Please, I do not take any offense. You come across to me as a very nice person who cares very much. But putting that aside for the sake of our discussion, it just seems to me that your position has the potential to run itself out, as it has in history, to violence toward those who don’t accept that the Catholic Church is the only reservoir containing the whole truth. For example, what happened to the monks on Mt. Athos (1275-1282) for rejecting the authority of “The Church.” (
orthodoxword.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/the-holy-martyrs-of-mount-athos-january-4th/.) This is just one of many sad examples of what “my way it the only way” kind of thinking can lead to. When you say, “only in Him subsists the fullness of truth…God’s only Word…only the Catholic Church…,” and you cement yourself to that position, aren’t you next going to say, because there is no other possibility, that when others saints outside of Catholicism claim to be speaking the Word of God, that they are liars? Personally, I reject that whole mess. It is not what love is about. I would rather spend my time figuring out how we can both be right.
I have spoken in the past of these two divine waves. Or, call them two different systems. There is certainly a very powerful ministry going on in the Catholic Church that cannot be denied and I find it very sweet and attractive. Like any system, it has its laws, Words, and you have also stated some of their beliefs. Out of love for Christ you accept this system as the only system, as noted above. You feel that it will deliver you to eternal life, accomplished for you by the mercy of Jesus. A Lexus or a Kia will both get you from point A to point B. But you will disagree with this, in spiritual terms. Only Jesus, only my Lexus. Of course this offends all the millions of Kia owners and offending is not loving. I acknowledge the differences but without offending. To me, that our two religions can exists is a great wonder and glory of God. It kind of goes against the rules, but this is what makes religion so cool. St. Joseph of Copertino approaches the altar to say Mass. He notices a statue of Mary and goes into ecstasy before the entire congregation. Then as everyone is watching, his body is magically lifted off the ground, where he remains floating for many many minutes. And this happens to him all the time. Completely against all rules of nature, but it happens. Neither you or I can deny this. I don’t know how it happens, but it does. How did Sor Maria de Jesus guide the Indian population in the 1600s to accept Christ? Spainish records tell us that back then, 60,000 plus American Indians became Catholics in and around the present-day city of San Angelo, Texas. She claims she bilocated to save the Indians around 500 times while cloistered in her convent in Agreda. How is any of this possible. Eyewitness tell us that Lord Chaitanya performed different miracles, just as amazing and wonderful. However we get it right, our eternal destiny is to serve God. Me, my own savior, yeah right.
I guess you are implying that this all fits me since your are mentioning it. Seems that way. The Vedas teach that there is a “place” called the spiritual world. This material world is nothing in comparison. And in this spiritual world there are countless planets. This spiritual world is called Vaikuntha (
krishna.com/description-vaikuntha) This is the world of variegatedness without difference. What is generating all the waves that come crashing in on the beach? What is the force pushing them onto the shore? These are all the same in one sense (salt water), but yet different. God is the ultimate force. Nothing can exist without His authority. If a person is honest and takes the time to read both of our religions, He will accept both. My friend Alex is from Columbia. He grew up Catholic. My friend Chit, he grew up Catholic. We were all together with more than a dozen other friends at my house last Christmas expressing our love for Jesus. These friends of mine are great. Chit’s wife was raised Catholics. And any of us can also walk into a Hare Krsna temple anywhere in the world and worship Krsna. We all accept the inconceivableness of God. God preaches according to time and circumstance. So, OK, there can appear to be differences, but keep looking.
(Bing Dictionary)
You are avoiding the point I have made repeatedly which is based purely on rational thought without regard to any particular belief. The point is that two contradicting and conflicting philosophies or beliefs cannot be simultaneously true. That is simply an objective truth. Will you please address this issue specifically while explaining how two or more religions can contain the fullness of truth while holding beliefs that conflict with the other?