Does anyone know what the large hat the pope and bishops wear is called? Also, the staff that they carry that resembles that carried by shepards...what is that called?

-- Dan (hippensteels@home.com), February 03, 2001

Answers

The hat is called a Mitre and the shepherds staff is called a crozier.

-- Br. Rich SFO (repsfo@prodigy.net), February 03, 2001.

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Constantine did the same thing with his strategy, and he made a church. He gave a lot at the Nicene Council, and then they... He made a--a lot of great buildings that he had, and he converted these into churches. And then he made a big marble altar, decorated with gold and gems. Up above there he put like a throne, and he made one man the head like a... He was called then a bishop. And they put him upon this throne. Boniface III was throned. Not only did he walk around with clothes on like the--the peasant did, but they made him a--a great fine robes and dressed him up like a god, and set him up there, and called him, "The Vicar." Vicar, or the Vicarius Filii Dei, it means "instead of the Son of God."

Now, here's to him that has wisdom, draw, write that out: VICARIUS FILII DEI. And then when you draw a line under here and add the numbers, and you got exactly what God said the mark of the beast was: six hundred and sixty-six. See, Vicarius Filii... Now, I've been in Rome and been in the Vatican. And the triple crown: jurisdiction of hell, heaven, and purgatory. See? Seen the crown, seen the vest, seen right there...

Now, go on over here in Revelation 13 and show you that this man sets on a city--in the city, and the city sets on--on seven hills. And the numbers of the beast is 666 wrote out in the--in the Latin-- Roman alphabet is 666 is Vicarius Filii Dei, which is "Instead of the Son of God," on the pope's throne. And he's got a triple crown. And I've looked right at the crown, stood as close as my hand is to my face, like that, and--and seen the deck crown of the pope right there in the Vatican--myself, stood and looked at it to be sure I know what I was talking about. He opposes himself above all that's called God, all the godly man. He's the holiest of all them. Sets in the temple of God just showing himself he is God, forgiving sins on earth and so forth, you know.

-- William (prophet@email.com), February 10, 2001.

Constantine did the same thing with his strategy, and he made a church. He gave a lot at the Nicene Council, and then they... He made a--a lot of great buildings that he had, and he converted these into churches. And then he made a big marble altar, decorated with gold and gems. Up above there he put like a throne, and he made one man the head like a... He was called then a bishop. And they put him upon this throne. Boniface III was throned. Not only did he walk around with clothes on like the--the peasant did, but they made him a--a great fine robes and dressed him up like a god, and set him up there, and called him, "The Vicar." Vicar, or the Vicarius Filii Dei, it means "instead of the Son of God."

Now, here's to him that has wisdom, draw, write that out: VICARIUS FILII DEI. And then when you draw a line under here and add the numbers, and you got exactly what God said the mark of the beast was: six hundred and sixty-six. See, Vicarius Filii... Now, I've been in Rome and been in the Vatican. And the triple crown: jurisdiction of hell, heaven, and purgatory. See? Seen the crown, seen the vest, seen right there...

Now, go on over here in Revelation 13 and show you that this man sets on a city--in the city, and the city sets on--on seven hills. And the numbers of the beast is 666 wrote out in the--in the Latin-- Roman alphabet is 666 is Vicarius Filii Dei, which is "Instead of the Son of God," on the pope's throne. And he's got a triple crown. And I've looked right at the crown, stood as close as my hand is to my face, like that, and--and seen the deck crown of the pope right there in the Vatican--myself, stood and looked at it to be sure I know what I was talking about. He opposes himself above all that's called God, all the godly man. He's the holiest of all them. Sets in the temple of God just showing himself he is God, forgiving sins on earth and so forth, you know.

-- William (prophet@email.com), February 10, 2001.

