XUSCR said:

---

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/212-pope-francis-does-god-will-many-religions-cardinal/id689871918?i=1000429640509&mt=2

Highly recommend listening to this podcast if you have time. The first 30 minutes is sufficient to hear a somewhat dramatic but theologically defensible assessment of Francis's statement on religious pluralism. They also get into a response from at least one Cardinal that not so subtly points the "heresy" finger at Francis. This is serious stuff in the RCC.

TLDR: Francis's statement is heretical.

PS - Taylor Marshall is a Catholic convert from Episcopalianism. He earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Dallas with his dissertation titled "Thomas Aquinas on Natural Law and the Twofold Beatitude of Humanity." I think he was an Episcopalian priest. And he's an Ag.

---

Converting to Catholic from Episcopalian-isn't that like taking one short sidestep?

The main way I could imagine a single denomination Christianity is if Christians became so persecuted that we all huddled together despite doctrinal differences and over the course of time, they became less diverse. That doesn't include islam though.

The early Church was heavily persecuted and still had the Gnostics, manichaens, and Marcionites. Those are heretical, but many denominations see others the same way. So I don't necessarily think everyone falls into line under the weight of persecution.

"If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
John 20:23

That seems very scriptural to me.....

I suppose that's my point..outside of the heretics who messed up the most basic tenet of Christianity (The Trinity), they all basically sang the same tune. I'm not thinking we'll have ecumenical talks with the Mormons, but look at the response when the little church in Texas was shot to pieces. No one was talking about denominations then..we were all simply brothers and sisters in Christ. You don't think we'd all huddle under the same roof for safety if needed? and that over time that would cause less division?

swimmerbabe11 said:

---

I suppose that's my point..outside of the heretics who messed up the most basic tenet of Christianity (The Trinity), they all basically sang the same tune. I'm not thinking we'll have ecumenical talks with the Mormons, but look at the response when the little church in Texas was shot to pieces. No one was talking about denominations then..we were all simply brothers and sisters in Christ. You don't think we'd all huddle under the same roof for safety if needed? and that over time that would cause less division?

---

I guess the question would be, however, who is more likely to come together in "communion"? From a pragmatic standpoint, maybe the Orthodox, Catholic, Oriental, and Anglican trees of churches. That accounts for about 70-75% of Christians worldwide. Next would be some mainline protestant denominations being brought into the fold, first those with an episcopal polity.

This is a bit of pragmatic speculation though.

Let me put it this way. I don't think even massive persecution would drive a fundamental Baptist into a Catholic service, for instance. For all that they are both "mainline Christians", they may as well be different religions.

Now I think you'd probably get a little consolidation like CoC and Southern Baptist, Anglican and Catholic, etc, but I think some divides are too big to gap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism

swimmerbabe11 said:

---

I suppose that's my point..outside of the heretics who messed up the most basic tenet of Christianity (The Trinity), they all basically sang the same tune. I'm not thinking we'll have ecumenical talks with the Mormons, but look at the response when the little church in Texas was shot to pieces. No one was talking about denominations then..we were all simply brothers and sisters in Christ. You don't think we'd all huddle under the same roof for safety if needed? and that over time that would cause less division?

---

I think in this scenario what you'd end up with are a bunch of isolated little pockets that would evolve from that point on their own. Kind of like when Australia split off from the other landmasses and produced all these weird animals, I think you'd find some platypus versions of Christianity turning up here and there that over time wouldn't resemble each other at all.

Crazy stuff going on in the Middle East, wish all sides would make peace with Jared's deal and let Israel build the 3rd temple....... just to see what happens.

Ordhound04 said:

---

swimmerbabe11 said:

---

I suppose that's my point..outside of the heretics who messed up the most basic tenet of Christianity (The Trinity), they all basically sang the same tune. I'm not thinking we'll have ecumenical talks with the Mormons, but look at the response when the little church in Texas was shot to pieces. No one was talking about denominations then..we were all simply brothers and sisters in Christ. You don't think we'd all huddle under the same roof for safety if needed? and that over time that would cause less division?

---

I guess the question would be, however, who is more likely to come together in "communion"? From a pragmatic standpoint, maybe the Orthodox, Catholic, Oriental, and Anglican trees of churches. That accounts for about 70-75% of Christians worldwide. Next would be some mainline protestant denominations being brought into the fold, first those with an episcopal polity.

This is a bit of pragmatic speculation though.

---

You haven't been following the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement over the past 30 years have you? There are something like 300 to 500 million of these both in both Protestant and Catholic confessions.

As a long time Southern Baptist I've seen individual churches split so often it's like watching a Lava Lamp. The United Methodists are about to split like an amoeba.

So where is this magical church that's supposed to bring all these people together? IMHO if a committee of the best minds on the planet gets together on the top this weekend we might see a result from them....in about 500 years.

I also haven't ever seen even a Sunday school class agree on what I'd consider top line theological beliefs, so I will hold out zero belief/confidence in the emergence of a "one world religion."

David Wilkerson's prophetic vision of a coming political/social action-oriented church union.