History/Religion question for those interested

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P.S. It's not the most articulate question in the world but please do not be condescending

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You have come to the wrong place

I've always considered the position of pope as inherently sinful. Peter was the leader of the church, yes, but was never put up as more important spiritually than any other person.

The Pope was a creation of man, not of God.

Rule #1 when you create a bureaucracy is: Do whatever it takes to ensure the survival and supremacy of the bureaucracy.

The early Church told the masses that they couldn't reach heaven except through the Church. Going to Mass, following the rules, donating money, and honoring the bureaucrats was the only path to salvation.

Of course, Jesus said the opposite of that. But the masses couldn't read the Bible back then. So they stayed on a mushroom diet.

Today, the Church exists on momentum, charity, and ignorance. It's a lie, and the Pope is its prophet.

Welcome to 1517

It's part of the reason our forefathers insisted on a separation of church and state.

Look at it this way. When the two are allowed to merge and govern as one
... what do you get?


Answer .....





























Islam.

There are tons of historical references and reasons, even during Henry VIII's time, to warn against the merging of the two.

Yeah but from what I heard, it wasn't political for More. He seemed convinced that to give power to go against the pope would be to go against God. I may be wrong but it really seemed like he wasn't offended by the idea of merging state and religion, he was just refusing because he was a devout Catholic. I never heard anywhere in the bible that there even needed to be a pope, much less that you would go to hell if you didn't follow him.

Read "A Man for All Seasons". It uses More's story as a commentary for McCarthyism.

Henry was actually a staunch defender of papal supremacy prior to deciding he wanted an annulment that the pope would not grant. Rather than call out Henry publicly he did his best to stay out of it but in the end was forced to give his opinion. He did not believe the Church was perfect but he also did not believe it appropriate that the monarch usurp its leadership when it suited him.

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never heard anywhere in the bible that there even needed to be a pope, much less that you would go to hell if you didn't follow him.

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The Catholic Church does not say you will go to hell if you don't follow the Pope. There are several reasons why we have a Pope, I will list a few.
There is lots of Biblical reference to religious leaders, Moses, Aaron, etc.
Jesus said to Peter that he was his rock and upon his rock he would build his church. This is seen as Jesus himself acknowleging the special role individuals would play in organized religion.
Jesus sends his disciples out to forgive sins and tells them what they declare bound on earth will be bound in heaven. This is also related to the roots of the priesthood.
After Jesus' death Christianity fragmented and theology began to go in many directions. Organized leadership was seen as a way to avoid a million different versions of Christianity.

You should watch The Tudors (I believe it's on Amazon Prime).

You have to look at the culture back then. Then Pope was kinda "over the Kings" of Europe then. They had to get his permission for certain things.

The only reason Henry wanted to split from the Pope was bc he wouldn't grant his annulment to Catherine of Aragon. He interpreted the bible to say that if a man marries his brother's wife, the couple will be childless (and according to him, a daughter meant you were childless). His interpretation of that biblical passage mean that their marriage had been wrong in the eyes of God (however, she insisted that she came to him a virgin).

His "advisors" at the time, brought him round to the idea that since he was anointed King by God, it made sense for him to be the head of the Church. He only did all this so he could grant himself an annulment, marry Ann Boleyn, and produce a male heir for the throne.

ETA: More was devoutly Catholic (if I remember correctly). There was a lot of backlash against the King for splitting from Rome. When his daughter, Mary, ascended the throne she made Catholicism the religion of England again. She killed thousands of Protestants, thus giving her the nickname "Bloody Mary."

Adding to the problem for the Church, was that they had already given Henry a special dispensation to marry Catherine at his request and now he wanted the Church to annul the marriage because it was invalid for the very reason he got his dispensation. He really was a nutcase, as future wives and numerous other found out.