Pope Francis: Jesus Doesn’t Like Hypocrisy
There has never been a more politically involved leader of the Catholic Church than Pope Francis, and, the same time, anyone who chided his followers as ferociously.
Francis points out that, to Jesus, there is no greater sin than hypocrisy, and that calling oneself a Christian while blatantly disobeying the teachings of Christ is hypocritical in the extreme. Thus we have Pope Francis’s beef with Republicans in any of the many Christian sects; he explains, “You cannot simultaneously think of yourselves as Christians while turning away refugees and immigrants who are coming to you in desperate need of food and safety.”
A good 90% of what comes out of the pontiff’s mouth is so kind and in sync with basic humanitarian values that it should send shivers up our spines. The other 10% is, IMO, intransigence re: church dogmas that have no place in the 21st Century and are likely to disappear eventually, e.g., the ban of women in the priesthood, but all of this is virtually unnoticeable in the context of true love of humanity that this gentle soul brings to the table.
Humankind is very lucky to have Pope Francis on this planet during this time of ignorance and depravity.
I am already regretting writing this… There is a place for rules that make no sense. This is because they sit right next to those things we don’t understand today but will grow to understand tomorrow. If there is nothing we don’t know or don’t understand then there also can’t be anything to learn and that is a fundamental lie.
I don’t agree with every Church doctrine, but I have an understanding that includes the doctrine. Other religions have taken a different path. Buddha once said something like, “If it were not for women being admitted into [our order], my teachings would have lasted 1000 years, now they will not last 500.” Gautama Buddha, Dīgha Nikāya 3
I suspect that there are secrets about the nature of this world and the energies involved here about which we have almost no knowledge simply because we have so very little footing from which to observe them. Science suggests the same in quantum mechanics. Religions contain within them suggestions, but the true discoveries likely remain within the province of mystics.
This Wiki link explains very well what is important:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commandment
And after stating,” Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”, Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan to expand greatly the meaning of “neighbor” and to define what he meant by “love”. It is difficult to see how people could steal land from the Native Americans, support slavery, etc., and still consider themselves to be Christians. It is just as difficult to see how people who consider themselves to be Christians can ignore the plight of refugees, war victims, etc. Obviously something is very wrong.
Breath On the Wind and Frank,
Your very thoughtful and deep comments are appreciated can’t begin to try and Sail at the level right now . But thanks as it does , what you both said bring a certain explanation to things that is difficult to put into meaningful and concise words.
like Craig i find a very Gentle Soul in Pope Francis a good Beacon for some Hope in a dark Time and darkening World it seems more and more.
Maybe its a Cycle of Time when things are Aligned a certain way perhaps those Mystics could explain it. This so called Age of Aquarius seems to have taken a sharp turn away from the good goals once expressed…..
yes Frank regrettably many amongst those who call themselves Believers are more Ceremonial and Ritual centered, they lack though the Deeper level of Commitment to the Teachings and that is why they don’t live up to the real message and have allowed their hearts to become Hardened and Insensitive.
I could off into a long parable like commentary but the Point is the Human condition leads to a very Frailty of Spirit and Real Faith and ability to endure a EGO death and submit to higher powers and Teachings that we lack the proper understanding and need good Teacher Models and Inspiration Faith leaders across the entire Spectrum of Religions and Sciences …….
The allure and seductions of the secular world are many and also timeless in their appeal and constant distraction to each of us which detracts from our ability to remain Centered on the Real prize..
yes we need much more Love and the eminent spread of the negative impacts from climate change are already casuin gmuch sufferring and most of the advanced world is giving a pittance of Aid to famished suffering humans and in many cases like the US are reducing our Aid programs…
how may we be judged as a nation or culture I often contemplate as I drive from Town to town trying to make a living when we seem to be overly focused on SELF !
Glad each of us can communicate about these things….be well Brothers
As I see it, urging people to behave according to carrot and stick motivation is wrong. Rather than acting in a certain way to be rewarded and to avoid punishment, we should be acting out of love and respect for God and our fellow human being. As to people who don’t believe in God, they can still be good about acting out of respect for their fellow human beings.
As for judging people, we should not although it is still important to evaluate and judge their behavior. Suppose that someone is a paragon of virtue, loving and helpful towards his fellow human beings, etc. Then suppose he has a stroke which leaves his intellectual and physical abilities unimpaired but results an a drastic change in personality causing him to become unloving, selfish, and cruel. Surely he should not be judged accordingly considering that he is functioning with an impaired brain. There may be people who, from an early age, act like him because of a defective brain. We cannot tell. Of course we have to protect ourselves from such people which may even require locking them up, but because we are unable to tell why they act as they do, we should not assume that they will be condemned.
Craig,
This is just a personal observation.
Membership of the Roman Catholic Church is completely voluntary. If you don’t agree with the rules, you can become member of a Protestant congregation. There’s no penalty for leaving.
Adherence to the Rules of the Roman Communion is voluntary and a private matter for each individual.
Secular law is different, since it contains machinery for ensuring and enforcing civil Law and Order in any given society. Once proclaimed the law must b adhered to by all citizens or anarchy prevails.
Matters concerning immigration and refugees must be decided by secular governments and reflect the will of the majority of the people expressed through their elected representatives.
Citizens should be free to express opposition to any government policy, but disagreement can’t be allowed to extend to violent disobedience.
Governments must often act dispassionately, to ensure they’re acting responsibly for the needs and wishes of their own citizens.
The Pope can afford to be compassionate, he isn’t responsible for enforceable policies in an executive capacity.