Roman Catholic church and the Pope are pagan not Christian

a reply to: LABTECH767

That's fine. I don't really care what you believe, but I do have a problem with Catholics trying to make it sound like Catholic worship and traditions originated with an apostle like Peter, when he never practiced such things, nor are they biblical.

Concerning the identity of Babylon the Great, it should be pointed out that ancient Babylonian religious concepts and practices are found in religions worldwide, including Protestant Christendom. For example, their belief regarding death: “Neither the people nor the leaders of religious thought [in Babylon] ever faced the possibility of the total annihilation of what once was called into existence. Death was a passage to another kind of life.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p. 556.

Virtually every religion depends on the belief that the human soul is immortal and that after death it journeys to an afterlife or that it transmigrates to another creature.

Nearly all the religions of Christendom today also follow that belief. Miguel de Unamuno, a prominent 20th-century Spanish scholar, wrote about Jesus: “He believed rather in the resurrection of the flesh [such as Lazarus’ case], according to the Jewish manner, not in the immortality of the soul, according to the [Greek] Platonic manner. . . . The proofs of this can be seen in any honest book of interpretation.” He concluded: “The immortality of the soul . . . is a pagan philosophical dogma.” (La Agonía Del Cristianismo [The Agony of Christianity]) That “pagan philosophical dogma” infiltrated into Christendom’s teaching, even though Christ plainly had no such thought.​—Matthew 10:28; John 5:28, 29; 11:23, 24.

The subtle influence of Greek philosophy was a key factor in the apostasy that followed the death of the apostles. The Greek immortal soul teaching implied a need for various destinations for the soul​—heaven, hellfire, purgatory, paradise, Limbo.* By manipulating such teachings, it became easy for a priestly class to keep their flocks submissive and in fear of the Hereafter and to extract gifts and donations from them. (*: The expressions “immortal soul,” “hellfire,” “purgatory,” and “Limbo” are nowhere found in the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. In contrast, the Greek word for “resurrection” (a·naʹsta·sis) occurs 42 times.)

“The concept of immortality is a product of Greek thinking, whereas the hope of a resurrection belongs to Jewish thought. . . . Following Alexander’s conquests Judaism gradually absorbed Greek concepts.”—Dictionnaire Encyclopédique de la Bible (Valence, France; 1935), edited by Alexandre Westphal, Vol. 2, p. 557.

“Immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato.”—Presbyterian Life, May 1, 1970, p. 35.

“The soul that is sinning​—it itself will die,” says Ezekiel 18:4. Other scriptures show that souls can be cut off (Genesis 17:14), slain by the sword (Joshua 10:37), suffocated (Job 7:15), and drowned (Jonah 2:5). A deceased soul, or a dead soul, is a dead person.​—Leviticus 19:28; 21:1, 11.

What, then, is the condition of dead souls? Simply stated, death is the opposite of life. All our senses are linked to our physical bodies. Our ability to see, hear, and think depends on the proper functioning of our eyes, ears, and brain. Without eyes we cannot see. Without ears we cannot hear. Without a brain we cannot do anything. When a person dies, all these physical organs cease to function. We cease to exist.

In harmony with this, Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 says: “As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . . There is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [the grave], the place to which you are going.” Similarly, Psalm 146:3, 4 states: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. His spirit [life force] goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.” So when people (souls) die, they simply cease to exist.

originally posted by: beyondknowledge
a reply to: DevotedResearcher

In common western talk of religion, Buddhism and Hinduism are not even brought up.

I have not studied them as much as what I have traditionally run into. Now that you have brought it up, I will have to fix that problem with my knowledge.

Thank you.

If you want to touch up on the history and beliefs of pretty much all major religions in the world, including Buddhism and Hinduism, this article series may be of help:

RELIGION’S FUTURE IN VIEW OF ITS PAST (Series in Awake!)

Parts 7 and 8 concern Hinduism and Buddhism, part 9 is also interesting concerning oriental religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto​ism, etc.

