Is the Pope as he claims “God on Earth”.

A suit and tie is not a religious dress.

 

Oh sure, we Baptists are famous for the concept of “multiplication through division”. We divide over what color carpet to put in the sanctuary. :)

First, the Baptists believe in a VERY flat hierarchy. Jesus Christ is in charge, and each individual congregation answers to Jesus. Within this “non-framework”, there are two historic branches of Baptists that have always existed side by side, argued with each other, and taken turns being in the majority and minority. One is “Particular Baptists” that believe that God chooses Particular people that He saves (related to the Reformed/Calvinist Churches). The other is “General Baptists” that believe God makes a general call to all people and each individual decides to believe or not believe on their own (related to Arminian/Wesleyan/Methodist Churches). They are all “Baptists” because we “don’t baptize dem babies” and think someone needs to SAY “I believe” before we dunk them. ;)

 

We have the Congregation, the Pastor and Jesus Christ in our church hierarchy. So no Popes or Bishops. We do have people that like to wear funny hats in the congregation, though. However Florida is too hot for a hat most of the time.

 

[Revelation 1:12-16 NASB] 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands [I saw] one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet [were] like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice [was] like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

 

Yes, but that was not on earth and no man has authority to dress like that.

 

I agree that it was not on earth, but do you have a verse to support the claim that no man has authority to dress like that?

• [Exo 28:2-43 NASB] 2 "You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 "You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. 4 "These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me. 5 "They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet [material] and the fine linen. 6 "They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple [and] scarlet [material] and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman. 7 "It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, that it may be joined. 8 "The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet [material] and fine twisted linen. 9 "You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. 11 "As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree [settings] of gold. 12 "You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, [as] stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial. 13 "You shall make filigree [settings] of gold, 14 and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cordage work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree [settings.] 15 "You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet [material] and fine twisted linen you shall make it. 16 "It shall be square [and] folded double, a span in length and a span in width. 17 "You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row [shall be] a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; 18 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. 21 "The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be [like] the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes. 22 "You shall make on the breastpiece chains of twisted cordage work in pure gold. 23 "You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 24 "You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 25 "You shall put the [other] two ends of the two cords on the two filigree [settings,] and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it. 26 "You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. 27 "You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 "They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. 29 "Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30 "You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually. 31 "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 "There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. 33 "You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet [material,] all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. 35 "It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die. 36 "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.' 37 "You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. 38 "It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39 "You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver. 40 "For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 "You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests. 42 "You shall make for them linen breeches to cover [their] bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs. 43 "They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It [shall be] a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.
  
  
• [1Pe 2:9-10 NASB] 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

 

Wow! Very interesting.

 

So some wear funny hats, is that while attending church? (Any pictures?)

 

Yes in church, but ... sorry ... I have no pictures. Now none are as TALL as a miter, or the people behind them couldn't see the screen to read the words to the songs. However there are people who wear their Yarmulkes to stay in touch with their Jewish roots, or their fedora with the wide brim turned down in front. There is a man who wars an English cap (the sort where the front snaps down to the visor) in a bold tartan of some sort with a matching tie, vest and shoes all with the exact same pattern. So to each their own. I know of no scriptural prohibition on any head-wear.

 

Need to follow it all the way..
"When the Babylonian cult of the Magians was driven out of Babylon, they found a haven in Pergamum.

It marked a crisis for the church in Asia. Antipas who is called, “My witness, My faithful one” (v. 13), is probably cited as a representative (probably the first to be put to death by the Roman state) of those who were brought to judgment and executed there for their faith.

Pergamum was a university town with a large library of 200,000 volumes given as a gift from Anthony to Cleopatra.

The title of the Magian high priest was “Chief Bridge Builder” meaning the one who spans the gap between mortals and Satan and his hosts. In Latin this title was written “Pontifex Maximus,” the title now used by the Pope. This title goes all the way back to Babylon and the beginnings of the mother-child cult under Nimrod of Genesis 10 and his wife Sumerimus. Later, Julius Caesar was elected Pontifex Maximus and when he became Emperor, he became the supreme civil and religious ruler and head of Rome politically and religiously with all the power and functions of the Babylonian pontiff."...
5. The Message to Pergamum (Rev 2:12-17)

 

From the article you posted

• Here was the magnificent temple of Esculapius, a pagan god whose idol was in the form of a serpent. The inhabitants were known as the chief temple keepers of Asia. When the Babylonian cult of the Magians was driven out of Babylon, they found a haven in Pergamum.

Esculapius was the god of medicine You will find the same serpent represented outside many Pharmacies throughout the world, sometimes in green lights, also on ambulances in a blue cross, in South Africa I saw it on a paramedic in Red on his back.

