This article originally appeared in “The Conservative Woman”, 29 September, 2024. Section sub-headings added by Christian Comment.
INTER-RELIGIOUS
WE live in a world full of confusion, conflict, polarised ideology, warfare and wickedness. Many previously held certainties are becoming distinctly uncertain, while prophets of doom tell us that Western society, as we have known it for generations, is collapsing, accompanied by warnings that the world is going to boil unless we return to pre-industrialisation poverty.
It would also appear that Judeo-Christianity, which many would agree is the foundation of almost every aspect of Western civilisation, is in decline with nothing of value put in its place other than cultural Marxism and DEI. Against such a background the recent comments of an elderly man to a group of young people at an interreligious meeting in Singapore may seem of little import. That is unless the speaker is the head of a world-wide church numbering well over a billion adherents, namely Pope Francis.
EVERY RELIGION LEADS SOMEWHERE
A short video of the event titled All Religions are Paths to God was published online by the Catholic News Service, which reports on the Vatican and related international events. The following is a transcript of his short homily, translated simultaneously into English by an interpreter.
‘Every religion is a way to arrive at God. A comparison is that there would be different languages to arrive at God. But God is God for all. If God is God for all, then we are all sons and daughters of God. But my God is more important than your God! Is that true? There is only one God, and each of us is a language, so to speak, in order to arrive at God. There are different paths. Some are Sikh, some are Muslim, some are Hindu, some are Christian, but they are different paths.’ (Applause)
These bland words may seem unremarkable, and indeed there has been virtually no comment in the mainstream media for the obvious reason that this is largely what is believed by the average ‘man in the street’ who has little or no interest or understanding such matters. But for anyone with a modicum of knowledge of biblical theology the statements are, at best, incoherent and, at worst, untrue. There are many scriptures in the New Testament to affirm this, the best known being in St John’s Gospel in the Upper Room Discourse where, in response to a question from one of the Twelve Apostles (who still did not ‘get it’ after three years of discipleship), Christ states, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (All biblical quotations, NIV). Whether you believe or disbelieve it, this statement is clear, unambiguous, and directly contradicts what the Pope has stated to that group of youngsters.
FRANCIS, OR JESUS?
So, who are we to believe: Christ and the Bible, or Francis? If this is what the Pope truly believes – that there are many different paths to God – he is a Universalist not a Christian, and he has undermined one of the fundamental pillars of Christendom which is the uniqueness of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Perhaps a more generous view would be that he framed his remarks to please his audience, which it clearly did, a practice shared by many contemporary church leaders of all backgrounds.
Does it really matter? The answer is emphatically yes. Depart from this truth and the whole purpose and meaning of the Christian church collapses. Once any church or church leader loses sight of the gospel, as have many in the institutional churches today including the Church of England, then they become an embarrassing irrelevance no matter how great the cathedrals, how profound the rituals, or how glorious the choral music.
I have read a number of comments about this homily in the Catholic press, mainly rather dismissive and leaning towards ‘damage limitation’, but clearly many serious Catholics are concerned. Of course, nothing the Pope has said will change the official Catholic doctrine of salvation only through faith in Christ. However, there will be many ordinary people throughout the world who will accept this teaching as authoritative and true, particularly young people, such as those to whom he addressed these words. The Pope would appear not to understand that this is false teaching, contrary to established Catholic doctrine, or to use a stronger word it is heresy.
HERESY
In his first-century letter to the churches in Galatia, St Paul is utterly uncompromising in his language. Indeed, his comments would be regarded as highly offensive in today’s culture, so seriously did he regard this issue. The Galatian churches had been infiltrated by false teachers preaching ‘a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all’, and who were ‘trying to pervert the gospel of Christ’. He continues, ‘But even if we, or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.’ That is, no matter how authoritative the teacher may seem, if they are teaching a different gospel then they are enemies of God, just as St Paul was before his conversion. The Greek word Paul uses to describe them is ‘anathema’. A strong word indeed!
SHEEP’S CLOTHING
But it is not just St Paul who warns about false teachers. Christ himself, in the Sermon on the Mount, warns of false prophets. ‘They come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves’. What was true in the first century Galatia is, sadly, just as true today in the 21st century where there are many ‘church leaders’ from all backgrounds who have lost hold on the true gospel. I myself, with many others, believe that this is the chief reason for the moral disintegration of our country, but that is another issue.
Undoubtedly there will be those who strongly disagree with me, and who believe that it is disgraceful to criticise a Pope who is regarded as a spiritual descendent of St Peter.
If that is you, and if you are unfamiliar with Paul’s letter to the Galatians, then I suggest that you read the letter in full, especially chapter two. I guarantee that in it you will find a great surprise! Lest you think I write this in a partisan spirit (I admit am a Protestant Nonconformist Evangelical) I can assure you that I am equally critical of clergy and ministers in many (but not all) of the historical Protestant denominations who have similarly jettisoned the truths of the Bible. They do this in order to conform with societies’ values rather than the authentic gospel, presumably to seem more acceptable (woke). But the true gospel, preached fearlessly, will always cause division: it did so in the first century, and will do so in the 21st. * See footnote.
WHITE SMOKE?
I am surprised that the Catholic News Service published the video, and I notice that the comments section has been turned off. I get the feeling that many conservative Catholic believers are rather embarrassed by the current Pope who is no match for the wisdom of his predecessor and, given his age and infirmity, are looking forward to the white smoke emerging from the Vatican chimney. But will he be challenged, as St Paul challenged the false teachers in the first century? I doubt it.
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CHRISTIAN COMMENT
Pope Francis has made no secret of his belief in what, elsewhere in this Edition, we refer to as ‘Godism’. Francis perceives the Catholic Church as the ‘glue’ that will hold together all of the World’s religions and that in this manner the ‘great commission’ shall be fulfilled. In turn, this emerges from a Dominionist hermeneutic – essentially the belief that it is Mankind’s task to repair this fallen world, after which Christ will be allowed to return to it.
More on the philosophy of Godism, here, material freely downloadable: https://christian-publications-int.com/default-65.html
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* An inoffensive Gospel is no gospel at all: https://christiancomment.org/2022/05/01/an-inoffensive-gospel-is-no-gospel-at-all/
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