Dispensationalism - A Religion of Fear & Bad Politics

(WND) - Is there a spiritual, biblical connection to the BP oil catastrophe?

A new video on YouTube is suggesting a possible link to the disaster due to America's recent treatment of Israel, and at least one well-known Bible analyst, Hal Lindsey, thinks there's a valid correlation.

The video was produced and posted today by Carl Gallups of the Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton, Florida...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Wow! This is the reaction of some Dispensationalists to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. I suppose IF it is a direct chastisement of God (which it probably is) it has nothing to do with our national crimes of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. I suppose it has nothing to do with our national immorality of rampant sexual license. I suppose it has nothing to do with our exploitation of cheap child labor in third-world countries to maintain our standard of living in the USA. I suppose it has nothing to do with our election of Marxists to the highest levels of government, nor our bloating national debt. I suppose it has nothing to do with banning prayer in public schools and persecuting Christians for street witnessing. I suppose it has nothing to do with the sad reality that most Americans care more about materialism than morality. I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that we choose to exploit the natural resources of everybody else, rather than our own. I suppose it has nothing to do with us finally getting what's been coming to us for a VERY long time. Nooooo! Because the catastrophe happened to coincide with a certain date, plus 1 day, on the Israeli calendar, it all has to do with our lack of unconditional support of Israel and the Zionist agenda that has turned the Middle East into a tinderbox.

Wow! I would like to say I'm surprised but sadly I am not. Dispensationalism has now become a religion of 100% international politics, and 100% Zionist agenda. In other words, if you don't support the Israeli government unconditionally, regardless of their anti-Christian decisions, than by the hand of God, your nation will be laid waste.

Dispensationalism is a philosophy created by Freemasons in the middle 19th century and sold mainly to Protestants in the United Kingdom and the United States. Today it is primarily embraced by many Evangelicals, Pentecostals and some Baptists almost exclusively in the United States. Some US Catholics have even bought into this. The idea behind it is that the Church is not really the new Israel (as it says in the New Testament), but rather the land of Palestine is the "true Israel" only when it is occupied by people who call themselves Jews whether they practice Judaism or not. The political activity that promotes the return of Jews to the Palestinian area, and sponsors the policies of the Israeli government, is called Zionism. This was also a political ideology spawned by Freemasons in the middle 19th century. Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 a convergence has developed between Zionism and Dispensationalism. It has now reached the point where the majority of the world's Zionists are American Christians operating under the Dispensational mindset. Yes, there are now more Christian Zionists in America than Jewish Zionists in the whole world.

As I stated in a previous blog entry, it is high time for Western Christians to get back into the business of promoting CHRISTIANITY rather than the Masonic-Zionist pipe dream that is the current State of Israel. Western Christians need to start supporting Christians in the Holy Land, and the indigenous churches of the Middle East. Only by doing this can we fulfill our Christian calling overseas, and ever hope to bring peace to that part of the world.

If you want to do your part to help Christians in the Middle East, it is possible. Yes, you really can. It's not hard. It's simple and safe. All you need do is CLICK HERE and start by making a small donation to bring the Gospel to this war torn region. 'The Catholic Knight' is a regular contributor to this cause. Why won't you enlist in Christ's army of love and join me in the battle for souls? What's stopping you?

Beyond that, it would help tremendously if we start practicing a little old fashioned gospel Christianity here at home too. Maybe if we did that, God wouldn't be so inclined to curse us with oil spills.

Sola Scriptura Leads To Moral Relativism

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Okay it's time for "The Catholic Knight" to stir the pot again, so here it goes. I'm going to make the assertion that Martin Luther's heretical doctrine of Sola Scriptura is largely responsible for the moral relativism we see in the secular world today.

Here is the problem. Go to any Protestant church, particularly one of the newer Evangelical nondenominational types. There you will be taught that there is no religious authority outside of the Bible. Now aside from the fact that this assertion is not only unscriptural, but also illogical, it is nevertheless the foundation of most Protestant organizations in the world today. Now the premise that there is no religious authority outside of the Bible inevitably leads people to believe that the Holy Spirit of God is directly responsible for their own interpretation of the Bible. Talk to a good number of Evangelicals and that is exactly what they'll tell you. They'll say they don't need the Catholic Church, or any church organization, to tell them what the Scriptures mean, because they can read the Scriptures for themselves, and the Holy Spirit will automatically lead them to the right interpretation. If we go through Protestant history, we will see that this kind of attitude has been present since the very beginning - even with Martin Luther himself.

Now as we span the panorama of Protestant history, we quickly see where this attitude has led. It's led to division after division after division. What happens is this. Two Protestant pastors come up with mutually contradiction interpretations of some Scripture passage(s). Both believe they are inspired by the Holy Spirit to the correct interpretation and the other is wrong. They can't both be right, and because they both believe there is no religious authority outside the Bible, there is no one to judge between them. So they end up going their separate ways, each taking part of their congregation with them. This is how denominations and affiliations are created. In the 16th century, there were only a few Protestant denominations which could be counted on one hand. Today there are literally thousands. Some say tens of thousands.

Now once we have accepted the notion that the Holy Spirit leads people to contradicting theology because there is no religious authority outside the Bible, it's only a small step to say that the Holy Spirit leads people to contradicting morality for the same reason. Indeed, this is EXACTLY what has happened. In the early 20th century, all Christian denominations agreed that artificial contraception (birth control) was morally wrong and sinful. That changed in 1930 when the Protestant Anglican Communion challenged this Christian moral standard. That was the first major crack in the dam. It wasn't long before others developed. By the end of the 20th century, less than 500 years after Luther's Sola Scriptura revolution, nearly all Christian denominations accepted artificial contraception as morally licit. That's not all though. Many of them accepted divorce too. It gets worse. Some even accepted homosexuality as "part of God's plan" even going to the point of celebrating homosexuality, blessing gay-marriages and ordaining homosexuals to the clergy. Though it seems inconceivable, some of these Protestant denominations even went so far as to say that abortion (a type of infanticide) was morally acceptable under certain circumstances.

Western Christianity had long been divided on theological issues, but now for the first time in modern history, it was divided on moral issues as well. This opened the door of Pandora's Box. With Western Christianity divided on moral issues, it became increasingly easy for morally destructive groups (militant feminists and homosexuals) to begin taking over society, each one insisting that morality is relative, and some of them using Sola Scriptura is their religious excuse.

Catholics need to understand this. One thing really does lead to another, even if it takes centuries. Luther's heresy has played a huge role in bringing Western civilization to its present point of moral decay. Protestants are stuck in a quandary. Those who are honest with themselves will have to reexamine Sola Scriptura in light of what's happened over these last 500 years, and in context with the ancient Christian tradition of episcopal authority. Sadly, most will not. Most will ignore the last 500 years of history, and the moral disaster that has resulted from it. Most will continue to repeat the mantra that there is no religious authority outside the Bible. They will treat Sola Scriptura as the highest authority. There is of course a small problem with that. Sola Scriptura is not found in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it actually say the Bible is the only religious authority. Therefore Sola Scriptura is itself an extra-Biblical tradition! Which means that when Protestants fall back on it, they are falling back on a man-made tradition that is not found in the Bible. So when they say there is no authority outside the Bible, that very notion itself is an authority outside of the Bible. It's a contradiction and an oxymoron. Sadly, few of them will ever see that.

As we approach the 500th anniversary of Sola Scriptura (2020), let us reflect on the doctrinal chaos and moral relativism it has made a significant contribution toward. Granted, I will concede that a large portion of our moral decay has been the product of Godless atheism and Marxism. Some of it has been the result of Humanism, both secular and religious. Nevertheless, Sola Scriptura has taken it's toll and made it's contribution - a significant contribution I might add.

