Ross Douthat via the National Catholic Register:
Romney in particular, is a vindication of my premise. Mormonism is the defining American heresy. I think of it as a heresy of Christianity — partly to avoid the debate that Evangelicals have about whether Mormons are Christian or not. Instead, you can say, yes, they are Christian, but it’s a heretical form of Christianity that dissents from the scripturally-based consensus of the early Church.
I quite enjoyed his book “Bad Religion”, but the debate about Mormons being Christians is certainly not just an Evangelical one.
| Question: Wheter the baptism conferred by the community «The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints», called «Mormons» in the vernacular, is valid.Response: Negative.
The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, approved the present Response, decided in the Sessione Ordinaria of this Congregation, and ordered it published. From the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 5 June 2001.
+ Joseph Cardinal RATZINGER Prefect |
Baptism is the sacrament of Christian initiation. Like Islam it is certainly fair to classify Mormonism as a heresy that grew out of the Christian faith and melded other elements. But you might as well classify Muslims as Christians if you are going to have such a loose definition of what constitutes being a Christian. The virtues that many Mormons display is commendable, but it does not turn polytheism into Trinitarian Christianity.
“Ecumenical dialogue is dialogue between Christians. Dialogue with Mormons who represent official LDS teaching is interreligious dialogue.” – Fr. Richard John Newhaus
4 comments
I wonder if this desire to soften the distinctions among religious faiths is a remnant of the pre-vatican II notion that all non Catholics go to hell. In other words, it seems that in some people’s minds saying that someone is not a Christian is equivalent to saying that they are bad people and we know many non Christians who are good people, hence the difficulty.
Any thoughts?
BISHOP GERHARD MULLER NEEDS TO ACCEPT VATICAN COUNCIL II WHICH INDICATES ALL LUTHERANS NEED TO CONVERT FOR SALVATION
http://eucharistandmission.blogspot.it/2012/07/bishop-gerhard-muller-needs-to-accept.html#links
Lionel,
The article does not say that Bishop Gerhard Muller said Lutherans don’t need to convert, so someone is doing a bit of speculation.
As for being Catholic being a requirement for escaping Hell, that has never been the Catholic faith. The Churches position is that we simply don’t know if any outside the Catholic Church are saved (other than catecumens who die before being baptized), so anyone outside is in grave danger of Hell. Also, if the Catholic Church did not exist, no-one would be saved.
Many early Church Fathers thought Socrates is in Heaven, and even Augustine wondered “how many sheep are outside, how many wolves within” (see http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1701045.htm ).
As far as scripture is concerned, Jesus stated in Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”. So Jesus purposely leaves even the requirement for baptism ambiguous. Had Jesus wanted to ensure people know who was definitely out of heaven, he should have at minimum stated “he who is not baptized will be condemned”. If Jesus himself doesn’t even tell us if the unbaptized are hell bound, how can can we assume that all Protestants are hell bound?
Vatican II states exactly this nuance (although I don’t like the way it expressed since it makes it sound like we are certain that conversion is always optional).
Despite this communication from the Majesterium, I do not see the point. After all, according to you, Protestantism is a “heretical form of Christianity”. And if you are trying to promote a hairsplitting distinction between “a heretical form” and “a heresy from…”… then don’t come whining to me when people DON’T UNDERSTAND what the Belgium you are talking about.
I go through this with neon-pagans who think they are making some tremendous point by insisting on writing “Xtian”.