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Pope Francis consoles a boy who asked if his non-believing father is in Heaven

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Ummm...
Now I know that it's not exactly nice to disagree with the Pope...

But Atheists don't go to Heaven.... being a "good guy" isn't good enough.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."
So...where I wouldn't want to be a bad guy.
I would simply say that God has a special eye on the little boy and that He loves him very much. And as long as he makes his Heavenly Father his priority God will take good care to make sure that his life is filled with at least the same love his Earthly Father would have provided but at a guess more.
 
So...
The question is a tough one though.
What do you tell the little boy?
Do you lie?
Or what else do you tell him?
 
The last part of the consolation I think is precious. And as I am not God I would not say this is impossible.
The Pope did not actually state that the father of the boy was in Heaven.
I looked for transcript but it is only in Spanish. I then had to copy the English subtitles of the video for this point.
The Pope said that the boy said his father was good. Then the Pope asked little Emanuele, do you think that God would be able to leave a man like that far from him?
Does God abandon his children when they are good?
Because it is easier when one is a believer to baptize his children , than to baptize them when you are an unbeliever.
Surely God liked this so much. Pray for your father.

I think it a very good thing the Pope lent this comfort to poor weeping little Emanuele. I lost my dad when I was younger. It broke my heart to see this child weep so much he couldn't even speak into the microphone to ask the Pope his question. He was afraid for the soul of the daddy that as an atheist still had his children baptized.
I think that to be faith unlike what we're aware of. But I can't say God does not know Emanuele's daddy.
 
Selah said:
The last part of the consolation I think is precious. And as I am not God I would not say this is impossible.
The Pope did not actually state that the father of the boy was in Heaven.
I looked for transcript but it is only in Spanish. I then had to copy the English subtitles of the video for this point.
The Pope said that the boy said his father was good. Then the Pope asked little Emanuele, do you think that God would be able to leave a man like that far from him?
Does God abandon his children when they are good?
Because it is easier when one is a believer to baptize his children , than to baptize them when you are an unbeliever.
Surely God liked this so much. Pray for your father.

I think it a very good thing the Pope lent this comfort to poor weeping little Emanuele. I lost my dad when I was younger. It broke my heart to see this child weep so much he couldn't even speak into the microphone to ask the Pope his question. He was afraid for the soul of the daddy that as an atheist still had his children baptized.
I think that to be faith unlike what we're aware of. But I can't say God does not know Emanuele's daddy.
Click to expand...
So you think that he sidestepped the question?

Sure the scene is heartbreaking... the little boy misses his daddy.

I think that the only other answer to give is "I'm only the Pope and not God...so I don't know because it's not my job to determine who does and doesn't go"

But then the catholics got that whole sainthood thing going....
 
JohnDB said:
So you think that he sidestepped the question?

Sure the scene is heartbreaking... the little boy misses his daddy.

I think that the only other answer to give is "I'm only the Pope and not God...so I don't know because it's not my job to determine who does and doesn't go"

But then the catholics got that whole sainthood thing going....
Click to expand...
I think the adult point of seeing is to say yes, the Pope sidestepped the question. And for the sake of the little ones to whom he was speaking when sharing about Emanuele's grief for his father.
That little boy's deep sorrow crushed me. Anyone who has lost their father , especially at a young age, still remember when older how heartbroken they were. Then to see a little boy just like me back years before weeping for daddy. It is heart wrenched.

Imagine if the Pope had been answering according to his bible. I don't know that much about the catholic teaching but imagine him saying to little Emanuele, you have to pray and God will get you through this. Your daddy is in Hell.

How sad that boy was not knowing where daddy was which is why he wanted to ask the Pope. If the Pope had said that?
 
Well yeah,
Telling the little boy in tears, "Your daddy is roasting in the fires of hell and Jesus is toasting marshmallows over his burning soul as we speak." Is probably not the nicest thing to say at the moment.

Another Catholic told me when I asked about this, "Yeah, we don't really like this Pope. He should have said, 'We don't know' "
 
I am not God so I don't know is probably the best answer you could go with because it's true. I'm sure that God is watching over the little boy and protecting Him because He loves him. It's true that I have unorthodox Christian beliefs, but I really don't want to get into another debate about so I will just leave it here. In the end we really are free to believe whatever we want to believe though and if that little child wants to believe that his daddy is in Heaven watching over him, then he should be allowed to do so.
 
godsquadgeek said:
you tell him you don't know, but that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
Click to expand...




I'm really glad you said that because you just made my job a whole lot easier. Yes it's true Jesus is the only way to Heaven, if He never paid the penalty for our sins than none of us could go. However, since the Bible speaks of only the wicked being casted into the lake of fire, I have always had a really hard time believing that only Christians make it to Heaven. Sure their salvation is more secured, but it just has never made sense to me since there are a lot of religions and beliefs in this world, and plenty of nice and caring people who aren't Christians. And cue the complaints and arguing lol I'm just going to sit back and watch with my big old tub of popcorn. :popcorn
 
HeIsRisen2018 said:
However, since the Bible speaks of only the wicked being casted into the lake of fire...
Click to expand...
Yes, but unfortunately we are all wicked when held up to God's standard of perfection. If you've told a single white lie, stolen a candy, looked at someone with lust, took His name in vain, etc., you are a sinner and unworthy to be in His presence.

God knew this and came up with an alternate plan, sending His only Son to pay for our sins and liberate us. Only punishing a God could possibly be enough to save an entire blighted species. The gift of salvation is free; all you have to do is accept it, yet there are so many that do not?! Crazy.

I would have told that boy that we sometimes cannot know what is truly in a man's heart, despite what he says. Maybe his father had a tiny kernel of belief, and that was enough for God to work with.
 
HeIsRisen2018 said:
I'm really glad you said that because you just made my job a whole lot easier. Yes it's true Jesus is the only way to Heaven, if He never paid the penalty for our sins than none of us could go. However, since the Bible speaks of only the wicked being casted into the lake of fire, I have always had a really hard time believing that only Christians make it to Heaven. Sure their salvation is more secured, but it just has never made sense to me since there are a lot of religions and beliefs in this world, and plenty of nice and caring people who aren't Christians. And cue the complaints and arguing lol I'm just going to sit back and watch with my big old tub of popcorn. :popcorn
Click to expand...

there will be many good people in hell, and there will be many bad people in heaven. Because we are saved by grace, not by works of the law. So if someone does by nature the things contained in the law, he must do so perfectly. As there are two ways to heaven, one is to be perfect. And the second is to trust in Jesus who was perfect. :

Galatians 2:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
 
Wow Selah actually liked my posts. That's probably the first time somebody has done that about my unorthodox beliefs. Thanks Selah, you have earned my respect! :salute I knew that I couldn't be the only one in the world who felt that way. :) As I stated before, without Jesus Christ none of us would make it to Heaven.
 
JohnDB said:
Well we don't know exactly about the father...he is said to be an unbeliever. But that could just mean that he doesn't believe in the Catholic Church and is actually some kind of Protestant.

So saying that "We don't know" is the best answer.
Click to expand...
Very astute.I agree. Perhaps the family consider anyone not Catholic to be an atheist. An unbeliever as far as church teachings.
I have known many atheists. I don't know any who are parents who would have their child baptized. That would go against the very fabric of what atheism is I would think.
 
I think whether or not the man is in Heaven though shouldn't be our main focus here. Either way it has to be rough on the poor kid. I will pray for him tonight that God's blessings will be with him.
 
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