Unbiblical Roman Catholic Pagan Cult and Mystery Whore of Babylon

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The title of this thread may raise a few eyebrows. Sorry for the shocker. As some of my readers already know, before converting to Catholicism, I was a "born-again" Evangelical/Pentecostal teacher who was originally raised in a Baptist Church. My journey of faith led me through the rigors of Fundamental Protestantism, and the depths of outright anti-Catholicism. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I had heard a pastor preach to his congregation that the Catholic Church is an "unbiblical cult" and the prophetic "Whore of Babylon" written of in the Book of Revelation.

I eventually decided to research the origins of this wretched organization called the Roman Catholic Church. In doing so I quickly discovered that all the authoritative literature on the topic were keen on quoting each other, but very little cited information more than a couple hundred years old. In fact, most cited a single book written in the middle 1800s called "Two Babylons," by Alexander Hyslop. This particular author constructs an entire volume of accusations against the Catholic Church, based on his own superficial connections between this or that ancient ritual, but does virtually nothing at all to back his claims with original source documentation. In fact, finding any original source documentation to support these claims, that dates prior the Reformation Era, is virtually impossible. It seems as if accusations against Catholicism developed as a product of the Reformation itself, and not vice versa.

As a result of this, I began reading the history of the early Church and quickly found a plethora of original source documentation dating back to the first few centuries of the Christian age. What I learned was shocking! and turned my whole world upside down. The early Christians were all Catholic! That's right, the earliest Christians, meaning those who were persecuted by the Caesars and fed to the lions, believed in the transubstantiation of the eucharist, prayed to the Virgin Mary and the saints, recognized the primacy of the pope, and made offerings for their loved ones in purgatory. Oh sure, they didn't use all the fancy terminology I just cited, but the core of their belief system was virtually identical. Knowledge of history spelled the end for my Protestantism.

If you're a "born-again" Christian who believes Catholicism is unbiblical, then you've got a lot of homework to do. The Bible commands us not to spread false witness against our neighbors (Exodus 20:16). If you say Catholicism is unbiblical, and it isn't, then you're spreading false witness, and thus breaking the commandment of the Lord. So you owe it to yourself to find out if Catholicism is truly unbiblical.  If you think Catholicism is unbiblical, then it's time to do your homework to see if you're right. Every argument has two sides. You can't formulate an honest opinion if you've only heard one side. You have to hear both sides of an argument before you can decide between them. Most "born-again" Christians are very familiar with the Protestant side of the argument against Catholicism, but they don't know anything about the Catholic side. Most "born-again" Christians, who take the time to learn the Catholic side, are shocked to discover that Catholics actually can make a Biblical argument in favor of Catholic teaching, and this argument can be well reasoned at that. So if you're a "born-again" Christian who believes Catholicism is unbiblical, then take the challenge, and see how much you really know about the Bible. Examine the links below.

Here we have one of the most exhaustive Catholic apologetic resources on the Internet. Special thanks to John Salza for making this resource possible...

THE CHURCH
The Biblical Church
Primacy of Peter
Apostolic Succession

THE BIBLE
Scripture Alone
Oral Tradition
Deuterocanon
Septuagint

THE SACRAMENTS
Baptism
Confession
The Eucharist
Confirmation

Holy Orders
Anointing of the Sick

HOLY MATRIMONY
Divorce & Remarriage
Contraception
Homosexuality
Husband's Headship
THE VIRGIN MARY
THE SAINTS
JUSTIFICATION
SALVATION

ESCHATOLOGY
Second Coming / Rapture
Purgatory
Hell
Zionism

THE TRINITY
Jesus Christ's Divinity
The Holy Spirit
Messianic Prophecies

OTHER
Angels
Tongue Speaking
Usury
Sacramentals
Sunday Worship
Suffering
Fasting
Drinking
Vain & Repetitious Prayer
Modesty in Dress
Just War

SCIENCE
Evolution
Geocentrism

CATHOLIC Q& A
The Church
Scripture Alone
Baptism
Confession
The Eucharist
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Justification
Purgatory
Sexuality
Miscellaneous
Freemasonry
TOP TEN QUESTIONS
DIFFERENT CHURCHES?

Gay Marriage And The Fall Of America!

(SFGate) - Prop. 8 would overturn the court's 4-3 ruling May 15 that declared same-sex couples had the right to marry under the California Constitution on the grounds of privacy and equal protection. Backers of the measure made the court a focus of their campaign, accusing "activist judges" of thwarting the will of voters who had approved a similar measure as an initiative statute in 2000.

Three lawsuits were filed directly with the state Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking orders immediately blocking enforcement of Prop. 8 and ultimately striking it down as a violation of fundamental rights in the California Constitution.

The plaintiffs are six unmarried same-sex couples and the advocacy group Equality California; another couple who married shortly after the May 15 ruling took effect; and the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, joined by Santa Clara County.

Although their lawyers would not discuss their strategy publicly, each suit seeks to overturn Prop. 8 on the basis of state law and avoids federal constitutional claims that could send the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gay-rights advocates have tried to keep such disputes away from the nation's high court, out of fear that the justices would issue a nationwide ruling rejecting any right of same-sex marriage under the U.S. Constitution....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The people of California have spoken, homosexual marriage is officially abolished. However, as is typical in the People's Republic of California, the courts threaten to overturn the will of the people even in a state constitutional amendment. To be sure, so long as it stays within the California courts, this is California's problem. The California government hasn't represented the people of California in decades, and why the people haven't abolished the state government with a constitutional convention is beyond me. Alas, that is California's problem for Californians to deal with. However, I don't believe the lawyers advocating gay-marriage will keep it in California's courts at all. Just as soon as they fail to get the ruling they want from the California courts, they'll appeal it to the federal courts, and once that happens California's problem becomes America's problem.

Before the federal courts will be the question of whether or not the federal government can annul a state constitutional decision by the people of a state on the issue of gay-marriage. Should the federal courts rule against the people, every state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage within the nation will be at stake. The issue will be put before the United States Supreme Court in what will amount to a U.S. Constitutional crisis. At the feet of nine Supreme Court justices will lie the fate and future of the United States of America.

Should the U.S. Supreme Court decide to uphold a federal court's decision to strike down a state constitutional marriage ban, then gay-marriage will effectively be forced on every state in the Union by judicial fiat. What will that mean? It will mean that the United States government, via the federal court system, will be effectively waging an ALL OUT WAR on Christian civilization and the traditional family. It will place the United States federal government as the sworn enemy of every Catholic family and Catholic parish in the nation. The same would go for any Evangelical Christian family and congregation in this nation as well. The United States government would effectively be waging war against traditional Christianity itself.

At that point, there will be no more reason to preserve the U.S. Constitution, the federal government, or Union of the United States of America. For any government that wages war against it's own people, and the civilization they have created, is effectively a false government and has lost it's right to govern. The people of the United States would have only two options available to them at that time.

