Trying to figure out my faith...please help.?
March 13th, 2010 by smithCall no one on earth your father; you have but one father in heaven.
Catholics call priests, "father" is this against the teachings of Jesus?
I read your web-site, SpiritRoaming. All I can say is: You Catholics can rationalize anything, can't you?
Calling their priests "father" is just one of the many unBiblical things the Catholics do that they somehow justify. I personally would like to see how they justify the priest being unmarried, because all throughout Paul's letters to Timothy, he keeps talking about how the officers of the church need to have (only) "one wife". That's not to say that they HAVE to be married; it's just that if they ARE married they can only be married to one person. But it CLEARLY does not say that they CANNOT be married. LOL.
Email me with your reply to that one, SpiritRoaming.
For "proof" that this is not merely a fatherly relationship they are speaking of, witness how the Catholics treat their priests like .. well, God - chiefly in that they must confess all of their deepest darkest sins to him (a MAN), whereas the Bible tells us that we must confess to God only if we want forgiveness.
If A = B, then B = A. In this: Since they teach that we must confess to a MAN (the priest) in order to be forgiven, and the Bible teaches that only confession to GOD is necessary for forgiveness, the Catholics are really saying that a MAN (the priest) is God.
And if they do so in this one thing, it stands to reason that they do so in the other thing - calling someone other than God "father", contrary to what the Bible teaches.
P.S. SpiritRoaming: A little girl calling her father FATHER does not even wash, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with calling God FATHER. That web-site you gave has absolutely NO credibility; it was probably written by a Catholic who was seeking to justify himself before God.
Edit: Peasoup got it first. :D
in the Bible the concept of fatherhood is not restricted to just our earthly fathers and God. It is used to refer to people other than biological or legal fathers, and is used as a sign of respect to those with whom we have a special relationship.
For example, Joseph tells his brothers of a special fatherly relationship God had given him with the king of Egypt: "So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt" (Gen. 45:8).
Job indicates he played a fatherly role with the less fortunate: "I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know" (Job 29:16). And God himself declares that he will give a fatherly role to Eliakim, the steward of the house of David: "In that day I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah . . . and I will clothe him with [a] robe, and will bind [a] girdle on him, and will commit . . . authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah" (Is. 22:20â “21).
This type of fatherhood not only applies to those who are wise counselors (like Joseph) or benefactors (like Job) or both (like Eliakim), it also applies to those who have a fatherly spiritual relationship with one. For example, Elisha cries, "My father, my father!" to Elijah as the latter is carried up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kgs. 2:12). Later, Elisha himself is called a father by the king of Israel (2 Kgs. 6:21).
the imperative "call no man father" does not apply to oneâ ™s biological father. It also doesnâ ™t exclude calling oneâ ™s ancestors "father," as is shown in Acts 7:2, where Stephen refers to "our father Abraham," or in Romans 9:10, where Paul speaks of "our father Isaac."
There are numerous examples in the New Testament of the term "father" being used as a form of address and reference, even for men who are not biologically related to the speaker.
a careful examination of the context of Matthew 23 shows that Jesus didnâ ™t intend for his words here to be understood literally. The whole passage reads, "But you are not to be called â ˜rabbi,â ™ for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called â ˜masters,â ™ for you have one master, the Christ" (Matt. 23:8â “10).
The first problem is that although Jesus seems to prohibit the use of the term "teacher," in Matthew 28:19â “20, Christ himself appointed certain men to be teachers in his Church: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Paul speaks of his commission as a teacher: "For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle . . . a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (1 Tim. 2:7); "For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher" (2 Tim. 1:11). He also reminds us that the Church has an office of teacher: "God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers" (1 Cor. 12:28); and "his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11). There is no doubt that Paul was not violating Christâ ™s teaching in Matthew 23 by referring so often to others as "teachers."
Fundamentalists themselves slip up on this point by calling all sorts of people "doctor," for example, medical doctors, as well as professors and scientists who have Ph.D. degrees (i.e., doctorates). What they fail to realize is that "doctor" is simply the Latin word for "teacher." Even "Mister" and "Mistress" ("Mrs.") are forms of the word "master," also mentioned by Jesus. So if his words in Matthew 23 were meant to be taken literally, Fundamentalists would be just as guilty for using the word "teacher" and "doctor" and "mister" as Catholics for saying "father." But clearly, that would be a misunderstanding of Christâ ™s words.
Nice.
Not only that. If you read the bible thoroughly you will find many more contradictions of what the catholics teach and practice.
The catholics church forbids the priests to marry and to abstain from some foods. Read 1 Tim. 4:1-5
Sad to say but the catholic church is not a true christian.
In your reference to Matthew 23:9-10, consider the verses before that. The clergy liked the most prominent seating places where ever they went and special treatment. They talk very piously but act like heathens. They like special clothes to show off their position. In public, they like their titles like Rabbi, Father, leader. Sound like anyone you know?
Also they clearly mimic the clergy of Jesus' day. In the 6th chapter of Matthew, before giving the model prayer he reviewed what the clergy did. They made sure they had a lot of publicity when doing acts of mercy. In prayers, they made sure everyone knew they were praying by standing in the synagogues and on street corners so people could see them from all directions. Also, they recited written prayers over and over. Sounded good the first time and the twentieth. Sound like someone you know?
Jesus reminded his people our works of mercy or prayer should be done in secret. The only one we are concerned with is God, not any man.
I speak not against any Catholics but against the foundations of their faith.
It is totally unscriptural for Catholics to confess their sins to a priest and receive absolution. NO priest has the power to forgive any ones sin.
As scripture says in the following verses.
Mark 2:10
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.
Then look at this next verse.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;...NOTE>>>NOT ANY PRIEST OR POPE!!!...Totally unscriptural.
As you can see clearly...The Catholic church makes up its own rules, but then again remember where the anti christ will raise his ugly head...out of the Roman Catholic church.
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