Christians and all other Catholic denominations...an honest question for you all...?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070710/ap_on_re_eu/pope_other_christians

According to today's news, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church has made the (mistaken?) proclamation that all orthodox churches are defective and all other Christian denominations are false churches.

How does this feel to know that, according to one of the world's most powerful religious leaders, your religion is "false" or "defective"?? Please, be honest in your response.

Answer 1

The declaration from the Pope does not matter to me at all. My faith is based on the Bible, not him. The Church I attend strives to be like Jesus in all ways. We preach that the Bible is the inspired word of God, that Jesus died for our sins and we must be born again to receive forgiveness of sins, and we teach that relationships with one another and with God are the keys to living the Christian life in this non-christian world.

So what the Pope says means nothing.

Answer 2

I think any church or denomination would want to (in some way or another) say that they are the true church and there is no other. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the origins of Christianity was formed on the basis that it was total choice of whether a person wanted to be all that a Christian was to be according to the Bible. Most (not all) Christians believe that the Bible is God-inspired and there is no lie in it. So, with that in mind, the one MAJOR difference between the Christian belief system and the Catholic belief system is that the Christians believe that NO object can be a substitute for God. Catholics have the wafer and the Virgin Mary.

Until that key element is realized, the obvious answer is that Catholics, not Christians are false followers of Christ. I know that this is not a popular answer, but Christ didn't come to earth to be popular.

Answer 3

What the Pope said is nothing new, it has been a belief of the Church for centuries. I'm not sure what you mean by Catholic denominations, there is no such thing, perhaps you are refering to Catholic Rites?

The thing is, one can read what he is saying, and try to understand what he is saying. One would think that it would be understood that say a Muslim leader would say that only Islam is true religion and all others are defective. We Catholics have endured for years the rhetoric from various Christian groups who literally teach that Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon and that Catholics have a straight shoot to Hell. The difference here is the Pope is not saying this out of bigotry or hatred, as the Muslim leader would not be saying those things out of hatred or bigotry. Notice that the Pope did not say that others would be going to Hell automatically.

Again, if indeed Christ did establish a Church through his Apostles, then there are certain conclusions to be drawn on that. Either what has been passed on is true, or what came centuries later is true, but they can't both be fully true.

Answer 4

"all orthodox churches are defective and all other Christian denominations are false churches."

God supposedly told Joseph Smith just about the same thing and he started Mormonism. Maybe the Pope and head of the Mormon church should have a no-holds-barred grudge match to find out who's right.

/me rolls his eyes

"How does this feel to know that, according to one of the world's most powerful religious leaders, your religion is "false" or "defective"?? "

I could not care less what the Pope says. God trumps him and God, in his word, says he's wrong.

Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Answer 5

Jesus Christ, not the pope, is head of the Church. The Orthodox Church, which is never mentioned in these arguments, is the original Christian Church. Throughout all the turmoil, reformations and changes, the Orthodox Church is the one which has not changed. If any of you want to learn about Christianity, I would recommend studying the Orthodox Church. It's amazing.

The Orthodox Church is not defective. It's been around as long as the Catholic church--but it doesn't buy that the pope is the head of the church. That's what split the Catholics from the Orthodox in the first place.

ALL Christians are not defective. We believe in Jesus Christ, and he will judge each of us individually, no matter what our church is.

The catholic church does not have a monopoly on heaven.

It doesn't bother me a bit that the pope thinks the Orthodox Church is "defective" or "false". The pope is only a man with a worldly opinion. The important thing is what Jesus Christ thinks.

Answer 6

How is this news? The Roman Catholic church has been saying that for centuries about all other Christian denominations.

If the pope didn't say that about us, well, then he just wouldn't be a good Catholic, now would he?

We Protestants say something similar about him. I'll let Jesus be the judge.

--------------------------------
Romans 14:10-13

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For it is written,
"AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,
AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this -- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Answer 7

Here is the full text of the new document that states nothing new: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

Most Christian denominations believe that each of them is the fullest version of the Church of Christ.

While the Catholic Church also believes that she is "the highest exemplar" of the mystery that is the Church of Christ, she does not claim that non-Catholic Churches are not truly Christian. The Catholic Church teaches:

Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.

Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.

All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

This is exactly the same thing that Catholics have been hearing from Protestants for years.

Of course he is correct. There are a lot of internal issues within the Catholic (Roman and Orthodox) Church, and perhaps this will be just the thing to help get those straightened out.

Answer 9

As a recovering Roman, I can tell you that this is not a surprise. For all that Catholics have come to believe that it's more important to act in conformity with God's plan, the fact remains that the Romans would gleefully consign anyone to the fire of hell who does not buss the pope's **** enthusiastically. After all, Prebyterians do not pay Peter's Pence, and nobody should mistake the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is a scam like unto the worst snake oil salesman on the planet.

Answer 10

And the religious leaders of Jesus' day claimed He did His works through Satan. I put little stock in what the bishop of Rome says about anything.

Mat 12:22 Then one having been demon-possessed was brought to Him, blind and dumb. And He healed him, so that the blind and dumb one could both speak and see.
Mat 12:23 And all the crowds were amazed, and said, Is this not the Son of David?
Mat 12:24 But hearing, the Pharisees said, This One does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, ruler of the demons.

Answer 11

This has always been the teaching of the Catholic Church. Why is this coming as such a surprise to people today? I can tell you why, in the words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:

"There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing."

If all the people who bash the Church truly knew what the Church was, then Pope Benedict's statements would not be such a shock to you.