1. They can convince Congress to pass the 'Federal Marriage Amendment' (F.M.A.), so the states could immediately ratify it, and uphold their state bans on gay-marriage. Unfortunately, the people have recently elected officials to the U.S. government who have made it clear they have no intention of ever passing such an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Both the new President-Elect, Barack Obama, and the Congressional Democrats, have made it clear that they support "gay-rights" and have no intention of doing anything that would stop gay-marriage from becoming the law of the land. If it never gets out of Congress, the states can never ratify it. So option number one is now next to impossible.
2. The people of states that ardently opposes gay-marriage can begin organizing and drafting measures for the secession of those states from the federal government and the United States of America. This of course would have to be done through the peaceful, democratic and lawful means outlined for us in the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Only by becoming free and independent countries can those states then uphold their own constitutions and the will of the people. After two or more of those states successfully secede using only peaceful, democratic and lawful means, then they can reorganize under whatever form of community, confederation or collective they see fit. Economically, such measures would be viable by restructuring tax laws in those newly born nation-states to attract business investment. The "Fair Tax" proposed by the 'Americans for Fair Taxation' (read more here) would be one possible way this could happen, and should prove more than enough to bolster the economic viability of newly born nation-states. Other measures of deregulation and free market reforms would also serve to make secession a financially attractive and profitable alternative. As for national defense of these nation-state, treaties could be signed with the United States government, allowing it to keep U.S. military bases within these nation-states free of rent or lease, provided the U.S. government pledge to defend these nation-states from all foreign aggressors. This would set the foundation for peaceful coexistence and fair-trade with states still choosing to stay within the United States of America.
   

Three IF's would cause these events to come about, and I might add that these three IF's are all real possibilities in the very near future, thanks to the aggressive tactics of lawyers pushing gay-marriage through the courts against the will of the American people.

1. IF the federal courts rule against a state constitutional measure banning gay-marriage, and...
2. IF the U.S. Supreme Court upholds that ruling, and...
3. IF the U.S. Congress will not pass the 'Federal Marriage Amendment'...
4. THEN the only way the people can defend their families and Christian civilization is to secede from the federal Union.

Otherwise, the only alternative is to accept the fall of Christianity within North America to a regime that favors and promotes homosexuality. In other words, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Congress would effectively make it the Christian duty of every God fearing believer in America to break all political ties with the United States government. Failure to do so would be failure to defend one's Christian faith against the external attack by a hostile and oppressive government. For the first time in American history, Christians would be forced to choose between their government and their faith. So you say you don't think it can happen. We can only hope.  But I have a bad feeling it will.  Just sit back and watch.

Sarah Palin's Religion

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Sadly, some members of the media have now decided to go after Sarah Palin's religion. Why not? They've slandered everything else. So once again, it's up to 'The Catholic Knight' to do the media's job for them and report the facts in a reasonable and accurate way. Hopefully, the above video filmed by Fox News will serve as a good primer to this article, and perhaps begin to dispel the media hype and Internet propaganda surrounding Governor Palin's religion.

Let me begin by pointing out what so many of my readers already know. 'The Catholic Knight' is a former Evangelical, who converted to Catholicism in the year 2000. In fact, I was more than just a member of an Evangelical church. I headed up some ministries within my former church, and was in training to become a full-time pastor. My pastoral training in Church history is actually the very thing that led me into Catholicism, but that's another story. I'm divulging this information for the purpose of establishing my credentials as somewhat of an expert on Evangelicalism.

Left-wing bloggers on the Internet, along with the biased mainstream media, have focused like a laser beam on Governor Palin's upbringing in the Assemblies of God. Already we can find articles and videos that can be described as nothing less than hatchet jobs, not only on Sarah Palin's childhood church, but the Assemblies of God denomination  and Pentecostalism in general. Assemblies of God Pentecostals are being depicted as radical maniacs, who worship God in ecstatic frenzies of emotional orgasm, behaving in strange ways, and acting as if they've lost their minds.   The media also showcases their conservative Protestant doctrine as if it was some kind of freak show in and of itself.

That's the media spin anyway.  Now here is the voice of reason.  Pentecostal churches vary in practice from congregation to congregation, and this is particularly true in the Assemblies of God.  Some are quite old fashioned and traditional.  Others are contemporary and modern.  Some do engage in high charged emotional worship, others do not.  In fact, you really never know what a particular Pentecostal congregation is going to be like until you actually walk in, sit down, and watch the show.  These so-called "news" stories on Pentecostalism are hit pieces designed to link Governor Palin to an erratic religion, which their creators hope will frighten voters away from the Republican presidential ticket this November. In the end, their efforts will backfire, but it looks like they're going to have to learn that lesson the hard way.

So let's get into what we know about Governor Sarah Palin's religion. Sarah Louise Heath was born to Catholic parents in the confusion and turmoil immediately following the Second Vatican Council. She received the sacrament of baptism while an infant, but her parents left the Church shortly thereafter. They were converted to Pentecostalism and made their new home in the Wasilla Assemblies of God. Though baptized a Catholic, Sarah was raised as a Pentecostal. Like many conservative Protestant movements, Pentecostalism does not recognize the validity of infant baptisms. Therefore, Sarah was re-baptized, according to the Pentecostal tradition, at around the age of 13. In 1988 she married her high school sweetheart Todd Palin. She continued in the Assemblies of God until 2002, when it appears she made a break from her parent's Pentecostalism, choosing to join Wasilla Bible Church, an independent Evangelical organization. Today, both Sarah and Todd consider themselves "nondenominational Christians" - an identity more consistent with the Evangelical mindset.

For those readers who may not be familiar with the differences between Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism, allow me to elaborate. Both traditions fall under the socially conservative wing of Protestantism. When it comes to morality, their teachings are strikingly similar to what one might find in the Catholic Church. They value the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, uphold traditional marriage between a man and a woman, while advocating school-choice for parents. When it comes to theology, their teachings fall somewhere between those espoused by the Reformation fathers John Calvin and Conrad Grebel. Their eschatological views are usually a form of Dispensationalism. Politically, they are usually social conservatives, though their views on fiscal matters may vary between conservative and liberal. In both Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism there is a heavy emphasis on missionary work, and bringing the gospel to the world, as well as every aspect of social life.

Where Pentecostals and Evangelicals differ is in their take on the Azusa Street Revival, which took place in the early 20th century in Los Angeles. Pentecostals credit this as the beginning of their movement, and because of that, they place a heavy emphasis on the "signs and wonders" of the Holy Spirit, along with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly the one of "speaking in tongues." Strict Pentecostals emphasize "speaking in tongues" as a sign that one is truly saved.  Most Pentecostals have a more moderated take on this, though "speaking in tongues" is always considered important to them. If you think all this is strange, you're not alone, but don't think for a second that it's foreign to Catholicism.  A charismatic renewal exists within the Catholic Church as well, which includes "speaking in tongues," and was endorsed by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.  The U.S. Catholic Bishops, in their pastoral letter to the American Church on the Charismatic Renewal, wrote in 1984: "… the Charismatic Renewal is rooted in the witness of the gospel tradition: Jesus is Lord by the power of the Spirit to the glory of the Father."  The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, as it's called, does not emphasize "signs and wonders" to the degree that Pentecostals do, but it does acknowledge the existence of such things, and encourages those who claim to have such spiritual "gifts."  In contrast with Pentecostals, Evangelicals (like most mainstream Catholics) downplay these displays of overt spirituality and mysticism, without denying their authenticity.  They prefer instead to emphasize the teaching of scripture, evangelism and personal growth toward spiritual maturity.  So when it comes to the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit anyway, Evangelicals tend to be a bit closer to Catholic teaching.

What many of the left-wing pundits in the media, and on the Internet, seem to be missing is that Governor Palin is no longer a Pentecostal. She may still have fond memories of her childhood church, and may still occasionally visit when convenient, but she hasn't been a Pentecostal for the last six years. She's been an Evangelical, which is much closer to traditional Protestantism as it existed about a hundred years ago. The core of Sarah Palin's religious beliefs are expressed in the Statement of Faith from Wasilla Bible Church....