Dear William,

There's one very obvious problem with your argument. John Paul II, our current pope, is not the first to sit in Rome, the city of seven hills. He is not the first to have worn the triple crown. He is not the first "Vicarius Filii Dei." Therefore, why should your number theory apply to him more than to any of the other popes? Do you think each pope was Mr. 666? If so, they weren't very good minions o' Satan, and John Paul II is probably one of the most disappointing of all!

DOn't sweat the numerology, William. There are lots of ways you can work the numbers to get 666. I mean, look at what you did with the pope. Instead of writing his name, you wrote down a title that has been in use for many of the popes. Look, Jesus said no one will know the day of his coming. Live for the present, William. Live the way Jesus wants you to right now. Don't freak out over people's titles.

May the peace of the Lord be with you, William, always.

-Hannah

Blessed Mother of God, pray for us. St. James, pray for us.

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Thank you Hannah for your reply, but my point was, It's not pointed to one Pope, Those numbers apply to all Pope's, cause it's the same System.

God has ways of letting you know that which is of God, and That which is not of God, God has always delt in numerology! 3's 5's 7's 12's ...etc

-- William (prophet@email.com), February 10, 2001.

Ummm, William, I took a look at Revelation 13, and now your post makes even less sense.

"It forces all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads, so that no one could buy or sell except the one who had the stamped inage of the beast's name or the number that stood for the name.

Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six."

Well, William, I'm Catholic, but I sure don't have a tattoo on my right hand or forehead, and I can go to the store and buy whatever I want. I'm not disobeying the Pope either! He never said that I had to have some stamp on my hand. Take a look at Catholics. Do they have marks on their heads? On their right hands? No, they don't.

Another thing-- in what language are you doing your numerology? In Hebrew, where every letter is a number? In the Latin alphabet? In the Greek alphabet? If you're just going with English, you could come up with a different answer than the inspired author intended.

I've heard (and this could be wrong) that the author was warning the people about the Roman emperor at that time (I think it was Nero). If it's prophecy, it hasn't been fulfilled.

Do you have anything against Pope John Paul II, other than the fact that he is pope? Do you ever look at him as a human being, as more than some "beast"?

-Hannah

Mother Mary, pray for us. St. James, pray for us.

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Hannah, I understand what you mean,..We know that they will be a Mark of the beast, and it will be so decieving that the bible said "ALL upon the face of the earth was Decieved".. But How??? The tatoo in the Right hand and in the forehead?? Everyone knows about that!! you will not get anyone decieved by that, HollyWood has already Exploied that all over the world, "But" they have interpretated it wrong...

The Mark of the Beast is not a Tatoo in the hand or forehead,... But it is a mrk in the forehead and hand,...

In fact its a Doctrine (mark in the Forehead, mind) of how you believe..

Or the right hand of Fellowship, or Joining Denominations by a Hand Shake (Right Hand).. thats the mark my friend

Think about how you believe!.. You are marked by how you believe

-- William (prophet@email.com), February 10, 2001.

Well, now I definitely know that prohesy has not come true.

1. Not everyone in the world shares the same belief, whether it be atheism, Buddhism, or Christianity.

2. The second beast wields the power of the first beast, who is blasphemous and horrible. The second beast gets people to worship the first beast. The Catholic Church wields the power of CHRIST and gets people to worship CHRIST, who is NOT a blasphemous monster, but the saviour of the whole world. Saying that the Pope is the second beast then implies that Christ is the first beast. Now, I know you are not meaning to say that, right, William?

You apparently have a problem with people shaking hands. When we shake hands, we pray that the Peace of the Lord be with that other person; we're not doing some sort of satanic ritual. Do you never shake hands with people? Shaking hands is not wrong, William. It is part of American culture, and is a sign of friendship and respect. Are you from a culture that does not shake hands? Please don't judge American culture harshly. There are a lot of terrible things in it, like abortion and racism, but handshaking is totally harmless.

Peace be with you, William.

-Hannah

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. St. James, pray for us.

