"...anyone on earth father"...

I've just come across an interesting
website:

http://www.newmatilda.com/2008/03/27/whos-paying-world-youth-day

"Who's Paying for World Youth Day?" by Jennifer Mills

It gives quite a bit of a budget breakdown.

Included in the breakdown was the following:

"Pilgrims pay a registration fee ranging from $50 to $395,
depending on their country of origin...
World Youth Day's own attendance estimates have ranged from
125,000 to 500,000... so that could generate between
$6 and almost $200 million."

That's interesting.

The "Grand Prix," in Melbourne is costing the tax payers a loss
of more than $35 million, annually.

Foxy,

Talk about pissing on their parade. All that wishful thinking about the public expense down the drain because they didn't look at the big picture and consider income. Ooops! Since the issue is so important to them I don't suppose they will turn around and support World Youth Day due to the money it will make us.

Gibo,

I know it is Jesus' words that you are taking out of context. I don't need to look them up. Taking those specific words out of context to trick Catholics is a classic Jehovah's Witness stunt.

I know pastors in the Pentecostal Church aren't referred to by people other than their kids as father. But if you take Jesus' hyperbolic words literally to condemn that description of Catholic priests it is hypocritical if you call your dad father (if they are on earth). In the same chapter it also prohibits calling people teacher and leader. I have never heard a pentecostal come out with that nonsense before. The fact that across religions everyone refers to their dad as father sufficiently shows that calling someone on earth father is not confined to Catholicism. However if you want me to quote more scriptures to show how nonsensical that interpretation is I am willing.

"Knowledgeable christian folk do not approve of the RC Empire it primarily being a mutation of the old Caesars..."

If you thought it was the best choice of denomination you would be a Catholic so naturally you assume something like that. However you went way beyond that with fraternising with occultists for an over the top conspiracy theory. Then you turned to that JW trick.

"The same evil spirit powers that got RC-ism up and running are still in control of much of the system today."

Your opinion seems to be based on bad people within a 1.5 billion person Church, a lying person purporting to be an ex-Jesuit (who even claims the Pope, who prohibits Catholics from being Masons, is Masonic) and some people who dabble in the occult. That is hardly compelling.

Given Gibo's comments regarding Roman Catholicism and considering Gibo is a Pentecostal.
I went to my church yesterday, a Pentecostal Church in a rural community near Sydney, and our church bulletin published an invite to a special combined service at the local Catholic Church to commemorate WYD. Also, the local Catholic Church is asking if anybody in other churches in town can provide accomodation for pilgrims from overseas.
Incidentally, I used to attend a Charismatic Anglican Church, where the pastor was referred to as the Priest, and he was addressed as father.
I'm not in agreement with many Roman Catholic teachings, but I can still accept them as fellow Christians, just as I can accept that there are actually born again Christians within the Morman and Jehovah's Witness churches.

Thanks Steel Mann.

Your anglican comments ring a bell. Thanks for reminding me. But I hope you get my point that if we were really disallowed from calling anyone on earth father literally it wouldn't just be Catholics (and protestants who do the same) who would have a problem. We would be prohibited from calling our dad Father. Apart from being such a universal practice it is also easily verifiably ok from scripture.

A protestant on the radio this morning was opining that World Youth Day could be expected to have flow on benefits for all Christian denominations at the least. Then of course there is the benefits to the general community from the high spirited youth and unprecedented tourist dollars. There is also the possibility of an apology from the Pope given his American precedent. Given the reception of Rudd's apology that would probably also be well received. Anyway chances are the radio guy has a point and Gibo is shooting himself in the foot.

On that note the really bad thing is that I suspect Christianity often doesn't get a fair deal because atheists see things like Gibos attacks on another mainstream Christian Church and think that Christians are an unpalatable bunch all at war who need to be kept at arms length.

mjpb>"Christianity often doesn't get a fair deal"?

They are tax exempt. They spread their ignorance and intolerance into our politcal system. The Catholics are loyal to the Pope before Australia; other denominations to other countries...I mean how gullible can you get? ..Gay marriage; Contraception; Censorship; "Intelligent Design" ...all these are supported tacitly by the moderates, who have no real power within their churches.