1. We believe in the Bible as the only inspired inerrant Word of God authoritative for faith and practice. 2 Tim 3:16,17; Heb 6:12; 2 Pet 1:19,20
2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Who is the creator and sustainer of all things and worthy of our worship and praise. Mt 28:19; Gen 1:1,2; Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:1-3
3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death for our sins by His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal visible return in power and glory. Jn 1:1-18; Lk 1:26-35; Rom 3:24,25; 1 Pet 2:24; Jn 11:1-45; 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; Heb 6:14,15; 7:26; 9:11-14; Rev 19:11-16
4. We believe that based upon Christ's death for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe that all people are lost and without God in their natural state; but by the grace of God those who exercise genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved - justified, baptized into his death and born again, from above, by the Holy Spirit. Jn 1:12,13; 3:1-21; Rom 3:23,24; Eph 2:8,9; 1 Pet 1:23
5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit. By His indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life, and is spiritually gifted for ministry to others. Acts 2:1-4; 17-21 (cf.Joel 2:28-30); 1 Cor 6:19,20;12:7
6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life to be forever with God, and they that remain lost unto the resurrection of judgment and damnation. Mt 25:31-46; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Thess 1:4-10; Rev 20:11-15; Jn 3:17-19
7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, having been baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit. We believe in the responsibility of all believers to love and minister to one another. 1 Cor 12:13; Jn 13:1-17; 17:20-26; Eph 1:13-18; 1 Jn 4:7-11,20-21
8. We believe in our responsibility to be disciples of Christ, to love all people and to fulfill the Commission of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations by bearing witness of Christ through life and word in the power of the Holy Spirit. Lk 9:23-26; Mt 22:36-40; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom 1:16

source

What we have here is very typical of mainstream Evangelical doctrine. It is very Protestant. There is nothing on the fringe or radical about it. This is what most Evangelicals believe. The same goes for most Pentecostals. The difference between them is mainly in detail and practice.

Catholics may take exception to some of the beliefs enumerated above, as well we should, but we should understand that nothing in them is unusual for conservative Protestants. This is the norm. From a Catholic perspective, Evangelicalism is a small step closer to Catholicism than Pentecostalism. So I suppose we could say that in 2002, Sarah Palin took her first step back toward the Catholic Church. Only God knows if she'll ever complete that journey, but one thing is certain. By leaving the Pentecostal religion of her parents, she has asserted herself as her own woman, with her own thoughts on religion, and her own ideas of how things ought to be. She may not be a Catholic anymore, but she's no longer a Pentecostal either. Governor Palin has joined the mainstream of Evangelical Americans.

As Catholics we must remember the teachings of the Second Vatican Council toward Protestants. While we Catholics are expected to oppose Protestant teachings that contradict Catholicism, at the same time we are expected to embrace our Protestant brethren as "brothers" and "fellow Christians" even when they don't return the favor. That's because anyone who has been baptized in the Trinitarian formula IS a Catholic in at least some imperfect sense. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church...

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers .... All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity.

As for Evangelicals, the seventh point of Wasilla Bible Church's Statement of Faith expresses a view that is extremely common among most Evangelical churches. It reads as follows...

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, having been baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit. We believe in the responsibility of all believers to love and minister to one another. 1 Cor 12:13; Jn 13:1-17; 17:20-26; Eph 1:13-18; 1 Jn 4:7-11,20-21

While Catholics can, and should, take issues with the way this statement is written, and the lack of recognition of the visible element of the Church, we can also agree with the premise that the Holy Spirit does play a central role in our unity as Christians by virtue of our common Trinitarian baptism. When Evangelicals use the phrase "spiritual unity," they are acknowledging that the Church exists beyond the visible borders of their own denominations, and one can find fellow Christians in non-Evangelical churches. Most Evangelicals would agree this includes Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, and yes, even Catholics. Though Evangelicals are more likely to discern whether one is truly a Christian not on a person's profession of faith alone, but rather the level of commitment and enthusiasm one shows toward that profession of faith. Case in point, it is fairly common for Evangelicals to refer to practicing Catholics as "real Catholics," and cafeteria Catholics as "fake Catholics." They would regard "real Catholics" as their Christian brethren, and "fake Catholics" as non-believers who need to be "saved."  This judgement may be crude, but it is effective, and perhaps one that many practicing Catholics would have a hard time disagreeing with.

As a further example of their ecumenical nature, Evangelicals show a fairly significant partiality toward Jews, Judaism and the modern Nation-State of Israel. Part of this has to do with their eschatological beliefs about end-times prophecy, but it would be unfair to say that is the only reason. Evangelicals acknowledge the particular Jewish character of the Christian religion, and because of this they feel a kindred spirit with the Jewish people and their religion.  Ironically, this is something that is deeply manifested in the Catholic Church by the way. While most Evangelicals are unaware of the Jewish roots within Catholicism, they do acknowledge that both Jesus, and all of his apostles, were Jewish. Catholics miss a huge window of opportunity for ecumenical relations with Evangelicals by glossing over the Jewish character of Catholicism. Emphasis on this element in Catholicism would not only help Evangelicals better understand the Catholic Church, but would also result in more Evangelical conversions to the Catholic faith.

Like Pentecostals, Evangelicals are diverse in practice. Some are very traditional. Most are very modern. Some cling to Fundamentalism. Others do not. Some communities are introverted, others are extroverted. Some prefer to worship using old gospel music. Others prefer contemporary praise music, and some prefer pop and rock music. It's hard to easily categorize them, or predict exactly what to expect in an Evangelical church. The major difference between Evangelicals and Pentecostals is the emphasis on "signs and wonders" of the Holy Spirit, and this effects the way they conduct their church services. As a result, Evangelical churches are less concerned with exciting emotional experiences, and prefer to emphasize teaching and instruction instead.

Make no mistake about it, the media and Internet assault on Sarah Palin's religion is nothing short of a direct assault on the religion of all Pentecostals and Evangelicals. The wild and bizarre accusations made against Palin's religion directly reflect the level of fear and ignorance people on the political Left have toward the Christian religion and those who practice it. Their inability to distinguish between Pentecostals and Evangelicals, along with their inability to differentiate between radical and mainstream forms of each, again demonstrates their level of ignorance toward the Christian religion. We have finally reached a point in our national history where we can honestly say that the political Left no longer knows Christianity, and does not understand even the most basic concepts of it. Ignorance leads to fear, and fear leads to bigotry. That's what we're witnessing in the Left-wing media and Internet today. Because of Governor Sarah Palin's nomination to the office of Vice President of the United States, she has become a lightning rod for this kind of anti-religious bigotry. We Catholics should remember that the people who are attacking her religion, are often the very same people who attack ours.

Feminist Bullies In The Catholic Church

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: A dear Catholic sister recently commented on this blog, stating her intention to wear the chapel veil after her daughter is born this summer. She said it was after reading this blog, talking with her husband, and much prayer, that she was able to overcome the peer pressure against the chapel veil in her parish. I responded in support of her decision as follows...

As you can see by the poll at the top of every page on this blog, the chapel veil is supported by the overwhelming majority of Catholics - both men and women (approx. 56%). While about 5% are unsure on the matter, a small minority of just 34% are dead set against it. (I assume these are mostly feminists, and are probably older women.)

However, because of this mere 34%, the overwhelming majority of Catholic women (nearly all), in the English-speaking world, no longer practice veiling. Why? Because they're afraid. They're afraid of what others will think. Yet I've proved on this blog that those who disapprove are a small (albeit loud) minority. They are vastly outnumbered by those who do approve.

This is what we call "the tyranny of the minority." It's when a small group of people are able to control an entire population simply through peer pressure. That's what's going on here. A small minority of "feminist" Catholic women are coercing nearly all Catholic women, by means of peer pressure. They do it by being loud and obnoxious. Put on a veil, and they jump all over you.

That's just WRONG, plain and simple. It's a form of bullying, and it violates what the Bible says on the matter. This small minority of women, are not only behaving as bullies, but their borderline heretics, because in pressuring women to remove the veil, they violate the plain teachings of Scripture on the matter.

