For Catholics or those that know about Catholics.?

Question

I am not a Catholic and really haven't ever talked to one about religion, so I hope this question doesn't offend.
Why do Catholics follow a Pope? Why does the Pope dress in such ornate garb?Jesus did not wear such garments I don't believe, he was a very humble man.
If they believe Peter was the first Pope ,why can't Pope's get married? Peter was married.
When Jesus said to Peter "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Couldn't Jesus have been speaking about himself and not Peter? For instance he could have pointed to Peter and said "You are Peter, then point to himself and say "And on this rock I will build my church."

It seems to me that if Peter was made the corner stone of the church then the other disiples would have excepted that fact and not be arguing at a latter time as to who was greatest. There would have been no basis for disputing if Peter had been given the primacy as the rock on which the church was to be built. Doesn't make sense to me. Plus Eph. 2: 20 says that Jesus is the corner stone and not Peter.

I believe the original Bible text was written without puncuation so how can you be sure Jesus wasn't talking about himself?

iluvtaro-you don't allow emails! You don't have to be hateful. I really would like to know the answers. I have thought about this for a long time.

Answer 1

Catholics are all about pomp and show. They selectively pick what parts of the bible they will emphasize. I know, I used to be one.

Answer 2

I'm a Catholic and I'll try to answer your questions.

First, Catholics do interpret the Bible as Jesus calling Peter a "Rock" and saying upon this "rock" I will build my church.("Petros" is Greek for rock; "cephas" is Aramaic for rock -- Jesus spoke Aramaic but the New Testament was written in Greek because it was the international language of the time. So sometimes you see Peter called "Cephas.")

There is another verse where Jesus gives Peter (Rock) the "keys to the kingdom" and says "what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." We interpret this to mean that the Church (led first by Peter and then by a succession of other Popes) has the authority to decide the little things, and throughout our history the Church has made some changes. For example, one pope decided that, out of respect for Jesus' death on the cross, we shouldn't eat meat on Fridays, and at one point the Church decided they would no longer accept married men as priests or allow priests to marry. Obviously the Church can't change the big things ("dogma") like the ten commandments, but it does have the authority to determine the details.

Priests were allowed to marry until the middle ages when the son of a bishop expected to become a bishop, just because his father was and not because of any spiritual calling or inclination. this became a problem. Many Catholics, including myself, think it's time for the Church to think about maybe changing this. We have such a shortage of priests now and the prospect of never having a family drives many (especially the heterosexual) men away from the priesthood.

As for why there is so much pomp and circumstance, I guess that's just an accumulation of 2000 years of tradition -- if the Pope wants to put on some blue jeans I doubt there's a rule against it. But just like a policeman wears his uniform on duty, so does the pope.

Answer 3

The Pope follows Jesus, same as your pastor/preacher. So the same way you follow what you hear from your preacher, Catholics follow the Pope. Really, we follow Jesus, first and foremost -- same as you -- but we are glad to have a learned teacher around to help us stay on the right path -- same as you.

The Pope's wardrobe is full of symbolism. Jesus did not wear ornate garments while on earth, but He certainly is arrayed in all the glory of heaven now, don't you agree? The Pope's wardrobe reflects the truth that Christ is risen and that we all must die to ourselves and live for His glory, as the Pope tries to live for His glory. Doesn't your pastor try to die to self and live for Christ?

Peter was married and for many years, priests married. We even have some married priests today. However, the job of a priest has grown very burdensome and now the Church sees how difficult it is for a man to have both a wife/family and a church to run, so the Church asks priests to take a vow of celibacy. They do so willingly. Sometime in the future -- say if all the laypersons get off their duffs and start helping with the work of the Church -- the decision will be reversed and priests will be allowed to marry again.

You should look up the George Barna survey that found that most married pastors would not have become pastors if they knew how difficult it was on their wives and kids.

No, Jesus could NOT have been speaking about Himself and not Peter in the statement you quote. Peter means "Rock," and Jesus Himself gave Peter that nickname. The statement is a play on words. Substitute it with another word, and you'll see. Suppose Jesus nicknamed Peter "Freeway." Then it would be, "You are Freeway and upon this freeway I will build My Church." Or "Main Street." Then it's "You are Main Street and upon this main street I will build My Church." Get it?

If Jesus meant Himself, He would not have said, "You are Peter." There would be no point to that phrase.

The other disciples DID accept the fact that Peter was the main guy. When Jesus rose and Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb, John got there first, but he waited for Peter to go into the tomb before he entered it. And at Pentecost, they let Peter do all the talking. The fact that they were arguing about who was greatest doesn't negate this. Their actions show what they believed.

Yes, Jesus is the cornerstone. But He commissioned Peter to be in charge after He went back to heaven. People need a leader they can see. Refer to the Old Testament for details.

You are right in that there was no punctuation. But that doesn't explain why Jesus would say "You are Peter" if He wasn't talking to and about Peter. If He meant Himself, He would have said, "I am the Rock and upon this Rock I will build My Church." Instead, He said, "You are Rock and upon this rock I will build My Church."

