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in the Catholic Mystic Tradition

Questions and Answers

But aren’t all religions the same?

Outline of the Answer
• Simplicity
• If You Love Him, Keep His Commandments
• The Enlightened Philosopher
• The Prophet
• The Doubter
• The Adulterer
• The Gold Digger
• Confusion
• The Christian Obligation

   
If you believe that Jesus Christ is God—“the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in Being with the Father”[1]—then no other religion can be equal to Christianity. It’s that simple.

 
If You Love Him, Keep His Commandments

Christ told us flatly, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). So it doesn’t count for much to say that you “respect” Jesus—and then go about your life as you want it to be. For as Saint John reminds us, “Whoever says, ‘I know Him’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar” (1 John 2:4). And one of Christ’s commandments is to celebrate the Eucharist, a uniquely Christian obligation.

In today’s world, with its “politically correct” desire for cultural diversity, it can be controversial to discuss this issue. But the truth is, there can be no unity except in truth—the one truth—and those who advocate “diversity” are enemies of the truth. So, let’s look at this all from a common-sense perspective. (And, in an attempt to stay out of trouble, I won’t name names.) 

 
The Enlightened Philosopher

In the Orient, a religion (which is really a philosophy centered on a psychological technique) was started by a man who received “enlightenment” while sitting under a tree. Although his ideas make psychological sense, his philosophy is a natural philosophy with nothing in it that must be “believed.” This is why so many individuals in this country who have turned away from God—especially because of anger at God—turn to such a system: it’s easy, and there is nothing to believe in. But in the psychological sense, what does it mean to believe in? Well, in the words of the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, we “believe in beings in so far as they are able to say something.” [2] And what is Christianity all about but the Word of God speaking to us, saying something very, very important? That Word is the core of all belief—and all love. So with nothing to believe in, there’s really no love, no God, nothing at all.

 
The Prophet

Then there is another religion founded by a prophet several hundred years after Christ. This man not only denied the divinity of Jesus but also claimed that he himself was a greater prophet than Jesus. Moreover, whereas Jesus told His followers to bless their enemies, this man personally had his enemies killed. So how can a religion that is really a Christian heresy be equal to Christianity?

 
The Doubter

Then there is the man who so doubted his salvation in Christ that he felt compelled to form his own church whereby he could declare, by his own annunciation, the certainty of his salvation. And from his initiative came dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of others, each with his own certain, self-annunciated path to truth. But when all roads lead anywhere, you’re right in the middle of nowhere. So, in trying to assure our own salvation, we end up assuring only our own . . . well, you decide.

 
The Adulterer

Then there is the king who wanted a divorce from his barren wife so he could marry his mistress. When the Pope denied him, he formed his own church whereby he divorced his wife, married his mistress, and then murdered his wife (well, he executed her—he was a king after all, and kings often think of themselves as gods). So imagine: would you want to entrust the care of your soul to a church that was founded on the principles of pride, adultery, divorce, and murder?

 
The Gold Digger

Then there is the man who dug up some golden tablets in America which revealed the “complete” truth about God that allegedly wasn’t revealed in Jesus’ own ministry in His own land with His own Apostles. So you go figure. If this guy was right, then Christ had to have lied to—or deceived—all of us. And if that’s the case, who would want to worship a liar? So if the tablets are right, then they must be wrong.

 
Confusion

Confusing? Then, according to simple common sense, let’s stop this foolishness and return to the truth.

 
The Christian Obligation

Remember that no matter how misguided others may be, the Christian obligation is to live in peace with everyone (Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27–36). Sadly enough, there have been many instances through the ages when so-called Christians did not keep Christ’s own holy commands. Such failures point to the fact that misguided individuals can be found everywhere, no matter what religion they claim to follow.

Also, realize that God does not withhold His saving grace from anyone. Although some religions and sects lead their followers astray by cutting themselves off from many of God’s graces or even by flouting His laws, it is always possible that any individual will see through the darkness of fear and ignorance and follow the light of true prayer to learn to do God’s will.

 

Who wrote this web page?
 

Notes

1. See the Nicene Creed. The English word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means, “I believe.” Thus the creed specifies all essential beliefs about the Christian faith. The Nicene Creed is also known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed; it was composed and refined during the ecumenical Councils of Nicea and Constantinople in the early fourth century.
 
2. Jacques Lacan, “Seminar of 21 January 1975.” In Mitchell, J. & Rose, J. (Eds.), Feminine Sexuality: Jacques Lacan and the école freudienne (New York: W. W. Norton [paperback], 1985). See p. 169.
 
 


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