Pope John Paul II, the man

Pope John Paul II, the man

Like so many around the world, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Pope John Paul II. I did watch some of the news coverage of his final days, but to tell the truth, I grew weary of it after about the third or fourth day.

The Pope will be remembered by many as a stalwart for the cause of life, morality and decency in many ways in society and culture. It was the Pope who coined the phrase “culture of death”, and his stands against abortion and euthanasia will be honored for years to come.

As much as his commitment toward the sanctity of life, he will be remembered as one of the driving forces behind the abolishment of communism. The Pope, President Ronald Reagan and Great Britain Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher combined forces to rid the world of the evil empire that maintained it’s satanic grip on so many for too long.

For his many accomplishments and efforts, Pope John Paul II will be honored for a long, long time.

However, as an evangelical Christian, I must approach my views on the Pope and his papacy with both compassion and conviction. The position and concept of a Pope is totally abhorrent and contrary to Scripture. There is no biblical basis for the fact that the papacies have been a direct line from the Apostle Peter.

It was a major move of Pope John Paul to revitalize and exalt the practice of Mariolatry, the worship and deification of Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus. The Pope went so far in his commitment to the practice as to extend one arm of the cross of our Lord and add a capital “M”, for Mary, reaffirming the Catholic churches belief that Mary is Co-Redemptrix with Christ. This is not only unscriptural, but absolutely heretical as well.

The erroneous doctrines of transubstantiation, priestly absolution, purgatory are only a few of the unbiblical teachings of the Roman catholic church that continue to enslave the “religious” and insult the Gospel.

Many of the compromising and socially and eternally damaging concepts of today’s culture, Halloween, Mardi Gras, Easter, the social acceptance of gambling and alcohol etc. can be attributed to the fact that it has either been promoted or accepted by the Roman church. And let us not forget the churches lackadaisical response to the pedophile scandals.

I know I will take a lot of hits for these comments, but say them I must. I agree with Dr. Albert Mohler when he wrote in a commentary regarding the Pope, “Even so, we must also recognize that John Paul II also represented the most troubling aspects of Roman Catholicism. He defended and continued the theological directions set loose at the Second Vatican Council. Even as he consolidated authority in the Vatican and disciplined wayward priests and theologians, he never confronted the most pressing issues of evangelical concern.

Even in his most recent book, released in the United States just days before his death, John Paul II continued to define the work of Christ as that which is added to human effort. Like the church he served, John Paul II rejected justification by faith. Beyond this, he rejected the biblical doctrine of hell, embraced inclusivism, and promoted an extreme form of Marian devotion, referring to Mary as "Co-Redemptrix," "Mediatrix," and "Mother of all Graces."

I also agree with Dr. Mohler when he suggests that we must be,”thankful for the personal virtues Pope John Paul II demonstrated, and for his advocacy on behalf of life, liberty, and human dignity. Yet we cannot ignore the institution of the papacy itself, nor the complex of doctrines, truth claims, and false doctrines that John Paul II taught, defended, and promulgated. As Roman Catholics mourn the passing of the pope, we should take care to respond with both compassion and conviction, fulfilling our own responsibility to take the measure of this man and his legacy.

Mike Corley is the host of a daily radio program heard on WQBC 1420 AM in Vicksburg, Mississippi and online at www.wqbc.net. He has been featured in interviews with Family News in Focus and American Family Radio and has been the subject of numerous articles and commentaries in publications nation wide.

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