Answer 4

When Jesus names Simon and he says "You are Peter" Peter actually means rock, or foundation stone. However later Jesus calls him a "stumbling stone" to show that even great power can be destructive when used improperly. You wouldn't be able to tell this unless you talked to somebody who studies the bible and it's original translations. I know this because I go to a Jesuit College and I've been submerged in theology classes. My last theology class specialized on the new testament and was taught by a Jesuit, which is where I learned this.

Answer 5

Fair, honest question and no offense taken.
"I assume that you are a Christian who is concerned with imitating Jesus and being Christlike. Jesus never wore jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. He never wore a watch or a baseball cap. For formal occasions, he would never have worn a tophat and tuxedo. If you wear these things on informal and formal occasions, does that mean that you are not acting in a Christlike manner and that it would be appropriate to question your Christian commitment? I hope that you agree that such a question answers itself. Our Christian commitment is not demonstrated by wearing exactly the clothes that Jesus would have worn, but by imitating his example of holiness.

In the pope's case, he wears a simple robe called a cassock and a simple cap called a zucchetto in ordinary life. For special occasions, such as when he celebrates Mass, he wears a formal robe called a chasuble and a formal headdress called a miter. These clothes signify his status as Christ's Vicar and honor the occasions on which he wears them, much as our clothing signifies our state in life and honors the occasions on which we wear them. If it is okay for ordinary Christians to wear clothing for such reasons, it is okay for the pope to do so.
As far as being "the true church", Christ solemnly pledged that the gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church (Matt. 16:18), and He promised that after His Ascension into Heaven He would send His Church "another Paraclete... the spirit of truth," to dwell with it forever (John 14:16-17), and He inspired the Apostle Paul to describe His Church as "the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Tim. 3:15). If the Catholic Church (which Protestants admit was the true Church of Jesus Christ before Luther's revolt) became doctrinally corrupt as alleged, it would mean that the gates of Hell had prevailed against it -- it would mean that Christ had deceived His followers. Believing Christ to be the very essence of truth and integrity, Catholics cannot in conscience believe that He could be guilty of such deception. Another thing: Catholics cannot see how the division of Christianity into hundreds of rival camps and doctrinal variations can be called a "reformation" of the Christian Church. In the Catholic mind, hundreds of conflicting interpretations of Christ's teachings do not add up to a true interpretation of Christ's teachings.
Catholics refuse to concede such a thing out of faith in Jesus Christ.
As far as St. Peter having been married, we know that he was living with his mother-in-law in his own house (Matthew 8:14; Luke 4:38) at the beginning of Christ's public ministry (about A.D. 26-28), so we know he was married. The only other thing I know about it is from the writings of Clement of Alexandria, a historian of the time who says that Peter had children and that his wife had been martyred, before Peter left with Jesus. Clerical celibacy is not a Church doctrine. It is a discipline, and so can be changed. A married priest can’t help giving his first thoughts to his wife and children. To the extent he does so, he may be forgoing his priestly role as “father,” and people who call a married priest “father” would rightly get the idea that they are second in line as spiritual children. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For he who is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of this world, how he may please his wife; and he is divided” (1 Cor 7:32-34).

Answer 6

the reason the pope wears such clothes, is because of who he represents here on earth. And that is Jesus Christ. you are wrong about this pope not being humble, I think he is very humble. Remember when Peter answered Jesus as to who he was, Jesus told him that it was the holy spirit who revealed that to him, and this is what our popes do, they speak inspired by the holy spirit of truth. Plus, Jesus did not name Peter, by a female name, so he meant to build his church upon him, and the apostles.

Answer 7

Is this a rant? You actually have five questions there. Why don't you post each one individually so that we can answer them properly? We are not afraid of your charges. As a matter of fact I welcome them because it is an opportunity to prove who is on the side of truth.

Doug gave you a link. Here is another one. You will find the answer to all your questions here.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Proving_Inspiration.asp

Answer 8

Go here. Search. Study. Explore the citations at the end of each section.

Then you'll have all your answers, and you'll know the truth.

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Answer 9

What you must remember is that all religions are major businesses and the Roman Catholic Church has amassed its enormous wealth over the centuries by knowing just how to play on people's hopes and fears
For this sort of success you need strong leadership , hence a Pope who must be obeyed without question.
The fancy clothes and display of wealth are to overawe their subjects who feel that the material success must indicate approval from their god..

Answer 10

You are so right...
Questions like yours made me run away from Catholicism and (much later) embrace the Christian Faith, which encourages a personal relationship with the Lord, rather than serving a Pope invented by the Church to keep temporal, as well as spiritual power

Answer 11

I was watching this video about the history of the Bible and it talks about the beginning of catholism and the first pope (not Peter) pretty interesting shows how corrupt and evil they are.The link is on the bottom.