Catholics NEVR judge and dont tell people that their religion is wrong? HMMM, the POPE does!

DtroitPunk

I know this will piss some people off, but MOST Cathoilics insist that they would never tell someone else that their religion is wrong and that they dont judge etc etc yadda yadda yadda. I do judge and I do tell some people of certain faiths that they will not see heaven.

BUT..... I NEVER would tell anyone that ONE church had the ONLY way to heaven! I have said before that you can be a Catholic and be saved and KNOW that you are going to heaven. I dont believe in denominations I believe in the Bible.



steve.dick@heraldbulletin.com The author of this article at the Herald Bulletin of Anderson, IN


Pope Benedict XVI opened a Pandora’s box Tuesday, and the reverberations began immediately.

He released a document that said other Christian communities are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation, according to a story by The Associated Press.
Worldwide fallout from Protestant churches ensued, and local pastors also had reactions.

“I don’t agree with that,” said the Rev. Jerry Alexander of Colonial United Methodist Church. “Any person has the same opportunities to find and follow Jesus Christ, and he doesn’t have to be connected to a church at all.”

The Rev. Ray Wright, of Love Alive Church of God in Christ, agrees.

“I don’t know where the pope is coming from,” he said. “In our world situation, no one should throw mud.”

He said churches give people hope. “Churches shouldn’t snipe at other churches that are keeping the hope.”

He said the church leader’s duty to people can be a big task.

“(A pastor’s) job is leading people to Christ, bring them to salvation, keep them in a straight way and try to bring people to Christ. That’s a job within itself.”

Neither pastor had heard of the pope’s statement before being contacted by The Herald Bulletin. Other pastors were called but were not available for comment.

Alexander said it was hard to draw a conclusion as to the pope’s intentions, but he was concerned as to where it might lead.

“The aftermath could create a further divide between Protestants and Catholics,” he said. “That’s not a healthy situation.” END OF ARTICLE.



This could also cause further disastrous repercussions in Ireland.

Doesnt seem like a very well thought out proclamation.

freeby4me

Im a little confused, the Pope is proclaiming that only Catholics who go to a specific church will find the path of Heaven? *If I have that right* that is really sad. The last thing I would ever want is to have people thinking they're doomed because they arent a certain denomination. I thought Jesus himself said that one doesnt have to belong to church to be close to him, is that right DtroitPunk? (yes, im actually agreeing and asking for your help LOL I know, you could knock me over with a feather too LOL) (but seriously) Im thinking right, correct? (not in a word for word quote of course)

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DtroitPunk

Actually, YES I too am shocked that we can speak CIVILLY to each other AND agree! You are correct! I personally am between church homes right now. SOME people will never even step foot in a church, that is why it is so important to share our faiths and what the bible says with people. If they become offended or dont want to hear then you dont push. But as a Christian I have a responsibility to share.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

janelle

Vatican downplays document on other Christians' `defects'


AFP AND NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, VATICAN CITY
Friday, Jul 13, 2007, Page 6
The Vatican sought on Wednesday to downplay a document claiming the Roman Catholic Church was the "one true Church of Christ" after it provoked outrage among other Christian faiths.

Pope Benedict XVI restated on Tuesday what he said were the "defects" of Christian faiths other than Roman Catholicism.

The document focused largely on the Vatican definition of what constitutes a church, which it defined as being traceable through its bishops to Christ's original apostles. Thus, it said, the world's Orthodox Christians make up a church because of shared history, if "separated" from the "proper" Catholic tradition; Protestants, who split from Catholicism during the Reformation, are considered only "Christian communities."

The document reiterated church teaching that the Roman Catholic Church alone is the mediator of salvation, though other beliefs can be its "instrument."

It also repeated many of the contentious claims of a document called Dominus Iesus issued in 2000 by the Vatican office on orthodoxy, which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger headed for more than two decades before being elected pope in 2005.

The 2000 version also drew angry reactions from other faiths, which accused the Vatican, and Ratzinger specifically, of being unnecessarily divisive.

The Vatican said the new document was aimed at clearing up "confusion and doubt" about the Catholic Church's relationship with other faiths. But it provoked a wave of condemnation from other churches.

