2006-12-25 02:53:15 · 20 answers · asked by Barbara 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
the church is full of contraddictions...
2006-12-29 02:58:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Pope isn't RICH...he doesn't own a thing!
The Vatican is a city that harbours and protects all the writings, teachings, artifacts, and monuments and even BODIES of all the popes and many saints who have died.
The church was embellished by donations and famous artists etc. over hundreds of years. People remove their gold and leave it on the monuments as tributes to their faith. My grandma before dying left every stitch of gold she had to the church...people just leave material things behind to show they don't need them, but want God instead.
If you have ever been to Italy, you would know that it is RICH with culture from ages past...right from the days of Caesar and the Roman empire...in fact you know the Romans were the center of civilization at one time...and Italy is RICH with history, legends and fables and it utterly beautiful and indescribable.
So the fact the Vatican is there and the Pope is adorned with fine clothing as the representative of the Christian faith on earth is because people bestow money on the church...as they bestow money on charity, consumerism and everything else that is worth having (ahem oil for example)....money is the root of all evil...however the fact that the church has it does not make the pope rich...it enables him to function and do what he has to do to travel and reach all peoples of the earth. No priest, pope or bishop etc. is allowed to own any possessions of their own...and they don't.
It's amazing how little I would say 95 percent of the world population knows about anything....I would laugh if what I read wasn't so sad and stupid, and yet everyone still claims to be an expert and where you get this ridiculous information you perpetrate is beyond me.
I don't even know why God bothers to be honest...maybe even He has given up...we're in the right millenium for the end however that much is for sure.
2006-12-25 03:04:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've seen Barbara before she's got an axe to grind not sure what's behind it all.
Barb it's obvious to me you are not aware that the Pope(s) mostly have no personal wealth. Vatican City is not his personal property. the Vatican is a vast deposit of the Christian faith. Many non-christian students including rabbis and evangelicals anti-catholics, and atheists go there to study, examine ancient documents and literature. With regards to taking care of the poor the Catholic Church is the the largest donor of good will to the poor worldwide. You could combine all the the donations of Protestant churches and it would not surpass what the Catholic Church does. The Church regularly operates and donates time and money which is greater than many Western nations donate out of their GDP. If you still think the Catholic Pope or Catholic Church is wealthy well it is obvious that the people make it wealthy just as St Lawrence instructed. It is wealthy because it is 2000 years old and the original Christian faith. When your church reaches 2000 years old come back and we'll discuss things again. The Catholic is older than any modern day country, older than all incorporated companies, older than all Protestant denominations. If the Church is wealthy it is clearly a testament to it's claim of being the One Christian Church.
Pastor Billy
2006-12-26 09:18:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually, 2 Corinthians 8:9 says that Jesus was rich and the only reason that he became poor was so that we could be rich. And if you say that this means spiritually rich it would also be evident that Christ became spiritually poor. But Christ was spiritually rich. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Job, etc. etc. were all rich men of God. The whole vow of poverty thing seems to have been invented by the Catholic church and it is probably the reason why all the world thinks Christians (or at least Christian leaders) should be poor.
2015-09-27 16:51:37 · answer #4 · answered by Texas 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okay, I admit I am not Catholic, but is the Pope really rich? I thought the pope and Priests lived in and off the Church. They are taken care of by the church thus in reality they are poor aren't they? That is if my thinking is correct.
2006-12-25 03:04:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree completely with you. The pope doesn't represent Christ in earth and if he did, he wouldn't be flashing all the gold and the mansion he has. That has to stop because it is dishonest for the Catholic Church to do that. I'm Catholic and the only pope I ever liked was John Paul II and that is for other reasons not becuase he was pope. The Vatican needs to stop being so luxurious.
2006-12-25 08:22:05 · answer #6 · answered by cynical 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think you mean the Catholic church, not the pope, and it is a very good question. I am sure we have many catholics out there with answers. I for one would like to hear them.
I grew up Catholic and was taught by nuns in a convent school. When I was only 5, they used to creep up behind me and whack me on the hand with a ruler for writing with my left hand. They used to threaten us and I used to be so frightened of them. They could hit you at any time, especially if you didn't know your four times table or how to read the clock face.
It always puzzled me how the nuns could manage to be so mean and nasty to the children, strapping them for anything they wanted, then assume to read them stories of Jesus and how he loved little children. They sure didn't and I don't think it was lost on many of us. Certainly not me.
Incidentally I was entirely overawed with the wealth of the Vatican when I went inside it for the first time. I wouldn't have believed such wealth could have existed within the confines of one building.
2006-12-25 03:00:56 · answer #7 · answered by AJ... Australia 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are two sides to this answer. First, God offers blessings to people that are doing his work, whether it be spiritually or financially. The other reason is the church making profit from greed. It's like today's mega churches that are filthy rich, but Christ's message is distorted. Not all churches are like that however. Now with Catholicism, they have a history of making money wrongly. This doesn't go for all Catholic churches, but they would make money off of things like paying to go to heaven by signing a sheet or something. When it comes to money and the church, it gets kind of foggy. Of course there are rich churches doing just what Jesus told them. Have a merry Christmas!
-Kiarra S.
2006-12-25 03:02:21 · answer #8 · answered by Walking Contradiction 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Jesus died at 33, he did not have a chance to make money. His plan was the very soon in his 30's commence to make money. His life ended before this could happen. If he had lived he would have been a very rich man. Through God, Jesus taught many things, people today live by these words, they have become rich.
Spread the word. The likes of Tony Robbins, L.R. Hubbard, Motivational speakers check Internet you will be rich as well if not already. They have studied Genesis through to Jesus life and to the revelations, whether they chose Islamic as there religion has no bearing on your success as long as you make it in a legitimate way and giving back to those less until they are rich as you are.
2006-12-25 03:06:01 · answer #9 · answered by Tonia 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
You are mistaking the riches of the Catholic Church as being the riches of the Pope. I know it may be a fine distinction, but it is the truth.
An no, I'm not Catholic.
2006-12-25 02:56:37 · answer #10 · answered by Kevman9999 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The pope is not rich! I am not Catholic but I know that priests take a vow of poverty! Please know what you are talking about before you talk. In case you didn't know the Pope was a Priest first.
2006-12-25 02:59:14 · answer #11 · answered by Pamela V 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