Ornate Church
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011Ornate Church
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Do you think that God would be angry with the Catholic Church.....?
for the gross amount of money, gold, and treasures the have? How about the large ornate buildings? Would these things be looked upon as greed or just good stewardship with money?
My original question, would Jesus think these churches are necessary? or would these be frowned upon?
I ask because the Son of Man needed none of these to move billions of people to salvation. I personally don't codemn these "things" that the Catholic church owns, I just don't think they are necessary. Jesus told one man to sell all of his possessions, and follow him. Why is it hard for a rich man to get to Heaven, and the church (which is the people) be any different?
The great churches arose from man's desire to honor God - and to provide a safe place (sanctuary) where people could go for refuge (observe the temple and the practice of grasping the "horns of the altar" in the OT). Across the centuries, the great monastic houses were the original hospitals, asylums, orphanages, houses for the poor and destitute, schools, and the foundation for the universities. The churches were the source of all the great music, drama, literature, law, moral values of western civilization -- they provided a regularity to the lives of ordinary people whereby a sense of holiness was able to suffuse daily life - recall the famous painting "the angellus", in which the workers in the field have bowed their heads in prayer at the sound of the bells from the cathedral signalling the evening prayers --
You may be assured that the Roman churches' wealth is well spent; -- who can fault someone for providing a forum for the work of Michelangelo? In the US - the overwhelming majority of lhospitals were founded by and most still operated by the church - in Texas, where I live now, there are 44 hospitals in the Christus network, whicih last year alone gave away 146 milllion dollars in free care - facilities worldwide refuse no one. Only the "for Profit" agencies exclude patients. And after 20 centuries how many fellows sit down to have beer and pretzels and give thanks to the monks who discovered a way to make a drink that warms the heart and is safe to drink when the weather is bad, and who devised a food withl good bread and salt shaped life a monk's arms folded in prayer?
The impact on society of the church Jesus founded, is greater than can be imagined - only the Greek Orthodox can claim an equal antiquity - all other denominations are Johnny ;come latelies -- the history of all christians is Roman Catholic for 15 centuries - to the priests and monks of the past we owe the preservation of Greek and Roman history, medieval history, and the knowledge we were able to save of the skills and wisdom of the past -- Does the old girl have flaws? of course - "we have this treasure in earthen vessels"
US $2.95