I put the chapel veil poll at the top of every page on this blog so women who want to veil will see that they have nothing to fear. Those who support them are in the MAJORITY - a large majority. Only a very tiny minority oppose them, and they do so in violation of Scripture.

Women who wish to veil must take courage. They must understand that they're doing the right thing. And most importantly, they must understand that the few women who oppose this are not only a tiny minority, but they're acting as bullies and heretics when they do so.

It's time for Catholic women to be strong. It's time for them to stand up to tyranny. How dare any woman pressure another to ignore the plain teachings of Scripture on this matter! If that tiny minority wants to refuse the veil, then so be it. Nobody is making them wear one, and nobody is ever going to. But how dare they try to pressure another woman to refuse the veil. Who do they think they are!?!

Let it be known from this time forth that 'The Catholic Knight' will boldly defend the right of any Christian woman (Catholic or otherwise) to veil for prayer and worship. Furthermore, I call upon all Christian men (Catholic or otherwise) to boldly and passionately defend their wives and daughters who make a similar decision. Our women are being bullied by a tiny feminist minority that is hell-bent on peer pressuring them to ignore the plain teachings of Scripture on this matter. A call goes forth from here to all Christian men - "Be a man, and defend your women against the tyranny of the minority."

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Is Calvary Chapel Anti-Catholic?

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In a word, "yes." Calvary Chapel (www.CalvaryChapel.com) is anti-Catholic. Now the good folks there would deny it. They would tell you they love Catholics, but hate the "Roman Catholic religious system." That's all well and good, but being anti-Catholic isn't about hating, or even disliking, Catholic people. Being anti-Catholic, by its very definition, means being against the religion of Roman Catholicism. Try as they may to dodge the issue, Calvary Chapel is an anti-Catholic organization.

In the broad sense, we could argue that all Protestant churches are anti-Catholic to some small degree, simply by virtue of the fact that they are Protestant. Historically, this would be true. However, while most Protestant and Evangelical groups try not to stress this anymore, some organizations have surfaced in recent years that are far more anti-Catholic than others. I believe Calvary Chapel would definitely fall into this category. Though I am not aware of any official documentation of Calvary Chapel's anti-Catholic positions, one can easily find most Sunday sermons latent with them. A good example of this comes from Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel affiliation. The nice thing about Calvary Chapel is that most sermons are taped and archived, so if one has the time to do the fishing, the evidence of blatant anti-Catholicism is not too difficult to find. Now remember, these are sermons of a pastor to his congregation. One would think a pastor would be concerned with preaching the gospel, and applying the teachings of New Testament to the day to day lives of his congregation. Instead, this is the sort of thing one can easily find in Calvary Chapel sermons....

On tape 5176, Pastor Chuck Smith said:

The dogma that was developed in the Catholic church of the perpetual virginity of Mary, is sheer poppycock. It is the invention of men who have thought to elevate Mary to the status of deity. The obvious fact is here, "And knew her not 'till'" It is clear that afterward, they did have normal husband-wife relationships with each other, or else the other sons and daughters that were born of Mary were also virgin-born, and that throws the whole story in disarray. The gospel of Mark names the brothers of Jesus as James, Joses and Simon, and mentions his sisters, so to declare perpetual virginity of Mary is not a scriptural truth. It is a Catholic dogma, without scriptural foundation, as are most dogmas. Paul said, "Beware of dogs"(Phil. 3:2,) I say, "Be wary of dogmas!"

On tape 5189, Smith said:

For one is your father, which is in heaven." So the title of father was prohibited by Jesus. In my associations I have become acquainted and friends of many ministers within the Episcopalian Church, and also within the Catholic Church. And I have extreme difficulty in knowing how to address that. Because for the life of me I can not call them father so and so. Because Jesus said not to. And so, to me it creates a difficult thing, as to how to address them, because they are usually introduced,' this is father so and so,' and I just have a hang-up with this, but I just can't address a man, father, in a spiritual sense. I don't know, do what you want, but I just have problems.

On tape 5209, Smith said:

The Protestant reformation came as a protest against the evil practices that had arisen within the Catholic Church. Especially the selling of indulgences. For the Pope was desirous to built a great Cathedral in Rome, St. Peters. And the money wasn't coming in, fast enough to build this glorious monument, that he was desiring to put up, as a symbol for Christianity. And so someone in the counsel came up with a bright idea. Everybody likes to sin, why don't we sell them forgiveness for sin's. And they can buy an indulgence, before they ever indulged. So as they indulging, the thing is covered, because they've already buyed (sic) their forgiveness. So you want a little escapade on the side. You want to go out and get drunk? fine, go down and buy your drunk indulgence. You want to have an affair? go down and get an adultery indulgence. And they started selling the indulgences to the people. And this so incensed Martin Luther, that he took his 95 thesis, his objections, to the practices that had developed within the church, and he taged them on the door, and he protested. And thus the name Protestant. Beginning of the Protestant reformation.

On the same tape, Smith also said:

It is a sad error of the Catholic church to declare that Peter is the foundation upon which the church was built.

On tape 5202, Smith said:

There is sometimes within the Protestant circles perhaps a backlash to that position that the Catholics have sought to place Mary in as the intercessor, and even some today, the coredemptress, and there is that backlash among Protestants often times to sort of put Mary down.

On tape 5315, Smith said:

And we see it in the Catholic church where the priest says, "You come and confess your sins to me and I will remiss your sins and I will go to the Father and I will take care of things for you. It is putting a man between you and God. We will see the system develop when we get to the church of Thyatira but at least the church of Ephesus says 'I hate it and the Lord says I hate it too.

Later on the same tape, Smith said:

And these are the dominant issues of the Roman Catholic church; their love and their service and their faith and their patience and their work. And this they have a lot of - a lot of good works and there are some marvelous people in the Catholic Church, highly admired. Mother Theresa, such an unusual person. Marvelous. It's not saying things against those individuals because God has his overcomers. It is just talking about the system.

Later, Smith said:

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold I will cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds" Here is now first of all, the indication that the Catholic Church would exist right up to the coming of Jesus Christ and the rapture of the church, because he talks about them being allowed to go into the great tribulation.

These are typical examples of Calvary Chapel sermons, which can easily be found anywhere, by multiple Calvary Chapel pastors throughout the country. In the later quotes above, Smith is comparing the Catholic Church to the worst form of churches written of in the Book of Revelation. While of course, Calvary pastors typically equate their own brand of Christianity to some of the better churches written of in the Book of Revelation. In my own experience, at a Calvary Chapel ran by one of Smith's direct pupils, it seemed that there was at least one small dig at Catholicism every week.

One can also find special books and audio series, made by Calvary Chapel pastors, specifically designed for the purpose of attacking Roman Catholicism. In part, I believe this is due to an unusual number of Calvary Chapel pastors who are themselves former Catholics. The affiliation began in Southern California, a heavily Catholic region of the United States, and as a result the pews are regularly filled with former Catholics who've converted to the "Gospel According to Calvary Chapel." A small percentage of these disaffected converts went on to become pastors for the affiliation.

You may be wondering why I am bothering with this particular Evangelical-Protestant group. There are, after all, hundreds of different anti-Catholic organizations in America. So what's so special about this one? Well, I'll tell you. I used to be a "member" of Calvary Chapel. In fact, I even became a teacher there. All of this was before my conversion to Catholicism of course. I can personally testify that I regularly heard, with my own ears, large volumes of anti-Catholic rhetoric. Yes, as a Calvary Chapel teacher, I even preached it. I've personally witnessed a very popular Calvary Chapel pastor in Southern California actually call the Catholic Church the "Whore of Babylon" and the pope the "Antichrist" on more than one occasion. These happened before a large audience, many of whom were former Catholics. I can personally testify that Catholic doctrines are taken out of context, represented falsely, and then maligned on a regular basis in Calvary Chapels throughout America. Sometimes it seems that it's rare to even get through a single sermon, on any given week, without hearing at least one small jab at Catholicism.

