Praying to the Buddha

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When you mock the saints you mock God. You better watch out.
I’m speechless (almost) at your equating mocking the saints (which I didn’t do. It’s called disagreeing with them) with God Himself. Wow, that seems like an idol more than a Buddha statue. I would say that you should heed your own advice my friend. If you can’t question saints, bishops and priests on spiritual matters then I would say you are a blind follower.

MW
 
You better had check up on your Bible. Saint Paul says that all idols are demons. This is false ecumenism run wild. Do you go to Mecca and pray? Do you kiss the Koran?
It is just a matter of respect not idol worship.
I worked at a Wal Mart for seven years and I saw more respect come through those doors from the immigrants than anyone else.
They didn’t require me to kiss anything but give them back the respect they give. They brought their wives and children here to bring a hope and a better future for them. I saw them give much attention to their families trying to teach the wives to learn a way to live on their own, completely against their culture in their country. Allowing the children to learn the language and assimilate and yet retain some of their own culture, yes this seems like an intrusion but no more than in the early years when many other nations came. I know I’m going to get flack but you have to live among them to see if you really know them and I don’t work there(wa;-M) anymore and wouldn’t chose to , but the people are people and care about their wives and children and come fromwartorn countries to our safe harbor so we must at least show respect for the individual as one to one. Mostly this is how I feel as it is one to one.
 
Sounds closed-minded and insecure if you ask me. If I am firm in my faith and seek cooperation and exchange of peace with others, then I see no prohibition of praying with others.
It has nothing to do with insecurity. It is a holy teaching of the Church - There is no salvation outside of the Church. It would however, be an insecure or poorly catechized Catholic who would pray as if there were salvation outside the Church.
Remember when the disciples told Jesus that others were casting out demons in His name and asked if they should stop him because he wasn’t “one of us”. Jesus then replied that if he is not against us he is for us.
The key here is “in his name”. This man was casting out demons in the name of Christ, not the name of Buddha. If one believes that salvation can be attained through Buddha, or through nirvana - then they are indeed against Christ.
Time for a spiritual self-exaltation checkup for St. Margaret and anyone else who refuses others who fight evil in this world.
This is a saint - this a person who is in heaven. This person has attained salvation - if only we could all follow her lead!

Evil is anything that is contrary to God’s will - Nirvana, or other Buddhist concepts are indeed contrary to God’s will and can thus be labeled as evil.

Now we all fall short of the mark, and Christ is the ultimate judge. We cannot know for certain what fate lies for those Buddhists who do good works without ever confronting Christ.- With that in mind I can say two things - 1- God is compassionate and merciful and works in mysterious ways. 2 that said, your best bet is to be in the Church, and to say anything less would be poor advice - you can’t remain satisfied with the fact that they are good people, it isn’t enough to simply be good, especially when Christ awaits us all.
 
It is just a matter of respect not idol worship.
I worked at a Wal Mart for seven years and I saw more respect come through those doors from the immigrants than anyone else.
They didn’t require me to kiss anything but give them back the respect they give. They brought their wives and children here to bring a hope and a better future for them. I saw them give much attention to their families trying to teach the wives to learn a way to live on their own, completely against their culture in their country. Allowing the children to learn the language and assimilate and yet retain some of their own culture, yes this seems like an intrusion but no more than in the early years when many other nations came. I know I’m going to get flack but you have to live among them to see if you really know them and I don’t work there(wa;-M) anymore and wouldn’t chose to , but the people are people and care about their wives and children and come fromwartorn countries to our safe harbor so we must at least show respect for the individual as one to one. Mostly this is how I feel as it is one to one.
This can be said of all people - immigrant or American. The opposite can also be said of various people. The point is, we can’t paint broad strokes and stereotype -for better or for worse.

And not all immigrants are non-Christian or non-Catholic for that matter. So don’t equate religion with foreigner, it doesn’t work that way.

