…and how they’ve been programming it for him.

“…mind is so open his brain is about to fall out…”

Right. Or so it appears if your mind is a puckered raisin imbedded in a concrete block that’s sealed in a buried ossuary.

The ease with which you lie is astounding.

“By “relatively new” do you mean in the historian’s timeframe that would include Martin Luther? Or a more recent timeframe such as within the last century?”

I mean a more recent time frame, like the last 100 or 200 years. The doctrine of “eternal security” would have been heresy to Martin Luther, as I recall.
…………..
“If you want to accuse the man of imprudence, gullibility, and shallowness of intellect, you’ll need to spell out your reasoning.”

I don’t need to spell out my reasoning to you, but I’ll give you a couple quick examples:
imprudence (his careless and wildly misinterpreted “How am I to judge” comment),
gullibility (his swallowing the junk science of man-made global warming hysteria),
shallowness of intellect (his ignorance of the workings and unparalleled benefits of free market capitalism).
……………..

“But in any case I hope you can listen to what he has to say with an open mind.”

I have been listening with an open mind. And as a result, I have reason to believe Pope Francis’ mind is so open his brain is about to fall out – at least in regards to certain current issues which are *outside his authority and expertise* (e.g. global warming; economics of income inequality).

Some people love him because of that. Some people hate him because of that…

I imagine that 2000 years ago in Galilee, things started with the same kind of name-calling.

Perhaps sn’s dislike is caused by something he isn’t used to: the pope will tell the truth.

Or perhaps it is because the current pope isn’t as fundamentally evil as the previous two – they with their agendas to protect priests who abused children and protect the church’s money. The current pope seems to have abandoned that.

“Heretical” to some denominations, core doctrine to others. I was looking for an unbiased term for this. Are there any comparative religion majors here who can help? In my view of things, belief in salvation by faith also requires constant thoughtfulness, vigilance against self-justification, and also requires consistency of action as (at minimum) a backstop against hubris. Many are those today who do not make the slightest effort beyond the “check-box” level.

By “relatively new” do you mean in the historian’s timeframe that would include Martin Luther? Or a more recent timeframe such as within the last century?

“Saved by grace,” thanks for the clarification on the language. “Faith inseparable from works” is also good to know.

I hope you do get to see and hear Pope Francis. And consider this: At a time when many people had become highly cynical of the Church due to the ongoing reports of crimes against children, Francis has managed to overcome a very substantial amount of that cynicism. At a time when many people have become highly cynical of religion as a whole due to the use of religion as rationale for the selfish use of power, Francis has managed to overcome a very substantial amount of that cynicism. At a time when the polarization between theists and atheists was increasing, Francis has managed to build a bridge instead of a wall. His impact on the larger community in which the Church exists, has been strong and positive.

If you want to accuse the man of imprudence, gullibility, and shallowness of intellect, you’ll need to spell out your reasoning.

But in any case I hope you can listen to what he has to say with an open mind. If nothing else, because I know of more than a few atheists who are willing to listen, so people of faith should be able to do at least that much.

“There’s a word I’m looking for that’s similar to denomination but isn’t quite the same thing… refers to a strong philosophical and practical thread that runs through a number of Protestant denominations.”

Wouldn’t be “heretical” you’re thinking of, would it?
…………
“It seemed to me that they believed that their own salvation was assured…”

Highly likely. The relatively new false teaching of assurance of salvation (a.k.a. “once saved, always saved”, “eternal security”), is held by many Protestant groups.
……………
“(salvation through faith, a core Protestand doctrine as distinct from salvation through good works, which is a core Catholic doctrine)…”

A brief theological clarification. Neither Protestants nor Catholics would say you’re saved by faith or works. Both would say, or should say, you’re saved by grace.
Beyond that, Protestants generally have a narrow view of “faith”, as in “mental assent.”
Catholics see “faith” more broadly, as something inseparable from works (e.g. Matthew 24:12-13; John 3:36; James 2:24).

………….
I, too, am looking forward to hearing what the Pope has to say during his visit here. I may even get to see him in person this weekend.
But as with presidents, some Popes are better than others. And Pope Francis, so far, is the least of Popes in my lifetime. He’s a holy man and means well. But his imprudence, gullibility, and shallowness of intellect are almost unbelievable to me.
He may be as innocent as a dove, but he’s not wise as a serpent (cf. Mat 10:16).

There’s a word I’m looking for that’s similar to denomination but isn’t quite the same thing. It doesn’t refer to an entity as such e.g. as the Baptist church, the Catholic church, and so on, but refers to a strong philosophical and practical thread that runs through a number of Protestant denominations. The common denominator of Evangelicals seems to be an outward focus rather than an inward focus: those I knew in high school, decades ago, were deeply concerned with service to others as an expression of their faith, as distinct from being concerned primarily with their own salvation.

It seemed to me that they believed that their own salvation was assured (salvation through faith, a core Protestand doctrine as distinct from salvation through good works, which is a core Catholic doctrine), and so they were free to devote their lives to serving others. They were unequivocal in their dedication, and they treated others with a very real sense of love and respect. (And there was none of the element of “I have a Get Out Of Hell Free card” and the hubris that goes along with, that one sees in certain political figures today.)

Speaking of Catholicism, I am very much looking forward to hearing what the Pope has to say during his visit here. To my mind he truly embodies the deep spirit of Christianity at its best, and his outreach to the world of science is also highly admirable. In these times we need to build bridges rather than walls, and in a very practical way our future depends on our ability to cooperate across the widest sphere of human endeavors.