As a former Calvary Chapel teacher, I have mixed feelings about this organization. On the one hand, I must give credit where credit is due. Having been raised in a non-practicing Protestant home, Calvary Chapel helped me a great deal when I was struggling with my faith as a young person. Calvary Chapel helped me better understand basic doctrines of the Christian faith. Calvary Chapel also helped me sort out the sinful habits in my life, and set me on a path of greater obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to that, it was through my pastoral studies at Calvary Chapel that I came to knowledge of Church history, a knowledge that would eventually lead to my Catholic conversion. So on the one hand, I am grateful to Calvary Chapel, because without it, I would probably have never found Christ and later converted to HIS One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. On the other hand, I am frustrated with this organization, because it misleads people about Christ's Catholic Church. Those who do not take the time to do the study, and there are many, are forced to simply trust what Calvary Chapel pastors tell them about the Catholic Church. A good number of those things are wrong, and most of it doesn't even originate within Calvary Chapel. In fact, the majority of anti-Catholic material, used by Calvary Chapel pastors, comes not from the organization itself, but from outside sources that specialize in anti-Catholicism.

If you're a Catholic who attends a Calvary Chapel, or has been approached by somebody from Calvary Chapel, as a former Calvary Chapel teacher, I have some good advice for you. Stop and do your homework! There are lots of things Calvary Chapel pastors say about Catholicism that just aren't true. Many of these pastors are former Catholics themselves, and one would think they should know better. Yet you would be surprised to discover just how little these supposedly "educated" men actually know about Catholic beliefs and the Catholic Church. I would suggest you do a little reading on this topic list HERE, where will find one of the most exhaustive Catholic apologetic resources available on the Internet. If on the other hand, you're a non-Catholic who attends Calvary Chapel, I would encourage you to do the same, so that you might have a better understanding of Catholicism "straight from the horse's mouth," rather than relying on the second-hand information spouted by some disgruntled Catholics, who later became Calvary Chapel pastors. Many of whom got their information from sources not even affiliated with Calvary Chapel. I would also encourage you to take the The Ultimate Protestant Challenge. I think that's good advice, and you owe it to yourself to hear both sides of the story, weigh the evidence, and learn the truth.

********** Update 12/1/2010 **********

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: So it's been over three years since I wrote this original blog entry on Calvary Chapel's anti-Catholicism, and nothing has changed. (Not that I really expected it to.) In between jumps to my snowbird hideaway down South, I returned home briefly to keep the Knight's armory running well. On the way home from one of my errands in town today I decided to tune into a local Calvary Chapel radio station broadcasted via satellite syndication. (I'm not sure what possessed me to do it.) Anyway, the station manager had just gotten Chuck Smith on the air for some questions from callers. One caller mentioned that his girlfriend is Catholic, and he occasionally attends mass with her. He had a question about the apparition of "Our Lady of Guadalupe." It wasn't five minutes into the show, but Chuck Smith had plenty to say.

First, he proclaimed that "Our Lady of Guadalupe" is nothing more than a demonic spirit, and the apparition itself is a deception of the devil. He advised the caller to avoid anything to do with it. Second, he then went on, as if that weren't enough, to accuse the Catholic Church of idolatry and apostasy. He did this in his usual soft-spoken gentle manner, (you could almost hear the smile on his face), which I used to think was charity. Twelve years after having left Calvary Chapel, it's now starting to sound a little creepy. Anyway, he used the classic strawman fallacy. He blatantly misrepresented Catholic teaching, claiming the Church places Mary above Christ. Then he proceeded to tear down the strawman by saying that anytime someone (i.e. The Catholic Church) puts someone or something above Christ, we know that can't be from God. Of course the caller was gushing with gratitude for Pastor Smith's pontification, and the station manager then proceeded to advise him, and anyone else listening, to stay away from the Catholic mass and go to Calvary Chapel instead.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, especially when it comes to the anti-Catholicism coming out of Calvary Chapel. I'm pleased that this particular rant against the Church came from the top Calvary Chapel pastor himself - Chuck Smith - the man who started the whole chain. It demonstrates what I've been saying all along in this blog entry. The founder of Calvary Chapel is a raving anti-Catholic, and the apples never fall far from the tree. The way the founder goes, so do the followers. This type of anti-Catholicism can be found among Calvary Chapel pastors from coast to coast. Some are more virulent than others, but virtually all of them look to Pastor Chuck Smith as their example and teacher. He is, after all, the closest thing to a "pope" there will ever be in the Calvary Chapel network.

Pastor Chuck Smith's dishonest dealing with Catholic doctrine is inexcusable. He is an educated man who has been in ministry for decades. He's the virtual "head" of an international nondenominational-affiliation. He has missionary outreaches in Latin America and Rome. You cannot tell me this man is ignorant of authentic Catholic Church doctrine. He knows full well the Catholic Church DOES NOT place Mary above Christ in any way. He knows the Church teaches that Mary is subordinate to Christ, and that everything she is comes directly from Christ. His opinions about Marian apparitions are his business, but to tell people they are demonic is to be disingenuous to say the least. No demonic spirit leads people to Christ, and if "Our Lady of Guadalupe" was supposed to be some Satanic deception, than it was a miserable failure on the devil's part, because it resulted in over a million people (Native Americans) accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It has since inspired the Christian faith of tens of millions. If it was supposed to be a lie of the devil, than it sure backfired on him. Of course we know the truth. Mary appeared to Saint Juan Diego to bring his people to her Son - Jesus Christ - and that she did in the most startling and miraculous way.

So why the strawman fallacy? Why would an educated man, who surely knows what the Church teaches in regards to Mary, deliberately twist and distort Church doctrine in such a way so he could easily tear down the strawman he created? Well, I can't get inside Chuck Smith's head, so I really don't know with absolute certainty why he did it. But I do have an opinion, and I think it's a fairly educated one with some inside information. You see, Calvary Chapel started in Southern California which is a heavily Catholic portion of the United States. Most of the people who attend Calvary Chapel are former Catholics. I don't have an exact percentage, but I would say that at least half would be a fair guess. Most of them left the Catholic Church during the turbulent times of the 1970s through 1990s. It was during this time that Chuck Smith, and his ministry disciples began their anti-Catholic propaganda, and WOW did it take off! They brought scores of formerly Catholic "members" into their affiliations with this nonsense, combined with their apocalyptic teachings on current events and typical altar calls for instantaneous salvation. It was (and still is) a formula that works. Every Sunday in Southern California, Calvary Chapels are packed to standing room only. Smith and his ministry disciples have now taken their "Gospel according to Calvary Chapel" into Latin America, and they've even been so bold as to bring it to Rome as well, under the very shadow of the Vatican. The formula works. It draws away Catholics, and turns them against Rome in the most virulent way. It also fills the pews at Calvary Chapels, as well as the collection plates. You see, in my opinion, the reason why Chuck Smith doesn't change is because he can't change. If he ever admits that he was wrong about something the Catholic Church teaches, it would threaten his whole organization. In Southern California alone, at least half of his ministry is to former Catholics. An admission of error, especially after having preached this stuff for so long, would cause the Calvary Chapel faithful to begin questioning the whole Calvary Chapel system, and that is something that neither Chuck Smith nor his ministry disciples can risk.