This really has little to do with immigrants, and more so to do with non-catholic faiths. Heck, I’d be an immigrant in America (i’m Canadian).
 
I’m speechless (almost) at your equating mocking the saints (which I didn’t do. It’s called disagreeing with them) with God Himself. Wow, that seems like an idol more than a Buddha statue. I would say that you should heed your own advice my friend. If you can’t question saints, bishops and priests on spiritual matters then I would say you are a blind follower.

MW
You told a saint to have a spiritual check-up - that’s quite derogatory to us Catholics. If you disagree with the saint simply say so - the way in which you “disagreed” with the saint was quite distasteful.

We model our lives after saints- for saints are people who have attained salvation - we can only hope to live as they did.

No one here mentioned bishops or priests - not all bishops and priests are saints - there is a huge difference there.

All Catholics are encouraged to question, so that they may find the truth. The Church being the institution which holds the fullest expression of truth does not shy from questions - because every question is a chance to reveal God.
 
I suppose Buddha ( is this the correct spelling) was similar father figure to the old woman, maybe he was a mystic. Maybe she recieved answered prayers, to her they would seem real.

Maybe she sees him now as a holy man or was but not before as she didn’t know what a holy man was before learning of the saints and miracle workers.

Good luck coming to USA now the borders are getting more and more picky I hear we have to now have passports. And birth cert.
Come on down I’m not far from the border just a couple hundred miles l almost went into Canada a couple times. My dad has fished a lot up there. 🙂 👍
 
It has nothing to do with insecurity. It is a holy teaching of the Church - There is no salvation outside of the Church. It would however, be an insecure or poorly catechized Catholic who would pray as if there were salvation outside the Church.

The key here is “in his name”. This man was casting out demons in the name of Christ, not the name of Buddha. If one believes that salvation can be attained through Buddha, or through nirvana - then they are indeed against Christ.

This is a saint - this a person who is in heaven. This person has attained salvation - if only we could all follow her lead!

Evil is anything that is contrary to God’s will - Nirvana, or other Buddhist concepts are indeed contrary to God’s will and can thus be labeled as evil.

Now we all fall short of the mark, and Christ is the ultimate judge. We cannot know for certain what fate lies for those Buddhists who do good works without ever confronting Christ.- With that in mind I can say two things - 1- God is compassionate and merciful and works in mysterious ways. 2 that said, your best bet is to be in the Church, and to say anything less would be poor advice - you can’t remain satisfied with the fact that they are good people, it isn’t enough to simply be good, especially when Christ awaits us all.
Thank you for this brief and concise observation of some of what
diffrentiates the two faiths and also agree with the previous poster’s observation that the Catholic woman praying to the Buddha might have filled the (may be childhood )relatedness to Buddha as a Father figure .

If so, it can give us some insight as to where The Church need to shore up its approach to The Truth …Yes , Buddha appears as a benevolent Father figure …but wait till you meet The Father …who can turn suffering to joy …and even meritorious …who offers not endless reincarnations and stoic efforts at detachment , where as we are made for relationships , as our Trinitarian Father is …and who alone can offer the human heart that yearns for perfect justice the true freedom from the weight of its debts …

"Show us The Father and that shall be sufficient for us " - that same pleading echoed from The Biblical times …

And our Lord answered - 'If you have seen Me, you have seen The Father "…

Buddhism , in one sense, might have been allowed by a Merciful God , to have prepared a culture steeped in the confusion of polytheism , of gods who were at war with each other , and promoting animals as better than humans ( the old lie in The Garden !) to have become slowly detached from the same and able to accept The Truth , in its fullness - how There
IS a Father of Infinite Love and He has gone to the utmost extent , to offer us again , to be with Him , in His Kingdom , for all eternity and He cherishes our relationship , with Him as well as with each other …

Glory be… to The Father, Son and Holy Spirit !
 