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Jmj

You're the greatest, Hannah, for standing up to this nonsense!
It's only too bad that you did not know the dirty little game that is behind it. William is spewing forth one of the major canards that has been spread, for some years, by a virulently anti-Catholic splinter group disavowed by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. At least some of the elements William has presented have been debunked in Patrick Madrid's recent book, "Pope Fiction."

Here are a few facts, which join with your own words to send William flying back to the drawing board:
1. He said that Constantine (who died in 337) put Boniface III on a throne as bishop of Rome (pope). But Boniface III became pope in 607.
2. He said that "they" called him "Vicarius Filii Dei" or "instead of the Son of God." First of all, "vicarius" means "vicar" (one serving as a substitute for one who cannot be physically present). It does not mean "instead of," which can imply "illegitimately supplanting." Second, and more important, none of the popes has ever had "Vicarius Filii Dei" as a title! Popes are called "Bishop of Rome" and "Patriarch of the West" and "Pontifex Maximus" (supreme pontiff) ... AND "Vicarius Christi" or Vicar of Christ.
3. The 666 nonsense is based on letters in "VFD" that match Roman numerals. They STARTED with the 666 and invented a title that would add up properly! They had to do it, since "Vicarius Christi" adds up only to 214.
4. You are right, Hannah, in saying that 666 has been shown to come from the full name of Nero Caesar -- who persecuted the Christians, killing Sts. Peter and Paul.
5. To show how people can play games with 666, consider this: A foundress of Seventh Day Adventism (from which the evil brood broke away) was Ellen Gould White, and her name "adds up" to 666, based on L=50, L=50, U=5 (like a V), L=50, D=500, W=10 (like two Vs), I=1.
6. There is nothing anywhere (except in William's mind) to tie the papal tiara to "jurisdiction of hell, heaven, and purgatory." [I had never heard that whopper before!]
7. The seven hills of Rome are in the city, East of the Tiber River. They do not include the Vatican, which is West of the River, outside the ancient city.

William, you can't fight it. Cry "uncle." You're putting your soul in jeopardy.

St. James, pray for us. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), February 10, 2001.

William came to our forum to divide and take control of us, Catholics and other guests alike. He can quote chapter and verse, but the sense of the Word is never captured, he's only interested in malice. He's losing patience now, the words of scripture he quoted here ring false.

Just like verses from scripture that the devil quoted to Jesus Christ in the wilderness. Our Lord rejected the temptations of the devil. Note how the devil always makes the same mistakes. ''If thou art the Son of God.'' And here in William's post, ''If you believe in the Church--''

Yes, Satan, Jesus IS the Son of God. You have no power over Him. Never have and never will. Yes, William; we here DO believe the Catholic Church comes down in history from the Holy Apostles. You have no power over us, nor over her. Now that you've lost patience because your bible thumping hasn't got results, you strike out at the Pope.

He's the legitimate successor to Peter, the Rock. You are a successor to Satan, the devil. Leave this forum, and don't come back, William.

Holy Virgin Mary, pray for us! James, Holy Apostle of Jesus Christ, Pray for us! Amen.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), February 11, 2001.

Gosh, William, if right hand things means the mark of the beast, then you're saying that Jesus Christ is Satan. "...He is seated at the right hand of the Father....". As my father would say, you're trying to pull the wool over our eyes but guess what? You're failing miserably and looking rather pathetic in the process. God help you.

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), February 11, 2001.

Dearest Hannah,

You truly are a gem and an inspiration to your fellow Catholics. Our Father is proud of you, I'm quite sure. Hannah, I know this may sound like a rather odd question but do you mind if I ask how old you are?

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), February 11, 2001.

Dear Jackie:

Thanks. You're an inspiration to me, too, and so are John, Eugene, Enrique, and Br. Rich.

I'm eighteen.

-Hannah

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. St. James pray for us.

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), February 11, 2001.

How wonderful is the Lord our God!

