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Old 03-01-2004, 01:58 PM   #6 (permalink)
SecretMethod70
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Well, the issue comes in how you look at the religious experiences that these other people feel they have had. Now, either there are other "gods" as you seem to be claiming, contacting these people through their own "angels," or these are other people's interpretations (while not completely accurate perhaps) of the Christian God.

The Catholic Church doesn't teach relatavism by any means. It's a matter of having a much more rational view of God and the world that goes beyond demons and spirits and warring gods. The point in the Catholic teaching is understanding the universal wish of God for everyone to be joined in Him. Thus, He communicates in many varied ways through everyday human experience and, because of this, many world religions may be formed based on interpretations of these experiences. That's not to say that these religions hold the fullness of truth of God, but that they each come from God's communications to humans, however misinterpreted those communications may be in the particular religion. So, a muslim, while perhaps not being exposed to the FULLNESS of truth, is still being exposed to real truth of God and, so long as they wish it in their heart (i.e. being a good, loving person, etc) are perfectly capable of being "saved." What that person calls Allah is not doing the saving, but Jesus is, despite their not specifically worshipping Him. That's how "no one can come to the Father except through me" fits into this. Still, no one is saved but through Him, but that doesn't mean to say that they have to specifically believe in Him. That's also not to say that it doesn't make a difference if you believe in Him. The point is that "God" and "Jesus" are names we use, but just because someone else calls "God" "Allah" it doesn't mean that, fundamentally speaking, they are not referring to the same God. In the Catholic faith (and pretty much every other western faith) there is only one "God" and, thus, it is impossible for some other "Allah" to be communicating and not be "God." "God" is just a name we use and, unfortunately, creates a barrier between us and understanding that just because someone calls their "God" "Allah" or "Hare Krishna" it doesn't mean that they are worshipping some other "god" but only that perhaps they are not fully understanding the communications of "God" to them.

I feel like I'm talking in circles - and I probably am - but it's really imperative to understand the difference between relatavism and what the Catholic Church holds to be true here. It's not a denial of Jesus' statement or the Bible at all, but, rather, a different, more loving interpretation of it which represents the universal saving will of God to have all of His children joined with Him. Frankly, IMO, any other interpretation - namely one which you have to be Christian to even have the possibility of being saved - goes 100% against everything that Jesus taught about God's love and his Will for everyone to come to Him.

Thus, the extreme danger of the bastardization of the Bible through literal interpretation.
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