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Originally Posted by
speechlesstx
Have you not paid attention to the comments here? Those of us who have disagreed with your "one and only church" notion (repeated ad nauseum in one way or another) only recognize one body of believers, across denominational lines, with Christ at the head of the body, period.
It's not MY “One and only Church,” the Church is Christ's.
Each Catholic should hold views of his salvation that conform to the Magisterium,the teaching office of the Church. It's always my practice to convey only that which I understand to properly reflect that of the Roman Catholic doctrine, if there has been a failure to do so it's my error.
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The RCC as you present it appears more devoted to maintaining that exclusivity than attaining unity in the faith.
Quite the contrary, the Church is open to everyone, but at the same time she 'religiously' guards it's teachings she received from Christ. The Magisterium is charged with teaching as it had learned from the Apostles.
I n regard to One Church, this is not some new doctrine, but one held since it was taught by Christ. The introductory paragraphs of Unitatis Redintegratio are quite clear, there's not much room for misunderstanding:
” The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only.
“Is Christ divided” Paul asks. As I've logically shown, why would Christ commission multiple faiths, doctrine, and beliefs in an absolute Truth? “Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. (Eph. 4, 3-5). Right reasoning can't be achieved maintaining sovereignty over those revealed cosmic truths as some maintain. This is effectively forming God in the proclivity of our own reasoning, as opposed to God forming His will in a right reasoned conscience. Right reasoning requires man need God, allowing Him to act from from the interior. Such right reasoning is directly opposed to that which emanates from our own predetermined appetite.
However, many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ Himself were divided. Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.
Is the Vatican II document wrong, do not some men claim to be inheritors Unitatis Redintegratio continues on to say that all are invited to the ecumenical movement who:
” …invoke the Triune God and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, doing this not merely as individuals but also as corporate bodies. For almost everyone regards the body in which he has heard the Gospel as his Church and indeed, God's Church. All however, though in different ways, long for the one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and set forth into the world that the world may be converted to the Gospel and so be saved, to the glory of God.
Continuing Rome recognizes certain elements of various faiths;
…Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries 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, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ.
The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each Church or Community. These liturgical actions must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation.
It follows that the separated Churches and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.
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This is where logic gets thrown out the window, as your own argument in Unitatis Redintegratio recognizes "some" of our truth but not all. We have "some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments," but not all.
Catholics recognize that God's Truths are absolute and universal. Consequently, how and where God reveals truth, it remains a universally truth. It's true, all these essential gifts are found the world over, but these Truths will always lead us to Christ and His Church.
Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries 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, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ. (my emphases)
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We "use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion "which "can truly engender a life of grace" and "must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation." BUT, we are still "deficient in some respects" but still hold some "significance and importance in the mystery of salvation."
And?
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Do we have some truth or all truth? If we only have some truth then we must be false, right? What good is "some significance" in the grand scheme of divine truth? Does divine truth have levels of significance?
We have revealed Truth. It's a non-sequitur in the equation of truth to significance. It's through the grace of God that we are offered salvation; the fullness of that grace can only be realized in communion with the Church of Jesus Christ.
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That's just it Joe, "deficient" is not my word. The RCC said it, not me. I don't mean to be contentious, Joe, I love and appreciate my Catholic brethren. If one loves their family in Christ they don't try to exclude them from the family (one and only Church) and they don't consider them "deficient."
The separated Churches are 'deficient' yet Christ still holds open a means of salvation through his grace. They are deficient in the sense that it's in the Church of Jesus Christ that we see a fullness of the efficacy of that grace. There isn't a single document I've cited thus far that 'excludes' anybody, but they all ask for love and obedience to God.
Separation from the communion with the Mystical Body of Christ is viewed as serious for a Catholic. Communion is rooted in our love of God. In Christ's commandment to Love God, “with thy whole heart.” But it doesn't end there; loving God is to voluntary resolve to reason rightly in God's will, Christ adds, “and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind.” I understand this to mean that to love God requires, the contemplative heart, the repentant soul, and the discipline of reason resulting in 'moral perfection'. We see that reason is "to love God above all things is to insure the sanctity of our whole life" (Le Camus, "Vie de Notre-Seigneur Jesus-Christ", III, 81).
Allow me to ask a few questions of you. How is one religion as good as another; can you reason this out for me?
JoeT
