OPINION:
Dear Dr. E: I’m curious about your take on Pope Francis’ statement this week that various religions are like different languages, which all lead to the same God. Do you think what the Pope said is consistent with orthodox/biblical Christianity, or is he mistaken? — SINCERELY SEEKING GOD FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
Dear Sincerely Seeking: The quick answer is no! What Pope Francis said this week was not consistent with a biblical definition of the Christian faith. In fact, views such as what the Pope expressed have been declared anathema by Church councils for the past 2,000 years, not to mention the fact that the Scriptures themselves clearly refute the Pope’s views at nearly every turn.
Let’s take a look at Pope Francis’ exact words. While on a stage with multiple religious leaders from around the world, here’s what the Pope actually said:
“All religions are paths to reach God. They are — to make a comparison — like different languages, different dialects, to get there. But God is God for everyone. If you start to fight, saying, ’My religion is more important than yours, mine is true, and yours isn’t,’ where will this lead us? There is only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christians; they are different ways to God.”
What Pope Francis just described is not new. It is a heresy that has existed since the Church’s earliest days. Depending on the emphasis, it has been defined in various ways. Names such as pluralism, syncretism, and universalism have been used to describe this worldview and train of thought. Whichever word you chose, the bottom line is that from its inception, the Church has explicitly condemned the idea that “all religions are equal, and lead to the same God,” and it (i.e., the Church) has grounded its rejection of such ideas on Scripture itself.
Here are just a few passages to consider:
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Saint Matthew makes it clear that at the end of days, Jesus will only acknowledge those who have expressly acknowledged Him: “Everyone who confesses me before men, he will I confess before my Father… But whoever denies me before men, him will I deny before My Father which is in heaven.”
Saint Luke is similarly unequivocal: “And there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Saint John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus minced no words in condemning the idea that there are multiple paths to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me… Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Saint Paul tells his assistant, Timothy, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Paul goes on to admonish the Church in Rome, telling them to “confess with [their] mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in [their] heart that God raised him from the dead, [if they wish to be] saved.”
Saint Matthew writes that Christ made it very clear that there is just one way to God and not many: “Enter by the narrow gate. The gate is wide, and the way is easy, which leads to destruction, and there are many who enter by it. But the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
In his first epistle, the Apostle John added, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life… Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life… Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.”
Saint Mark’s Gospel says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
And in his letter to the earliest Christians, Saint James puts all rumors of multiple avenues to God to rest: “A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Since the first days of Christianity, the Church has stood fast in declaring that Jesus is not one of many paths but, rather, the only path. Jesus’ apostles and thousands thereafter gave their lives because they believed this. They chose to be impaled on pikes and eaten by wild animals rather than confess any other God other than Christ. For the Pope to suggest otherwise ignores the very words of the God for whom he claims to be Vicar.
If you are seeking guidance in today’s changing world, Higher Ground is there for you. Everett Piper, a Ph.D. and a former university president and radio host, takes your questions in his weekly ’Ask Dr. E’ column. If you have moral or ethical questions for which you’d like an answer, please email askeverett@washingtontimes.com and he may include it in a future column.
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