"We are the true church"

[ThunderFox]

has anyone seen other churches claim “we are the true church” and say there is no salvation outside of us? I have seen a couple but i guess they are considered cults.

 

[GaryTaylor]

I though everyone made that claim. I can’t see what else they would possibly say.

 

[Moonbug]

I tend to agree with you. You don’t see that old theological assertion pushed by the Church anymore. Vatican II clarified the point that the greatest highlight is our Christian baptism. Once you are baptized, you are a Christian no matter what your particular denomination is. However, as Catholics, we have the gospel as it was revealed from Christ and the Apostles to this present day. Some Protestant denominations have taken great liberties with their interpretation of scripture. The sacraments and over 2,000 years of theological development is the cornerstone of our faith.

It’s a hard thing to say, and I mean no disrespect to other Christian denominations, But in their zeal, during the Protestant Reformation, their founders cast away many things we Catholics feel essential. That said, having been born and raised in the Bible Belt, I have known many Protestants who are better Christians than I am.

 

[rfournier103]

The Chruch doesn’t seem to be trumpeting this like it used to; but there are countless non-Catholics out there who are very quick to deny that the Catholic Church is…

 

[Mumbles140]

I though everyone made that claim. I can’t see what else they would possibly say.

“All Christians are saved…it’s just that some who call themselves Christians aren’t really Christians”

 

[ltwin]

has anyone seen other churches claim “we are the true church” and say there is no salvation outside of us? I have seen a couple but i guess they are considered cults.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (and other fundamentalist Mormon sects) makes the claim that they are the restored “true church.” Also, I believe the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to have the only correct belief.

I though everyone made that claim. I can’t see what else they would possibly say.

No. It’s very rare to hear any Protestant (either mainline or evangelical) claim that their particular congregation, church, or denomination is THE only true form of organized Christianity. Protestants typically believe that their particular denomination is one part of the body of Christ but not the entirety of the body of Christ.

 

[edward_george]

I tend to agree with you. You don’t see that old theological assertion pushed by the Church anymore. Vatican II clarified the point that the greatest highlight is our Christian baptism. Once you are baptized, you are a Christian no matter what your particular denomination is. However, as Catholics, we have the gospel as it was revealed from Christ and the Apostles to this present day. Some Protestant denominations have taken great liberties with their interpretation of scripture. The sacraments and over 2,000 years of theological development is the cornerstone of our faith.

It’s a hard thing to say, and I mean no disrespect to other Christian denominations, But in their zeal, during the Protestant Reformation, their founders cast away many things we Catholics feel essential. That said, having been born and raised in the Bible Belt, I have known many Protestants who are better Christians than I am.

I would ask for a citation on where Vatican II said the greatest highlight is our Christian baptism. Also, see the document Dominus Iesus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, promulgated under Bl. Pope John Paul II in 2000, and the clarifying document on propositions of the II Vatican Council issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. The Church hasn’t stopped proclaiming the revealed truth that she is the Body of Christ, i.e. the one true Church.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

-ACEGC

 

[batman1973]

has anyone seen other churches claim “we are the true church” and say there is no salvation outside of us? I have seen a couple but i guess they are considered cults.

Mormonism(and it’s sects) JW’s, Roman Catholicism (You may not “trumpet” it, but, it’s still in the CCC),
"King James"Onlyism just off the top of my head.

 

[Kliska]

I know of 2 others; what we call the 2 by 2 church around here (they also deny the Trinity and are highly legalistic), and also there is a local branch of the “Christian Church” denomination that makes that claim.

 

[livingwordunity]

has anyone seen other churches claim “we are the true church” and say there is no salvation outside of us? I have seen a couple but i guess they are considered cults.

When Protestants tell fallen away Catholics that they have to be ‘re-baptized’ to be accepted into a Protestant congregation isn’t that like them saying they believe they are the true church? But, the ones who say that baptism isn’t necessary are the same ones who say that Catholics need to be re-baptized. :whacky:

 

[Protestor]

What is the point of saying that you are the one true church if you don’t have to be catholic to go to heaven? Putting aside the invincibly ignorant scenarios, at least this is how I understand how the RCC answers people on islands that never got the chance to hear the gospel.

Basically the way I see what you are saying is that we are the one true church but if you do not become a member of our church on earth it is all good God has a backup plan.

I know that this is not what your OP was but my friend just emailed me about this. She is a catholic and we had talked about this when I started a thread related to this 2 weeks ago. Instead of seeming insensitive to her I thought since this is kinda related that I would post here.

 

[DharmaBum]

I grew up with a LOT of inaccurate information about other denominations (I didn’t grow up in the same denomination I am now in). That being said some of my relatives were Church of Christ and made this claim.

 

[ltwin]

When Protestants tell fallen away Catholics that they have to be ‘re-baptized’ to be accepted into a Protestant congregation isn’t that like them saying they believe they are the true church? But, the ones who say that baptism isn’t necessary are the same ones who say that Catholics need to be re-baptized. :whacky:

That’s a complete misunderstanding of the situation. The Protestants you’re most likely talking about (Baptists and evangelical, born again churches) believe that baptism is not a requirement to be Christian. The only thing required to be a Christian is a conversion experience.

What they teach about baptism is that it is a profession of faith, and therefore should only be done by adults or children old enough to make such a profession of faith.Therefore, infant baptism would not be considered a personal confession of faith because it is predicated on the desire of the parents to raise the child Christian.

Therefore, those churches aren’t even rejecting “Catholic baptism.” They are rejecting infant baptism, which would affect Protestants such as Episcopalians and Lutherans as well. They also aren’t claiming that they are the only true church. They are just saying that infant baptism doesn’t qualify as a valid baptism.

 

[taylorf]

has anyone seen other churches claim “we are the true church” and say there is no salvation outside of us? I have seen a couple but i guess they are considered cults.

As has been mentioned, the Mormon church claims to be “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth…” (D&C 1:30). It is the only church that possesses the fulness of doctrine and the authority to act in the name of God. All people at some point have to participate in LDS ordinances to be saved, which is why the church performs these ordinances in the temples for the deceased.

 

[Honorius]

Roman Catholicism (You may not “trumpet” it, but, it’s still in the CCC),

These paragraphs seems to refute that statement, wouldn’t you say? I would like to know where it says outside the Roman Catholic Church there is no salvation.

836 “All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God… And to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God’s grace to salvation.”

837 “Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who—by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion—are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart.’”

838 “The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.”322 Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.”