God… Faith… Jesus… Whatever?

“True religion is the worship of the true God, not the cult of false gods, who are just so many devils.”

— St. Augustine, City of God, Book IV, chapter 23 (London: Penguin Books, 1984 [tr. Henry Bettenson]), p. 163.

1) Is Jesus, as Catholics regard Him, God?

Yes.

2) Is God triune?

Yes.

3) Is belief in the triune God a condition for salvation, as Catholics understand it (ACUI)?

Yes.

4) Is rejection of the triune God grounds for damnation (ACUI)?

Yes.

5) Is Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah and the final prophet of God––that is, the Redeemer of Jews and the Savior of Gentiles (ACUI)?

Yes.

6) Is rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as a false Messiah and false prophet grounds for damnation (ACUI)?

Yes.

7) Is Jesus, as Jews and Muslims regard him, God?

No.

7) Is the God worshipped by Jews and Muslims triune?

No.

8) Is belief in a non-triune ‘Yahweh‘ or ‘Allah‘ a basis for salvation?

No.

9) Is acceptance to the Jewish or Islamic monadic God grounds for salvation?

No.

10) Is Jesus of Nazareth a false Messiah and a false Jewish Prophet–and therefore a phony Redeemer of Jews and a chimerical Savior of Gentiles?

No.

10) Is acceptance of false Messiahs and crucified Prophets grounds for salvation according to God’s “First (i.e., Mosaic) Covenant”?

No.

So…

To which of these questions do Jews, Catholics, and Muslims answer, “Yes,” and to which of them do they answer, “No”?

And to which God or gods are they praying when they give their answers?

+ + +

UNRELATED 1:

The Athanasian Creed

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Essence of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Essence of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood by God. One altogether; not by confusion of Essence; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

UNRELATED 2:

The Tridentine Creed

I, N, with a firm faith believe and profess each and everything which is contained in the Creed which the Holy Roman Church maketh use of. To wit:

I believe in one God, The Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father. By whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. He was also crucified for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, and who spoke through the prophets. And one holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I also admit the Holy Scripture according to that sense which our holy mother the Church hath held, and doth hold, to whom it belongeth to judge of the true sense and interpretations of the Scriptures. Neither will I ever take and interpret them otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers.

I also profess that there are truly and properly Seven Sacraments of the New Law, instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, and necessary for the salvation of mankind, though not all for every one; to wit, Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony; and that they confer grace; and that of these, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders cannot be reiterated without sacrilege.

I also receive and admit the received and approved ceremonies of the Catholic Church in the solemn administration of the aforesaid sacraments.

I embrace and receive all and every one of the things which have been defined and declared in the holy Council of Trent concerning original sin and justification.

I profess, likewise, that in the Mass there is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead; and that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially, the Body and Blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is made a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood, which conversion the Catholic Church calls Transubstantiation. I also confess that under either kind alone Christ is received whole and entire, and a true sacrament.

I constantly hold that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful. Likewise, that the saints, reigning together with Christ, are to be honoured and invoked, and that they offer prayers to God for us, and that their relics are to be venerated.

I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, of the Mother of God, ever virgin, and also of other Saints, ought to be had and retained, and that due honour and veneration is to be given them.

I also affirm that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the Church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Christian people.

I acknowledge the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church as the mother and mistress of all churches; and I promise true obedience to the Bishop of Rome, successor to St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Christ.

I likewise undoubtedly receive and profess all other things delivered, defined, and declared by the sacred Canons, and general Councils, and particularly by the holy Council of Trent, and by the ecumenical Council of the Vatican, particularly concerning the primacy of the Roman Pontiff and his infallible teaching. I condemn, reject, and anathematize all things contrary thereto, and all heresies which the Church hath condemned, rejected, and anathematized.

This true Catholic faith, outside of which no one can be saved, which I now freely profess and to which I truly adhere, inviolate and with firm constancy until the last breath of life, I do so profess and swear to maintain with the help of God. And I shall strive, as far as possible, that this same faith shall be held, taught, and professed by all those over whom I have charge. I, N, do so pledge, promise, and swear, so help me God and these Holy Gospels.

About The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

Catholic convert. Quasi-Zorbatic. Freelance interpreter, translator, and web marketer. Former ESL teacher in Taiwan (2003-2012) and former public high school teacher (2012-2014). Married father of three. Multilingual, would-be scholar, and fairly consistent fitness monkey. My research interests include: the interface of religion and science, the history and philosophy of science and technology, ancient and medieval philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience. Please pray for me.
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8 Responses to God… Faith… Jesus… Whatever?

