[Alty]

I really dont understand why you say that all people are doing is repeating anti-christian propaganda without even looking into the facts.What facts?If you mean the Bible, then you truelly havent looked very hard.If you base everything in the Bible as facts, then why dont you follow these teachings.My example being-Catholic tradition- call priests father.Bible says call no man your father upon this earth,for one is your father and He is in heaven.Mathew 23:9.Wouldnt this be an example of anti-christian?

Because I can't rate your answer here as it is a discussion forum, I'm quoting you and letting you know that I agree 100%, here's your greenie. :D

This is another way that the bible is misquoted by people to suit their needs. As DeMaria said before the bible states that Jesus says we need the bible, even though the bible isn't mentioned in that scripture quote. Your example specifically says do not call any man your father upon this earth, and yet the Catholics do.

DeMaria, you can't have it both ways, you can't keep changing scripture around and then telling us it's the "word of God", no, it's the word of men, and you as a human are doing what all humans do, you are reading it, and then following what you "think" it says, not what it actually says. You are changing written words to suit you beliefs.

I can't say it enough, the bible is an interesting book, a great "story", but the word of God? I don't think so.

Even if it was the "word of God" so many men have translated it, re-translated it, decided what they think is being said even though it's clearly not what they think, well, there's very little left of the original words. Leave it to humans to mess things up, how could they have hoped to succeed, they are fallible, as we all are. If the bible is truly the "word of God", the "holy book", then it would be flawless, always, it is not.

Peace :)

[De Maria]

Maria, that was only 1 example.

I know.

There are many more.examples listed are:Catholic tradition-

2 Thessalonians 2 14 Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle.

the pope bows to the statue of Mary,

A bow is an act of veneration. God sent an Angel to venerate the Virgin Mary:
Luke 1 26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

God ordered the Israelites to venerate an image:
Numbers 21 6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them. 7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live. 9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

worshiping of the eucharist,

Jesus is God. The Eucharist is His Flesh which He commanded us to worship:
John 6 52 If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

1 Corinthians 11 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. 24 And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. 25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me. 26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come.

the pope has people bow before him.

In the Old Testament, God selected one man to represent Him:
Exodus 7 1 And the Lord said to Moses: Behold I have appointed thee the God of Pharao: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

In the New Testament, God selected another man to represent Him:
Matthew 16 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

When we bow to the Pope, we bow not to the man, but to Jesus whom he represents.

Bible-Exodus20:4-20:5.Catholic tradition-Mary is queen of heaven.

Jesus is King of Heaven. The mother of a King is the Queen:
3 Kings 2 19 Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand.

Bible-Jeremiah 7:17-18-19.Why pray to Mary?Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.Mary is not the mother of God. For this to be even possible she would have to be a god.

Because we recognize that some people are more acceptable to God than others:

Job 42 8 Take unto you therefore seven oxen, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a holocaust: and my servant Job shall pray for you: his face I will accept, that folly be not imputed to you: for you have not spoken right things before me, as my servant Job hath.

As the Mother of His Son, we believe Mary is one of those:

Isaiah 43:10-Philippians 2:6-2:7.Catholic tradition-forbids priests to marry.

It is in keeping with Scripture:

1 Cor 7 32 But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. 33 But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife:

Wasn't Peter married?

Yes.

the pope is supposedly continuing the apostolic line through Peter,right?

Correct.

Bible read 1Timothy.Catholic tradition-

Read 1 Cor 7

Mary never had otherchildren after Jesus.A perpetual virgin.What about His brethrenJames, Simon,Joses and Judas.Bible-Mathew13:55-56.Mark6:3.this is just to state a few.

They are the children of Mary the wife of Clophas, who happens to be Mary's cousin:
John 19 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.

Matthew 27 56 Among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jude is identified as the brother of James. Which means he is also the son of Mary of Clophas.
Luke 6 16 And Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.

As far as I know, Simon is nowhere else mentioned. Unless, in Matt 27:56, the sons of Zebedee are revealed as related to Mary of Clophas. In which case, Simon would be Simon Peter, the Apostle of Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

De Maria

[BlakeCory]

Sometimes being right is just wrong.

From a biblical perspective Jesus never walked around trying to prove one group of ideas as right and another wrong. He always gave them the choice to decide. We are broken, fallible, misdirected, biased, mortal, imperfect, weak and frail. We live for a few moments then die.

If the message of the Bible is love, unconditional love, even for your enemies – I can't understand how we can debate basic truths.

I see the sun during the day but I don't debate its existence at night. If a man came up to me and tried to convince me the sun wasn't real and told me that it was a lie... if he told me all that so called “proof” about the sun was full with mistakes, historical faults, and inconsistencies and contradictions I would just let him believe what he wanted to believe.

When I see people debate and argue I just think “This is wrong” there is so much disrespect and so much anger and so little love. That is how the rest of the world will know, not by facts and logic, but by our love one for another.