Pope Francis the Rev False Prophet?

[One Bad Pig]

No, I'm Orthodox (but grew up an evangelical fundamental Protestant). I'm fairly certain that, for most fundamentalist Protestants, a pope working miracles would be confirmation that he is the Antichrist.

[seanD]

Well, okay, but just for the record the OP doesn't claim the possibility he is antichrist. I'm not sure why no one can make that distinction.

[Adrift]

Hah. I thought Rev in the title was short for Reverend upon first read. Reverend False Prophet.

"who am I to judge," refers not to same sex marriage but to the possibility of gay seminarians or postulants to religious orders.

Isn't he precisely the one to judge?

Aliens: in response to a pure hypothetical about, if aliens existed, whether we should evangelize them, Pope Francis made the obvious answer, and the same answer that, to the best of my knowledge, most every credible theologian who has dedicated time and energy to the topic has reached.

Wait, we're talking alien aliens here? I thought sean was talking about, like, illegal aliens or something. What's exactly is the context?

Climate change/ call for a new ecological and economic order: in calling for radical economic reform, Pope Francis is echoing every single pope for the last 120+ years: Popes have been publicly calling for more humane economic practices and structures since Pope Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum in 1891. Papal critiques of capitalism, socialism, and the materialism that capitalism and communism hold in common have been quite consistent, and materialistic consumerism that cares little for ecological sustainability still drives our economy today.

I'm still mystified what one's opinion about climate change has to do with their faith. So what if the Pope thinks x,y,z about climate change? Seems like something Christians ought to be able to have divided opinions about without it being some sort of strike against them. I imagine Christians in Europe generally have a different view about climate change than Christians in America. It's (strangely in my opinion) more a political issue than a religious one.

Can you also give me examples of famous theologians espousing similar views about aliens?

I don't know what the Pope said about this specifically (outside of what I'm gleaning in this thread), but I'm pretty sure I remember hearing William Lane Craig with similar sentiments about aliens...Yeah, doing a quick Google, this is his view on the subject http://www.reasonablefaith.org/ufos. I got my own ideas about the issue, which, in a way, do and do not accord with the WLC's, but yeah, there ya have it.

All things considered, I think this Pope is a pretty swell guy. Is he/will he be the/an anti-Christ. Probably not, but I'd be lying if I said the concept hadn't at least occurred to me, and mostly because of his mainstream popularity, which seems to be off the charts, especially by people who are otherwise very secular or atheistic. Not that I'm saying that I think he will be the/an anti-Christ, just that the connection between the two had occurred in my brain. Probably flipped through too many Jack Chick tracts as a kid.

[Spartacus]

Isn't he precisely the one to judge?

No, that's for the superiors within these dioceses/religious communities. They're the ones speaking with the applicant and trying to judge whether the applicant has a calling to their particular community.

Wait, we're talking alien aliens here? I thought sean was talking about, like, illegal aliens or something. What's exactly is the context?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-9360632.html

[Adrift]

No, that's for the superiors within these dioceses/religious communities. They're the ones speaking with the applicant and trying to judge whether the applicant has a calling to their particular community.

Eh. Sounds like a nitpick. 1 Cor. 5 seems to lay out the role of the church in judging those in the church, and 1 Tim 3 seems to lay out the qualifications of overseers in the church. Obviously many Protestants (and maybe the Orthodox?) don't believe that even the Pope fully qualifies if we're going by 1 Tim, though. So maybe the point is moot.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-9360632.html

Thanks!

[One Bad Pig]

Well, okay, but just for the record the OP doesn't claim the possibility he is antichrist. I'm not sure why no one can make that distinction.

For the record, I'm referring to your post #43 and the general ideas that the pope is the Antichrist and the Antichrist will deceive through performing wonders.

[seanD]

For the record, I'm referring to your post #43 and the general ideas that the pope is the Antichrist and the Antichrist will deceive through performing wonders.

I didn't say he could be "antichrist" in that post either.

[One Bad Pig]

I didn't say he could be "antichrist" in that post either.

No kidding, Sherlock.

[seanD]

No kidding, Sherlock.

Then there's no need to even mention antichrist in this thread since that isn't what I've been arguing about pope Francis? It's an irrelevant term.

[One Bad Pig]

Then there's no need to even mention antichrist in this thread since that isn't what I've been arguing about pope Francis? It's an irrelevant term.

It's irrelevant because YOU didn't bring it up? The mind boggles.

[seanD]

It's irrelevant because YOU didn't bring it up? The mind boggles.

Well, yeah. And it's irrelevant to the thread because of idiotic posts like this...

Umm
Pope's ok, your just looking to hard for the antichrist.

And I doubt even the majority of fundamentalist (whatever that word even means) protestants are futurists, and the ones that are are most likely pre-trib believers, so no, I doubt they'll think he's the "antichrist."

[KingsGambit]

And I doubt even the majority of fundamentalist (whatever that word even means) protestants are futurists

Sure they are. Most Protestants are futurists.

[seanD]

Sure they are. Most Protestants are futurists.

You're probably right and I didn't make my point clear in that post because he used the word "fundamentalist." Being that the word is meaningless because we all put our own interpretation on that word, I'm assuming he was referring to dispensationalists. I believe that most of them are pre-trib, was the point I attempted to make.

[Spartacus]

Well, yeah. And it's irrelevant to the thread because of idiotic posts like this...



And I doubt even the majority of fundamentalist (whatever that word even means) protestants are futurists, and the ones that are are most likely pre-trib believers, so no, I doubt they'll think he's the "antichrist."

Clearly most of us can't be bothered to learn the distinction between false prophet and antichrist, so how about for the sake of moving the thread forward, you just pretend that every time someone says "antichrist," they mean "false prophet," and respond to them accordingly?

[KingsGambit]

I believe that most of them are pre-trib, was the point I attempted to make.

I think you're right on that one. It's sort of become a default view.