A Tough Question for Catholics

[Wormwood]

A hypothetical for you guys.

Ok say Jesus came back to earth tommorow, and he said that TWO religions were right…based on what you know about scripture and other faiths, who would catholics say the second correct church would be? It can be protestant groups or any religion, I am just interested in your reasoning. Thanks all.

P.S.
I say TOUGH because you HAVE to pick someone else…saying no one …or catholics and orthodox catholics doesn’t count…really think.

 

[kev7]

Wormwood:

A hypothetical for you guys.

Ok say Jesus came back to earth tommorow, and he said that TWO religions were right…based on what you know about scripture and other faiths, who would catholics say the second correct church would be? It can be protestant groups or any religion, I am just interested in your reasoning. Thanks all.

P.S.
I say TOUGH because you HAVE to pick someone else…saying no one …or catholics and orthodox catholics doesn’t count…really think.

If christ came back to earth tomorrow. The human race would most likely try kill him again.

Anyway…

Your question is actually very easy to answer. The Catholic Church has made it clear that we cannot say for certain if someone from another faith can or cannot be saved. Gods mercy is infinite At the same time we know that anyone who believes in Christ will be saved. . The purpose of the church is to preserve the truth that was passed on to us from Jesus and to never change it until he returns.

If Christ comes back and changes things then that is his choice. It is not for us to question God.

The other thing that you have to understand is that Catholics believe that our religion is an example of God trying to find men. Most other religions are examples of Man trying to find God.
.

 

[kev7]

Wormwood:

A hypothetical for you guys.

Ok say Jesus came back to earth tommorow, and he said that TWO religions were right…based on what you know about scripture and other faiths, who would catholics say the second correct church would be? It can be protestant groups or any religion, I am just interested in your reasoning. Thanks all.

P.S.
I say TOUGH because you HAVE to pick someone else…saying no one …or catholics and orthodox catholics doesn’t count…really think.

If christ came back to earth tomorrow. The human race would most likely try kill him again.

Anyway…

Your question is actually very easy to answer. The Catholic Church has made it clear that we cannot say for certain if someone from another faith can or cannot be saved. Gods mercy is infinite At the same time we know that anyone who believes in Christ will be saved. . The purpose of the church is to preserve the truth that was passed on to us from Jesus and to never change it until he returns.

If Christ comes back and changes things then that is his choice. It is not for us to question God.

The other thing that you have to understand is that Catholics believe that our religion is an example of God reaching out to man. Most other religions are examples of Man trying to find God.
.

 

[Alma]

There are indeed two religions that are right, only not simultaneously
Judaism, before Christ was born.
And after that, the Church that he founded: the Catholic Church.

Alma

 

[trumpet152]

There is no limit to God’s mercy. Anyone can be saved. Now, on the issue of which church he would take as a second place winner? Not a fair question (for all are that seek him are part of his church in a sense), but if I have to answer (and you make it clear that I do), I think I’ll say the Anglican Church.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

I dislike playing “hypothetical” games about Jesus because a common result is a hypothetical situation presenting Christ doing or saying something contrary to what we know that He said or did, based quite un-hypothetically on the written and oral Tradition that has been faithfully passed on to us through the Church, from the Apostles. I beg you to excuse me, but I’ll pass on this game.

 

[Larry_B]

Joseph Bilodeau:

I dislike playing “hypothetical” games about Jesus because a common result is a hypothetical situation presenting Christ doing or saying something contrary to what we know that He said or did, based quite un-hypothetically on the written and oral Tradition that has been faithfully passed on to us through the Church, from the Apostles. I beg you to excuse me, but I’ll pass on this game.

ditto

Larry

 

[AlanFromWichita]

kev7:

If christ came back to earth tomorrow. The human race would most likely try kill him again.

You are right. How do we know that’s what we’d do? Because we’re doing it now. As a race we never stopped killing him.

He is here on earth, inside every Christian. We judge and kill Him every day by speaking to our brothers and sisters with anger and judgment in our hearts.

Alan

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Joseph Bilodeau:

I dislike playing “hypothetical” games about Jesus because a common result is a hypothetical situation presenting Christ doing or saying something contrary to what we know that He said or did, based quite un-hypothetically on the written and oral Tradition that has been faithfully passed on to us through the Church, from the Apostles. I beg you to excuse me, but I’ll pass on this game.

That’s OK if you want to pass on the game. You may be excused, but you need not beg for permission from me anyway.

I find such hypotheticals interesting because they often give us insight into how we look at certain teachings of Christ.

The Word of God has various levels of intimacy. Playing “what if” games are of course, not conclusive, but they can assist us in allowing “transforming Union” with God. If we do not allow anything anybody says or speculates into our hearts until it has cleared Rome, than we stand a good chance of not even noticing what people God may have put into our path as guides and prophets.

It’s like when my daughter plays house with her dolls. She imagines a situation and thinks about how she might act in various situations. I think it’s a healthy way for her to try to understand adult interactions. Similarly, if we are supposed to be conformed to the “mind” of God, but we disallow ourselves the capability of speculation (or course that is, speculation we actually admit to) than our brains become atrophied.

Alan

“He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.”

 

[Ghosty]

The problem with such a hypothetical is that it doesn’t actually answer anything, and it is contrary to everything Jesus stated. I don’t mind playing hypotheticals about Jesus, but this is a hypothetical along the lines of “If two and two added up to four, and another number also, what would that other number be?” The problems are obvious: no other religion deals with the coming of Jesus as Christ, so if Jesus showed up as Christ, it would automatically disprove all other religions.