"I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes." [Matthew 11:25]

God bless you, Hannah.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), February 11, 2001.

you guys are so void of understanfd with such a carnal conception!

the right hand isnt just the natural hand thats attached to your body!.. theres nothing wrong with hand shaking! but when a person substitute the new birth or salvation by shaking the pastors hand and saying ( iam saved and going to heaven cause iam PART of the church now, iam a memeber of the church and shook the pastors hand) That has nothing to do with your salvation,.. your not saved by what you do, or what church you go to,.. by Grace are you saved, but you guys take it in such a carnel way, i cant speak nothing spiritual to you! cause your minds have not been regenterated by the Holy Spirit!.. God Help You.......

-- info (fitago@email.com), February 13, 2001.

You're right, info. IF people think that by shaking a preacher's hand they are getting into heaven, they are being presumptuous. If they think that by their own merit they can ever "deserve" heaven, they are wrong. The thing is, Catholics don't believe any of that. That's right, we rely on Grace. The Church is the body that defined that concept, by the way. You're preaching to the choir on this one. We shake hands to be polite and friendly. We do good works because faith without works isn't much faith at all. But I really don't think many Christians even believe what you accuse them of doing-- demanding heaven on the basis of 1 hr a week. I think you just want to justify your beliefs by making up a bunch of bad things about other people. Well, that's pretty sad. You should be able to define your philosophy on the basis of what YOU, not others of different faiths, believe. Try reading some of the othre posts. You will find that NOONE ever says that going to church=going to heaven.

-Hannah

Mary, full of GRACE, pray for us sinners. ST. James, pray for us.

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), February 13, 2001.

Dear info--
your not saved by what you do, or what church you go to,.. by Grace are you saved, but you guys take it in such a carnel way, i cant speak nothing spiritual to you! cause your minds have not been regenterated by the Holy Spirit!.. God Help You.......

You sound a little like AlexJr. You spell even worse than he. ''i cant speak nothing spiritual to you!''

.

OK, I'll wait for you. Speak something spiritual. Show me a spiritual way to be ''saved''. Leave my Church out of your ''spiritual'' info-- pretend I'm the man on the street. You never heard about a church. GO, Alex Boy!

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), February 13, 2001.

A Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. Either the Bible is Real and True or it’s a sham, its not part true and part lie. Either God created us or the Bible is a lie! Because of the Pope’s statement and belief on evolution and other Bible untruths I have had to leave the Catholic Church. As far as this mark is they are using computer chips in people, which I believe will be the mark of the beast.

We applaud the position taken on God and evolution by Pope John Paul II, in his recent message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, meeting in Rome. Pope John Paul’s position is very similar to the one taken by most scholars who work with CTNS, and it promotes the type of creative mutual interaction that the Center attempts to nurture.

3. Pope John Paul’s statement differs from the position taken by fundamentalist Christians who reject evolutionary science and seek to replace it with their so-called, "creation science." The Pope’s statement also differs from the reductionistic claim that science can explain everything about the human person and that science is the only route to truth. Instead, the Pope John Paul’s statement charts a middle course between the two extremes, recognizing the important insights made by scientific investigation, while also acknowledging the important contributions that come from theological reflection.

This means that God works through evolution, Either you must believe the Pope is right or the Bible is a LIE!

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,

Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Gen 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

-- Endgospel (Endgospel@aol.com), February 19, 2002.

