Have you ever goofed up big time? Does it make you shudder when that haunting nightmare returns to taunt you?  Has that whopper of a mistake impacted the rest of your life? Are you still paying the price for that faux pas? Does it make you want to erase the past and start all over again?

History records the colossal errors that prominent religious leaders have made. The Johannesburg Sunday Times (March 9, 2008) published an article that blew my socks off. It stated that the Roman Catholic pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, is to "rehabilitate" Martin Luther (1483-1546). Pardon me, but just how do you rehab a centuries-long dead monk? Quoting from the report, the Pope declared, "...he [Luther] did not intend to split Christianity but only to purge the corrupt practices" [of Catholicism]. Is Martin Luther now to be posthumously  restored to fellowship? The Pope continues, "Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy, was not a heretic."  It only took approximately 500 years to discover that! Now the decision to deny him fellowship in Roman Catholicism might be reversed. I doubt that it will make much difference to Luther today in the silent halls of death.

In July 2007, the same Pope issued a statement in which he denounced Protestant and Orthodox faiths as being "defective and not proper Christians." This move to re-evaluate Luther's status is seen as a conciliatory attempt "to soften Pope Benedict's image as an arch-conservative hardliner. . ." So now the tough Pope is capitulating. Furthermore, a statue is to be erected of the once defamed Galileo, who was seen as a heretic by the Catholic authorities because he argued that the earth was round--not flat or square. This turn-about is about 400 years late in coming. 

At Regensburg University in 2006, this Pope courageously described the religion of Islam as "violent and irrational." Now he is backtracking on that score, too. The newspaper reported, "[He] has also reached out to the Muslim world to mend fences after [his] speech...." Yes, even as powerful a personage as the Pope has found it necessary to renounce the former courage of his convictions to be politically correct. It seems that courage is being replaced throughout our world with cowardice. There seems to be a global conspiracy to stand for nothing, to have no back bone, to be tolerant to a fault! Cowards, however, will have their part in the lake of fire, Revelation 21:8.

Jesus admired  John the Baptist because John stood on the firm foundation of his faith in God, cf. 2 Timothy 2:19. He was not a reed shaken in the wind nor partial to the latest fashions, Matthew 11:7-9. He stood for truth even when it cost him his life, Matthew 14:1-12. Where are today's heroes? Today men in powerful positions of leadership make colossal mistakes that will impact the world negatively for centuries to come. Those matters will haunt them throughout all history. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," is still an appropriate adage today.

Massive mistakes will be made from time to time. It is never too late to rectify them. It  behooves us to take a stand for what is right no matter what the ramifications. You see, if we don't stand for something, we'll fall for everything. And we won't be able to recognize gigantic goof-ups when they happen! It is imperative that we know God's word intimately--every syllable. It is the only antidote to "the foolishness of this world." Otherwise, we'll be singing, "Who's sorry now!"