Re: I'm not Kevin, but....

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: : ...who is surprised by this? Every organized religion, with codified rules that they believe come from God, thinks others are missing out on the "true way," otherwise their rules are forfeit.. Or at least, it puts their divine origin in question. : : The CC here is just stating an obvious point that I think would be implicit in ANY religion; Everybody thinks their team is the best. : : Granted, this notion of "We're the chosen ones, and NOT YOU" remains largely unspoken, but it exists in every religion. Us jews are taught that we are God's chosen people; so much so that we DON'T WANT converts. : : Well, I should say "they," not "we." I'm not exactly a practicing jew. I cannot beliee in a diety who would make a world where bacon exists, and tell his favorite people not to eat it. : : Although, I personally feel that arguing whose religion is "correct" is tantamount to getting into a fist fight in 1st grade over "whose imaginary friend is better." I think ANYBODY who gathers in groups to chant to nothing is silly. : : I also think its funny that a guy who makes a movie with a demon formed from the poop of the crucified getting shpritzed with flower spray by a quiet drug-dealer is somehow now somebody who has to weigh in on every formal statement the Church makes. : Yeah, it's hilarious that I asked. : : : What do you think of all of this? : : : *** : : : Tuesday September 5 9:09 AM ET : : : Vatican Says No Religion Equals Roman Catholicism : : : Reuters Photo : : : : : : By Philip Pullella : : : VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Tuesday rejected the concept that other religions could be equal to Roman Catholicism and ordered its theologians not to manipulate what it called the truth of the faith. : : : The Vatican's restatement of its position was outlined in a complex theological document, the English title of which was ''Declaration The Lord Jesus -- On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church.'' : : : The document repeated Church teachings that non-Christians were in a ``gravely deficient situation'' regarding salvation and that other Christian churches had ``defects,'' partly because they did not recognize the primacy of the Pope. : : : The 36-page document, which was bound to spark fresh debate, was prepared by the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope John Paul. : : : It said the clarification and restatement of the official Catholic position was necessary to contest ``relativistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism'' as a principle rather than a de facto practice. : : : Revelation Of Christ : : : It said only the revelation of Jesus Christ was ``definitive and complete.'' Asserting that Christian revelation could be complementary to that found in other religions was ``contrary to the Church's faith.'' : : : The document was addressed primarily to Catholic theologians but it appeared destined to spark dialogue on all levels with other Christian Churches and with non-Christians. : : : At a news conference to present the document, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's doctrinal head, said some theologians were ``manipulating and going beyond the limits'' of tolerance when they put all religions on the same plane. : : : Ratzinger said this did not reflect what he called ``an objective and universal truth.'' : : : Walking a theological tightrope, the document said the ''Church of Christ'' was present and operative in other Christian Churches today. : : : But, in the Vatican's view, it subsists fully in the Roman Catholic Church because the Pope is the successor to St Peter, whom Christ named as his first vicar on Earth. Papal primacy was divinely willed, it said. : : : ``Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him,'' it said. : : : ``Defects'' Of Other Churches : : : Some other Christian churches, while not in ``perfect union,'' remained united to Catholics by close bonds, it said. : : : ``The Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the primacy, which, according to the will of God, (the Pope) objectively has and exercises over the entire Church,'' it said. : : : While other Christian churches ``suffer from defects,'' the document said they had not been deprived of what it called ''significance and importance in the mystery of salvation.'' : : : But it was the Catholic Church which possessed and had been entrusted with ``the fullness of grace and truth.'' : : : It said because Christ was the Son of God, non-Christians were at a disadvantage regarding salvation. : : : ``The truth of faith does not lessen the sincere respect which the Church has for the religions of the world, but at the same time, it rules out...a religious relativism which leads to the belief that 'one religion is as good as another','' it said. : : : ``If it is true that followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.''

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