It is useless to try and argue the points about the Pope, rather the biblical beast. It is said that many will be deceived, the majority of people will succomb to this evil, well, catholics are a good majority to fit this role. They are everlearning but never able to come to the truth, and this is ok. We shouldn't worry about others, just ourselves, because revelations shows that the minority will overcome. Just for fun, I'll tell why I believe the Pope or the Catholic religion, not the members, are the anti-christ. The great whore, harlot is called a woman: the catholic church is called holy mother church, The beast will live luxiouriously: the pope has billions (notice the billions of dollars to pay for priests to have sex with little boys and not go to jail). He will sit on many waters: Catholicism is everywhere, and all the kings of the countries praise the pope, All the kings of the earth shall drink the blood of her fornication: Priests have sex with boys, then bless the blood for hundreds to partake of. Merchandise that made many rich: Indulgences and selling religious paraphenalia (using God as a marketing scheme). The beast will be full of names of blaspheme: the pope calls himself the vicar of christ(instead of or represents christ, the holy father (the name of God), the holy see, holy roman pontiff etc... The mark in the forehead: Ash wednesday. Hypocrites giving into doctrines of devils forbidding to marry and abstaining from meats (1 Timothy chapter 4 1-4): Priests cannot marry and do not eat meat on good friday. So someone please email me and let me know how catholicism doesn't fit into the revelations of the last days and the false prophet. But first read the bible before you begin to speak out of your rear ends. Because human wisdom cannot contend with the bible. Your lesson this week kids is Rev chapters 12-19. Good luck boys and girls, and be sure to tip your waitor.

Love in Christ, Bradley

-- Bradley Johnson (Bradlee979@aol.com), April 04, 2002.

Bradley Johnson writes:

"The great whore, harlot is called a woman: the catholic church is called holy mother church"

By the same logic, your mother is called a woman. What is your mother?

Bradley Johnson writes:

the pope calls himself the vicar of christ(instead of or represents christ,

Actual a vicar is someone who represents someone else. According to dictionary.com:

vicar==(Roman Catholic Church) A priest who acts for or represents another, often higher-ranking member of the clergy.

Bradley Johnson writes:

"The mark in the forehead: Ash wednesday"

Are you saying that an outward sign of our faith is inappropriate: Remember what God Himself told us (Genesis 3:19):

"...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

Do you have a problem with Genesis?

Bradley Johnson writes:

"Priests cannot marry and do not eat meat on good friday."

Remember that neither Jesus nor Paul married--it is not a sin to remain single and celibate. Paul recommends that a single life is preferable for all Christians, if they can remain celibate. Read Paul, please. Also, if you had read any other threads, you would know that celibate priesthood is not universal.

Do you know why Catholics and other Christians don't eat meat on Fridays during lent? Do you know what occured on Good Friday? Also, do you believe that Jesus (or any disciple) forbids us from fasting? Do you not know that Jesus fully expects us to fast? Here are the references in the Bible:

Matthew 6:16 - "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Matthew 6:18 - that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Mark 2:18 - Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting ; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

Luke 2:37 - and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

Acts 13:2 - While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Acts 13:3 - Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 14:23 - And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.

Bradley Johnson writes:

"Your lesson this week kids is Rev chapters 12-19. Good luck boys and girls, and be sure to tip your waitor."

If you are calling us children and contrasting yourself to us, please recall Jesus' own words in Matthew 18:

[Jesus] said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I am a child. Are you, Bradley?

Bradley Johnson writes:

"But first read the bible before you begin to speak out of your rear ends."

That, my brother Christian, is not the way that Jesus would address believers. I'll keep you in my prayers.

In Christ,

Mateo.

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), April 04, 2002.

Bradley sent me the same sad bigotry on e-mail, which I deleted without answering. We don't have to give these morons the time of day. If they hate the Catholic Church, it's only the fulfillment of many prophecies in the Holy Bible; and their hatred will earn them a place on Christ's left hand side on the last day.

I wish we could help them. We can't, because, as their own words make plain, they never accepted salvation. To accept it, they would need a humble and contrite heart. They are neither humble, nor contrite; and they are very far from Christian. ''Do not give to the dogs what is holy, nor cast your pearls before swine,'' said Our Lord. I won't answer these people.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), April 04, 2002.

Eugene,

I hear what you're saying. I always think that there's a chance with those who think like this, despite the bigotry that they've grown up with. Some Protestants have so much hatred because they're "educated" about Catholicism from a few anti-Catholic pampletes with Bible quotes.

