I see. Thank you for clarifying. I had not been thinking along those lines.
As I see it, with so many factions, Christianity as a formal religious structure is already fractured so anything that can unify it is worth pursuing. Of course each of the shards wants to be dominant so it's a pipe dream on my part. But all dialogue is good so I support it.
I here you and I understand what you are saying.
I agree that we need to get along and be friendly, but the question is actually what if some of those who profess Christianity actually deny certain fundamentals or essentials of the faith?
Remember what God said in Mattew 7:21-23........
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
You see, today we are bombarded with people and organizations who reference the name of Jesus Christ and even state He is Lord and Savior, yet clearly reject what the Bible says about Him and the basics of the Christian faith.
Obvious examples of this are
Mormons and
Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Universalists who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ and claim to be “Christian” yet deny what the Bible declares concerning Christ’s nature and work.
Now we are discussing the relationship or ecumenical position of the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant church.
I believe that you are aware that there are
substantial differences between the two groups.
Allow me to say with all due respect to any Catholic reading this that
Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism are two different religions that practice and believe different things about the essentials of the faith we call Christianity.
We are seperated on how one is saved, the authority of the Bible, the priesthood of believers, the nature of man, the work of Christ on the cross, the Veneration of Mary, the Immaculate conception of Mary and original sin.
The list of irreconcilable differences between what the Bible says and what the Roman Catholic Church says make any joint mission between the two impossible.
Those who deny this are not being true to what they say they believe, no matter which side they are on. Any Catholic who is serious about his faith will reject what a serious evangelical Christian believes, and vice-versa.
Does that mean we should not be friends.........NO! One of my best friends lives next door to me for the last 25 years. and he is a Catholic. We fish together and watch football together and go to restaurants together but we do not attend church together.
