Pope tells Morraco Catholics NO PROSELYTIZING..

[SheyZ]

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-warns-moroccan-christians-against-proselytism

[Nirex]

So uhhh..  he just threw the whole message about preaching and making disciples out the window it seems o.o

[New World Explorer]

Francis stated that the Christian mission does not consist in baptizing more Christians but in generating “change” and awakening “wonder and compassion.”

 

In the meantime in the Bible...

 

(Matthew 28:19) Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit,

[Bob]

This is an argument of semantics as  proselytism carries a negative connotation of forcing people to convert. I think this is clear because he said baptisms, locally, aren't the goal, but he said by their conduct, the hope is conversion. He's playing politics.

 

This also appears to be a means of catering to the Muslim community or the country, as it is against the LAW there for Muslims to covert. So in other words, I think he is being a politician. This is what politicians do -- they abandon their own principles on paper, in his case, the Bible's clear teaching, to remain in good graces with the locals and to gain their support. Religion does this to stay socially relevant anyway.

 

Nothing new about that, in my view.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Bob

[Bob]

Now I will say that we don't "proselytize" either, but we also don't fake like we aren't doing missionary work as a group, or that we don't persuade people to study with us with the goal of one day getting baptized.

[sunshine]

Francis is the master of spin, hes excellent at giving everyone what yhey want to hear.  He says “For Jesus did not choose us and send us forth to become more numerous!"  knowing the the Muslim world will love this while at the same time  he can comfortably claim that he never said don't try and make new converts.

Edited April 3, 2019 by sunshine

[minister159]

8 hours ago, Bob said:

Now I will say that we don't "proselytize" either, but we also don't fake like we aren't doing missionary work as a group, or that we don't persuade people to study with us with the goal of one day getting baptized.

Very true. We don't proselytize, aggressively or otherwise, but rather, we evangelize, as in the SKE, and we only persuade people to become disciples if they are rightly disposed. Their actual conversion to true worship or the true religion, is the result of their own heart condition and the operation of Jehovah's holy spirit.

 

BTW, maybe the Pope is trying to tighten up the ranks of his house by emphasizing quality, not quantity; too little too late! 

[Bob]

4 hours ago, minister159 said:

Very true. We don't proselytize, aggressively or otherwise, but rather, we evangelize, as in the SKE, and we only persuade people to become disciples if they are rightly disposed. Their actual conversion to true worship or the true religion, is the result of their own heart condition and the operation of Jehovah's holy spirit.

 

BTW, maybe the Pope is trying to tighten up the ranks of his house by emphasizing quality, not quantity; too little too late! 

Good point in the bold here. The RCC has historically been so fiercely ritualistic and mindlessly repetitive in their worship that it has always been about quantity. Definitely too little to late. It appears to me to be a last-ditch attempt at holding on to whatever actual observing membership they have left.