Quote:
Originally Posted by xyz
If we do not think him to be the Vicar of Christ, as he claims, we have no option but to regard him as a deceiver, a person who has no socially acceptable agenda to offer [...] There are millions around the world who say they consider the pope to be the vicar of Christ on earth.
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Firstly it's hundreds of millions, secondly it's a title that's been continuously in use for over a thousand years and thirdly it's a form of language, it's communication, it's symbolism. The Napoleon in the mental ward is there because he has no social recognition, the Pope sits on the Vatican's throne wearing the triple tiara using the language he uses because several percent of the population of the planet for the last fifty generations have wanted him to sit there. It's all down to group consensus. I don't think he's God's one personal representative on earth and neither, I'm sure, does he, but I'm perfectly happy that he's using the language he uses. Anyone who claims that a religious vocabulary is a sign of mental breakdown is going beyond the conventions of polite discussion.