You told a saint to have a spiritual check-up - that’s quite derogatory to us Catholics. If you disagree with the saint simply say so - the way in which you “disagreed” with the saint was quite distasteful.
If the saint is going against what was taught in the Bible then yes, they need a spiritual check-up. Just because your church canonized them as a saint doesn’t make them any more holy or right than you or me. I tell it like I see it.

We all need a spiritual check-up and anyone, saint or not, who claims that we shouldn’t (hear this now) pray with protestants and vice-versa is separating themselves and going against the teaching of Jesus as recorded in the Bible that we follow. He said, “do not forbid them” to cast out devils just because they were not one of the 12 disciples. That’s what I was talking about and referenced before, not about praying to Buddha.
We model our lives after saints- for saints are people who have attained salvation - we can only hope to live as they did.
No one here mentioned bishops or priests - not all bishops and priests are saints - there is a huge difference there.
All Catholics are encouraged to question, so that they may find the truth. The Church being the institution which holds the fullest expression of truth does not shy from questions - because every question is a chance to reveal God.
I model my life after the teaching of Christ, knowing that even the disciples were not perfect and even the saints. If I follow a saint, priest or bishop (all the same category to me) instead of what the Bible is saying then there’s a problem. And the Bible would settle the issue, not church authority or a canonized saint.

This person I was responding to took the words of the saint and did not question their teaching. That’s the problem I had.

Peace…

MW
 
It has nothing to do with insecurity. It is a holy teaching of the Church - There is no salvation outside of the Church. It would however, be an insecure or poorly catechized Catholic who would pray as if there were salvation outside the Church.
I believe it does. I do not follow the teachings of your church and am not bound by them. Salvation is found outside the Catholic Church, in the Orthodox churches and in Protestant churches and outside the organized churches. Your God is too small.
The key here is “in his name”. This man was casting out demons in the name of Christ, not the name of Buddha. If one believes that salvation can be attained through Buddha, or through nirvana - then they are indeed against Christ.
This is a saint - this a person who is in heaven. This person has attained salvation - if only we could all follow her lead!
You missed what I was talking about. I was referring to the saints mention of praying with protestants, not talking about Buddhists.
Evil is anything that is contrary to God’s will - Nirvana, or other Buddhist concepts are indeed contrary to God’s will and can thus be labeled as evil.
Now we all fall short of the mark, and Christ is the ultimate judge. We cannot know for certain what fate lies for those Buddhists who do good works without ever confronting Christ.- With that in mind I can say two things - 1- God is compassionate and merciful and works in mysterious ways. 2 that said, your best bet is to be in the Church, and to say anything less would be poor advice - you can’t remain satisfied with the fact that they are good people, it isn’t enough to simply be good, especially when Christ awaits us all.
Evil is the absence of good, the absence of God, the absence of light. The Church is not Christ. The Church universal belongs to Christ. Therefore they are not one and the same.

Peace…

MW
 
I believe it does. I do not follow the teachings of your church and am not bound by them. Salvation is found outside the Catholic Church, in the Orthodox churches and in Protestant churches and outside the organized churches. Your God is too small.

MW
It’s not our idea of God that is too small - it’s your idea of our Church which is too small.

If you are saved it is through the Catholic Church, which is no less than the Body of Christ. Full stop.

If you are saved then you are of the Body of Christ and are thus part of the Catholic Church, albeit imperfectly 🙂 👍 :cool:
 
