Biblical stance and Catholic stance different?

Question

A pope figurine from the Vatican shows support for an act deemed a sin in the bible. How do Catholics explain it?

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?7baaa5cec0.jpg

Dubbed the Shocker Pope.

To clarify on the link in case you're worried, it's a pic of the figurine, hosted on freeimagehosting.

Sorry Danny, purchased at the Vatican gift shop, sold on ebay.

And last edit for those of you unfamiliar with the gesture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shocker_(hand_gesture)

Answer 1

The image is from collegehumor.com, so that should explain everything for you.

Answer 2

It's not a very artistic rendering, but the pope's hand in the figurine is supposed to be extending the thumb and first two fingers, with the ring finger and pinky gracefully bent downward. The three extended represent "Father, Son and Holy Spirit," a hand gesture used daily by the Pope and every bishop and priest as they bless people. So it's not the sexy hand sign that you are thinking of -- it's just a badly produced figurine.

Answer 3

I do not think that bobble-head dolls count as false idols.

Do you have pictures of your loved ones? Have you ever looked at the picture of someone while talking on the phone to them?

Statues and pictures of people we love are not idols.

Statues and paintings of Jesus and the saints are just like pictures of the people we love and respect.

The King James Version of the Bible states in Exodus 20:4: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"

Why were the Jews commanded not to make graven images? Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods.

This is a very clear command.

However God commanded the Jews in Exodus 25:18 and 1 Chronicles 28:18–19, "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them"

And in 1 Kings chapter 7 Solomon made bulls and other images out of precious metals.

It seems obvious that the Jews did not worship the cherubims and Solomon did not worship the bulls he had made. These images did not violate the command of God. Therefore, an image not made for worship is acceptable.

In Numbers 21:8-9, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."

And in John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation, "And just as Moses lifted up the [image of a] serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

How can a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ dead on the cross be considered an idol to a false god? A crucifix is the message of the Gospel without words held up for all to see, a visual reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, no different from a painting, a play, or a movie.

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

In Christian doctrine, the Trinity is the unity of dad, Son, and Holy Spirit as 3 persons in one Godhead. The doctrine states that God is the Triune God, latest as 3 persons, or contained in the Greek hypostases, yet one being. each and all of the persons is concept as having the only same essence or nature, no longer basically comparable natures. because of the fact the initiating of the 0.33 century the doctrine of the Trinity has been reported as "the only God exists in 3 persons and one substance, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Trinitarianism, theory contained in the Trinity, is a mark of Oriental and eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and each and all of the mainstream traditions springing up from the Protestant Reformation, mutually with Anglicanism, Lutheranism and Presbyterianism. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church describes the Trinity as "the critical dogma of Christian theology". This doctrine is in assessment to Nontrinitarian positions which incorporate Binitarianism (one deity/2 persons), Unitarianism (one deity/one guy or woman), the Oneness theory held by particular Pentecostal communities, Modalism, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' view of the Godhead as 3 separate beings who're one in objective quite than essence. traditionally, the doctrine of the Trinity has been of particular value. The conflict with Arianism and different competing theological concepts in the time of the fourth century grew to alter into the 1st substantial doctrinal disagreement in Church history. It had an incredibly lasting bring about the Western Roman Empire the place the Germanic Arians and the Nicene Christians formed segregated social orders. Like different words expressing standard Christianity concepts, mutually with monotheism, the be conscious trinity isn't chanced on contained in the Bible. The doctrine developed from the biblical language utilized in New testomony passages such because of the fact the baptismal formulation in Matthew 28:19.

Answer 5

The "biblical stance" is simply the "Catholic stance" compiled into a book. The Catholic Church, in compiling the Bible for its own use, didn't include anything that was contrary to its own teaching. Therefore, to accept what the Bible teaches is to accept what the Catholic Church teaches, and taught for 350 years before the Bible was compiled. Of course, to accept what you THINK the Bible teaches may very well result in beliefs contrary to the teaching of the original Christian Church. That's where the doctrinal chaos or Protestantism came from, after all. But thay simply demonstrates the illegitimacy of the unbiblical principle of Sola Scriptura. God says "that they all may be ONE"; "the Church is the foundation of truth"; "whatsoever the Church binds upon earth is bound in heaven". Manmade denominational religion says "we will be as many as our conflicting beliefs cause us to be"; "a book compiled under the authority of the Catholic Church will be our new foundation, replacing God's Church itself"; whatsoever I think the text means when I read it is my personal truth, and if you don't like it, find a denomination that teaches what you want to hear". No problem. There are thousands of them, each teaching something different.

Answer 6

The Biblical 'stance' is simply that God is the word, was the word made flesh, and that God is in his word.

The Catholic stance is that God is in church organization. The idea spreads out into Protestant organizations also. The false teaching, sets up clerical control of the laity and suppression of the Holy Spirit. It exists with or without the example you have cited.

Answer 7

can you say "Photoshop?" The finger that is bent is a slightly different shade than the rest of the figurine.

Answer 8

There are Catholics who are born again according to the King James Bible, John 10:9-10. God is the judge of all. Yes, I believe that many things in the Catholic (and other churches) are not biblical--but Catholic churches are not the only churches that do not follow the bible to the letter. Church organizations consist of human beings, and all human beings are imperfect.

Jesus is Lord!

Answer 9

thats not from the vatican, its from a college website. Besides, different hand gestures mean different things in different countries.

Bull horn gesture here in America is ok, but do it in Italy and you are making a very offensive gesture.

Answer 10

Stance on what? The law of CHRIST? and what know you of TRUTH for who can understand what is written who is not given that knowledge in the LORD?

The Catholic Law is the LAW OF GOD on Earth and is infallible in faith and morals. As is the Bible and GOD cannot contradict himself.

But if you had known CHRIST you would know these words are TRUE.

LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
Amen.

Answer 11

I have no issues with either moderate/progressive Catholics or moderate/progressive Protestants.

I have plenty of concern about both evangelical / biblical fundies and Catholic fundies - and both are represented on these boards.