Pope calls Muslims 'brothers' at Dome of the Rock

[other one]

hummmm,   I really hadn't thought of it that way....

[MorningGlory]

He is a good guy that Pope and what the world needs right now in an example if humility and acceptance of other faiths as also important. Imagine how many lives his actions might save in that simple gesture if it catches on and Christians and Muslims cease fighting with each other in places like Africa.

 

Muslims accept NO other faith as 'brothers', regardless of how they lie about it and buttering their Islamic parsnips won't prevent a single killing.  We are not called to be brothers to nonbelievers either.  As for the Pope, his actions are becoming more and more universalist and less and less those of a Christian.

[Qnts2]

 

 

From a strict fundamental interpretation of scriptures, those who are born again by faith alone in Jesus alone are brothers. Anyone else who does not fit that category are also brothers but not the same family. So basically, there are two families of brothers.

 

I don't know to which family the Pope is a member. He might be right when he says Muslims are his brothers.    

 

Scriptural support for the view that unbelievers are brothers please.

 

Qnts was being sarcastic on that last line.  "his brothers"   not, "our brothers."

 

I can't find an icon for 'tongue in cheek'. Before the graphic icons, it used to be something like     :-^)         (Turn head to the left to see icon before there were graphic icons.)

 

[GoldenEagle]

 

His own theology demonstrates it.  He says that atheists can do  good and go to heaven.  He says that one cannot be a Christian without the Roman Church.

 

 

One cannot be a devout Roman Catholic AND be a genuine follower of Jesus because RCC theology precludes it.  The Gospel preached in the NT is not in RCC theology.

 

No disagreement that the Pope's theology in many areas is at best questionable.

That said there are other Christian denominations that claim you can't be a Christian without their particular church. Church of Christ comes to mind off the top of my head. Are all of Church of Christ members not genuine followers of Jesus too?

While I disagree with a lot of RCC theology I do not know the hearts of the probably 1 billion people (as of Dec 2012 see below). To me, Catholics can be Christians. But not all Christians are Catholic. This in red is a very harsh statement that you have no way of backing.

 

• 2.2 billion Christians (32 percent of the world’s population).

• 1.6 billion Muslims (23 percent).

• 1 billion Hindus (15 percent.

• 500 million Buddhists (7 percent).

• 400 million people (6 percent) practicing various folk or traditional religions, including African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, American Indian religions and Australian aboriginal religions.

 

There are 14 million Jews, and an estimated 58 million people — slightly less than 1 percent of the global population – belong to other religions, including the Baha’i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Tenrikyo, Wicca and Zoroastrianism, “to mention just a few,” the study says.

 

About half of all Christians in the world are Catholic, 37 percent are part of the Protestant tradition, 12 percent are Orthodox Greek or Russian.

 

The largest population of Christians (243 million) is found, incidentally, in the United States, followed by Brazil, Mexico, Russia, the Philippines, Nigeria and China.

 

Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/dec/23/84-percent-world-population-has-faith-third-are-ch/

 

 

God bless,

GE

[Guest]

PC

RCC

Anabaptist

Muslim By Birth

Or Even Russian Orthodox

All Have One Amazing Thing In Common

 

When They Believe

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

 

They Are Mishpacha,

 

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:7

 

Family

 

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6

[Guest shiloh357]

No disagreement that the Pope's theology in many areas is at best questionable.

 

His theology isn't just questionable.   His theology is not rooted in Scripture at all.  He hails from South America where Liberation theology was his root ideaology.  it is a socialist ideologoy that essentially claims that poverty is an injustice and rich nations need to bail out (liberate) poor nations.

 

That said there are other Christian denominations that claim you can't be a Christian without their particular church. Church of Christ comes to mind off the top of my head. Are all of Church of Christ members not genuine followers of Jesus too?

 

The Church of Christ argues that not only do you have to be baptized to be saved, but that unless you are baptized in one of their churches, you are not a Christian.  They preach a different gospel just as the RCC preaches a different (false) gospel.  Both argue for salvation via one's personal effort/merit.   So no, I don't think if a person is devoutly following those ideologies that a person can find genuine salvation in either group. 

 

While I disagree with a lot of RCC theology I do not know the hearts of the probably 1 billion people (as of Dec 2012 see below). To me, Catholics can be Christians.

 

There may be Christians among the Catholics  namely because some genuine Christians want to marry a Catholic and so convert to that denomination, but a person raised in Catholocism and is a devout Catholic is most likely not a genuine believer.   You cannot get the true Gospel in Catholic theology because It is not rooted in the Bible, but in what their magisterial leaders teach them about the Bible.   The Bible is the least authoritative part of RCC theology.  The Bible means what their magisterial leaders say it means.

[OneLight]

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 13:22-30

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

There will be many who believe they are following the truth, only to find that they were not. Stand on the words of God only, adding nothing to His words not take anything away from His words.