Quote:
Jesus is the WAY. not the Christians.
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Ironically, that's my exact point although my belief greatly differs from yours. What I hold to be true is that Jesus/God loves humanity so greatly, passionately, and unconditionally that even those who may not believe in the words of Jesus as their savior are saved by Him by having an openness in their hearts, whatever they may call it.
Tecoyah, you've basically read my points correctly. One thing that's important to make clear is that the Catholic church doesn't say that being Pagan or anything else is equally as good as being Christian, at least in the sense of exposure to God's Truth, but that what it says is that while the fullness of God's Truth isn't located in other religions, parts of His Real Truth are invariably located in all religions to some degree. Thus, God finds ways to touch everyone in varying degrees and ways so that everyone has the capability to be one with Him - whether they call Him "God" or whatever. BUT, that's not to say that accomplishing this is just as easy for someone in another religion as it is for someone in Christianity. It may be easier, and it may be more difficult, depending on the point of reference. A lot of this is addressed in some of my posts in this thread:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...threadid=47302
Rekna: again, all points I agree with
Personally, I believe that it's necessary that being a "certified member" of the Christian faith is not the "only way" because it is, in my opinion, the only way to avoid contradiction with other central teachings of Christianity. That's not to say though that Christianity doesn't perhaps provide the best opportunity when followed correctly. But, ultimately, the point is, how the Hell should I know? I'm not God. That's ultimately what faith is about, working with what has been revealed to you and finding your own path towards God in accordance with this.