Flawed?

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Dusty Fro' date='Aug 3 2004, 03:39 AM'] I have read the story of Joan of Arc, a couple of them, actually, and seen her statue in that white cathedral in Paris. But I'm mostly British, so I still don't know what to make of this saucy French tart.

She didn't lead a religious crusade though. She fought and led for France, and though she was led by God, it's still different from the crusades demanded by the popes. It was a bishop who condemned her after all.

Actually, that brings up a good point. Who would be wrong here? Either Joan or the clergy. Since she was later made a saint, we can only assume that the bishop did a bad thing. Is that a flaw in church history? Or was burning a woman at the stake a good and holy thing as well? [/quote]
Excuse me!
You are talking about a Saint of the Church here.

The bishop was thinking more politics than God. It is a sin powerful people make, in and out of the Church.

[Dusty Fro]

My original question was if the head guys in charge of the church ever made mistakes. Bishops are head dudes. I guess y'all have answered my question.

[amarkich]

Fro, you misunderstand "turn the other cheek". That command is for individuals not for nations or governments. We turn the other cheek and forgive the sinner when he wrongs us, but the government seeks justice. If you are claiming that "turn the other cheek" applies to all institutions, then you have abandoned justice. When a man rapes a girl and kills her, we are called to forgive him and to pray for him. The government has the duty to find him and execute him for his crime, giving him a chance for repentance.