I just enjoy reading the Bible. I enjoy hearing the Bible readings during Mass. Many of the Christians that I know who love reading the Bible are Catholics. The bigots who hold stereo-types pretend we don't exist, just as they ignore the fact that an over-whelming numbers of Protestants don't read the Bible.

I wonder why these individuals simultaneously denounce our belief that the teachings of the Church do not have solid ground, and then they pronounce themselves as infallible teachers of the Bible. I see them as the Sadducees in the Bible because they only accepted the written Mosaic law. The Sadducees were, by definition, the "Sola Scriptura" adherents of their day. Among other things, they denied the resurrection. The Sadducees also rejected Jesus' true message: live the Christian ideal--practice virtue, avoid vice, love God with all of your heart.

In Christ,

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), April 04, 2002.

Those darn double negatives!

I wonder why these individuals simultaneously denounce our belief that the teachings of the Church is on solid ground, and then they pronounce themselves as infallible teachers of the Bible.

I'll get things right one day!

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), April 04, 2002.

Matt,
I'm perfectly happy discussing these things with you. My basher-threshhold is just too high lately. This last bigot doesn't waste even the first sentence before weighing in with the ''beast'' slur. Is he ever about to stand for you or me explaining the real meaning of the scripture? In a pig's eye.

He wouldn't get to first base with any of us, either. But his vile spirit would cut loose with the whole range of anti-Catholic filth he's embraced all his dumb life. Therefore my quote: ''Cast not your pearls before swine.''

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), April 04, 2002.

Eugene,

I'm with you 100%. I just have this hope that one day people will drop their bigotry and listen to reason (and the Bible!)--call me an optimist!

God bless you,

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), April 04, 2002.

Our visiting Evangelical wrote:

"Just for fun, I'll tell why I believe the Pope or the Catholic religion, not the members, are the anti-christ."

I get a kick out of Evangelicals who think that they can claim that the Pope and Catholicism are the anti-christ...and then carefully say, "don't worry, the members aren't the anti-christ!" As if this is going to somehow make us say, "Boy that was thoughtful he didn't insult us!" I just have to chuckle at this. As Bugs Bunny says, "What an ignoramous!"

Those whacky evanglicals...

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), April 04, 2002.

My favorite part is when the guy ends his hateful rant with, "Love in Christ"! I can be pretty cynical in my posts, but don't think I could muster brass like that on a bet.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), April 05, 2002.

This post is just a copy of one I sent long time ago:

It is funny!!! People speak strongly against the Pope and they offer the sins and scandals of some of the Popes in history, but they never refer to the many, many holy men that were Popes!! What are they trying to prove? That the Catholic Church is false and not the Church of Christ? Why bother to mention, for instance, Alexander VI? The first Pope, Peter, deserted Christ during His Passion and three times denied knowing Him. The rest of the Apostles also deserted Christ at that hour. Was that the HOLY Catholic Church? When Christ founded His Church He wanted it to be formed by men -all sinners- Then: 1- If the Church were a mere human institution I think it should have disappeared long time ago. 2- The Church is HOLY, because Christ is holy, the Sacraments are holy, His Word is holy....and there have been millions of Catholic holy people, Popes, Bishops, Priests, Religious men and women, and, of course, lay people.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), April 07, 2002.

I have seen pictures of the Popes pointy hat in the past. The Numbers 666 are on the hat. Do you know where I can see a picture of his hat? Can I find it online?

-- Daniel Naylor (dannaylor20@hotmail.com), September 04, 2002.

Daniel, I believe this is what you are looking for.

Have fun.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), September 04, 2002.