A spokesman for Egypt's Coptic Church, the largest Christian community in the Middle East, warned on Wednesday that comments such as those expressed in the document "fan tensions and arouse negative emotions".

The World Council of Churches, which represents 340 churches including Orthodox and Protestants, insisted that "each Church is the Church catholic," using catholic in the sense of universal. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches -- which represents more than 200 Protestant churches -- said the document "goes against the spirit of our Christian calling towards oneness in Christ."

However, Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is responsible for the Church's relations with other denominations, said the declaration "does not say that Protestant Churches are not Churches, but that they are not Churches in the proper sense, that is they are not Churches in the way the Catholic Church understands the word Church."

Protestant Churches "do not want to be Churches in the sense of the Catholic Church", because they have different ideas of what the Church and its ministers should be, he said.
He added that setting out the remaining differences between the Christian faiths "should stimulate us and not be viewed as a catastrophe."

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freeby4me

Good im glad we're in agreement. As far as Im concerned what happened in that other thread is just that, a different thread.
"However, Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is responsible for the Church's relations with other denominations, said the declaration "does not say that Protestant Churches are not Churches, but that they are not Churches in the proper sense, that is they are not Churches in the way the Catholic Church understands the word Church."
I really dont see how with comments like that, that they're trying to "make nice" about the previous statement.

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Val1

I guess I sort of look at it like this.

I'm Catholic. If I didn't think that this particular church had the most correct and surest understanding of God, I wouldn't belong to this church. *I* think it is the one most on target to the proper understanding of God and how he wants us to live.

If I didn't think this, I'd probably be some other denomination, or some other religion entirely. I think that there are many churches that believe in God and are also correct to varying degrees in their understanding of God and His will, but that they are not quite as correct as the church I belong to.

This doesn't mean they aren't correct at all, or they aren't church, or they don't stand to have a chance at salvation - just that I believe my way is the most correct and the most likely to be getting it right. Does that make sense?

If you don't believe that your particular church has the most correct view on faith, why do you belong there? do you believe that all faiths are equally correct? While I think the wording of the initial document could have been a lot better, I sort of EXPECT that most people believe their church or brand of faith is the most correct one. Otherwise, why wouldn't you just go to any church at all?

YankeeMary

I think if you are lets say Catholic and you live your life according to the "Catholic way" to the best of your ability, then when you die, You shall be judged based on that. The same holds true for Baptist, Methodist, etc...If a Baptist followed his Bible to the best of his ability (and of course asked for forgiveness and has accepted Jesus as his personal savior) and believes with all his heart is living his life as Jesus wants then he shall go to Heaven, and if the Catholic fellow does the same thing according to the Catholic ways, why would Jesus allow him to burn in hell, because he doesn't follow the Baptist way? No matter what "title" you put on a religion, according to my Bible, you have to accept Jesus into your heart, acknowledging he died for your sins and ask for forgiveness to get into Heaven, not necassarily be "titled".
God is about love and forgiveness.

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pepperpot

And that is exactly why you are posting it....

*shakes head*

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boopster

I personally feel that no one has the right to denigrate anyone else's religion, place of worship etc unless they and who they represent are perfect in all aspects......and there is no such thing. The Pope should apologize and acknowledge that is comments were not appropriate. It was words such as his that created religious persecution.

BeanieLuvR

Thank you for putting into words how I feel YankeeMary. I was going to reply to this last night but decided to wait and reply this morning. I am glad I did because you said what I wanted to better than I could have.

janelle

I think we are going to be shocked a lot by what this pope says. He went over to a Muslim country and made a speech that quoted some theologian as saying it was the most violent religion ever. Yikes. He was almost on their hit list to kill, like Rushdie is and anyone who has dealings with Rushdie, like London. He still may be on a hit list.

He is not going to be like John Paul, that's for sure. They did end up killing a nun for his speech about the Muslim religion. Not sure who or where but a nun was killed. I don't think anyone is radical enough to kill anyone with the latest thing he said but one never knows.

Let's all try to stay cool and study what someone says before going ballistic, like some countries do. In America we should be the leader about free speech. Even Jay Leno made a joke about it last night. He said what the pope said and to make his point about it he also spoke about tolerance and acceptance of others. LOL

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