Vatican Says Protestant Organizations Are Not Really 'Churches'

(CWNews.com): The Vatican has issued a new doctrinal statement confirming the essential role of the Catholic Church in God's plan for salvation.

The short document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), presented in question-and-answer format, addresses questions about the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that the Church founded by Jesus Christ "subsists" in the Catholic Church.

The CDF affirms that while other Christian bodies can play a role in bringing people to salvation, it is in the Catholic Church that "the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth." The Vatican document makes a further distinction between Orthodox churches that have preserved valid sacraments, and should be recognized as "sister churches," and Protestant groups that have not preserved the Eucharistic presence....

read full story here

Read Full Text of CDF Document Here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Here's the gist of it. The Catholic Church is the one and only "Church" founded by Jesus Christ. The Eastern Orthodox churches have maintained the sacraments, and therefore they are like "sister churches" in a very real sense, even though unity with Rome is the only thing lacking to complete them. Protestant churches on the other hand, are not really "churches" at all, because they have not preserved the sacraments. They are in essence man-made artificial organizations. These man-made organizations tie together like-minded Christians, who are separated from communion with Rome, into cohesive communities that mimic the appearance of a church, but they are not a 'church' according to the theological and historical definition. Because of this, it is more appropriate to refer to Protestant churches as "communities" or "organizations." Roman Catholics would do well to think of these "communities" this way, and order our speech accordingly for the sake of clarity.

It is absolutely imperative that Catholics understand the gravity of the Church's teaching on this. The Catholic Church has ALWAYS taught that it is the one true Church of Christ, and outside of it there is no salvation. This statement from the Vatican CDF reaffirms that fully, and again stipulates that the Second Vatican Council was pastoral in nature -- changing not a single Church doctrine. Many Catholics have been misled by the modern "I'm okay, you're okay" philosophy of religious relativism. The papacy has NEVER embraced this idea. The Second Vatican Council NEVER condoned it. Many of us may have been taught that by our priests or religious instructors, but it doesn't change the fact that it's heresy. The Vatican has NEVER embraced Protestant organizations as "churches" on equal footing with the Catholic Church, and much to the chagrin of liberals, it never will.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has something to say about all of this, but it's important for us to understand how it's nuanced a certain way, so as to reaffirm the same teaching always taught by the Church.

Outside the Church there is no salvation

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.

[emphasis added]

The key to this post-conciliar nuance is knowledge on the part of the Christian who refuses to enter the Catholic Church. What the Catechism is telling us is that if you're a Christian, and you KNOW Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, and you REFUSE to enter it anyway, then you damn yourself to hell, because there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church.

The situation for Protestants is a complicated one. They know of Jesus Christ. They accept his Lordship. They receive the forgiveness he offers on the cross. Most of them are baptized in the Trinitarian formula -- a sacrament Rome considers totally valid regardless of the Protestant community it was performed in. They pray to and worship Christ as God. They study the Scriptures and give of their treasure and talents to the work of God's Kingdom here on earth. The Catholic Church fully recognizes them as Christian "brethren," though separated from full and perfect communion. In these ways Protestants are "catholic" in the sense that they've already embraced so much of the Catholic Christian faith, that virtually the only thing lacking is a little education and the sacraments. One could say if the trip to Rome were 100 miles, most Protestants have already traveled 80 to 90 of them.

Yet here is the sticking point. Very few Protestants have ever willfully chosen to leave the Catholic Church. Yes, there are a few, but for the most part, the vast majority of Protestants were born into Protestant families and consequently that's all they've ever known. Even among those few who chose to leave the Catholic Church today, in favor of some Protestant denomination, one could easily argue that the reason why they left in the first place was because they were so poorly educated in Catholicism that they didn't truly understand what they were leaving behind. Because of this, the Church places no blame on those Christians separated from the Catholic Church, so long as their separation was through no fault of their own...

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."

The Church still has the obligation and sacred right to evangelize. Why? Because it's pretty hard to be totally and completely without fault of your own. How many people do you know who are totally and completely without fault? Oh, I would venture to say that some of you may knew a few. Perhaps some of you may have small infants at home. Or maybe you know some adults who are mentally retarded and unable to communicate. These people certainly qualify as folks having no fault of their own. (When I say "fault" I don't mean sin, but rather blame.) Still, how many of you actually know some adults, who have all their faculties, that are totally and completely without fault? They may have sin in their lives, we all do, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm asking is who among them is ignorant of the gospel and the Church without fault of their own? Now we're starting to enter a grey area. Your Buddhist neighbor may be ignorant of the Gospel, and it may be through no fault of his own, but how can you be sure of that? You can't. You never could be. Technically speaking, you're not even qualified to say he is, even if you think you know. Only God is qualified to make that call. So what is your responsibility as a Catholic Christian then? Simple. EVANGELIZE! You don't know if your Buddhist neighbor is without fault in his ignorance of the gospel, and there is no way you could ever know. So the only thing you're qualified to do is tell him about it. Evangelize him! If he doesn't convert, that's fine because it's his choice, but you're still not qualified to tell if he's without fault. All you're qualified to do is tell them of your love for Christ and his Church, without stopping, and without judging them.

Now back to the Protestant question. What does Mother Church have to say to us specifically about them...

817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin:

Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers .... All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."

Here we see the Church takes the case of the original Protestant "reformers" very seriously. These were educated men, who fully understood the potential consequences of their actions should they be in error. We would like to believe that they did not know they were in error. We would like to believe they did not fully understand what they were doing. Indeed, only God can judge. But all the evidence available to us seems to indicate a very damning case against them. The Council of Trent (AD 1545) pronounced anathema upon them and their doctrines. Even the softer and nuanced bishops of Vatican II could not disagree. The social, political and theological movements that spawned the original Protestant "Reformation" were damnable things, and those educated men who espoused them risked damnation of their souls, even by the standards of Vatican II.

Yet the Protestant movement did not end there. The damnable teachings of the "Reformation" fathers poisoned the minds of their followers against the Catholic Church - brainwashing Protestant children against her. Sometimes this was done maliciously with pure anti-catholic propaganda. Sometimes it was done more subtly, with the teaching of theological doctrines so inconsistent with Catholic teaching, that conversion back to Catholicism seemed impossible. Through the centuries Protestantism drifted so far away from it's Catholic roots, that Protestants themselves began to think of the Catholic Church as something totally foreign to them. Catholic worship itself became "strange" to them. Catholics became known as a "peculiar" people with "peculiar" customs that were totally foreign to the Protestant frame of mind. For example; while visiting Catholic churches, some Protestants (of the Evangelical persuasion) have been known to get up and walk out once they see incense burning in the procession. Why? Because it literally frightens them. They've never seen it before, and they don't know what to think of it. (This actually happened to a Baptist friend of mine. She saw the incense burning and made a straight line for the back door. I've since heard reports of this happening with other visiting Protestants.) It's odd that this would be the case, especially since the burning of incense is a totally Biblical practice, and Protestants pride themselves on following the Bible. Yet this is the reality of the situation we live in today. Can these Protestants be excused because their refusal to enter the Catholic Church is by no fault of their own? Perhaps, but it's not up to us to do the excusing. We're not qualified. Only God is. Our job is to evangelize and educate our "separated brethren" about the necessity of the Catholic Church in their "personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

