We need to see more pictures like this, a few Jewish rabbi’s, Buddhist monks, Protestant ministers, and Hindu swami’s would be nice additions to the picture.
Before people who want to point out how “blasphemous” this statement is, I would just like to say that I am a humble servant of Christ and His Church. I am only saying what is in my heart and with the best intentions. :hug3:Although I would agree that there have been changes in the Church, I would take some exception with the notion that Christianity was not born full grow. Obviously, there is a scale change going from the 12 Apostles to a religion of millions but if you read the early Church Father’s St. Justin Martyr, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp, St. Irenaeus or St. Clement, for example, they are Catholic. They preach salvation through the Cross, the divinity of Christ, St. Justin Martyr describes the Mass, they exhort the faithful to follow their Bishops, etc. What is remarkable is how little the Church has changed. The sermons of St. Leo, St. Augustine or St. John Chrysostom often sound remarkably like the sermons of Pope Benedict today.
Although I would agree that there have been changes in the Church, I would take some exception with the notion that Christianity was not born fully grown. Obviously, there is a scale change going from the 12 Apostles to a religion of millions but if you read the early Church Father’s St. Justin Martyr, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp, St. Irenaeus or St. Clement, for example, they are Catholic. They preach salvation through the Cross, the divinity of Christ, St. Justin Martyr describes the Mass, they exhort the faithful to follow their Bishops, etc. What is remarkable is how little the Church has changed. The sermons of St. Leo, St. Augustine or St. John Chrysostom often sound remarkably like the sermons of Pope Benedict today.
WE may think that…
:clapping::tiphat::thankyou:Thank you!
Many Catholics on this thread are saying no but the Church has already spoken. Either you believe in Church teaching or you do not. You cannot pick which teaching you like and ignore another. It is not a Church of your understanding.
Jews do not believe in the Holy Trinity. Do we therefore say YHWH is not the true God? We even have Christians that do not believe in the Holy Trinity. Muslims believe that we all believe in the same God. We, Christians, like to think God just ours. :nope:
I was asking an honest question, not throwing bombshells. This time.
I am in my bomb shelter so we are cool
I don’t think that is really the issue. Think of Church teaching as creating a portrait and that portrait is the face of Christ. Does Jewish, Muslim and Protestant teachings create the same portrait? Do their teachings describe the same God? We can use the same words but have very different meanings.Thank you!
Many Catholics on this thread are saying no but the Church has already spoken. Either you believe in Church teaching or you do not. You cannot pick which teaching you like and ignore another. It is not a Church of your understanding.
Yeah I get that. What I’m saying is…I am in my bomb shelter so we are cool
As I stated above, do you believe we worship the same God as the Jews? If so, then they do not believe in the Godhead. You cannot believe Jews believe in the same God and not include Islam in that equation either. Here is a simple equation
A= Jews
B=Islam
C=Christians
G=Same God
If AC=G and AB=G then CB=G and ABC=G lol
lol
lol
I get what you are saying. I’m sure there are many Muslims and Jews that believe the Christian Godhead is false and not the One True God. The Church stated that we all three believe in the same God. Now we all three come to him differently of course, but we start at the same place. I hope we all end at the same place but that is up to God.
that is a good point from a Christian point of view.
About what exactly?
I stated that we all start with the same God but come to him differently. I said we start at the same place and I hope we end at the same place. doormouse was wondering what this Islamic view on that
Islam says that we worship the same God, but the views are different. And Jews and Christians who believe in God and the afterlife and who did good deeds can go to Paradise. But the belief in Trinity may cause problems, and I don’t know whether Islam says Trinitarians can go to Paradise or no.
Most Protestant denominations believe in the Trinity. You may choose to quibble with regard to the Jewish and Muslim beliefs in the same G-d, but not really those of the Protestants, who are, after all, Christians albeit heretics according to the Catholic Church.
Aren’t sincerely good deeds the main determinant in Islam as they are in Judaism? Does Islam exclude righteous Christians from Heaven (Paradise, the World to Come, the Beatific Vision)?
It does. But the Trinity is probably considered as associating partners with God, which is a sin in Islam. But I’m not sure whether Trinitarians can go to Paradise or no.