Part 7​—c. 1500 B.C.E. onward​—Hinduism—​Your Name Is Tolerance

Part 8​—c. 563 B.C.E. onward​—An Enlightenment That Promised Liberation

Part 9​—551 B.C.E. onward​—The Oriental Search for the Right Way

Here's another one not part of that series about Buddhism:

Is Buddhism the Way to Enlightenment? (Awake!—1974)

originally posted by: Deetermined
a reply to: LABTECH767

... The practice of praying to Mary or saints is a total waste of prayer. Take it to Jesus.

Should We Pray to Jesus?

More detailed:

Should You Pray to Jesus?

I've read that they are the new incarnation of the Roman Empire.

originally posted by: whereislogic

originally posted by: Deetermined
a reply to: LABTECH767

... The practice of praying to Mary or saints is a total waste of prayer. Take it to Jesus.

Should We Pray to Jesus?

More detailed:

Should You Pray to Jesus?

Can we pray to Jesus? Yes, based on scripture.

answersingenesis.org...

a reply to: Deetermined

Do you remember what the Bible says about those who are twisting the Scriptures (2Pe 3:16) and disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2Cor 11:13-15)?

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged his listeners to pray. He said: “Pray to your Father.” (Matthew 6:6) On his final night as a human, Jesus told his disciples: “If you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name.” (John 16:23) Jesus thus taught us to pray to the one who is both his Father and our Father, Jehovah God.—John 20:17.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3; 2Cor 1:3; 1Pe 1:3), “whose name alone is JEHOVAH” (Ps 83:18, KJ).

a reply to: whereislogic

John 12:13-14

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Since you are a Jehovah's Witness, I know this is above your head, but I'm putting it out there for everyone else.

a reply to: Deetermined

It's chapter 14. Well, at least you didn't cherry-pick a translation that adds "Me" in verse 14, when it's not in the manuscripts. Unlike the link you used:

answersingenesis.org...

A verse in John 14 strongly encourages prayers of petition to Jesus. Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Why do they pick a translation that says "ask Me" when they are fully aware that that's not what Jesus said? Could it be that they don't want people to realize in that section of eisegesis that Jesus didn't actually tell people to pray to him? And that "ask in my name" does not mean:

Prayers to Jesus are permitted and encouraged by Christ’s teaching in John 14:14, and by any passage in which Jesus says that we are to pray in His name.

Note that they point to verse 14 again, which doesn't encourage prayer to Jesus cause he didn't say "ask Me".

Note how the Douay-Rheims Bible translates verse 13:

Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

And then they add "me" again in verse 14. What a mess. They really want to drive home this notion that Jesus and his God are one and the same individual. There simply is no indication in verse 13 or 14 that Jesus is talking about asking him (or praying to him). It is entirely consistent with John 16:23, which is crystal clear: “If you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name.” You don't need to add "the Father" in the translation of John 14:13 to make it any more clear what Jesus was talking about there. If he meant "ask me" he would have said "ask me".

a reply to: whereislogic

And then they add "me" again in verse 14. What a mess. They really want to drive home this notion that Jesus and his God are one and the same individual.

That's because Christian doctrine teaches the trinity and Jehovah's Witnesses don't. But it still doesn't change what's basically repeated in the following verses of John 14 either...

John 14:16-18

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus just admitted in the above verses that he is also the "Comforter" spoken of in verse 16.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the Roman Catholic church and the Pope. While we may have different opinions, I think it's important to approach these discussions with respect and understanding.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the Roman Catholic church and the Pope. While we may have different opinions, I think it's important to approach these discussions with respect and understanding.
As someone who values love and acceptance, it's important to focus on our faith's positive aspects and strive towards creating a more loving and accepting world. While there may be differences in our beliefs, I think we can all agree on the importance of treating others with kindness and compassion.
If you're looking for resources to live a life of love and acceptance, I highly recommend checking out firstchurchlove.com. They have a lot of great information and resources to help inspire us all to live with more love and compassion in our hearts. Let's all work towards creating a more accepting and loving world!