In regards to the community organizations which were formed by Protestants, often called "churches," we must educate ourselves as to what they are, and where they came from. The original Protestants who separated themselves from the Catholic Church were completely unable to reunify themselves under a single banner. (That's because there is no Christian Unity outside the Catholic Church either.) So the regional governments of northern Europe stepped in to prevent confusion from spiraling downward into chaos. The original Protestant "churches" were state run. They were entities of the government, and they were organized upon nationality. These National "churches" were the forerunners to the original Protestant denominations we know today. For example, when the English came to North America, the state-run "Church of England" organized itself in the colonies as a Protestant 'denomination.' This was one way the English state asserted its influence (via religion) over the American colonists. Likewise, the state-run "Evangelical Church of Germany" did the same with the German immigrants to America via what became known as the "Lutheran" denomination. Throughout the centuries, Christians within the artificially state-run "churches" came to realize the problems associated with this. Some of them broke off to form new denominations, which were independent of state-run authority. As a result, they created new artificial governing bodies, to handle affairs within these new so-called "churches." Schism followed schism as century followed century, until we finally reached the current state of things in the Protestant world. At latest count, there are now some 20,000 individual Protestant denominations, affiliations and sects. Most Protestants today remain a part of the organizations they are familiar with, simply because they're afraid to try anything else. Who can blame them? Why would anyone want to do all the work it takes to determine which one (if any) of these 20,000 denominations is the right one? Most Protestants simply throw their hands up in the air on this one. As a result, a new doctrine has emerged in Protestant circles, which teaches that the true 'Church of Christ' is totally invisible, with no distinct head or body. As a result, nobody can truly know who is part of the invisible Church of Christ. It's all a mystery. Needless to say this is heresy, but it illustrates just how 'impossible' a task it is when Protestants try to rationalize the reason for so many communities, and so little unity.

As for these artificial organizations that like-minded Protestant communities create to govern themselves, Rome has never recognized them as anything more than that, and it never will. Catholics should do likewise. But in regards to these like-minded Protestant communities, the Catechism of the Catholic Church does have some important acknowledgments...

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

When the Catechism uses the word "Churches" it is referring to the Eastern Orthodox. But when it says "ecclesial communities" it is in reference to like-minded Protestant denominations, affiliations and sects. In them, the Catholic Church recognizes that God uses them as tools to bring people to the knowledge of Christ and to salvation. You will notice that while it acknowledges these communities as a "means of salvation," it does so only so far as its teachings agree with the Catholic Church. Thus the "power" these organizations have to bring people to salvation, is in actuality an extension of the Catholic Church's power, because the vital teachings Protestant communities rely on (Bible, Trinity, Incarnation, Justification, Sanctification, Baptism, etc.) originally come from the Catholic Church, and are in full agreement with the Catholic Church. They are in essence, arms of Catholic influence, outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church. So in a very real way, if a Protestant comes to salvation, he does so because of how well he was influenced by Catholic teachings, some of which may have come through his Protestant denomination. So it can truly be said that outside the Catholic Church (or her sphere of influence) there is no salvation.

Statement of Protestant Leaders against Anti-Catholic Bigotry

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Isn't it encouraging how a little bit of persecution forces Christians of various denominations to start doing what we should have been doing all along. In the wake of widespread anti-Catholic bigotry, incited by so-called "liberals" on the political Left, some Evangelicals are calling upon all Protestants to stand with their Catholic brethren and condemn this kind of vile prejudice. The Statement reads as follows...

May 6, 2007

As Protestant Christians and as Americans, we condemn the grotesque anti-Catholic bigotry that is now on display as a result of the Supreme Court's recent decision upholding the constitutionality of the federal law prohibiting partial-birth abortion.

We denounce as particularly odious a cartoon published by the Philadelphia Inquirer depicting the five justices who formed the majority in the case wearing Catholic bishops' mitres. Scarcely less offensive were the comments of law professor, and former University of Chicago Law School Dean, Geoff Stone identifying the Catholic religious affiliation of the justices forming the majority and accusing these distinguished and honorable jurists of imposing their religion rather than faithfully interpreting the Constitution.

We believe it is our particular duty to condemn the bigotry we are now witnessing in view of the history of anti-Catholicism in our nation. It is a stain on the Protestant Christian conscience that at one time many of our people accepted the vile teachings of Paul Blanshard in his book American Freedom and Catholic Power, and supported the anti-Catholic agenda of the group founded by Blanshard and others that now styles itself "Americans United for Separation of Church and State" (formerly known as Protestants and other Americans united for Separation of Church and State).

Just as Pope John Paul II acknowledged past injustices committed by Catholics, or committed in the name of Catholicism, against Protestants, Jews, and others and pledged to work against any revival of these injustices, we acknowledge past Protestant prejudices against Catholics and pledge to fight against the anti-Catholic bigotry we are now witnessing. Our Catholic brothers and sisters will not have to wait to hear our voices forcefully raised against the bigotry now directed against them.

Because evil begets evil, we are not surprised that bigotry would emerge among those who have placed themselves in the service of the moral abomination known as partial-birth abortion. For our part, we praise any judge, statesman, or citizen-irrespective of religious affiliation-who steps forward to tell the truth about the injustice of this horrific practice, or to expose the lie that baby-killing is somehow protected by our Constitution.

We call on our fellow Protestant Christians of every denomination-including those denominations that do not share our view that the life of the child in the womb must be honored and protected by law-to join with us in condemning the new anti-Catholicism that has, in the aftermath of the partial-birth abortion decision, reared its ugly head. We hope that no Protestant Christian will bring shame on himself or herself and on the great tradition of Reformed Christianity by participating in this appalling bigotry or remaining mute in the face of it.

We also call on groups that present themselves as enemies of prejudice, including "Americans United for Separation of Church and State," to join with us in condemning the Philadelphia Inquirer cartoon and other manifestations of anti-Catholic bigotry. This is a time of testing for them. Are they selective opponents of prejudice? Do they regard anti-Catholicism as an acceptable form of bigotry? Are they content to see Catholics treated in ways that they would be the first to condemn if the victims were members of other religious traditions or minorities? By responding or failing to respond to our plea to them to join us in condemning the injustice being suffered by our Catholic fellow citizens, we will soon know whether their claim to oppose prejudice and bigotry is an honest one or mere hypocrisy.

SOURCE

The Philadelphia Inquirer published this cartoon by Tony Auth

More Protestants Admit Catholics Are Right About Birth-Control

SAN ANTONIO, TX, November 16, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A pro-life trend among conservative Protestants is picking up steam in the US, Newsweek reports. In 1995, David and Suzanne Bortel of San Antonio, Texas developed a website called Quiverfull.com to lend support and encouragement to couples who are totally open to as many children as God gives them. Under the name of Quiverfull, the group encourages its members to reject all forms of birth control and welcome children as "a gift and blessing from our gracious heavenly father."

The name of the group is taken from Psalm 127 of the Bible which says:

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them."

Members of Quiverfull reject not only birth control but also Natural Family Planning, a natural method and one condoned by the Catholic Church as a moral way, under serious circumstances, to avoid conception by abstaining from sexual intercourse during the fertile periods of a woman's monthly cycle.

Quiverfull's beliefs also do not condone any form of artificial conception, such as in-vitro fertilization. Mary Pride, a Quiverfull believer and author of the book, 'The Way Home', says, "You shouldn't be unnatural in going to a fertility clinic or in trying to avoid having children by regulating when to have sex with your husband."

The Quiverfull website is careful to emphasize that family size is not what makes one a Quiverfull believer. It says, "Whether your quiver is large or small, you are welcome." Regarding all children as blessings and leaving fertility in the hands of God is the Quiverfull mission.

Rejection of birth control is a growing trend among many denominations of Protestants. Many Protestants who previously espoused birth control methods, are becoming more and more alarmed by the contraceptive mentality that has overtaken the country. In today's society, sex and procreation of children are commonly viewed as two separate components of marriage. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is very convicted and outspoken on the subject. He says, "If a couple sees children as an imposition, as something to be vaccinated against, like an illness, that betrays a deeply erroneous understanding of marriage and children."

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