This is my question to ever one out there have you been born again with the Water and the Spirit? John 3:5

Repent everyone of you and be Baptized (not Springling)in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of Sins and you shall received the gift of the Holy Ghost Acts 2:38

How do you know you've received the gift of the Holy Ghost? Isa 28:11-12, Mark 16:17, Acts 2:1-11 and 10:44-48 These are some of the Books that shows how you know you've receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.If you do not have His Spirit in you then Romans 8:9-11 explains the rest

There is no place in the Bible that supports that you should pray to mary the mother of Jesus or to any of the Apostles.1Cor 1:10-13

The Lord Jesus Christ is at hand read is words carefully so that you may be saved

-- Andrew Barnes (andrewbarnes98@yahoo.com), March 27, 2003.

Dear Andrew,

Catholics were being born of water and the Spirit for 1500 years before your manmade traditions even existed. You would not even know about it if you hadn't read it in writings of the early Catholic Church. We know we have received the Holy Spirit because we belong to the one Church founded by Jesus Christ, the only Church to which He gave the promise of the Holy Spirit. How do YOU know you have the Holy Spirit, given that you belong to a tradition of thousands of conflicting manmade denominations, each teaching a different gospel from that which the Church of the Apostles taught. Can the Holy Spirit be the author of such confusion and contradiction?

The Bible is full of the idea that Christians should pray for one another. Don't you ask other Christians to pray for you? Don't you pray for them? Are not Mary and the Apostles Christians? Then why shouldn't I ask them to pray for me? And please don't tell me they are dead. That is unbiblical (see John 11:26).

There is no place in the Bible that supports the idea that all our beliefs have to be found in the Bible. So why do you follow this tradition? However, there are a number of verses which tell us that the Church is where God's teaching authority is to be found. That's why there are no denominations in Catholicism. Jesus said His Church would be united in belief, and it is. You can't have truth without unity; and you can't have unity without genuine authority. The Word of God says the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim 3:15). Why do you violate the Word of God by trying to force the Bible to be your foundation of truth, when the Bible makes no such claim, and in fact says just the opposite?

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 28, 2003.

Hi All.

I can't remember the Monsignor who's book I'm currently reading. He made a statement that I just can't get out of my mind.

We all have eternal life--our souls. They either live in hell or Heaven. (I'm paraphrasing, of course.)

rod

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), March 28, 2003.

Enough of these useless arguments about my church is better than your church, blah, blah, blah. There is only one true church, it is not necessarily Protestant, it is not necessarily Roman Catholic...it is a gathering of people, united for one reason, one purpose, one holy, blessed future. To received salvation through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. To grow and mature in the knowledge of God, to do good works, because that is what God has called us to do, we are His workmanship.

So, in conclusion, if you are truly Christ workmanship, you belong to the one true church. Continue to seek God's will, submit to working of God's Holy Spirit in your life, you will one day arrive at the heavenly home that Christ is preparing for all of us.

You know, we are the communion of saints. If we can't commune here, how will we commune in our heavenly home. Die to self and we will die to these useless diagreements. Hush! Rest in the free gift of God's grace. Let's get our eyes off of man-made traditions and let's go love God and everyone.

See you all, when I get there. Till then...

"May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".

Sincerely in Christ,

Kathy

-- Kathleen Leontitsis (kleontitsis@comcast.net), November 06, 2003.

Some of what you say, Kathleen, is true and good. But you made a couple of mistakes -- one a little one, one a big one.

You know, we are the communion of saints.

No, we are not. We are only one part of it. We are the part called the "Church Militant." The other parts of the Communion of Saints are the "Church Triumphant" (in Heaven) and the "Church Suffering" (in Purgatory). That was your little mistake.

There is only one true church, it is not necessarily Protestant, it is not necessarily Roman Catholic...it is a gathering of people, united for one reason, one purpose, one holy, blessed future.

Yes, there "is only one true church." That church is the Catholic Church. Jesus founded only one Church -- the Catholic Church. All other Christian churches and things that seem to be churches broke away from the true church and they fail to believe the entire gospel.

