Does the pope really communicate with god. Then why cant he do magic like  indian saints or david blaine?
952883
The Pope does communicate with God. This communication is called prayer and all of us can communicate with God.\n\nGod does work miracles through the Pope and all priests:\n+ The bread and wine is changed into the Body and Blood of Christ during Mass\n+ Sins are forgiven in Confession\n+ The Holy Spirit given to people through Baptism and Confirmation\n+ Others are ordained in Christ by laying on of hands in Holy Orders\n+ Couples are permanently united in Christ through Marriage.\n+ The sick are spiritually strengthened in the Anointing of the Sick\n\nWith love in Christ.
232366
Acts 8:9  But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:\n10  To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.\n11  And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.\n12  But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.\n13  Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.\n\nOf course he was treated fairly.  He was shown his mistake and allowed to change from the error of his ways.\n\nMagicians can't do miracles.  Only God can do those or empower others to do them.
1185236
I wonder why your friend doesn't want to talk about his faith.  (Actually, I suspect it might be too precious to him to risk any mockery...)  Here is a link to Beliefnet.com which, I understand, gives everyone from every faith a chance to explain what is important to them - without any preaching or converting, etc.  \n\nhttp://www.beliefnet.com/boards/message_list.asp?boardID=438&discussionID=43545\n\nThe above concerns healing, and here is another general page:\n\nhttp://www.beliefnet.com/boards/discussion_list.asp?boardID=438\n\nRead what you can and try to understand as you would when asking questions about any other faith.\n\nI saw Val Kilmer, a Christian Scientist, being interviewed once, and he said that the very early Christians performed these sort of "miracles" all the time until, I think, human laws and doctrine came into force and categorized everything into tenets and ritual.  It does not rely on any human will or channelling, etc, but simply on the omnipotence of a perfect God.  Which makes a change, I must say, from reading most of the questions and answers here...`\n\nIf you read about CS and ask some intelligent questions which have proved your interest, I'm sure your friend will answer anything you want to know!
1178282
Did you hear the Pope is gay?\n\nHe can't decide if he is divine or simply fabulous.
452923
Yes, the devil is capable of doing this. More so, it is his angels (demons) that do it. The devil is mainly too busy working on his antichrist plans. But demons are very good at disguising themselves as dead loved ones. They can even make you think that they are being helpful, so that you will want to keep your dead loved ones around, and even begin talking to them. God warns us not to talk to anything else, not even His beautiful angels. You must only talk to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. \n\nThere are no familiars, no ghosts, no dead human spirits of any sort. If an angel ever appears to you, you can test it by commanding it to leave in the name of Jesus. Demons must obey because they are terrified of Him.
921708
Here we go Again.\n\nThey are NOT prayed to, they are prayed through and with.  In the prayer Catholics ask for their help, as a mediators.  Suppose you want to meet with the Kind, can you just go directly to the Kind, walk  into his house, and ask Him for what you want! No.  Each Saint, is a patron of something.  such as Patron of children, of lost causes, etc.  If all we need is to go directly to God, then what was the need for God to send us so many Prophets, Saints, and other to aid us! think of that one!\n\nI hope that was helpful.  It is not to, but through them.  OK!
603097
The pope doesn't have the power to grant 1 wish, let alone 3. Interesting that you compared him to a genie - same amount of power, although the pope isn't fiction.
740659
No, what God does is not a parlor trick. God's will is true, \n\nThe only magic I "believe in" is more ha-ha slight of hand fun,.
557535
God works in mysterious way..........
969352
An excellent question.........I don't understand that either........ask the Pope who lives in unbelievable wealth while just outside the Vatican are poor and hungry people begging.
1056670
Is the Pope Catholic?! By golly Miss Molly, of course Bob can fix it!!!! LoL--Yeah, maybe there was a BIT of sarcasm there...! Haha =)
388128
That's what the church says to mantain its power.\n\nSay, even if you believe in a god, do you think it would be his will to allow popes in golden thrones and protestant priests in BWM's while billions starve?
