who went out of his routine to speak with abuse victims, who was invited to the Jewish synagogue where they treated him very well.

A man who is invited to Ground Zero to pray, (I don’t remember any non-Catholic pastors or people being invited) where it was televised for all the world to see. A man who gathers thousands in his presence by the blink of an eye.

Benedict the XVI is the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. After seeing His holiness, why would you want to be anything else?

Doctrine.

 

[Auriel]

Even though I was baptized Catholic (never raised, belong to no church) seeing him makes me NEVER want to take catechism! He is seriously creepy to me. I had a lot of respect for the Late Pope. But there is just something about this current Pope that totally creeps me out.

And adding to the list of mortal sins excessive accumulation of wealth, this from the Vatican? It was amusing to me in a way.

And Oh yeah, what they said…“doctrine”. I just go straight to the source, talk to Jesus myself every day, and confess to him. I think he is cool with that.

Even though I am not into organized religion I have no problem with others being part of it. To each his own.

 

[Auriel]

What I forgot to say though is that I do get him kudos for speaking to victims of Pedophile Priests. Being the victim of a pedophile minister I understand their pain, most want to sweep us under the rug, we remind them of things they would rather forget.

 

[mozart-250]

How can one not want to be Catholic after witnessing the pope’s visit all this week? This humble and holy man, an Apostle of Peace, who went out of his routine to speak with abuse victims, who was invited to the Jewish synagogue where they treated him very well.
A man who is invited to Ground Zero to pray, (I don’t remember any non-Catholic pastors or people being invited) where it was televised for all the world to see. A man who gathers thousands in his presence by the blink of an eye.
Benedict the XVI is the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. After seeing His holiness, why would you want to be anything else? Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Catholic church.

If you can convince me Mary (1) was conceived without original sin (2) did not commit one sin during her entire lifetime (even during the terrible twos) then we can talk.

But you can’t…

 

[Truthstalker]

How can one not want to be Catholic after witnessing the pope’s visit all this week? This humble and holy man, an Apostle of Peace, who went out of his routine to speak with abuse victims, who was invited to the Jewish synagogue where they treated him very well.
A man who is invited to Ground Zero to pray, (I don’t remember any non-Catholic pastors or people being invited) where it was televised for all the world to see. A man who gathers thousands in his presence by the blink of an eye.
Benedict the XVI is the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. After seeing His holiness, why would you want to be anything else? Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Catholic church.

It’s about Jesus, not the Catholic church or its leader, however charming he may be. It’s amusing but sad that you bring up abuse victims - victims of abuse by clergy, and Jews, given his past, and the current concern about the Good Friday prayers, and Ground Zero, when the papal armies massacred far more than died on 9/11 everywhere from southern France to Constantinople, including Jerusalem. Look at what the Church did to the Waldenses, to the Albigensians, to its own children in the abuse scandals, to heretics of every stripe, to the rape of Holland, to the Jews. Apostle of peace? You have not read your history. His holiness? God alone is holy. Your worship of him is of concern. He is just not that big of a deal. I like him, I agree with him a lot, but he is simply not that big of a deal.

There are things I find very attractive about the Catholic church. I have considered converting, and I still may. There are some I do not like, like his relativist, Mary-worshipping predecessor who stood by while the child abuse scandals happened and allowed relativistic rot to spread in the Catholic Church when he should have stomped it out. The next pope may be a Leo X or worse. So one particular pope, no matter how much you may idolize him, doesn’t cut it.

There’s just something about posts like yours that make me want to post posts like this one. I’m even feeling very amiable to the Catholic Church at the moment, and then I read your post. But these are reasons someone might, seeing your wonderful Pope, still not become Catholic.

And doctrine is a very good reason.

 

[seetiger33]

I am a follower of Jesus Christ my Lord.
Not the so called Catholic term. It has so many meanings in todays world does it not?
I look ot no man on earth for salvation I only look to the one that sits at the right hand of the Father.

 

[Tonks40]

I don’t think this is really a fair question to our non-Catholic friends here. Though it would be wonderful for those outside the Church to be inspired by our Holy Father’s visit into looking into the Church, we know that it is through the graces received by the Holy Spirit that they open their minds and hearts to the teachings of Christ as upheld in the Church.

That being said, I hope and pray that the graces we here in America are receiving by the Pontiff’s visit may turn many hearts back to Christ.

 

[Truthstalker]

I don’t think this is really a fair question to our non-Catholic friends here. Though it would be wonderful for those outside the Church to be inspired by our Holy Father’s visit into looking into the Church, we know that it is through the graces received by the Holy Spirit that they open their minds and hearts to the teachings of Christ as upheld in the Church.

That being said, I hope and pray that the graces we here in America are receiving by the Pontiff’s visit may turn many hearts back to Christ.

It’s the sort of question that brings out the worst in us. I hope that the papal vision will serve to heal the divisions within the Catholic Church and with those in the body of Christ outside it.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

It’s the sort of question that brings out the worst in us. I hope that the papal vision will serve to heal the divisions within the Catholic Church and with those in the body of Christ outside it.

**To the question: it’s a very bad reason to become Catholic, because it is based on changeable things such as human beings - who are **fallible & sinful & frail: not on God-given faith from the God of grace. It is a terribly superficial reason. It is a reason based on human respect - but that is a failing, to be avoided.

 

[Crepusculum]

If you can convince me Mary (1) was conceived without original sin (2) did not commit one sin during her entire lifetime (even during the terrible twos) then we can talk.

