I hope you ecumenically minded Protestants realized what this Pope just spelled out. He said that Protestant clergy are not ordained and they are therefore not priests in the one true Church. He also said that the means of salvation are not found in those churches. Thus, no matter how you want to spin it the Pope just said that all Protestant Christians are not saved unless they return to the apostolic authority of the Catholic Church.
Some of you that thought you could fellowship with this church as fellow Christians should now see that you have been deceived. In Catholicism there is only one true church, it is their church. When they say there is one true Church they are not just talking about the Spiritual body of Christ as most Protestants would think. They are actually saying the one body of Christ is only found in those who submit to the apostolic authority of the Catholic Church. In other words, you have to be in Catholicism and you have to practice Catholicism to be in the Body of Christ.
They have a completely different meaning of what it is to be a Christian then Protestants. They say you are only a member of the Body of Christ by being part of their Apostolic Church. There is no salvation outside of this church. Therefore, Protestants who might claim to be in the body of Christ by faith in Christ are not in Christ if they do not also embrace the essential doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church.
So enough nonsense about any unification of Protestants with the Catholics. You can only unify with them by returning to their church, they will not unify with us. Yet, we know we cannot return to them because they claim salvation through works, ordinances and merits contrary to the gospel of salvation. If you are not aware of it they have condemned the doctrine of salvation by faith alone many centuries ago. They have long ago departed from the faith to practice a bastardization of true Christianity. If you somehow became a born again Catholic who thinks you can reform this apostate church from within you are totally wrong you need to get out. The Church was founded on pagan Babylonian substitutes that spawned continual falsehoods that now have become infallible doctrines. They have bound themselves in man made false doctrines that they cannot change.
This Pope is reverting to his childhood and is showing his fascist colors. There can be no question that he is a counterfeit Christian since what he says opposes the very words of the apostolic fathers he claims to succeed. He obviously does not know what a Christian is, he thinks a Christian is someone who follows only what his own church says.
Actually this very misguided pope has done all true Christians a huge favor. We should never again have any false illusions that the Catholic Church teaches a message of salvation or considers Protestants to be brothers in Christ.
I hope I never again see an evangelical gathering that turns people who confess Christ back to their Catholic priests. I hope I never again hear Protestant leaders say that the Pope is a great Christian. I hope I never again hear that a prominent evangelical leader is going to Mass with his wife because he thinks what Catholics practice on Sunday is Christian worship. It is not, it is a Babylonian pagan counterfeit of what Jesus did once for all. If you do not know the difference you really do not belong in Christian leadership.
The Catholic church is a counterfeit substitute to Christianity. Their earthly man made church supersedes the spiritual Church made up of all believers. She and those who return to this earthy church in the last days make up the Harlot of Revelation chapter 17 “The woman who rides the Beast”
FOX News.com – Pope: Other Christian Denominations Not True Churches – International News News of the World Middle East News Europe News: “LORENZ AGO DI CADRE, Italy — For the second time in a week, Pope Benedict XVI has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, reasserting the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church and saying other Christian communities were either defective or not true churches.”
The new document — formulated as five questions and answers — restates key sections of a 2000 text the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, “Domini’s Isis,” which riled Protestant, Lutheran and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely Eccles communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”
“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one Church,” said the document released as the pope vacations at a villa in Lorenz ago DI Cadre, in Italy’s Dolomite mountains.The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles — and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid, it said
catholicism is ridiculous…maybe thats why it almost takes a miracle to find a spiritual Catholic with a living, breathing, scripturally reasonable relationship with God.
Maybe if he pushes the agenda, he’ll crash the american catholic church…well, one can dream cant he? lol
Without the catholic church, there would be no easter, christmas or sunday worship. Seems to me protestants are the daughters of a harlot. When I mention this to someone I always get an emotional answer.
Hi Paul
I take it you are saying that Protestantism, by taking on these special days, has corrupted itself.
I would tend to agree with Easter and Christmas but it seems clear that the early church met on the first day of the week, which was Sunday.
Seeing it was the day of resurrection it is I believe, fitting .
