actually, catholics are christians. its CHRISTIANS that are not CATHOLIC. a christian is ne1 who believes in christ, and catholicism(?) is just a sub-divisionQuote:
Originally Posted by Martyr
i think im right...some1 double check 4 me :)
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actually, catholics are christians. its CHRISTIANS that are not CATHOLIC. a christian is ne1 who believes in christ, and catholicism(?) is just a sub-divisionQuote:
Originally Posted by Martyr
i think im right...some1 double check 4 me :)
Yes, a christian is anyone who believes in Christ. And Catholicism is one segment or subdivision like you said of the the christian faith.
Though Catholicism was the original faith Jesus started and the Prodestant faiths are all spinoffs of Catholicism.
I'd find I could respect this thread quite a bit more if it weren't so obviously set up to take pot-shots at the Pope and Roman Catholicism in general.
First off, no matter what definition you are using, Catholics are Christians. If you want to say that they aren't you are free to do so but the fact remains that by both definition and belief you are dead wrong. Not only are Catholics Christians, by the way, but they are the FIRST Christians. Catholicism evolved from the gradual split from Judaism after the death of Jesus, and it is probably safe to say that they became their own, independant and recognized faith after the Bible was completed under the Roman Emperor Constantine.
Secondly, the next person to be Pope will be a Cardinal who is, as Unne said, chosen by an assembly of Cardinals. The Pope's time is drawing to a close, and there are many precedents for his replacement. I don't believe I need to detail them because Unne was kind enough to post the links to sites that do it for me.
And finally, the state of the Vatican is something that should be taught in both religious and secular schools because it is not strictly a religious subject. Any school that teaches about countries and borders must recognize the Vatican as its own independant state, it is wrong to say it is merely a part of Italy.
EDIT: There IS a reason one of the major Christian denominations is called the "Protestant" movement.
This is something interesting I've recently found out. Why, exactly, does the Church get this sector of Rome for itself? HMMM???
Well, the document that they based this right to "own" Rome is a document that the Church says was written by Constantine, when he moved the Roman capital to Constantinople (modern-day Instabul). However, if you read Lorenzo Valla's expose of this document, he very convincingly proves it to be a forgery, written sometime in the 9th century. So technically, the premise in which the Catholic Church owns the Vatican is in reality, a big lie. But of course, lies is what most of the Catholic Church was based on for much of history. And that is a fact, not in any way an opinion; consider the sale of indulgences, and the fact that a man that is supposedly ordained by God can be given to three different people when one of them doesn't serve your country (The Second Great Schism).
And yes, the Vatican is a country. Other small countries include Monaco, San Marino, and Andorra.
*disregards talk of Catholic/Christian Non-sense*
I think the vatican is actually about 2 square miles and not 5. Still really small but its smaller yet.
Martyr, why not just come out and say it that you think that the Vatican is a tool of Satan, and all Catholics are going to hell, and so on and so forth? I'm sure you could post some Chick Tracts to round out the thread, and then we can all go out for punch and pie.
War Angel - Actually, as far as I know, The Swiss Guard is a very prestigous organization, and looking good in tights is only one of the MANY requirements.
KB - I think you'd be hard pressed to find any large organization that WASN'T horribly corrupt during the middle ages.
darkchrono - I, personally, get the impression that Jesus didn't like organized religion very much, and the Catholic Church is far from what he envisioned. Then again, if he truly was blessed with incredible foresight or divinity, perhaps he saw the need for an organized faith, to spread his word as far as possible.
EDIT: Also, The Holy See is a mere 0.17 square miles.
damn, i want my own island. free drinks all around!!!!!!!do you guys wonder what the pope does with his own island?its prolly better than the playboy mansion, lol. sorry if i offended ne1, im catholic, but i mean i've always wondered... :rolleyes2
...Island? Rome's not really a body of water, in the traditional sense.
The same point could be made about ANY religion. If there is no god, than all of religion is based off of lies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirobaito
He could be not paying attention! Anyway I think is wrong for the pope to ahve his own country! Why does he have it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunday Man
Honestly I didn't know that the Vatican was a country until I read Angels and Demons earlier this year. But then I never payed attention in my after school Catholic school.
Then the point CAN'T be made about any religion because God has not been disproven.Quote:
Originally Posted by nik0tine
No one has ever prove that God exists
Christians aren't ruled by the pope so we don't care. Catholics however are a different matter.
No one has ever prove that God doesn't. :rolleyes2Quote:
Originally Posted by Divinity
So the point cannot be made that religions are built on lies...
The point can be made that religions are built on faith.