Babylon in its literal sense is the name of an ancient city on the Euphrates river (modern day Iraq). It was to this city and its environs that the Israelites were deported by the Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C, They were released in 538 by Cyrus, the Persian.
Babylon, because of this experience, came to be a term for evil governments and was applied in a figurative sense to pagan institutions. This figurative use was carried into Christian times by converts from Judaism, the Apostles among them. In the early years of Roman persecution, Babylon became a code word among Christians for pagan Rome. It is in this sense that the name "Babylon" for pagan Rome is used by John in Revelation (14:8) and by Peter (in Pt 5:13). The idea that the word applies to the "Roman" Catholic Church has no justification in fact.
It was born of the anti-Catholic feeling of the Reformation era.
2007-11-05 15:42:11 · 16 answers · asked by cashelmara 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Shinigami - LOL....priceless !
2007-11-05 15:47:27 · update #1
+PAX
Sigh... my Lord, my Jesus, forgive them as they do not know what they do by judging. Please Lord, You said those who judge will be judged by You even harsher. I beg for you to lighten your judgments of their souls despite the hurtful things said here today.
Dear Lord, grant this one request from me....please I beg in your name, Jesus.
j
2007-11-05 18:15:05 · answer #1 · answered by teresa_benedicta_of_the_cross 4 · 15⤊ 1⤋
Babylon was a code name for Pagan Imperial Rome when it was persecuting Christians( at a time when Protestants did not exist)
Funda.prots like to hunt for parallels between Msopotamian rituals and Catholic rituals and the results are often ludicrous.
FPs are afraid to do so with Israelite rituals and festivals in the Old testament because the parallels to Babylonian,Egyptian and Canaanite rituals are just too obvious and that would shatter their fundamentalist selective literalism. God in the OT borrowed heavily from the surrounding cultures and religions. Historic pre reformation Christianity took pagan festivals and baptized them just as the Old Testament took pagan festivals and customs and circumcized them. The Funda prots problem is ultimately with the Bible. and not with Catholicism,which gave them the Bible.
The "real" new Babylon is the hedonistic,violent,
immoral,oppressive
and devouring cultures of the Modern ( as well as rthe ancient)World that attack Christian morality and faith
2007-11-06 04:21:33 · answer #2 · answered by James O 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Although I like St Boniface's answer, I think I'll add my own little contribution to the mix.
In Rev 18:20-24
"Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! . . . And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth"
This shows that the Whore persecuted no just Christians but apostles and prophets. Apostles existed only in the first century, since one of the requirements for being an apostle was seeing the risen Christ (1 Cor9:1). Prophets existed as a group only in the Old Testament and the first century (Acts 11:27-28,13:1,15:32,21:10)
Since the Whore persecuted apostles and prophets, the Whore must have existed in the first century. This demolishes the claim that the Catholic Church (the apostles) persecuted itself, therefore the Catholic Church cannot be the Whore because it means that they would have persecute themselves and we know they didn't through Scripture.
Antichrist
"Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22; cf. 4:3; 2 John 7). The Antichrist will deny that Jesus is the Messiah. But the pope’s authority as the vicar (representative) of Christ depends on Jesus being the Christ. The pope is the one man least likely to deny that Jesus is the Messiah. His job depends on it!
God Bless
Robin
2007-11-05 22:58:13 · answer #3 · answered by Robin 3 · 10⤊ 0⤋
How is it that one can claim to be a former Catholic and know nothing of what the Catholic Church teaches. Everything they say is bearing false witness against His Church. How Can this be? It can be explained if one knows nothing about the Church and have never been in a Catholic Mass but to claim such nonsense with knowledge of the Church and its practices and beliefs only shows a hatred for what Christ has created. One can speculate as to the source of such hatred and that source is not from divine origin but from the father of lies who some have no problem in doing his will. Certainly one in His will and filled with the Holy Spirit would not spread such vicious lies against Christ and His Church.
In Christ
Fr. Joseph
2007-11-06 01:25:45 · answer #4 · answered by cristoiglesia 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
The devil always attacks what he fears the most,you are no exception.
The Church has been persecuted for two milleniums and it still continues to grow "the gates of hell,shall not prevail..."
10 edicts of persecutions in the early church
first 33 popes 30 were martyred
the norsemen
the moors
the turks...etc
the french,russian,spanish,mexican revolutions(against the church)....etc
The Holy Roman Catholic Church is still here ?
Not to mention the missionaries which I doubt you non-catholics would have the grace sufficient to preach to the visigoths, the norsemen, sth american natives,indian tribes of north america,japanese,koreans,asia minor,africa, pacific islanders ...etc
without asking to be reposted...martyrs upon martyrs yet she still grows.
It is one thing to preach "gospel" in a free nation it is another thing to preach to barbaric tribes and primitive people!
The Church has dispensed many of her sons & daughters to teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son....that's not the half of it...
The question I want you to ask is "what happened to the persecutors of the Church, heretics,schismatics included(what end and deaths they had)?"
I will give you a detailed account so to know your own end ?
That would be an act of charity on my behalf ?
God bless,
JMJ
p.s An assult or mockery on the Church will be an assult on it's founder !Be careful where you tread ?
2007-11-06 04:46:01 · answer #5 · answered by BORED II 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
In ancient times, God confused the languages of those who thought they could get to heaven by their own means.
In modern times, God permits the protestants to dwell in the confusion that they authored, when they decided it was possible to get to heaven in a way of their own choosing.
The 50,000 different interpretations of scripture, as promoted by the protestant "reformers" have much, much more in common with Babel and Babylon, than the Catholic church ever could.
2007-11-05 22:09:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 12⤊ 1⤋
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
2007-11-06 09:52:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everyone knows that Babylon is Hollywood.
basic XD
2007-11-05 15:45:19 · answer #8 · answered by Shinigami 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
American would hate to believe that US is the new babylon.Whomever you do not like, just declare them as new babylon, this is stupid logic.
2007-11-05 15:49:15 · answer #9 · answered by Happily Happy 7 · 8⤊ 1⤋
many have pointed out how faulty this is, it never seems to amaze me how "bible christians" can be so ignorant and blind to the scriptures.
2007-11-06 08:57:36 · answer #10 · answered by fenian1916 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