Paul ,
I will 2nd the reply from Brian. Easter comes from the word Ishtar who was the Babylonian
goddess of fertility, the correct term should be Resurrection Sunday. Christmas was grafted
into Christianity to accomdate pagan relegious beliefs. Dec.25th was the festival of
Saturnalia, had nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Great source of documentation is the
book, The Two Babylons by Alexander Hyslop or Babylon Mystery Relegion by Ralph Woodrow.
God should be worshiped every day of the week. Too many reports of priests abusing children
covered up by Rome . God , not the pope, decides who is part of HIS church.
Is it even possible to truly love the Lord and not worship him every day ?
Paul,
You cannot broad-bush those identified with denominations that came about because they followed leaders who protested (Protestants) the Roman Church or you might be including yourself. There is a distinction from those truly in the body of Christ and religious institutions that claim to be the body of Christ.
So are those that identify with Protestantism the daughter of a Harlot? For those that actually practice harlotry the answer is yes for those that do not the answer is no.
Christmas is a Roman Catholic fabrication of when Jesus was born celebrated in place of the Pagan festivals. That does not make those that practice it because they want to keep a day for Jesus coming into the world “daughters of a harlot” unless in their heart they are really worshiping pagan spirits like the pagans did.
Christendom adopted the name Easter to replace the Pagan practices with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Most Catholics or Protestants that I know, do not worship Ishtar. And before you get into it, pagan customs like Christmas trees and Easter eggs stripped of all their pagan meaning is not practicing paganism.
You are totally wrong about Sunday. Christians were gathering together for worship on Sunday long before the Roman Catholic Church came along.
So I have to wonder why you even bring this stuff up here other than to promote seventh day type legalism? By the way, if you intend to go down that road here you will not be entertained.
Mr Koenig, what I meant was the superstition the “Christian” holds in his mind. Also the catholic church is actually proud to say that these protestants observe Sunday not because of God’s commandment, but because of theirs.
I’m sorry if what I posted made you upset. I don’t even know what’s 7th-day legalism. Just wanted someone’s view. I guess its hard taking up on these stuff without hitting a nerve.
Paul ,
Some of us consider whatever the pope says to be irrevelant. The Catholic Church needs to clean
it’s own house and not be concerned about the Protestants. The Protestants also need to clean
their own house and not be concerned with the Vatican’s opinion about anything. Acts 17:11
applies to everything anyone says. Traditions of men mean nothing to me . BLESSINGS to YOU!!
Maybe it is just ignorance instead of paganism but I find it very disheartening that the awesomeness of the ‘birth’, the ‘Passover’, and the ‘Resurrection’ is lost to so many with the commercialization of these holidays.
Paul,
I don’t know what you mean “superstition” the “Christian” holds in his mind?
Also, as a former Catholic I never heard the Catholics teach any such thing as you imply. Seems to me that you are getting the stuff you said from 7th day Adventist type sources or Hebrew roots.
In Short their teaching goes something like this…. The Roman Catholic Church is the Harlot and the Protestants that keep the seventh day rather than the 6th day and keep the Holidays that you mentioned are the daughter of the Harlot. So all denominations are teaching a false gospel except for them them of course. But they themselves have added salvation by works to the gospel so that many Christians think they should be labeled a cult.
Sure David, but keep in mind that most that identify with Christianity are not true Christians. They are cultural Christians.
Thanx for all your comments. Mr. Koenig, you wrote an article once, about the 7000 year plan. I just think that 6 days (6000 years) is for us to labour, and on the 7th day is the day of rest and also symbolic for the 1000 year reign of Christ.
Paul,
Can you please explain “the superstition the “Christian” holds in his mind” ?
Paul,
Sure that is my view and I agree. I have a 7000 year view from the fall of Adam to eternity. the last 1000 years we enter into the promised Lord’s Sabbath rest. Which has exactly what to do with the price of tea in China? What does that have to do with what you said in prior comments?
Paul,
From whatever your viewpoint or background might be, I think your at the right place.
I hope you take the time to read the Bible, read some of Don’s articles, and get the truth.