All Along It Was A Lie: Popes Diminishing Authority

 Why did God allow so much interruption in every believers journey? Is there any instances that God failed to response man's activities? The answer is that God purposed everything and we cannot question His plan for he alone understand it. In this session it talked about the power of papacy in the Church. In the past, pope really gained prestige and authority among its citizens. When the great king of England was over powered by the popes, I cannot imagine how it was done when the state and the church had verdict of separation. So much knowledge about the pope and its strategic organization within the church. I thought they are all agent of change and as of respected people, that what I learned in the past. Are we really subjected to obey and respect the popes? They are not God, we are not capable in giving them judgment but we can respect and obey them based on the truth. They are just human being like us claiming authority among others which was against on what the Bible told. However, let us not stereotype everything about the pope, some are living in the truth. 

In the video, I learned that barbarians and other groups merely helps the raging troubles in the state and in the religious aspects. As i evaluate myself i found out that i still under my wrong perceptions of authority. All i know was that popes are really in the good side. Before i was converted into Christianity, i tend to worship and idolized popes or even priests because of their great faithfulness and loyalty to their calling. I failed study how they gained those positions and privileges. Despite by past of being an unbeliever, i still doubt and does not agree giving money for the popes in Vatican. Asking questions is what i had done, but my parents don’t have the answers that i wanted. I was introduced to study about priest and i keep on wearing clothes like them. In fact, my motive was to be like them on how they are devoted in following and rendering their lives only to God. I still don’t know how to gain full attention of my relatives being an active follower of the Vatican propaganda. St. Ambrose of Milan were introduced to me and i can relate how he was living when he was still young. I wanted to be a good preacher or even a speaker where i can put information and truth in my speeches. 

Above statements were broad enough to consider let us take it specifically. To be a good preacher is not an acquired characteristic but of learnable and can be developed. I need to read and make writing, speaking and analyzing an article as a hobby. Popes are just human subjected to lies and error, we can respect them as part of God’s creation but we don’t have to give our worship and of our loyalty to them as God’s ambassador. I do not hated much about pope, only to some instances i feel down about them. I don’t need to gain any position in order to be faithful to God, all i need is to let God living inside me and as my Master. We too are not excuse to be deceived, we need to really read and meditate the Word of God for us to be corrected, be informed, and be nurtured by the truth it offered. It is our task to really do our job not to take it as usual but taking it seriously to minister other religious leaders. I find myself having joy in making some illustration on how the truth was coped up, yet it could be a good state to introduced the Bible. We are not to condemn the popes and other religious leaders who finds its pleasure to deceive other people. We need to pray for them to be unblind and render their service to God alone. 

The War Against The Truth: Crusaders Vs. Muslim

        Upon the excitement for the semester break, church history class leave information that suites in my mind. Lots of new ideas and historical facts were introduced to students like me. I learned past facts that served a great help for me in understanding the history of Christianity. In my innocence, I only heard the name Justinian, Charlemagne, and Athanatius as a person in world history. However, these individuals really help in shaping our history. From the start only my high school teacher talked about them.Another name which I remember was Benedict, one thing I knew about him was that his was a saint that Catholics worshiped and idolized. Yet his modeled faithfulness and sincerity in believing God. There are lots of people whom we known a little or unknown to some, but then history class really puts a role in introducing to us the world in the past. They maybe good or bad,yet, it was in us on how we deal and apply it to our own lives. 

         Aside from people, I also learned important events like the crusades. It is a medieval military expedition, one of a series made by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. For how many years I only grasp bits of information about it. Behind the scene was cruelty, brutality, and immorality for the expedition (raped happened). Despite the raging wickedness, war, and immorality, Christianity still blooms and finds its way to spread to all civilization.

          I have to focused my personal evaluations based on the given individuals introduced in this section. Like any other ordinary people, I tend to excuse myself to have many wives in the future. Possible for the present generations and to Islamic religion. That should not be. Like any other historical figures with lots of wives and mistresses, it is against on what God wanted to be. Considering my childhood like any other students, I find boredom in education and attending classes to learn. Eusebius taught me to change that perspective and really pursue my education. It was him that the recording of church history was still available for us today. There was war between Christians and non-Christians, with the crusades background, we are then encouraged not to put the judgment in our hands. Motives are important as well as the manner on how we carry our motives.

          As on how to imply those broad principles, let us take it specifically. in biblical perspective, it was prohibited to have many wives. Therefore, if possible to marry someday i will stick to only one women whom i will build a family. Despite the raging temptations between morality and immorality, I need God to guide me in every decisions i would make. Fast forward to the future, i will only spend time with my family not to other families, i mean mistresses. In the area of education, all of us are given talents and gifts, I might be not that smart or intelligent with others; however, i still need to focused on acquiring education. This cannot be done by only in the school building but also in daily chores and communications. If possible, I will enroll to some technical schools which offers skills enhancement and advancement. From the life of Eusebius, I was encouraged to have my own diary, wherein i can record all the events happening in my life. This written work could inspire the future generation and could be a source of history from them. Towards the crusades i also get some important practical implications, that i will focused and consider lawful actions--through laws and ordinances not judging in our own hands. In the area of motives, I will really have to evaluate myself in making decisions--big and small. Thinking it over and over to have a better one. 

             This could be a self-centered reflection but it will help me in growing as an effective citizen. with the help of history, with all those great personalities involved in the past, the present was shaped in behalf of it.