I am not a Christian. But growing up in
India , I was immersed in Christianity . I
attended Catholic and Anglican schools
from ages 5 to 18, where we would sing
hymns, recite prayers and study the
Scriptures . The words and actions of Pope
Francis have reminded me what I , as an
outsider , have always admired deeply
about Christianity , that its central
message is simple and powerful: Be nice
to the poor .
When I came to the United States in the
1980 s, I remember being surprised to see
what “Christian values ” had come to
mean in American culture and politics —
heated debates over abortion , abstinence,
contraception and gays . In 13 years of
reading, reciting and studying the Bible , I
didn’ t recall seeing much about these
topics .

That’ s because there is very little in there
about them . As Garry Wills points out in
his perceptive new book , “The Future of
the Catholic Church with Pope Francis , ”
“Many of the most prominent and
contested stands taken by Catholic
authorities ( most of them dealing with
sex ) have nothing to do with the Gospel . ”
The church ’ s positions on these matters
were arrived at through interpretations of
“natural law, ” which is not based on
anything in the Bible . But because those
grounds looked weak, conservative clergy
sought to bolster their views with biblical
sanction. So contraception was
condemned by Pope Pius XI , Wills notes,
through a pretty tortuous interpretation
of a couple of lines in Genesis that say
Onan “ spilled his seed on the ground ” —
since it involves ejaculation without the
intent of conception .
The ban of women in the Catholic clergy
is a similar stretch . When the Anglicans
decided to ordain female priests in 1976 ,
Pope Paul VI presented a theological
reason not to follow that path. Women
could not be priests , he decreed , because
Jesus never ordained a female priest.
“True enough , ” Wills writes . “ But neither
did he ordain any men . There are no
priests ( other than the Jewish ones ) in the
four Gospels . Peter and Paul and their
fellows neither call themselves priests
nor are called priests by others . ”

Wills even takes on abortion , opposition
to which some Catholics have taken as
fundamental to their faith . “This is odd , ”
Wills writes , “since the matter is nowhere
mentioned in the Old Testament or New
Testament , or in the early creeds. But
some people are convinced that God must
hate such an immense evil and must have
expressed that hatred somewhere in his
Bible . ” In fact , Wills points out, the ban is
based on a complex extrapolation from
vague language in one verse, Psalm
139 : 13 .
If you want to understand the main
message of Jesus Christ, you don ’ t have to
search the Scriptures . He says it again
and again . “Blessed be ye poor: for yours
is the kingdom of God. ”
Jesus has specific advice on how to
handle the poor . Treat them as you would
Christ himself , sell your possessions and
give to the poor . When you hold a
banquet, Jesus says , do not invite the
wealthy and powerful , because you do so
in the hope that they will return the favor
and reward you. Instead, invite the
dispossessed — and you will be rewarded
by God. It is because he expects so much
from the rich that he said that it was
easier for a camel to get through the eye
of a needle than for a rich man to get to
heaven .
We live in a meritocratic age and believe
that people who are successful are more
admirable in some way than the rest of
us. But the Bible notes that “the race is
not to the swift , nor the battle to the
strong, neither yet bread to the wise . . .
but time and chance happeneth to them
all. ” In the Kingdom of Heaven, it warns ,
“the last shall be first , and the first last . ”
In other words, be thankful for your
success, but don ’ t think it makes you
superior in any deep sense .
Commentators have taken Francis ’ s
speeches and sayings and attacked him
or claimed him as a Marxist, a unionist
and a radical environmentalist . I don ’ t
think the pope is proposing an alternative
system of politics or economics . He is
simply reminding each of us that we have
a moral obligation to be kind and
generous to the poor and disadvantaged
— especially if we have been fortunate . If
you have a problem with this message,
you have a problem not with Pope
Francis , but with Jesus Christ.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-main-message-of-pope-francis-and-jesus/2015/09/24/997e1e54-62ea-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html

SHUT UP! JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO IS ANOTHER CRIMINAL.

Op forget all those internet rant.
When the trumpet will blow and the roll be called we will see who we make heaven.

I believe most people fighting Catholics in disguise as christains are not Christians.

If they are Christians they would understand the position the Pope and the Catholic is playing in breaking God kingdom and succor to the world.

Most of them castigating the Pope and Catholics are athiest and moslems.

But one thing I know for sure is that Christ promised that He will be with His church to the end of time and that gate of hell will never prevail over His church.

Proudly Catholic

Many non catholic christians despise the Pope some out of envy for being selected to lead the largest christian denomjnation, some non catholics nowadays don't even allow thier daughters to marry catholics saying the Pope is an antichrist and am a witness to such discussions. But for the Catholic Church to stand the test of time then there must be some life within.

