The Redhunter

It is not my purpose here to discuss all these things in any more detail than I already have. You can read the news for yourself as all the major outlets are giving the trip much coverage. Fox News has a whole page on the Papal visit, and the others do too I am sure. The Vatican also has a page dedicated to the trip, where they will publish all of his major statements and messages.

Fox News photo

Sadly, I am sure there are many, or at least some, protestants who will poo hoo the Pope. You don't have to go far in some churches to hear someone say that they are a "recovering catholic" or some such thing; and have such a declaration met with approval. I recently left a small bible study group when one of the members said that the Catholic church was a "cult". I had tried to make the case that although I didn't agree with the Catholics on enough that I was going to stay protestant, but they would have none of it.

Not that Catholics have never uttered anything derogatory towards protestants. I'm sure a lot gets said behind closed doors that is equal to what I hear sometimes at protestant churches.

The good news is that most all of this is in fact said behind closed doors. The day when it was acceptable for Christians to publicly denegrate each other is thankfully mostly over.

We in the faith community all know that there is some animosity between groups of Christians, which is an unfortunate aspect of all religion.

The bottom line though is that both (or all) sides need to knock it off. I really couldn't care less whether you're a member of church A or B as long as you're a believer. What we need to do is spend our time with the lost, trying to bring them into the fold. As such, we need to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, and bickering amongst ourselves will not further that goal. So if the Pope's visit brings one lost soul to Christ and that person chooses the Catholic church, then I say all the better.

Some believers have a narrow view of what is acceptable doctrine, and others a wider view. I am obviously in the latter group. Obviously doctrine does matter, and there is a certain divergence point where you cease to be a Christian. Where that is reasonable people can debate, but it is there. I just take a wider view.

But even when I find someone or some group "out of bounds", I operate by one simple rule; I never say something in private that I would not say in public. I forgot to ask, but I wonder if the man in my (former) small group who said that the Catholic church is a "cult" would say that in public. Somehow I doubt it.

Occasionally I have have negative things to say about some churches that have veered to the left in their political statements and actions. I criticized the PCUSA when the passed a resolution divesting their investments from Israel (which the reversed after a firestorm of criticism). Criticizing a church over political matters is different than theological quibbling I think, because when they "go political" then they open themselves up to more scrutiny. This goes for conservative as well as liberal churches.

Either way I'm not going to worry much about what others think. I'm not a Catholic and won't become one, but am cheered by the Pope's visit and believe that he will a good defender of the faith and of the West.