I believe it does. I do not follow the teachings of your church and am not bound by them.
Can one be secure in their faith and hold to this ancient teaching? Have the millions upon millions, of Catholics throughout the last two millenia who have professed this teaching - have they all been “insecure”? Really, the notion that this view is born out of insecurity is hardly an argument at all, and is actually quite absurd. I could easily turn around and say the same of your beliefs, whatever they may be.
Salvation is found outside the Catholic Church, in the Orthodox churches and in Protestant churches and outside the organized churches.
The Catholic Church holds the fullness of the Truth, if salvation is to be found by anyone who belongs to those groups/Churches it is only because they share partly in what the Church holds most fully.
Your God is too small.
Your God is meaningless. What is the purpose of pursuing any religion if all roads to lead to heaven? If salvation is found in Nirvana, the predestined, faith or good works - what does it matter? Heck, might as well be an atheist and stop all this Church stuff. As long as I’m a good person, right?
You missed what I was talking about. I was referring to the saints mention of praying with protestants, not talking about Buddhists.
I confess I don’t know much of this saint, but seeing as she was martyred - it seems she was right. The Catholic position believes that there is only one Truth. She believed this with all her heart and was martyred evidently for it. She said her “amen” and they said their own “amen”.

Catholicism believes there is one Truth, you cannot say the ultimate goal of life is salvationthrough Christ, while at the same time say that the ultimate goal is to achieve nirvana. That’s the way truth works, someone has to be wrong.
Evil is the absence of good, the absence of God, the absence of light.
Good is God’s will, God is made present through His will, His will is our light. To contradict His will is indeed evil, because there can be no good outside of his will.
The Church is not Christ. The Church universal belongs to Christ. Therefore they are not one and the same.

The Church is the mystical body of Christ. The Church is the bride of Christ. Christ is made present through the Church.
 
It’s not our idea of God that is too small - it’s your idea of our Church which is too small.
Actually, it’s both. To you He only saves some. And apart from your church there is no salvation. Whatever modern spin about what that means theologically doesn’t change the fact that those outside the Catholic Church cannot be saved.
If you are saved it is through the Catholic Church, which is no less than the Body of Christ. Full stop.

If you are saved then you are of the Body of Christ and are thus part of the Catholic Church, albeit imperfectly 🙂 👍 :cool:
Oh yes, I’ve heard that before. Salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ himself (as Scripture says), not an institution you believe He created or those He gave his teachings to.

Peace…

MW
 
Sounds closed-minded and insecure if you ask me.
Let’s be fair here–I’m pretty sure that Protestant clergy were trying to pray with her before her execution, as a way of showing compassion but also as a kind of religious imperialism–making it clear whose religion had won and depriving her death of its power as a witness for Catholicism. Catholic clergy did the same thing to Protestant martyrs. It’'s quite understandable that a martyr would refuse this kind of manipulative “ecumenism” coming from the people who were torturing and killing her.

Edwin
 
Actually, it’s both. To you He only saves some. And apart from your church there is no salvation. Whatever modern spin about what that means theologically doesn’t change the fact that those outside the Catholic Church cannot be saved.

Oh yes, I’ve heard that before. Salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ himself (as Scripture says), not an institution you believe He created or those He gave his teachings to.

Peace…

MW
You can’t be saved by Jesus Christ - that is, saved at all - if you know of Him and His teachings (and he said those who love Him will obey His teachings) but don’t believe in Him or them, surely. It’s ridiculous to think otherwise.

And the Church is His own body and His own bride - scripture makes that clear. Given His own authority - the power to bind and loose heaven. He gave that to the Apostles, and to Peter specifically, not to you or I.

It’s those who know but refuse to accept or believe that are outside the Church and unsaved, not those who are honestly unsure or unaware. As opposed, of course, to those who conveniently feign ignorance or agnosticism because of their selfishness or spiritual or intellectual pride. Not that I’m pointing fingers at any particular individual, but such do exist, no doubt.

And He created the Church, how can I possibly doubt it? He said to Peter ‘on this rock I will build my Church’, so of course He did! I didn’t make up those words, He said 'em and they were recorded.
 