  1. Saint Theodore says:

    The Athanasian Creed is read at the conclusion of an Exorcism. It should be evident that this is done because a distortion of the Triune God leads to spiritual sickness, and the only way to remedy that sickness is to reiterate the truth about the nature of God to one who has been overcome by the Evil One.

    Just because a person may be a Hindu, a Jew, or a Islamist does not protect them from that same sickness, I believe in fact, that it magnifies it.

    Who cannot look upon the our world at this moment and not see that the ONLY way to conquer the evil that has befallen us both outside and within the Church is by getting our own Creed “right”, and then doing as Christ commanded us, which is to go and preach it to the “ends of the Earth”.

  2. Um, I heartily agree, Theodore. Go Catholic or go home!

  3. Mary Griffin says:

    Elliott, it has been a long time since I’ve been here. I just wanted to comment on this post. Everything you write is technically correct here. There is just one problem – we cannot judge the heart of another human being. God is the ultimate judge of each one of us, and thank God for that. It is absolutely true that there is no salvation outside of the Church, but who is to say who is really a member of the Church. We can certainly say that the stated dogmas of other religions are wrong, and condemn the beliefs. But who is to say that God is not still working among the people in these religions?

    You are writing and thinking in black and white and coloring within all the lines. That is never how God works. You are a convert – do you think that when you were separated from the Church that God wasn’t working with you, and using the religion that you lived by at that time? You and I had the argument a couple of years ago about Pope Francis’ statement that God is not Catholic. The Catholic Church is certainly the true church founded by Jesus Christ, and it is the Church through which he works. But to say that God is Catholic, and that he can only work with those who are members of the Catholic Church is to put God in a tiny little box.

    Think about it.

    Pope Francis is a holy servant of the Lord, and I hope that someday you and all of your readers will see that.

  4. Franciscus is neither holy or a servant of the Lord. He is an AntiChrist who uses the Charity of Jesus against the Laws of Jesus to try and get the Bishops to approve Communion for Adulterers – among many there things.

    Franciscus is setting the Charity/Compassion/love of Jesus against His Laws (“keep my commandments”) and, thus he is guilty of serious sin in trying to divide Jesus to secure his own radical anti-Catholic agenda.

    Don’t know about you, but ABS expects, at minimum, that the Vicar of Christ won’t try and divide Him but, rather, bring the whole Christ to the world.

  5. c matt says:

    I think No. 7 may be incorrect, although i don’t know if that changes the outcome – if there is only one God, and Jews/Muslims profess to worship the one God, then the God they worship is triune, whether they know it or not. There is simply no other option as there is no other one God. However, they are mistaken in not recognizing His triune nature. And they still reject the other persons of the Trinity as a result, so they end up in the same pickle.

  6. c matt says:

    By the way, you have two number 7s. I was referring to the second number 7.

  7. c matt says:

    I don’t know if Francis is Anti-Christ, as in the Anti-Christ. Doubtful. However, he is the front-runner for prophet or precursor to the Anti-Christ. He certainly seems to have made it his mission to soften up Catholicdom for false teachings. I keep asking myself, if PF is not the precursor, what would the true precursor do differently? I got nuthin’ ….

  8. DECEMBER 6, 2017

    Charles Coulombe could have said that there are no physically visible cases of the baptism of desire
    Charles Coulombe theologically says that there is no baptism of desire but he could simply just say that there are no physically known cases of the baptism of desire in our reality.There is no known case of someone saved outside the Church. Physically we cannot see a person saved outside the Church as Pope Benedict XVI suggested we could in March 2016.Theoretically we can speculate on the baptism of desire but in real life there are none.
    He does not even mention this in the video.(6:20) Fr.Leonard Feeney was not teaching heresy since there are no visible cases of the baptism of desire.It does not exist in our reality for it to be relevant or an exception to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus(EENS).
    Charles Coulombe wrote a book on the baptism of desire but did not know that there are no physical cases ? Without physical cases there can be no exceptions to EENS.
    (10.22) Fr.Leonard Feeney was not asked to recant since the Holy Office 1949 and the archbishop of Boston Richard Cushing had made the error.They presumed that there were physically visible cases of the baptism of desire, as if they could meet and shake hands with someone saved outside the Church.
    He was silenced but not answered since the Magisterium had no answer.The Magisterium had made a mistake.-Lionel Andrades

    The Truth about Fr. Feeney (SPECIAL UNCUT EDITION)

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