2007-02-10 02:53:41 · 16 answers · asked by Laughing Out Loud 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Matthew 23:6-9 reads, "They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven."
Are we also not to call anyone "teacher" or "doctor" which is how "rabbi' would translate?
This is call for humility for those in leadership roles. Not to be taken literally.
We are not to deny our male parent and cut the Commandment to honor our father and mother in half.
Some leaders in any church may fall into the same folly as the pharisees of Jesus' day.
With love in Christ.
2007-02-10 16:11:51 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think that it is, again, taken out of context--- the pope is the holy father of the Roman Catholic Church not God. we use the terms father to refer to someone of authority and the priests and Pope are authority figures in the church- i.e. the "fathers" of the church - the "heads" of the church- just as you call the head or man of your home "father".
the pope is the highest and most reverent - thus the holy father ..of the catholic church. I am not going to reference it but you can look up his entire title to get the point..
it's true that there is much wrong with the Catholic Church and this has been argued for centuries but if only people would do their homework before debating they might be able to at least understand the concepts... and now that we have the internet .. there is no excuse!
2007-02-10 11:09:26 · answer #2 · answered by Wild Honey 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
God is THE Father, the pope is the holy father - what's the problem with that? Pope means papa or father anyway.
Minimetro is right! Ever read the word Trinity in the Bible? No! Because it's not there
2007-02-10 12:15:55 · answer #3 · answered by edwardD 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Christ's priests have filled the role of spiritual father from the beginning. Paul wrote "I have become your father". Peter wrote that Mark was his son, thereby identifying himself as Mark's father. As for the title "holy father", it is not the individual man who is holy. In fact a few popes have been anything but personally holy. It is the office itself that is holy, for the same reason the Church is holy - it was directly instituted by God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore the office is holy in its origin and holy in its essence, regardless of whether the man who holds the office at any particular time is personally holy.
2007-02-10 11:32:46 · answer #4 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Jesus said call no one on earth your father, teacher or doctor. I hope the guy "THA" above never finds himself in a school or a hospital if his bible prevents him using simple words, or his brain.
The title "Holy Father" is one of respect and as leader of over 1 billion Christians I sure think the Pope is entitled to it.
2007-02-10 12:10:16 · answer #5 · answered by mini metro 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is blasphemous to call the pope 'Holy Father', that is God's title and God alone. The pope is not God's representative on Earth, that would be The Holy Spirit and Him alone. Jesus said to call no man 'father', from the day I read that, Father's Day became known as Dad's Day in my house, although, your earthly dad is the only possible exception to the rule. I certainly won't call a priest 'father', fortunately, I don't think I've ever met a priest, I'll call him brother or reverend.
2007-02-10 11:02:30 · answer #6 · answered by elflaeda 7 · 0⤊ 6⤋
Not really. But I would think the ring kissing is overdoing it
just a bit!
2007-02-10 18:20:58 · answer #7 · answered by Hermes Trismegistus 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think so. The Pope is a man. The Holy Father is God Only! God in the Flesh Is Jesus Christ!
2007-02-10 10:57:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋
Jesus said very clearly-- not to call anybody "father" etc. in a religious way--With connotation "Holy" that indeed would be, not only blasphemous, but truly contemptable--to God!
--To the religious leaders in his day ,he said the below-- It indeed would equally apply to "any" religious leader who would take a title that belonged to Jehovah God himself
(Matthew 23:1-4) “23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying: 2Â “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. 3Â Therefore all the things they tell YOU, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform. 4Â They bind up heavy loads and put them upon the shoulders of men, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger.”.......... 6Â They like the most prominent place at evening meals and the front seats in the synagogues, 7Â and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called Rabbi by men. 8Â But YOU, do not YOU be called Rabbi, for one is YOUR teacher, whereas all YOU are brothers. 9Â Moreover, do not call anyone YOUR father on EARTH(my caps), for one is YOUR Father, the heavenly One. 10Â Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for YOUR Leader is one, the Christ. 11Â But the greatest one among YOU must be YOUR minister. 12Â Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
The religious leaders who covet the place of God in the eyes of the people, have indeed done so, with high flying colors!
2007-02-10 11:34:18 · answer #9 · answered by THA 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Holy Father is only the God, not a person.
2007-02-10 11:06:28 · answer #10 · answered by freedom 2 · 1⤊ 5⤋