-- (Jesus@Saves.com), November 06, 2003.

To Hannah; Thank you for the information to keep alive the truth about the Pope's one Title. This keeps the truth going about his statehoods name. The theory is of your love to god (3068 hebrew= YHVH= Yahooah), which if you love him, you will have the Commandments written on your forehead, and should be in your hands. Dueteronomy 6:8 Now the Isrealites did not have them all tatooed on them. The theory is that it is in your mind and how you applied yourself to YHVH. The ones who receive the mark is in Revelation 14:9-11, it tells you what is going to happen to those who do accept the beast. But you will notice who does not get the mark in the next verse 12, those who keep the commandments of YHVH,(not the MESSIAH'S) but have beleif (with obeidiance) of Yahooshuah (your Iesus). The commandments effect your LOVE for Yahooah, and salvation. Keep the Sabbath of Firday at dusk till saturday at dusk. And not to blashemy the Name of Yahooah and Yahooshuah, the third commandment of Exodus 20:7. Not to bow down to I-Dolls, and not have no other things above the Maker. Thank you, from a non-christian, but those whom the Catholics tried to destroy since the beginning, after the Messiah Yahooshuah. May you find the Messiah the way he intend us to be like.

-- Robert W. Timmerman (robert_smith8@yahoo.com), November 10, 2003.

Doing an assignment on the Vatican - including catholics. Wondering about their religion... traditional catholic characteristics before the vatican was updated and why catholcis had to abstain from eating meat. Thanks bobbie

-- " " " " (bobbiebergmeier@hotmail.com), January 19, 2004.

Bobbie,

The Vatican is a place, not a religion. Our religion is called Catholicism to differentiate it from Protestantism, but in fact, we look at our selves as Christians. We are the Church that Jesus Christ established upon this earth and we trace our roots directly to Him. Our Church is 2,000 years old and we are by far the largest church in the world.

The Vatican is where the Pope, our spiritual shepard, lives and is where our Church headquarters are. The Vatican is located in Rome, Italy but is a separate country.

I think you are asking about the difference in Church customs between pre-Vatican II and today. First off, customs have changed throughout the history of the Church, our beliefs on faith and morals have not. So I will talk about some of the customs just before Vatican II (which took place in the 1960s) and today.

Vatican II was a many year gathering of many bishops (about 2,000) from all over the world. One of the purposes of the conclave was to examine our Church customs and make sure they were viable for the 20th century. As expected, some customs changed after Vatican II .

Meatless Fridays: As you mentioned Catholics did not eat meet on Fridays prior to Vatican II. Now it is an option for Catholics to eat meet on Friday. Why the fast? Because Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross on a Friday. And not eating meet reminded us of His sacrifice. We still, as a Church, do not eat meet on Friday’s during Lent (the time leading up to Easter).

Latin Mass: Before Vatican II the mass (our Sunday Church service) was in Latin, today it is in the language of the participants. This was done so more people would understand and participate in the service.

Position of the alter: Before Vatican II the alter where the priest said mass faced away from the people. The idea was that all those assembled were praying to God, including the priest. After Vatican II the alter was moved so the priest faced the people. The idea here is that all are participating in the sacrifice of the mass, as a group. Again, the emphasis on participation of all those attending. There were a number of other changes in the way the service was conducted also to make it more of a participatory event.

Attending another Church’s service: Prior to Vatican II Catholics were not allowed to attend another church service (even a wedding). This custom came from the time where the though all Protestants were ‘enemies’. Now we are free to attend other services as long as we also attend our weekly service.

Bible: Vatican II brought the increased use of various readings at Sunday and daily services.

Baptism: Vatican II brought a renewed focus on Baptism and the rites of Christian initiation. All the baptized have a ministry in the Church.

A number of other changes were also initiated. Here is a good site for you to review:
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/v1.html

I hope this helps.

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@Hotmail.com), January 19, 2004.