819301
What that person said is not true.  The only Vatican decisions one might be able to say are made by the holy spirit are those of the pope when he is speaking ex cathedra - that is, infallibly, on the authority of the promise made to St. Peter.
717463
The short answer: Yes, and then he can move it.\n\nThe long answer as to how: God can define a primary way for him to interact with the universe... an Avatar so to speak. This Avatar can be of the same class of some other group of objects in the universe... for example, people. This class could have a defined upper limit to what they can lift. He can then make a rock larger than this limit. Therefore, this is a rock that God cannot lift through the predefined mechanism for him to interact with the universe. He can then interact with the universe in another way to lift the rock.\n\nIt's like a programmer working with a game he's writing. Can he make an enemy so powerful that he can't overcome it? Yes! Then he can open a memory editor or install a cheat or whatever, and overcome it.
894453
Dear Francis B:  It is not for me or anyone to press God and His Realm upon others who do not wish to know of it.  If you will bear with me, I would like to say a few things about this:\n\n1.   As one who pursued the Intellect of my human mind most of my life and looked at all things, and felt pride in my Intellect's comprehensive ability to learn and understand , I now present to you what I learned :  The Intellect is but an exercise of mind.   Scientific theories come and go each decade.  The Sciences get up close to God and then, sadly, have no ability to mathematically formulate His Reality and Truth. To prove Him.  I would offer:  Don't rely on just the Intellect to live by.\n\n2.    Later in life, I opened up to Spirit Mind.  Nothing denominational, nothing very traditional, no dogma , and  began receiving "experiences" of Spirit. \n\n "Temporal Lobes of the Brain" is a discussion of the illusionary-type reality we experience here in the physical world.  But, you know, we are much more than just physical.  Made of something much more powerful. . .and, sooner, or later, we all come to Know.  Our Creator is not dependent upon our "belief" in Him.  He exists  - whether we choose to deny Him or recognize Him.  He looks upon what He created and listens while it turns to other creations He created and yells, "There is no God." And, He MUST think to Himself. . .how strange that is; my creation is acting as if it doesn't know me !  Yet, I AM  - and certain of myself !  Even a human father might find it a bit disconcerting -  when a child of his denies him. Same thing, really.\n\nAnyhow, spiritual or religious experiences come not from the human Intellect - but, from the soul/spirit part of Mind.  That "thing" that certainly exists, but is not reflected by the physical matter of "brain."  In thinking upon ourselves, perhaps we need to consider ourselves more in terms of a totality - rather than just one part of us as "real" and that there is nothing MORE to us.  That may be something to contemplate. . .\n\nI would like to submit to you further these truths of spiritual experience (or religious experience), as I have learned of it:\n\n1.   Spiritual or religious experience "reverses physical laws."\n2.   These experiences are often experienced during prayer or study.\n3.   These experiences undo the past in the present and release the future.  They are outside the laws of the physical world.\n4.    Spiritual or religious experiences REFLECT, therefore, the laws of Eternity, not of time.\n5.    Through spiritual or religious experience you feel God's constant Forgiveness upon you and are impelled to extend it to others.\n6.    Spiritual experiences (or religious . . .let's now use the words interchangeably) are part of an interlocking chain of forgiveness and is at work in all the dimensions of Time.\n7.    Spiritual experiences are healing because they deny absolute body-identification and affirm spirit-identification.  This places spirit at the Center of Mind where it can communicate directly.\n8.    Spiritual experiences honor you.  They dispel illusions about yourself.  They help restore your sanity.  They restore the Mind to its fullness. . .. \n9.    Spirit's strength leaves no room for intrusions.  Nothing can take the experience and its effects away from you.\n10.  By perceiving the light IN the experience, darkness automatically disappears.\n11.    Whole-ness is the perceptual content of spiritual experience.  It corrects the faulty perceptions of lack, or being separated.\n\nBest regards, Lana
112048
Pope is not the beast. Its antichrist. There will be a mark on his forehead, others can see it but he can't. He will have some satanic powers to make the followers.
987603
God works in misterious ways - pray to him...