Nostra Aetate - The Coexisting Lie
The thing making the rounds on social media today are the words of the current Pope who reiterated the long-standing belief, among the Roman Catholic community, that seekers of all spiritual backgrounds are drawn to the cross of Christ even through their unchristian religious traditions. The RC church teaches that the “plan of salvation” includes all people, regardless of their religious affiliation. And that these other gods are other paths to the same God, Jesus Christ. They see all forms of spirituality as a means of grace, “rays of the same Truth” they call it. This idea is known as Nostra Aetate which was approved by the Vatican fathers in Vatican II and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965. And in just a few generations we can see how this one doctrinal shift has completely transformed the religious Christian landscape, and not for the better. You might say this one change has pushed Christianity over the edge of the abyss. And now we're seeing the results of that shift.
This notion has largely focused upon the historic relationship that Judaism and Christianity share. It's what I would call, "common ground". Approaching each other on common ground, not majoring on the minors. An example of the means of grace, something I truly take to heart and believe among the various sects of Christendom. But that said this new tradition has been taken to an extreme that goes away from the means of grace and dives right into the deep end of the pool of idolatry and apostasy. It may not be intended for this to happen, but it immediately does. And it does this because people are fickle and always vulnerable to the schemes and deceptions of Satan.
Let's take a closer look at this teaching. To begin with I'm going to immediately give my perspective which I believe is also in line with God's nature...check out these instances where God speaks about the severity of his wrath towards any semblance of false hope being offered up in prayer, or compromised teachings and profane protestations being sermonized before the world in his name.
Leviticus 10:1-3
Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:
“‘Among those who approach me
I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.’”
Aaron remained silent.
My comments:
Aaron didn't end up arguing for ecumenism among the post-pagan people who had recently come out of Egypt and who still carried their false gods and traditions in their minds and hearts. Aaron didn't try to make a space in the worship program for these false prayers. Aaron remained silent.
God destroyed these false teachers for offering up false prayers under false pretenses. He condemned them for taking his name in vain.
The crime?
Cosmic treason.
They committed a capital offense against God's grace. And this bears out the idea that God is not so ecumenical when it comes to marrying foreign gods and traditions with righteous worship.
Jeremiah 15:19 (AMP)
Therefore, thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah], “If you repent [and give up this mistaken attitude of despair and self-pity], then I will restore you [to a state of inner peace] So that you may stand before Me [as My obedient representative]; And if you separate the precious from the worthless [examining yourself and cleansing your heart from unwarranted doubt concerning My faithfulness], You will become My spokesman. Let the people turn to you [and learn to value My values]— But you, you must not turn to them [with regard for their idolatry and wickedness]
My comments:
God makes it plain that we who are in the business of evangelism, worship, and teaching God's word, are not to be turning towards, in any regard to the idolatrous people and their traditions. We are to separate ourselves from the worthless witness and lean only on the precious words of life that comes from God's word alone. God's word makes that very clear, time after time.
Friends,
God isn't grading on the curve.
Unfortunately, the reality is people get accustomed to God's grace. People are at first amazed by his grace, and even the second or third time around they remain thrilled by his mercy and compassion, but soon they come to demand it. Eventually they expect it in all situations regardless the circumstances. No matter the sin, no matter the false gods and all their many compromises, God is EXPECTED to give grace and hear the prayers of every one of every faith so long as they have some semblance of truth or wisdom somewhere in their teachings.
These recent Catholic teachings posit the idea that they are merely taking the good and leaving the bad. Now this is something I can appreciate. This idea is something I live by. I apply this take, the "take the good leave the bad" approach, to many aspects of my own life. It's how any Christian person is able to cope within a world order that is largely corrupted by sin and deception. But I do have a problem with this approach in regard to matters of faith. I do draw a line when we step into matters faith and Truth and when using God's grace for vain purposes.
Some things you just don't monkey around with for the sake of compassion. Some things cannot be compromised no matter how well meaning the intent. And this isn't my opinion, this is Gods command. God makes no compromise when it comes to idolatry and the many false gods people worship.
Yes, God is compassion and mercy. Yes, God sends his children in a spirit of ecumenism to all nations. But God does not mean for those nations to be told that they can keep their idolatrous traditions and beliefs in order to catch them for Christ by the hopes of some means of osmosis, or familiarity.
The Bible teaches both the Christian and the Jew, "Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” (1 Timothy 5:18a).
So, what is this new Catholic doctrine really saying?
Are they muzzling the Christian teachers and preachers when they are ministering to Muslims, Hindi, Buddhists, and others?
What is the point of evangelism after all?
Jesus predicted what would happen to his followers who professed his Word, he said something very sobering, but also very encouraging. He said (in Luke 21:12–13), "They will lay their hands on you and persecute you...This will be a time for you to bear testimony."
Testimony to what? To other gods and traditions?
So, look at the testimonies of Paul, Peter, Timothy and so many others. These men faced many religious traditions in their evangelism work. Was there an accidental evangelism incorporated into their approach, or were they intentional in their approach? Paul came close in Athens when he argued that the unknown god, that they worshipped there, was actually Jesus Christ. Close but not quite, because he did indeed bring it home by insisting that Jesus Christ is the one true God. He didn't program an ecumenical prayer before the whole Athenian congregation that mingled prayers to Athena or any of the many other gods the Greeks worshiped.
I believe the RC church leadership has failed to recognize just how important this subject is in regard to God's character. They seem to have missed the example of the entire history of Israel being filled with instance after instance of total destruction of their faith and their nation at the hands of foreign followers of false gods. This notion that following Mohammed, Buddha, Zoroaster, or any number of the thousands of their other iterations will somehow lead one accidentally into the presence of Jesus Christ is unbiblical nonsense. And more importantly it angers God to no end.
So, what are we to do with this?
The Christian is expected by this same God to forgive the sins of others, others who have repented of their sin. The doctrine of mercy and grace is not extended to the unrepentant. This doctrine of Universalism is not the doctrine of grace in its fullest form. It misses the mark by bypassing righteousness that is only found in Jesus Christ. The false traditions of pagan gods are not accidentally getting things right because they practice certain traditions that please God. Why do I say that? Because they aren't directing that tradition to the One True God, they're intending it be heard by another. And God wants no other gods before him.
This doctrine of the Nostra Aetate path only ever approaches the horizontal beam of Christ's cross and avoids the vertical path. And because of this embrace of humanity first and foremost, the Holy Spirit cannot come into play in the grasping of the hearts and minds of those who are coming into this mingled congregation. Instead, the earthbound demonic deception creeps in and says,
"let's mingle in a modified fire into the incense prayer offering, and together we'll greatly increase God's grace."
"Sounds good right? "
Mankind---trying to spread God's grace farther and better than God has extended it. They make themselves gods and the arbiters of his grace and mercy.
Prayer:
Father, deliver us from the evil one and the many temptations to sin in your name and in our worship.