There is only one Savior
To the editor:
In a recent letter to the editor, Phil Drietz questions me as author of the column "What Must I Do to be Saved?" as to whether I agree that the Catholic church selected the 27 books of the New Testament and, if so, whether this means that the Catholic church is without error in its other teachings.
The Catholic church at the Council of Trent in 1546 recognized the New Testament of the Bible as being comprised of the present 27 books. But, since nearly all Christians, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, by this time had recognized the New Testament as being comprised of these 27 books, this action did little more than recognize the obvious. The main purpose of the Council of Trent appears to have been adding the books of the Apocrypha to the Old Testament, thus distinguishing the Catholic Bibles from the Protestant Bibles, which do not contain the Apocrypha. However, my column is devoted exclusively to the subject of salvation. I believe that one can become saved as easily from reading the Catholic New Testament as the Protestant New Testament so I see no need to manufacture an issue where none exists.
In fairness though, to Drietz, his primary point is that if the Catholic church was charged by God with selecting the books of the New Testament, then how could it commit error in any of its other teachings? If the premise is true, the answer is apparent. Two of the greatest Christians of all time, the Apostles Peter and Paul, each, under the inspiration of God, wrote several books of the New Testament and those books are inspired and without error. II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:19021. Yet, we know that Peter at other times created great sins, including denying the Lord Jesus at the time of the Crucifixion (Matt. 26:69-75). Paul likewise recognized that he was a great sinner and actually called himself the "chief" of sinners (I Timothy 1:15). In other words, God can and does use sinners for His purposes but this does not mean that those sinners will then never make a mistake or commit another sin before or after being used by God.
All men, including those who wrote and compiled the bible, are sinners. Romans 3:23. The greatest churches and religious leaders point to the Savior alone as our means of salvation and the most damaging point toward themselves as Savior or co-Savior. There is only one Savior and the name is not Church or Pastor or Priest or Pope - the name is Jesus!
James R. Anderson
Sioux Falls, S.D.
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WhiteKnight68
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12-01-09 7:25 PM
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Mr. Anderson is correct to point out that Peter and Paul were both sinners, indeed, All of the following Popes,Bishops,Cardinals, Priests and Nuns, viz. ALL of the clergy were sinners as well.In many of my posts I have written that God did not leave His Church in the hands of Angels, but in the hands of men and women who were and are sinners. The distinguishing feature here is not the clergy of sinners, or the litany of atrocities that the Catholic church has committed over the centuries, it is the Faith that has remained pure and without error through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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BigDon
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12-01-09 11:40 AM
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The web evidently won't post. Go to youtube and look for Oprahs Religion-You won't believe your ears.
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BigDon
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12-01-09 11:35 AM
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As we discuss the writings of God, I think we need to worry about a bigger problem happening in our world. If any of you want to join a new religion, Oprah has the answer. Go youtube and Oprahs new religion. If this don't get you mad nothing will. Satan at work at his best. ***********youtube****/watch?v=MMkUsxewFf0
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CrunchyCon
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11-30-09 10:29 AM
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As a Catholic, I will agree with Mr. Anderson that there is only one savior - Jesus Christ! On that point our faiths stand together. One quibble, though, with his explanation of Trent. The Council of Trent did not "add" the Apocrypha to the Bible. It did, however, codify what had been the settled view in Christianity for over a thousand years, which was that the entire Greek version of the Old Testament (which contained the seven extra books of the Apocrypha) was inspired by God. The Protestant reformers, in rejecting those books, came to their different conclusion by essentially "re-opening" questions that had otherwise been hashed out and settled by the fourth century A.D.
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trident_t150
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11-28-09 10:36 AM
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There is also no "shortage" of people, like myself, who have found much information and guidance in Mr. Anderson's columns, and in factual rebuttals such as the one he just wrote, as well as the articles written by others. I personally thank the Marshall Independent for their support of the "religion" page.
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jailee
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11-27-09 6:48 PM
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The last sentence got messed up...I meant to say: I think he (God) can hold his own after this long, and I hope you believe that he can since his all-powerful.
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jailee
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11-27-09 6:44 PM
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Maybe instead of complaining about which churches and people have screwed up christianity, you and Mr. Drietz should start doing something meaningful in your community. There's not a shortage of homeless people, poor people, sick people. Go help fellow human beings and worry less about big G. I should think he can hold his own after this long, or I hope you believe that.
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