But you can’t…

If you can convince me that, given the opportunity to be omnipotent creator of the universe and able to choose your own mother when you became incarnate perfect God perfect man, you’d choose to make anything less than perfect (even when you’d already instituted an ark of the covenant that people weren’t allowed to go anywhere near without being pure and you’re going to grow inside her)…

But you can’t

 

[James1982]

It’s about Jesus, not the Catholic church or its leader, however charming he may be. It’s amusing but sad that you bring up abuse victims - victims of abuse by clergy, and Jews, given his past, and the current concern about the Good Friday prayers, and Ground Zero, when the papal armies massacred far more than died on 9/11 everywhere from southern France to Constantinople, including Jerusalem. Look at what the Church did to the Waldenses, to the Albigensians, to its own children in the abuse scandals, to heretics of every stripe, to the rape of Holland, to the Jews. Apostle of peace? You have not read your history. His holiness? God alone is holy. Your worship of him is of concern. He is just not that big of a deal. I like him, I agree with him a lot, but he is simply not that big of a deal.

There are things I find very attractive about the Catholic church. I have considered converting, and I still may. There are some I do not like, like his relativist, Mary-worshipping predecessor who stood by while the child abuse scandals happened and allowed relativistic rot to spread in the Catholic Church when he should have stomped it out. The next pope may be a Leo X or worse. So one particular pope, no matter how much you may idolize him, doesn’t cut it.

There’s just something about posts like yours that make me want to post posts like this one. I’m even feeling very amiable to the Catholic Church at the moment, and then I read your post. But these are reasons someone might, seeing your wonderful Pope, still not become Catholic.

And doctrine is a very good reason.

This post is pretty much what I would say.

I like this pope, actually. I was not drawn to John Paul II much; he did make the Papacy more visible and modern (for lack of a better word). But Benedict never should have had to initiate the first meeting with abuse victims- John Paul II should have.

I actually was moved by reports of Benedict’s meeting. He struck me as a man who was shocked to his core by the evil that had taken root in the church he loves. I feel sorry that he was left with this to clean up.

Benedict is more of what I expect from a head of a church, I think. He seems like a guy who can go toe to toe with any atheist out there and come out ahead. Lots of brain power, and I think if he lives long enough, he’s one of the few guys with enough cred in the Church to start healing things for real among Catholics.

But, he’s 81. What happens in 5-10 years when he dies (maybe less) and a new Pope is elected? And if Benedict is a “transition” Pope like some suggested when he was elected, what exactly is the Church transitioning TO?

Lots of weighty questions. In the end, though, it still comes down to doctrine and interpretation of scriptures. Birth control (at least condoms) is one I really struggle with.

 

[mozart-250]

If you can convince me that, given the opportunity to be omnipotent creator of the universe and able to choose your own mother when you became incarnate perfect God perfect man, you’d choose to make anything less than perfect (even when you’d already instituted an ark of the covenant that people weren’t allowed to go anywhere near without being pure and you’re going to grow inside her)…

But you can’t

For the record…

I am not trying to convince you. If you want to believe that Mary never sinned in her entire lifetime (even during her terrible twos) and was conceived without original sin go right ahead…

First of all the belief has nothing to do with salvation, and second of all the belief can’t be Biblically disproved (imho although in my subjective opinion the weight of Biblical evidence is against this one).

However, I am just listing probably the most incredulous dogma for me to believe (I figure if you can get me to believe this one you can get me to believe the rest of 'em). Since I must believe this in order to be a Catholic, I want a very good reason to believe this is actually true and not an ancient urban legend.

BTW the logic that an omnipotent creator would necessarily make his mother perfect is not convincing. In my opinion there are scores of imperfections and injustices in this world that I wonder why an omnipotent creator would allow, but for some reason He has allowed them.

But this is another thread. And the gazillion that are out there are too much tit-for-tat to be all that interesting.

 

[Rightlydivide]

Peter would never have gone for the display of adoration given the present Pope.
But to speak about the Pope himself, I did not watch much news in the last week or so, saw a couple of clips of adoring people. I heard he apologized some and called people on the carpet about abuse. I am rather neutral on the man himself. Not that interested in general.

 

[Patricktherunne]

Mary was not perfect. There is only one perfect person and that is Jesus. He is the only person that did not sin. He was the perfect man. I don’t remember what verse it was but it says something to the effect of “for all have sinned and all fall short” and “it is through Christ alone that makes us perfect” I know I may be misquoting but its close. I will look it up when I get home.

 

[justinthemartyr]

Mary was sinless.

Mary is called “full of grace”

Jesus is called “full of grace”

not partially filled, not almost full, but full, which means there cannot be sin within her.

 

[believers]

How can one not want to be Catholic after witnessing the pope’s visit all this week? This humble and holy man, an Apostle of Peace, who went out of his routine to speak with abuse victims, who was invited to the Jewish synagogue where they treated him very well.
A man who is invited to Ground Zero to pray, (I don’t remember any non-Catholic pastors or people being invited) where it was televised for all the world to see. A man who gathers thousands in his presence by the blink of an eye.
Benedict the XVI is the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. After seeing His holiness, why would you want to be anything else? Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Catholic church.

Why do you call him “holy”? “Holy Father” was used ONLY ONCE in the Bible by Jesus himself.

Jhn 17:11
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].

 

[justinthemartyr]

Why do you call him “holy”? “Holy Father” was used ONLY ONCE in the Bible by Jesus himself.

Jhn 17:11
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].

The pope is Holy and He is a father of the church as even paul stated himself to be.

what’s the problem?