DISGRACING THE PAPACY

By Ken Simmons

During my now 80+ years, I consider myself to be a true follower of Jesus, although my failures over those years have been many. It was not until *1968 that I had a radical experience with Jesus that radically changed my life, and I completely surrendered to Him.

My many years as a Christian have shown me the need to refrain from commenting on matters involving the Catholic Church. This has been in the hopes of not offending my Catholic brothers and sisters, as I am confident many of them are born-again believers who love Jesus.

Yes, there are others who simply check-the-box Catholic and this does not assure them a home in Paradise. This is also true of many non-Catholics who “attend” church and they believe their salvation is secure. Their depth of faith is little more than dipping their toes in water.

My efforts here, however, are done in my attempt to provide some guidance for those who are uncertain about same-sex relationships, as it is likely they have not learned what the Bible has to say about this matter.

It is my firm belief that there are Catholics who truly love Jesus, and they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe they have an inheritance in Paradise (See Psalm 16, 5-6) because their faith is genuine.

Now, if you will forgive me for burying the headline, “Disgracing the Papacy,” recently, Pope Francis gave his blessings on same-sex relationships but stopped short of blessing same-sex marriages. I believe that the Pope’s recent statements are a disgrace to his office as the Bishop of Rome, Pontiff, and Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Many consider the Pope to be without sin, and his words to be the voice of God for mankind. That is why I believe it is necessary to clarify the matter and state what the Bible has to say about same-sex relationships.

In this effort, we will consider the Pope’s seeming endorsement of same-sex couples, but falling short of endorsing same-sex marriages. There is a difference, albeit a paper-thin difference.

Let’s see if we can put this into context, and learn how it conforms to the Bible, the Word of God.

In the Old Testament, the Bible declares, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22), and If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination” (Leviticus 20:13).

And, in the New Testament, the Bible is equally clear that “For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, and the man likewise gave up natural relations with women and they were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (See Romans 1:26-28)

Today, many Catholics believe that the Pope is the mediator between God and man. However, the Bible is clear in that it was Jesus who was the one true mediator between God and man. (See I Timothy 2:5)

In closing, if you are a Catholic please do not mistake this as a condemnation of Catholicism in general. This piece is only intended to discern the differences between what the Bible says about same-sex issues, and what Pope Francis had to say. You can come to your own conclusions.

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*In 1968 I was at a small gathering of Christians at a little church gathering in Orange, California. It was then that an ex-convict, and former heroin addict named Larry Reed, laid hands on me, and the Holy Spirit radically changed my life. After years of seeking, I was finally baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. I had resisted this for years because I had serious misgivings about this “tongues” business, with images of wild-eyed fanatics who were swinging from the chandeliers, and babbling some sort of nonsense.

Since that time I have seen the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as an amazing and wonderful gift to the Church, the body of Christ. While there are those who dismiss this baptism of the Holy Spirit, as a breeding ground for fanaticism, in truth, it opens up a level of communication for you with God never before imagined. And, it’s free for the asking. One should choose their words carefully when they speak about God's amazing gifts.