I actually can not believe the Pope really says that the Catholics have the only true religion & Why?

Question

I myself think there is good in all religions EXCEPT the Catholic Church, I think that they are the most corrupt religion out there. Why are some religions so close minded that they think they have the ONLY TRUE religion? What do you think of what the Pope said and do you believe that your religion is the only "True" religion and why do you think that? Do you really think that God will only save one religion?
Below is a link to the Pope thing....


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

Answer 1

I'm having a problem understanding why they have a Pope.
Jesus is the head of the Church, not some human to make
spiritual decisions, and bow down to. Oh well, It will all come to a head one day soon.

Answer 2

Well, the Pope didn't exactly say that the Catholics have the only true religion. What he said was that no other religious groups, (except the Eastern Orthodox), have the ability to "save" people because they don't have authority that was passed down from the leader of one generation of the church to the leader of the next generation church. This idea is called Apostolic Succession.

Basically, the Pope believes that Jesus made his disciple Peter the first Pope by stating that the keys to heaven had been given to Peter. Thus, Peter supposedly could allow in or keep out whoever he wanted to from heaven. This authority was supposedly passed down to Peter's successor and likewise to all the later successors, (the Popes).

So, according to the the Pope, the other denominations may have the correct beliefs regarding Jesus, but they don't have the authority to grant access to heaven.

Its kind of a weasely, technical thing.

I'm not sure how they justify the idea that Peter's authority was transferable to his "successors". I don't think that Jesus indicated that this was the case. As near as I can tell, Jesus gave that authority to Peter, and to Peter alone.

Personally, I can't believe for even one second that the Pope actually has any control at all over who gets to heaven.

I could never believe in any religion that claims to be the "one true religion". For one thing, that claim cannot be proven. For another, no existing religions that make that claim have doctrines that make any more sense than other religions. I think that such a claim is a strong indicator that the group has a cult-like mentality.

Frankly, if I had to guess at what God really wanted us to believe, I would have to say that God apparently wants us to be unsure of his/her existence, unsure of his/her characteristics, and unsure of his/her desires. I can't believe that any sane God would want us to just adopt a set of beliefs and adhere strictly to them when God has made himself/herself is so utterly imperceivable.

What sense would it make for a god to hide from all of humanity and then only occasionally make contact with selected individuals, (ie prophets)? Considering that there have been so many prophets claiming so many conflicting things regarding gods, it would be the height of absurdity for a god to think that this is an effective means of communicating with humanity.

If a god wants to be acknowledged, that god should make themselves plainly visible. If a god conceals himself/herself, it can only mean that they do not want to be known or acknowledged. It seems quite possible that the greatest sin may be to have any religious beliefs at all.

Answer 3

I'm glad you can't believe that the Pope really said that. . .because if you did, you'd be mistaken. That's not at all what He said. Try reading the original document with an open and unbiased mind, and you'll find out the truth for yourself.

Incidentally, Yahoo reporting is to accuracy what the National Inquirer is to real journalism.

Edit:

The thing that I find ironic is that people call the Catholic Church "corrupt," (i.e., not "real" Christianity) and yet they have a hissy fit when they think (incorrectly) that the Pope is judging them. In fact, that borders on hypocrisy -- you condemn someone for something, then turn around and do it yourself.

The Pope never said that non-Catholics aren't saved or "real" Christians. What he said was that Protestant churches are incomplete without the authority given by the apostles and passed down to their successors. At least read the entire document and not base your opinion on what someone said that someone else said.

Answer 4

What do you think of what the Pope said and do you believe that your religion is the only "True" religion and why do you think that?

I feel insulted personally. Most of my Christian family is not Catholic, some are, don't really want to go into details, but to prefer one denomination over another is just plain wrong.
Why this was said, don't know, but it's hurtful to any other than Catholic denomination.

Answer 5

ok, right here’s your short and straightforward answer: no, the Catholics Church does not coach (nor could she bind somebody Catholic to settle for) that Papal Infallibility could, in any way, improve to a pronouncement by ability of this or the different Pope that the Catholic faith replaced into the incorrect one, or that devil replaced into god, or the different outlandish hypothetical which you’ve pronounced using fact they bypass against earlier in many situations occurring Catholic doctrine. observe: The below poster imacatholic2 is misguided while he says the pope is infallible basically in union with the bishops. His very own link unearths this from Catechism of the Catholic Church area 891: "The Roman Pontiff, head of the faculty of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in distinctive characteristic of his workplace, while, as remarkable pastor and instructor of all the straightforward—who confirms his brethren interior the religion—he pronounces by ability of a definitive act a doctrine concerning faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is likewise modern-day interior the physique of bishops while, alongside with Peter's successor, they exercising the remarkable Magisterium," specifically in an Ecumenical Council.” observe to the imacatholic2: As a fellow Catholic who has study lots of your posts, I delight on your tireless witness in this website, yet i urge you strongly to be greater careful on your solutions while they difficulty Catholic doctrine. you're basically effective to the religion once you're truly precise!

Answer 6

Every religious group out there believes their group is the only one that has it right. If they didn't believe that they wouldn't belong to it. So why should the Pope be any different?
I once knew a man that belonged to a small Baptist church that was so far out there that he and his fellow members were convinced that only the 25 or so members of that church would be going to heaven, nobody else. The Pope is doing the same thing just on a larger scale.

Answer 7

The catholic organisational hierarchy must have been nearly severed from the True Vine - Christ and the true Church, i.e. all genuine believers, back in the 16C, as they were straying from the gospel message badly. Unsurprisingly God's judgement fell on them at that time, and people left by the million for protestant churches more in line with the gospel, where they could read the Bible in their own languages etc.

The Church is the body of genuine believers. Its not man's organisational creation, but the work of God. God is not a respecter of self-promoting organisations and people ! If a human organisation gets proud and unreal ideas, God will humble it.

Answer 8

Isnt it what all christians claim. That they are the only true children of god and all others are sinners. Whats wrong in what pope is saying.

I am sure you are a non catholic christian. You get offended because pope said that once. But other christian denominations say it day in and day out. How cheap.

Answer 9

History plainly shows us, as does the Bible, that Jesus Christ founded ONE Church for all mankind, said that there was never to be more than ONE, said that all men were to belong to that ONE Church, promised that that ONE Church would teach the fullness of truth, and warned against the formation of other churches in His name. Protestants simply ignore these teachings of Christ, but Catholics don't ignore any part of the Word of God. Anyone who has any sense of history cannot deny that the Catholic Church is that ONE Church founded by Jesus Christ for all mankind. Since Jesus guaranteed that His Church would teach the fullness of truth, other doctrines that conflict with the teaching of His Church are, de facto, false. The Pope was simply stating these basic facts. He didn't say anything new.

Answer 10

I believe there is one True God! One true religion that will lead us to Heaven by believing in everything He has said. The Catholic Church covers everything in the Bible and applies it to the religion! There are no altercations in the Catholic religion. So yes, I do believe it is by far the closest religion out there that is true to God's words.