The Catechism of Pius X states: “Infidels are those who have not been baptized and do not believe in Jesus Christ, because they either believe in and worship false gods as idolaters do, or though admitting one true God, they do not believe in the Messiah, neither as already come in the Person of Jesus Christ, nor as to come; for instance, Mohammedans and the like.”
Yet Vatican II states: “Muslims… professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.”—Lumen Gentium #16.
You probably expect me to highlight differences between the two above theological definitions, but I had to pause on that assertion when I got an interesting message from a Catholic friend living in a Muslim country in Middle-East who pointed out a similarly between the two. He texted me: “What did the Holy Father [Pope St. Pius X] mean when he wrote in the catechisms that the Muslims admit one true God?”
If you look at the first definition from the Catechism of Pius X, you have to admit that’s a really good question. It took me a minute to see the difference between the pre and post Conciliar theology, but I was able to identify it. I replied: “He’s just saying they’re monotheists. He doesn’t use the word ‘same’ as later documents did.”
In other words, Pope St. Pius X simply admitted that Muslims believe they worship one God, but he clearly did not say it was the same God as the Blessed Trinity.
Try a real-world example to understand this. Picture an elderly, unlettered Muslim woman living in the middle of Saudi Arabia. Imagine she has never heard of Christ. Yes, she “admits” to God being “one.” However, does this mean she knows the one True God?
No, for Jesus Christ Himself said: And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.—John 17:3. Also, the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle John: No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.—1 John 2:23. (Omnis qui negat Filium, nec Patrem habet. Qui confitetur Filium et Patrem habet.)
And Muslims reject God the Son, meaning they can never know God the Father before accepting Christ. (They even despise the notion of God the Father, so transcendent and capricious is their idea of Allah.)
The term “Abrahamic religion” is a modern-myth. We know as traditional Catholics (read: real Catholics) that the only “Abrahamic religion” is Christianity. This is because anyone who denies Christ automatically denies Abraham. Why?
Because of what we read in St. John’s Gospel: They answered Him, ‘Abraham is our father…’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here… You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.—John 8:39a, 42a, 44a.
Switch topics for a minute. I recently got a crick in my neck that had be debilitated for nearly 48 hours. I was stuck in my bedroom on my LaZ-Boy and (besides prayer) I watched two documentaries on Islamic terrorism. (I know, I know, I never take a break from this stuff, even when debilitated.)
One documentary was on the London bombings of 2005 and the other was on the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. Both were Western bombings obviously done by Muslims. I must add: Neither documentary seems to have been made by conservative Christians. Yet they admitted Muslims executed this terrorism in the name of Allah. In fact, the producers and directors even admitted it was jihad.
However, the odd theological conclusion of both documentaries could be summarized as this: “Yes, the bombings were done by Muslims. Yes, the terrorism was definitely jihad. But please don’t blame all Muslims because they are almost as severe of victims of Western generalizations as the victims of their terrorism.”
Then, both documentaries interviewed liberal, ecumenical Muslim leaders. (The London documentary interviewed a Muslim youth leader in England and the Boston one interviewed a mild-mannered imam in Massachusetts.) They both asserted that “jihad simply means struggle” and real Islam has nothing to do with killing non-Muslims.
Yet the reason we know this is a lie is because the Quran itself ascribes glory to Muslims who kill or kidnap Jews or Christians. Summarized, we find that Quran 65:4 states you can rape, marry and divorce pre-pubescent girls; Quran 4:34 holds you can beat women; Quran 9:29 states one must kill Jews and Christians if they do not convert or pay Jizya tax: Quran 8:12, 47:4 holds you will behead non-Muslims; Quran 8:12 and 8:60 commands you will terrorize non-Muslims; Quran chapter 8 orders them to steal from non-Muslims.
This is clearly a satanic religion. Thus, all infidels need to be converted to Jesus Christ and Apostolic Catholicism in order to be saved. Our Lord commanded: Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.—Mk 16:15-16.
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