Can one be secure in their faith and hold to this ancient teaching? Have the millions upon millions, of Catholics throughout the last two millenia who have professed this teaching - have they all been “insecure”? Really, the notion that this view is born out of insecurity is hardly an argument at all, and is actually quite absurd. I could easily turn around and say the same of your beliefs, whatever they may be.
I know many people who will not study other religions because they are afraid of being “tainted” and drawn away from their faith. However absurd it may seem to you doesn’t negate this truth. I have studied various religions, and I’m not in the least insecure. I don’t feel threatened by studying Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Paganism, etc.
The Catholic Church holds the fullness of the Truth, if salvation is to be found by anyone who belongs to those groups/Churches it is only because they share partly in what the Church holds most fully.
According to your church, yes. I could say that Bob Marley is a god but that doesn’t make it so.
Your God is meaningless. What is the purpose of pursuing any religion if all roads to lead to heaven? If salvation is found in Nirvana, the predestined, faith or good works - what does it matter? Heck, might as well be an atheist and stop all this Church stuff. As long as I’m a good person, right?
Again, I don’t know where you are getting this stuff. I didn’t say it, so you must have me confused with someone else. I never said anything about nirvana or atheism, etc. I never said your God was meaningless either. I said he was too small. Not big enough and beyond your comprehension.

You believe that your righteousness, beliefs and church affiliation get you an automatic smiley sticker from the Great Physician and that makes you somehow special. The purpose of pursuing good things, righteousness, compassion and love is for this world, not the one to come. Your belief is that these things lead to a future goal of heaven and that’s why you do them. I believe in doing them just for the sake of doing them, not to attain some lofty goal.

I will say that my beliefs are experiential and mystical, not based on concepts of what is true or not. I have started two blogs that share my beliefs. You wouldn’t understand or believe it. People are so caught up in concepts and perceptions that they fail to see spiritual truths that have nothing to do with this or that church or ritual or belief.

I’ve talked to spirits who passed away that committed suicide and/or were part of satanic cults. They were afraid of punishment and wouldn’t go into the light. But after assuring them that God is compassionate and will clean up their impurities they went into the light and found peace.

I could care less about doctrine and dogma when it means ziltch to the many people who just want to be loved and accepted and forgiven.
I confess I don’t know much of this saint, but seeing as she was martyred - it seems she was right. The Catholic position believes that there is only one Truth. She believed this with all her heart and was martyred evidently for it. She said her “amen” and they said their own “amen”.
So, if I’m martyred tomorrow by a raging mob of Muslims that would mean I’m right too? Bad logic my friend.
Catholicism believes there is one Truth, you cannot say the ultimate goal of life is salvationthrough Christ, while at the same time say that the ultimate goal is to achieve nirvana. That’s the way truth works, someone has to be wrong.
The Church is the mystical body of Christ. The Church is the bride of Christ. Christ is made present through the Church.
I think this is an episode from the Twilight Zone. Again, I’ve never compared salvation through Christ and nirvana.

:coffeeread:

(Sigh) Someone has to be wrong, eh? Yes, yes, of course. The great Greek philosophers gave us logic and reason and thought.

A cannot be A and B at the same time and in the same place.

At some point you will be able to accept (hopefully) that God cannot be confined to such concepts and neither should you be. The box and label He has been put in must be destroyed.

Peace…

MW
 
Let’s be fair here–I’m pretty sure that Protestant clergy were trying to pray with her before her execution, as a way of showing compassion but also as a kind of religious imperialism–making it clear whose religion had won and depriving her death of its power as a witness for Catholicism. Catholic clergy did the same thing to Protestant martyrs. It’'s quite understandable that a martyr would refuse this kind of manipulative “ecumenism” coming from the people who were torturing and killing her.

Edwin
From the post of Fatima I didn’t see that information. It just said that she said that in response to protestants asking her to pray with them. Then later in the quote fatima mentioned the saint refused to go to trial for harbouring Catholic priests and was killed because of that.

If what you are saying is the case, then I wouldn’t blame her for not wanting to pray with those who killed her. Even still, the Lord Jesus asked for the Father to forgive those who crucified him. How can we do any less?