Their are two types of Christians, we have the ones who truly believe and follow after Christ true and true, and we have the others, who make their claims to be Christian and don't follow after Christ true and true. This alone confuses people in genial either atheist or lets say other religions.
As we all know, millions believe in the end times-also with the world turning upside down as it is-the shy's are showing strange signs, look at the weather patterns, the earth is moving beneath our feet-tidal waves hitting the coast lines-Governments around the world are building large underground bunkers etc..
The truth is' we shouldn't focus on the mocking-people from all walks of life are worried, the Lord made it clear to us believers these things will happen, and sure enough they are.
And while we search the scriptures on daily bases, watching as the earth moves around-people are running to and fro-the warning bells are ringing, people are getting ready and through frustration anger raises between our different cultures, Christians are doing what Christians do best is spreading the word with each other.
It may seem to be a mocking spree-but I assure you' frustration and anger rises because people aren't listing.
Try telling a teenage child, when to listen.
My wife's a Catholic and she loves the Lord just as much as I love the Lord, and I am pentecostal.

adeitoro:
Op forget all those internet rant.
When the trumpet will blow and the roll be called we will see who we make heaven.

I believe most people fighting Catholics in disguise as christains are not Christians.

If they are Christians they would understand the position the Pope and the Catholic is playing in breaking God kingdom and succor to the world.

Most of them castigating the Pope and Catholics are athiest and moslems.

But one thing I know for sure is that Christ promised that He will be with His church to the end of time and that gate of hell will never prevail over His church.

Proudly Catholic

May God continue to bless the Pope and grant him the wisdom needed to lead the Church.

I was born into a strict catholic family and I am still one till this day. I am a legionnaire and will be catholic till I die. But I have a big problem with this SOCIAL DEMOCRAT Pope. The bible, it's teachings, foundation of Christianity and GOD is the same yesterday, the same today and will be the same till thy kingdom come, irrespective of the beliefs of any individual or sinful lacklustre group of people. The teachings in the bible are very explicit and contains no ambiguity, whatsoever. It is clearly indicated in the bible that if you choose to act contrary to the teachings and dictates of the bible, you are destined for HELL, There are no provisions for leniency, except you take into consideration, the aspect of purgatory. It is very simple. There is no place for HOMOSEXUALS, ABORTIONISTS, DISRESPECTFUL YOUTHS and REBELS. It is right there in the bible, and if anybody, irrespective of their level of spirituality says different, then he is WRONG. Pope Francis will one day leave, but Rome, the Vatican and Christendom will always be there

GOD HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. HE HAS BLESSED MANY BEFORE US AND HAS STARVED MANY BEFORE US. HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE OUR LIFE IN NO WAY AFFECTS HIM. GOD WILL ALWAYS BE HERE, EVEB LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE.GOD WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE, NO MATTER WHAT TIME HE EXISTS IN. HE IS READY TO SURVIVE, EVEN WITHOUT US, CAN WE SURVIVE WITHOUT HIM. PEOPLE NEED GOD, GOD DOESN'T NEED PEOPLE.

After reading the heading on this page, it reminded me about something I was listening too, with a woman talking, she said: the Lord was speaking with her, about Obama-she said: the lord told her why Obama was ordained to be Government, only because-the people in the US disobeyed the commandments of God, like in the day's of Noah were {1}aborting babies {2}Homosexuality' men with men, women with women.
When we study this-Obama was the right candidate for the job-he had only finished what USA had started, this time making it legal equally that not only man and woman-he made away that all man kind can marry who they pleased.
Aborting babies and Homosexuality was already in the country before Obama had set foot on US soil.

After reading about the Pope being elected, strange but surely-a flash of lighting hit the tower post as he was given power.
Like the Obama story, God elects these candidates putting them in power for reasons.
Every king has his role to play.

I have noticed you had written people need God and God doesn't need people-surprisingly you are so wrong, if God doesn't need people He wouldn't be a Jealous God-He wouldn't send His Son Jesus down to us so we can believe. God needs us as much as we need Him, God is Love, love doesn't work alone.

hinwazaka:
I was born into a strict catholic family and I am still one till this day. I am a legionnaire and will be catholic till I die. But I have a big problem with this SOCIAL DEMOCRAT Pope. The bible, it's teachings, foundation of Christianity and GOD is the same yesterday, the same today and will be the same till thy kingdom come, irrespective of the beliefs of any individual or sinful lacklustre group of people. The teachings in the bible are very explicit and contains no ambiguity, whatsoever. It is clearly indicated in the bible that if you choose to act contrary to the teachings and dictates of the bible, you are destined for HELL, There are no provisions for leniency, except you take into consideration, the aspect of purgatory. It is very simple. There is no place for HOMOSEXUALS, ABORTIONISTS, DISRESPECTFUL YOUTHS and REBELS. It is right there in the bible, and if anybody, irrespective of their level of spirituality says different, then he is WRONG. Pope Francis will one day leave, but Rome, the Vatican and Christendom will always be there

GOD HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. HE HAS BLESSED MANY BEFORE US AND HAS STARVED MANY BEFORE US. HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE OUR LIFE IN NO WAY AFFECTS HIM. GOD WILL ALWAYS BE HERE, EVEB LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE.GOD WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE, NO MATTER WHAT TIME HE EXISTS IN. HE IS READY TO SURVIVE, EVEN WITHOUT US, CAN WE SURVIVE WITHOUT HIM. PEOPLE NEED GOD, GOD DOESN'T NEED PEOPLE.