Pope: Other Christians not true churches

[Gabu]

Oh boy.

It's sh**t like this that makes me really wonder about organized religion.  How can there be so many people thinking so many things and they all are completely 100% sure that theirs is the right one with God's approval?

[Gabu]

I disagree with what was said but I also disagree with the Catholic bashing that will follow. I am a friend of SoS but the post below is an example of that Catholic bashing ignorance.

Eh, Ill let them fight themselves. Its entertaining. This guy just hasnt stopped givin us material since he took the....uh.....throne? Is that what they call it? I dunno.

Catholic bashing ignorance?  It looks to me like he just doesn't know what to call it.  I don't think I would either.

[Gabu]

Then don't call it anything. It was clearly an unnecessary jab at my faith. Voice your concerns with the Pope's comments but let's not make this into an attack on some of our traditions.

"Clearly"?  I didn't view it as one.

[Gabu]

Then don't call it anything. It was clearly an unnecessary jab at my faith. Voice your concerns with the Pope's comments but let's not make this into an attack on some of our traditions.

"Clearly"?  I didn't view it as one.

"...since he clearly took the...uh...throne? Is that what they call it? I dunno."


The wording seemed like a jab to me.

Well, what other pronouns do you use to refer to a large group of people of whom you are not a part?

[Gabu]

I shudder to think what our government might be like if the pope or any other religious leader also ran our government.

I'm pretty sure that many people here would probably think that it was Heaven on Earth.

[Gabu]

You can follow a path to salvation without being a true faith so that is a badly worded question.

The document that the pope approved specifically said that Catholicism is the only way to salvation.

[Gabu]

he is also obligated to say this or he'd make a crappy pope.

Pope John Paul II never said a thing like that.

[Gabu]

I'd be wary of ANYTHING in the media quoting the Pope.
Still, I'm sure he was using the term "church" in it's most fundamental and technical catholic sense: a body of believers united under the authority of a Bishop who possesses valid holy orders.

The Protestant Reformers rejected the concept of valid holy orders and hence broke the chain of apostolic succession, something they did not intend to pass on to their successors anyway, since they no longer believed in it.

The Eastern Orthodox, by contrast, have and have always had, valid holy orders and valid sacraments.

It doesn't mean that baptized protestants are not Christians.
As long as you are baptized in the name of the three Divine Persons of the holy Trinity, you are a Christian.

Given that it said that the document stated that "Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation", it seems to me that it's a bit more than that.

[Gabu]

Just out of curiosity, I looked up the actual document itself.  It can be found here.

Unfortunately, I don't really understand what is being said very much.

[Gabu]

When you mean Catholic, do you mean as Universal Catholic or Catholic Church? I, personally, believe most Christian faiths have it down pretty close. I do believe that the Catholic way is ONE way to salvation. I do, however, believe that the Christian way is the ONLY way to salvation.

Didn't you at one point call yourself a deist, and not a Christian?

[Gabu]

When you mean Catholic, do you mean as Universal Catholic or Catholic Church? I, personally, believe most Christian faiths have it down pretty close. I do believe that the Catholic way is ONE way to salvation. I do, however, believe that the Christian way is the ONLY way to salvation.

Didn't you at one point call yourself a deist, and not a Christian?

Where is the set rule that a traditional Deist can't be Christian?

The definition of "deism" is as follows:

"belief in the existence of a God on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation"

By definition, a deist can't also believe in an organized religion based on supernatural revelation.  You can be a theist and also a Christian (indeed, one couldn't be a Christian without being a theist), but not a deist.

[Gabu]

Is that the modern definition of Deism? Eighteenth century deism was quite a bit different as it revolved more around a rejection of earthly churches but acceptance of a Christian God (at least in colonial/early America).

It's not a rejection of God, only supernatural revelation (such as that found within the Bible).  Deism is essentially the belief in a god based on logic, reason, and extrapolation.