Peace…

MW
 
You can’t be saved by Jesus Christ - that is, saved at all - if you know of Him and His teachings (and he said those who love Him will obey His teachings) but don’t believe in Him or them, surely. It’s ridiculous to think otherwise.
No, it’s against your beliefs for it to be otherwise. I have counseled many who knew of him, but did not follow his teachings and were accepted by him. You cannot accept that. Logic, tradition and Scripture seem to tell you otherwise. My experience tells me otherwise.
And the Church is His own body and His own bride - scripture makes that clear. Given His own authority - the power to bind and loose heaven. He gave that to the Apostles, and to Peter specifically, not to you or I.
Scripture says the Christ is married to his church. The Church is the bride and Christ is the bridegroom. It’s about a relationship, and Christ owning what belongs to Him. It’s not about your particular denomination, no matter who started it.
It’s those who know but refuse to accept or believe that are outside the Church and unsaved, not those who are honestly unsure or unaware. As opposed, of course, to those who conveniently feign ignorance or agnosticism because of their selfishness or spiritual or intellectual pride. Not that I’m pointing fingers at any particular individual, but such do exist, no doubt.
According to your church authority which I do not accept. God cleanses his creation of their mistakes. He did it with the flood. He did it in Egypt with the plagues. The people didn’t do it. He did. All those who die without Him will be cleansed and brought into the fold.
And He created the Church, how can I possibly doubt it? He said to Peter ‘on this rock I will build my Church’, so of course He did! I didn’t make up those words, He said 'em and they were recorded.
According to your interpretation of Scripture. Tell me, who gave John the Baptist authority to baptize with water for the remission of sins? Did Peter? Did the Sanhedrin? No, God gave him authority and even the Lord Jesus submitted himself to this itinerant preacher who lived in obsurity in the wilderness.

Peace…

MW
 
According to your interpretation of Scripture. Tell me, who gave John the Baptist authority to baptize with water for the remission of sins? Did Peter? Did the Sanhedrin? No, God gave him authority and even the Lord Jesus submitted himself to this itinerant preacher who lived in obsurity in the wilderness.

Peace…

MW
That Jesus founded a church upon the Apostles and gave them if not their successors His own authority and power is not interpretation - it’s written on the plain face of scripture. You may be claiming that scripture itself isn’t what Jesus actually said, you can’t say we’re misinterpeting it though, it’s plain as day in there!

As for God cleansing his creation of their mistakes - we ALL make 'em. To truly cleanse he’d have to regularly flood the entire world a la Noah’s flood, since we’re certainly no better as a species now than we were in his day.

And where do you get this rot about John the Baptist? John said Jesus should baptise HIM, remember. John said his baptism was for repentance - symbolic certainly. But he didn’t say HE remitted their sins on God’s behalf by so doing. Unlike Jesus who was happy to claim God’s own authority to forgive sins.

John definitely recognised a greater than himself, even if you don’t. Where do you get this crazy idea that John was EVER greater than Jesus? Or that anyone thought of him as such? Who ever said or thought so? Is either Jesus or John EVER recorded anywhere as saying so? I’d love to see it if so.

John was humble, as all the prophets before Jesus were, utterly self-effacing just like Mary and Joseph to whom Jesus also submitted Himself. Jesus was submissive because of HIS virtues, not their power - they had none apart from Him.

As for where John got his power? Same place all the prophets before Jesus did. Jesus was different though. HIS power came from Himself alone.

He CHANGED the Law on His own authority and revealed Himself to actually be God. He called himself Lord of the Sabbath - essentially claiming his Godly status in so doing, since no mere human would dare make such a claim.

Neither John nor his followers, even at their boldest, were bold enough to break with the Jewish dietary laws, the laws about uncleanliness, all the other myriad Levitical commands. Nor was John executed for claiming to be God (blasphemy) - unlike Jesus.

Jesus was radical in so many ways. He regularly defiled himself according to Jewish ritual law - He touched lepers and bleeding women left right and centre, didn’t ritually wash before eating, consorted with Samaritans. So did His followers, including Peter who broke with the dietary laws.

