Monday, May 12, 2014

Hmmm, New Pope Talks A Lot About The Devil...

Mad Magazine The Idiotical Other Similarities Between Barack Obama and Satan Idiotical Originals, Society & Culture, History Channel, The Bible, Satan, Lucifer, Devil, Hell, Obama, President, Racism, Controversy, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Religion, Politics, Load-bearing Walnuts
Meanwhile our own devil is sitting here at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C.
From the Washington Post: A darling of liberal Catholics and an advocate of inclusion and forgiveness, Pope Francis is hardly known for fire and brimstone.
Yet, in his words and deeds, the new pope is locked in an epic battle with the oldest enemy of God and creation:
The Devil.
After his little more than a year atop the Throne of St. Peter, Francis’s teachings on Satan are already regarded as the most old school of any pope since at least Paul VI, whose papacy in the 1960s and 1970s fully embraced the notion of hellish forces plotting to deliver mankind unto damnation.
Largely under the radar, theologians and Vatican insiders say, Francis has not only dwelled far more on Satan in sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought to rekindle the Devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces­ of evil at his beck and call.
Last year, for instance, Francis laid hands on a man in a wheelchair who claimed to be possessed by demons, in what many saw as an impromptu act of cleansing. A few months later, he praised a group long viewed by some as the crazy uncles of the Roman Catholic Church — the International Association of Exorcists — for “helping people who suffer and are in need of liberation.”
“ ‘But Father, how old-fashioned you are to speak about the Devil in the 21st century,’ ” Francis, quoting those who have noted his frequent mentions of the Devil, said last month while presiding over Mass at the Vatican’s chapel in St. Martha’s House. He warned those gathered on that chilly morning to be vigilant and not be fooled by the hidden face of Satan in the modern world. “Look out because the Devil is present,” he said.
Since its foundation, the church has taught the existence of the Devil. But in recent decades, progressive priests and bishops, particularly in the United States and Western Europe, have tended to couch Satan in more allegorical terms. Evil became less the wicked plan of the master of hell than the nasty byproduct of humanity’s free will. Even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a lofty German theologian, often painted evil with a broad brush.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-modern-pope-gets-old-school-on-the-devil/2014/05/10/f56a9354-1b93-4662-abbb-d877e49f15ea_story.html
As a Christian, I believe in the Devil and his followers.  I also believe that there are evil people who associate with the devil and who are just plain evil, and the devil followers are in all walks of life.  (no, I am not referring to all liberals- there are also evil conservatives) 
I also think the new Pope is bit crazy in some of his views, but his view on the devil is right on.
And maybe we can do something about the devil residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington DC.

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