The recent video put out by Pope Francis is a contradiction to basic Biblical doctrine, that Christ is the only way of salvation and the only way to reach God.
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
Romans 10:13-15
John 3:18
A Roman Catholic may say something like, "the Pope actually never directly contradicts those verses; he is just saying we should talk and dialogue with one another, with people from other religions, and we should consider all people "children of God"; and they are sincerely seeking for God and they "believe in love" also. Turretinfan is correct about the proper understanding of "Children of God" ; yet the Roman apologists would probably say that the Pope means that we are all children of God in the sense of nature and creation - "brothers and sisters in humanity". He should make that clear, if he wants to preach truth and the gospel with other people of other religions.
The failure to preach the gospel and speak the truth in this context is a failure of basic responsibilities of a pastor/elder/overseer (bishop). He (and the doctrine of the Papal office) claims to be "the bishop over all bishops", and this is a massive failure of duty.
We can still have respectful dialogue with other religions, but we need to preach the gospel (2 Timothy 4:1-7), be involved in Christian apologetics and speak it with gentleness and respect ( 1 Peter 3:15), speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15-16), and defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) But the Roman Church officially rejected justification by faith alone at Trent (1545-1563) and has been adding more and more traditions of man (Mark 7; Matthew 15; Colossians 2:8) to their dogmas.
The video gives the impression that Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam are equally valid roads to God and understanding of what true love is. The plastic baby doll Jesus as representing Christianity is typical Roman Catholic external physical emphasis that is crude and gaudy and comes across, when RCs stand before it and pray and worship, - it comes across as idolatry. As does praying to Mary.
If post Vatican 2 theology is wrong (and it certainly seems to contradict previous RC theology, especially in the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 841 (Muslims worship the same God as Christians) and 847 (atheists and pagans who have never heard of Christ can be saved), then this is another step in showing why there are the "Traditional" Roman Catholics, the "Rad-Trad" Roman Catholics and Sedevacantists, and the whole RC claim of unity is an empty promise. And it also shows that Papal infallibility is wrong.
As John Bugay has commented on this video also, the Pope is channeling the classic liberalism of "Adolph Von Harnack"
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3 comments:
Ken,
I'm not exactly sure what the Pope meant in the video. He did say this last Sunday in his Angelus talk:
go and find out the date of your Baptism. Celebrating that day means and reaffirms our adherence to Jesus, with the commitment to live as Christians, members of the Church and of a new humanity, in which all are brothers and sisters.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2016/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20160110.html
His Angelus speech is more in line with Catholic teaching albeit it's interesting that he mentions a "new humanity, in which all are brothers and sisters." Perhaps he's paraphrasing Christ when He says that all men will be drawn to Him. (John 12:32) If all men are drawn to Him (when He is lifted up), then all men participate in His crucifixion. Through Christ drawing all men to His crucifixion, we are united. Not as Christians but through that unity of being drawn to Christ.
Again, I'm not speaking for the Pope. What he says has me perplexed as well as it conflicts with regular Catholic teaching. Especially since less than five days ago, he reiterates proper Catholic thought. My only guess is that he's referring to something different.
http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-about-canon-what-about-bob.html?showComment=1452865168560#c3130977051728346089
And why did the current Pope make one of his main emphasis "global warming" rather than giving a clear gospel message?
And why did the current Pope release a video that because of the optics, communicates that Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism are also roads to get to God and are valid expressions of faith and true love? (see link at bottom)
He communicates that everybody is ok and children of God, and does not communicate that we are actually "children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-3Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) without Christ.
Of course, he can counter, if someone questions that aspect of the video, that he means that we are all created equal by God as humans. That is true, but he should make that clear, explain that, and also explain that non-Christians are NOT children of God. Only Christians are children of God. (Ephesians 1:4-5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Romans 8:14-16Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Galatians 4:5-7Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 1 John chapters 3 and 5.)
If his (the Pope) gift and office of leadership and pastor and "shepherd of shepherds" and "servant of servants" and "bishop of bishops", etc. is so great and he as a minister is supposed to do the work of an evangelist ( 2 Timothy 4:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)), why does he not do that?
In my life, I have never seen a Pope emphasize the straight gospel, evangelism, and straight preaching the truth of the bible, like for example, like preaching like John McArthur or John Piper.
All I have ever seen is an emphasis on issues like world peace, poverty issues, external optics of gaudy clothes the Pope mobile and pomp, etc. and too much emphasis on Mary and statues and praying to her, which is sin and looks like idolatry - John Paul 2 and Benedict XVI bowing down to giant statues of Mary - shameful !!
Ken,
I did a little digging and found this from a previous Angelus of Pope Benedict:
Being born is never a choice, we are not asked first whether we wish to be born. Yet, in life, we can develop a free attitude with regard to life itself: we can regard it as a gift and, in a certain sense “become” what we are: children. This transition marks a turning point of maturity in our existence and in our relationship with our parents, which is filled with gratitude. It is a transition that also renders us capable in turn of being parents, not biologically, but morally.
Also before God we are all children. God is at the root of every created being’s life and is the Father of every human person in a special way: he has a unique and personal relationship with every human being. Each one of us is wanted and loved by God. And also in this relationship with God, we can be “reborn”, so to speak, in other words become what we are. This happens through faith, through a profound and personal “yes” to God as the origin and foundation of our existence. With this “yes” I receive life as a gift of the Father who is in Heaven, a Parent whom I do not see but in whom I believe and whom, in the depths of my heart, I feel is my Father and the Father of all my brethren in humanity, an immensely good and faithful Father.
On what is this faith in God the Father based? It is based on Jesus Christ: he himself and his history reveal the Father to us, enable us to know him as much is possible in this world. Believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, makes it possible to be “born from above”, that is, from God, who is Love (cf. Jn 3:3).
Moreover, let us bear in mind once again that no individual makes him or herself a human being. We are born without doing anything ourselves, the passivity of being born precedes the activity of what we ourselves do. It is also the same at the level of being Christian: no one can become Christian solely by one’s own will, being Christian is also a gift that comes before our own action: we must be reborn in a new birth. St John says: “to all who received him... he gave power to become children of God” (Jn 1:12).
This is the meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is this new birth that precedes our own action. With our faith we can go to meet Christ, but he alone can make us Christian and give to our will and to this desire of ours the response, dignity and power to become children of God, which we ourselves do not possess.
Taken from Pope Benedict Angelus - January 8, 2012.
So, in reference to children of wrath, I think the understanding is that we are children of wrath (before Baptism) but we are still children of God. We have all come from the seed of Adam who was created on the Sixth Day after which God looked at all of Creation and declared it "Very Good!" (as opposed to "Good") on the other five days.
We are children of God who have been separated from Him as a result of the original sin. God wants us to return to Him. He wants us to say "Yes" to Jesus Christ and be reborn in water and spirit.
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