On the Catholic Church, Mormonism, Islam, Liberalism and Christianity Without Love

Cuba embraced Christianity for the first time publicly with The Pope of the Catholics Church's first visit to the country in decades.

I want to share with everyone a conversation I recently had with a Christian band, because I think the conversation is an important one.

I have removed all references to the band, because I don’t want to sow seeds of opposition to them, when said band does good work for the kingdom of God; however with some cavaets. Read below to see my views on other religions, denominations and on Christianity that is lacking in love; the highest commandment above all from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

-Following accusations that those opposed to this band’s views were “hating” as Jesus was hated, an absurd statement-

Me: No one is hating anybody. I’m simply saying your priorities are wrong. Although you seem to hate the Catholic church, whereas I say I hate the Catholic Church but love the Catholic, and those (the Pope included) who move people towards Christ.

Jesus on the Cross at the Crucifixion; Your personal Lord and Savior

And I pray that all Catholics come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and that they will come to their senses regarding the teachings of the Catholic Church (however that is MY opinion, and they hold their own deep-seated and proud opinions that they are correct and I am wrong. And they will sight Biblical verse to do so. As all verses can be interpreted or construed to fit many views).

But if someone holds to those Catholic teachings or if those teachings are what is keeping a person in church, I respect that. I’d rather a person be following Catholism, than abandoning Christ.

Regardless, none of that Catholic teaching devalues the FACT that the Catholic church preaches the teachings of Christ alongside their own rules, traditions and agenda.

And that needs to be applauded because there is power in the teachings of Christ, no matter if it comes from the homeless drunkard in the street, a reformed murderer (like Saul/Paul) or the Pope himself. Whether they elevate Mary to the status of Jesus or not will be judged by God alone, that is not our judgement to make.

Hatred for the Catholic church does no one any good, and you should instead be concentrating that like a laser on the only one who is deserving of hatred; Satan. For even our enemies are not to be hated, but instead to be loved and prayed for.

THAT is Biblical teaching, hatred of our Catholic brothers is not. No matter how much you disagree with their ideology.

From me in response to @Csaba (who said they would now throw out all of this band’s music): There are a lot WORSE bands and music out there. What I just said about the Catholic church also applies to [this band], the light of Christ and the power of God is in this music, but it gets deluded by the shadows of this band’s opinion.

I’d say the second Famine record (The Architects of Guilt) went into much of the same territory, but went much further and in an even worse way than [this band], because he, unlike them from their second album, is not ashamed to talk about Christ or quote the Bible or use it as a framework for his songs.

Like with the Catholic church itself, you can listen and love without having to agree on every point. You can find the good and common ground in it where the good exists, and parse out the biases or misleading teachings without throwing out or disgracing the whole (this is the same view I take on Mormons, Jehova Witnesses and Muslims, although their ideologies and beliefs are much more worthy of combating than that of Catholism).

Everyone on this earth has a God-given brain, and people can recognize bias or wrongheaded teachings when they hear them. Likewise people can hear the Truth, and choose to accept it or reject it. Whether they do or not is ultimately not your choice to decide. It is their’s and their’s alone.

President Obama choose to swear in on Abraham Lincoln's Bible, like all President's before him allegiance is sworn on the Holy Bible, as an authority above self and government

This is why the American media has such a low respect and trust from the American public. The media and liberals would have you believe that America was NOT founded on the teachings of the Bible and that the government does should not embrace or accept God, when “In God Our Trust” is on our coinage, the Creator is embeded in the first line of our founding document, the Ten Commandments are painted above the Supreme Court, Congressional sessions are begun with a prayer, the White House used to double as a church, and the President is sworn in with his hands placed on a Bible. i.e. logic dictates that the truth is the opposite of what liberals and Athiests are espousing, and people recognize that those who do so have their own bias and agenda in the face of reality.

The more important FACT is that [this band] still speaks positively about Christ and the Bible, and that is far more important than his feelings towards the Catholic church and his dogma regarding the Book of Revelation.

Awesome artwork, the ever-present war between Heaven and Hell

[Someone I know] is much the same way, and in many ways he has completely isolated himself to others. But that doesn’t negate the fact that he loves Christ, and loves God. It just means that his ability to love others is severely diminished, because [he] would never dare step foot in a Catholic church (Much less a Muslim, Mormon, Jehova’s Witness, etc. place of worship), and is more likely to curse the Pope than welcome him with a “thank you Brother for spreading the gospel” hug.

Now you tell me which is worse in God’s eyes, hug or hate? Everyone knows the answer. Because even the Satanist would be deserving of that hug in God’s eyes, much less The Pope.

Respect those of other faiths or views without agreeing with them, and embrace those that bring the lost into God’s kingdom (even if you disagree with them). Period.

Me replying to a severely offended Protestant turned Catholic angry at [this band]: I believe like I said, that you can find truth and love even in non-Biblical words. The most important thing however even beyond love is Christ and His view on Salvation (that Salvation cannot be obtained absent Him).

His views on Love pertain even to people of other religions, MUCH LESS to our fellow brothers in Christ in denominations that largely run parallel or perpendicular to our own (I’d say Catholism runs perpendicular, Mormonism runs Parallel).

As Newt Gingrich said, another Protestant turned Catholic, there is a POWER in the traditions of the Catholic Church. Now I may not agree wholeheartedly with that statement, but I can respect it and I can respect that this person was moved closer to God and closer to Christ because of that Catholic tradition.

Who am I to judge His interaction with God? That is not my place and we are called to NOT judge. To do so is breaking the very commandments we say we hold dear. I believe that God can use traditions to draw people to Him just as he can use other things to do so (like say metal or rap music).

Anyone who thinks that God is like a human, and can only reach people through ONE way of thinking, is ridiculous and utterly absurd in my humble view. C.S. Lewis is famous for saying that fantasy, which many Christian people find “demonic”, opens ones eyes to the fantastical nature of God. This is the guy that wrote Mere Christianity and the Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia and many other works.

I don’t think you can disagree that he is a Christian, and the world is a better off place because he used fictional fantasy that didn’t seperate itself from God; without driving away those of non-faith in Christ who read his printed words and entered his fictional realms.

Maybe doing so lead them to Christ? If you hold the former view I was speaking of, that means YOU are putting God in a box. When this is the Being that is solely responsible for the creation of the universe, how further above our thinking is His above ours, and His mercy so great that we cannot fathom.

And you dare to fight in opposition of someone’s coming to Christ simply because it came from a place you disagree with? Lost sheep are our focus, energy wasted on infighting within those who ultimately bow at the feet of Jesus is borderline blasphemous, and should be utterly rejected.

I pray for those who disagree, because they are sowing seeds of division in an increasingly divided world, and are no help to the Kingdom of God; instead they are defiling the Great Commission on its face. To say that’s a crying shame is the king of all understatements.

If we have the power to work and speak out against it, we should. And to that end, I pray you take something positive away from what I just said.

Thanks to SimonBisley for the awesome Jesus artwork.