So I ask you, who is the greater? Or who at least made the greater claims?
 
That Jesus founded a church upon the Apostles and gave them if not their successors His own authority and power is not interpretation - it’s written on the plain face of scripture. You may be claiming that scripture itself isn’t what Jesus actually said, you can’t say we’re misinterpeting it though, it’s plain as day in there!
No, no, no. Your church claimed it was founded on ONE apostle.

I trust Scripture to be a guide and is my main spiritual text. But, it is not the be all end all to revelation. Christ still speaks to his people today outside of Scriptures.
As for God cleansing his creation of their mistakes - we ALL make 'em. To truly cleanse he’d have to regularly flood the entire world a la Noah’s flood, since we’re certainly no better as a species now than we were in his day.
Cleansing is both corporeal and individual. Of course we make mistakes. We ask forgiveness and they are gone. I just believe that after death people can still receive forgiveness.
And where do you get this rot about John the Baptist? John said Jesus should baptise HIM, remember. John said his baptism was for repentance - symbolic certainly. But he didn’t say HE remitted their sins on God’s behalf by so doing. Unlike Jesus who was happy to claim God’s own authority to forgive sins.
I’m not sure what “rot” is. No, his baptism wasn’t symbolic. He truly baptized with water (as Scripture points out), but the Lord baptized with fire. John’s baptism was a necessary precursor to the baptism of the Lord.
John definitely recognised a greater than himself, even if you don’t. Where do you get this crazy idea that John was EVER greater than Jesus? Or that anyone thought of him as such? Who ever said or thought so? Is either Jesus or John EVER recorded anywhere as saying so? I’d love to see it if so.
My point (which you missed) is that John the Baptist was anointed by God to do what he did without having Paul, Peter, John the Apostle or anyone else giving him that authority. God also gave the prophets authority to preach and perform miracles, which they did. The point was they didn’t need a church authority to do so. Uh…I never said John was greater 🤷 John himself said that he was unworthy to loosen the Lord’s sandals.

All I asked was this:
Mystic Warrior:
Tell me, who gave John the Baptist authority to baptize with water for the remission of sins? Did Peter? Did the Sanhedrin? No, God gave him authority and even the Lord Jesus submitted himself to this itinerant preacher who lived in obsurity in the wilderness.
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LilyM:
John was humble, as all the prophets before Jesus were, utterly self-effacing just like Mary and Joseph to whom Jesus also submitted Himself. Jesus was submissive because of HIS virtues, not their power - they had none apart from Him.
Of course he was humble and so was the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. Jesus was submissive to the will of God and had more authority and power than John, of course. I didn’t mean to imply that his authority was less than John’s. Obviously, you took it that way.
As for where John got his power? Same place all the prophets before Jesus did. Jesus was different though. HIS power came from Himself alone.
Again, I’m not sure why you’re on this tangent about the power of Christ. I agree with you. Christ was and is the Son of God and has authority over everything as given by the Father.
He CHANGED the Law on His own authority and revealed Himself to actually be God. He called himself Lord of the Sabbath - essentially claiming his Godly status in so doing, since no mere human would dare make such a claim.

Neither John nor his followers, even at their boldest, were bold enough to break with the Jewish dietary laws, the laws about uncleanliness, all the other myriad Levitical commands. Nor was John executed for claiming to be God (blasphemy) - unlike Jesus.

Jesus was radical in so many ways. He regularly defiled himself according to Jewish ritual law - He touched lepers and bleeding women left right and centre, didn’t ritually wash before eating, consorted with Samaritans. So did His followers, including Peter who broke with the dietary laws.

So I ask you, who is the greater? Or who at least made the greater claims?
More tangents. I’m not sure really why you think I believe Jesus was lesser than John. Ummm…I repeat, Jesus was and is the divine Son of God, far above any person or authority on earth, which is exactly my point.

Peace…

MW
 
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