That being said, the bible does state that Jews will persist until the full number of Gentiles are brought into the Church (Romans 11:25-32). They are the only “other” religion that is ordained to exist by the grace of God, and only then so that they will be brought at the Second Coming. This does not mean that they are “right”, however, as the citation above shows. The Orthodox Christians might be considered “another religion”, but they are technically schismatics, not heretics, so they don’t truly fall into the “other” category for these purposes; they are fully Apostalic.

See, it’s not so much a tough question as it is a poor one. It’s formulated in such a way as that any answer given contradicts the question itself.

 

[Joan_M]

Alma:

There are indeed two religions that are right, only not simultaneously
Judaism, before Christ was born.
And after that, the Church that he founded: the Catholic Church.

Alma

:yup: :clapping:

 

[Joan_M]

AlanFromWichita:

That’s OK if you want to pass on the game. You may be excused, but you need not beg for permission from me anyway.

Alan

Excuse me, but the OP was “Wormwood” - could it be that “AlanFromWichita” has two identities, and forgot which one he was posting under? Alan - are you Wormwood?

 

[Wormwood]

Some interesting answers, although I don’t know why someone would bother to hit the reply button, then type a paragraph about how they’re not going to reply. Predictably most of you guys missed the whole point, but there were a few that got it.

Alma:
QUOTE]There are indeed two religions that are right, only not simultaneously
Judaism, before Christ was born.
Good thoughts here, and they would be consistant with bible teachings on some levels.

trumpet152
Not a fair question (for all are that seek him are part of his church in a sense), but if I have to answer (and you make it clear that I do), I think I’ll say the Anglican Church.

I am curious why anglican?

AlanFromWichita:

I find such hypotheticals interesting because they often give us insight into how we look at certain teachings of Christ.

That was kind of the pont, to see what each person took seperately from catholicism, like which elements would be most important in their choice.

 

[Wormwood]

Ghosty: The problem with such a hypothetical is that it doesn’t actually answer anything,

That is where you are wrong Ghosty…it answers my question.

I am not saying pick another group and judge everyone else, I just meant who else do you feel really got God’s message right. I was really curious if someone would put a non christian group and they did…they chose the jews. So already I have determined that to some the written word is more important than actions or communions or even baptism. It is just a hypothetical and no cause for people to get defensive. Let’s just focus on the positive aspects of the question ok?

no other religion deals with the coming of Jesus as Christ, so if Jesus showed up as Christ, it would automatically disprove all other religions.

I have 2 problems with this one. First, if a religion does not discuss Christ, that does not mean that Christ would disprove their religion… Shintoism would be no less true with the arrival of Christ. Secondly, what if Jesus showed up as someone else? What if he showed up as Buddha, and he was hanging out with Vishnu? I never speculated about the nature of the return, that is for the responders.

See, it’s not so much a tough question as it is a poor one.

As always, when you run out of constructive statements, you turn to attack the question. It is a mere speculation and not at all as complicated as you want to make it. I hope you are not this difficult in real life Ghosty .

Joan M
Excuse me, but the OP was “Wormwood” - could it be that “AlanFromWichita” has two identities, and forgot which one he was posting under? Alan - are you Wormwood?

Nope, sorry to disappoint you Joan…sadly there is but ONE wormwood

 

[Starsweeper]

I guess after Catholicism I would pick the Orthodox Church.

 

[FuzzyBunny116]

I second the Orthodox Church. Most likely Anglican after that. (do sedavacantists count? )

 

[mhansen]

Wormwood:

A hypothetical for you guys.

Ok say Jesus came back to earth tommorow, and he said that TWO religions were right…based on what you know about scripture and other faiths, who would catholics say the second correct church would be? It can be protestant groups or any religion, I am just interested in your reasoning. Thanks all.

P.S.
I say TOUGH because you HAVE to pick someone else…saying no one …or catholics and orthodox catholics doesn’t count…really think.

Not to get sidetracked, but I always thought the most likely scenario would be that Christ would come back and say we ALL got it wrong to some degree.

 

[Wormwood]

I guess after Catholicism I would pick the Orthodox Church

Why? Also what is Orthodox? If it orthodox catholicism reread the P.S. of the first post

I second the Orthodox Church. Most likely Anglican after that

You guys like angelicans I see. Why? What about them sets them apart?

Not to get sidetracked, but I always thought the most likely option would be that Christ would come back and say we ALL got it wrong to some degree.

Well, there’s a good point. I didn’t really think of that, but that makes WAY more sense than two people actually getting it right

 

[AlanFromWichita]

“If two and two added up to four, and another number also, what would that other number be?”

If you’re talking strictly mathematics on the real number line, using either perfect precision real numbers or maybe restricted to integers, addition as normally defined, etc. etc. then yes, two and two added up to four. This is only theoretical though.

In real life, two plus two often don’t add up to four. For example, depending on what units I choose and what physical realm, I can pretty much get 2+2 to add up to all sorts of things. That’s because the Real World doesn’t obey our rules of mathematics. Our rules of mathematics are made for us to estimate and model the “real world.”

The “real world” is not so cooperative, but we like to pretend it is and often it is close enough that we’re not Late For Dinner so even though our “truths” are actually relative we can consider them absolute for most intents and purposes.

Unless you’re an engineer. Then you have to have a better understanding of how things really are, or your stuff won’t always work. Math is nice and neat, and if you’re only adding apples and oranges it usually works As Advertised close enough to figure the amount you have to pay for them.

Here’s a physics quiz for you, simpler than many homework problems I faced decades ago. I will turn it backwards and tell you how the math works out, and you tell me what the problem was about, and what the units of measurement are. (This is not hypothetical or a trick question; this is a mathematical representation of the Absolute Truth, or at least a whole lot closer to it than 2 + 2 = 4 in this situation.) All quantities are in the same units of measurement:

2 + 2 = 2.77

Alan

 

[Montie_Claunch]

First you already said was Catholicism. Second I would have to say is Catholicism.