I expect the Roman Catholics have an equivalent saint for the purpose.

 

Good question, here is what Encyclopaedia Britannica
has on this...
"Asclepius, Greek Asklepios, Latin Aesculapius, Greco-Roman god of medicine, son of Apollo (god of healing, truth, and prophecy) and the mortal princess Coronis. The Centaur Chiron taught him the art of healing. At length Zeus (the king of the gods), afraid that Asclepius might render all men immortal, slew him with a thunderbolt. Apollo slew the Cyclopes who had made the thunderbolt and was then forced by Zeus to serve Admetus. Homer, in the Iliad, mentions him only as a skillful physician and the father of two Greek doctors at Troy, Machaon and Podalirius; "...Asclepius | Definition, Myth, & Facts

 

I came across a list of the Roman Gods of medicine..
Roman

• Angitia, snake goddess associated with magic and healing
• Apollo, Greco-Roman god of light, music, healing, and the sun
• Bona Dea, goddess of fertility, healing, virginity, and women
• Cardea, goddess of health, thresholds and door hinges and handles
• Carna, goddess who presided over the heart and other organs
• Endovelicus, god of public health and safety
• Febris, goddess who embodied and protected people from fever and malaria
• Feronia, goddess of wildlife, fertility, health, and abundance
• Valetudo, Roman name for the Greek goddess Hygieia, goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene
• Vejovis, god of healing
• Verminus, god who protected cattle from disease.....List of health deities - Wikipedia

But they took pagan gods, and idol worship flooded into the church under the cover of being renamed for 'saints' and if you check you will find that Roman Catholicism says that these 10,000 (and counting) designated saints are "special friends of God." They can be asked to intercede for those still on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a 'saint' can be designated as the patron saint of a particular activity or profession. A 'saint' can be prayed to in order to prevent disasters or heal illnesses. But if you look you will find that ancient pagan Greek and Roman held belief in a pantheon of many gods who had special powers in specific areas of life. Each one was to be prayed to, and devotion shown to him (or her) through various acts of veneration, in order to gain each god's favor as needed.

While the Church claims it never gave the 'Saints' to the people to worship or pray to, the pagan masses they drew in made no such fine distinctions, and they came to regard the idols of the Saints themselves as present helps in trouble and addressed their prayers directly to them. They were more interested in the power of the dead of pagan beliefs now set up as 'Saints' in the church, to help them in their troubles as they had done before as pagans. A good example of the closeness of the resemblance of the specialization of function of different Saints to that of pagan spirits is found in the published lists of Saints used by some Christians.

Here are some of the examples: San Serapio was used to appealed to in case of stomach-ache; Santa Polonia for tooth-ache; San Jose, San Juan Bautista and Santa Catalina for headache; San Bernardo and San Cirilo for indigestion; San Luis for cholera; San Francisco for colic; San Ignacio and Santa Lutgarda for childbirth; Santa Balsania for scrofula; San Felix for ulcers; Santa Agueda for nursing mothers; San Babilas for burns; San Gorge for an infected cut; Santa Quiteria for dog's bite; San Ciriaco for diseases of the ear; Santa Lucia for the eyes; San Pedro for fever; and Santa Rita for the impossible and on and on. Now many of the early Christians themselves protested against the cult of the Saints: for example, Vigilantius and Faustus in the fifth century. But on the other side were such great apologists as Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Basil, who though claiming that God alone was worshipped, expressed full belief in the efficacy of the intercession of the Saints.

 

Oops! Well you had better not go to a pharmacist or a modern medical doctor because of this symbol, because if you do that will mark you as a PAGAN! You also need to stop using the days of the week and the months as we now know them, because that will mark you as a PAGAN!

How far do you folks (You and Hobie) want to take this nonsense?

 

And it all worked as most of the pagan world became Christians.

 

Pagan Europe, anyway.
Pagan China and Pagan India are still going strong.

 

No, it was there before Julius Caesar..
"The pontifex maximus was not a real magistrate: he did not serve for a fixed period but for life, and he remained, officially, a citizen. As the title suggests, the pontifex maximus was 'the greatest' or chairman of the college of the pontifices, 'priests'. They were responsible for the Roman state cult as a whole and for several cults in particular, viz. the cults that had no priestly college of their own (such as the augures, the decemviri sacris faciundis and the fetiales).

The number of pontifices continued to grow. There were originally five 'real' pontifices, after the Lex Ogulnia (300/299 BCE) nine, after Sulla fifteen, and after Julius Caesar sixteen. Another member was the rex sacrorum ('king of the sacrifices') who performed the religious acts that the king had usually done...Pontifex Maximus - Livius