Gary:
This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Still ahead, answers to your questions in Contending for the Faith, and in Understanding the Scriptures, Dave and Tom will resume their conversation on God’s salvation. In addition to this radio program we publish a monthly newsletter, which we make available free of charge. We also produce and distribute a wide variety of teaching materials including books in print, e-book and audio book formats, CD’s, DVD’s and other items to encourage the serious study of God’s Word. For a complete list of materials or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708. Call our toll free order number at 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org. If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disc, ask for Program #0607, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station. And now, if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us. You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website. If you receive television programming from Sky Angel, you’ll be able to view our video, Psychology and the Church, Critical Questions, Crucial Answers, with Tom McMahon on February 17, starting at 8:00 PM Eastern. We invite you to tune in. We’ll repeat this information at the end of the program.
RELIGION IN THE NEWS
Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from Eden Chronos International, December 7, 2006, with a headline: “Pope Prays to God in Mosque.” The following are excerpts: “Pope Benedict XVI’s moment of prayer at Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, has opened up a new horizon in interreligious dialogue, according to a top Italian Roman Catholic cleric, Monsignor Vicensual Poglia. For the first time, a pope appealed to God in a mosque. Not even Pope John Paul II did it in the Damascus mosque, Poglia said, referring to the 2001 visit to Syria by Benedict’s predecessor. Benedict, before his election as pope in April of 2005, and as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spoke out against what he called, relativism, the trend to regard all religions as essentially equal, a conviction that according to Poglia, has not wavered despite the pope’s prayer in the mosque accompanied by Turkey’s Muslim Grand Mufti. There is no contradiction and no concession to relativism and confusion. It’s a religious dialogue that must progress along well defined parallel pass without any space for syncretism. The pope did not pray together with the mufti, but turning towards the East he prayed next to the mufti and not in the same manner, Poglia explained. That of standing side by side represents how followers of different faiths can stand next to each other in prayer, which is the most pure act in any religion, and together can renew fraternity, peace and forgiveness. Those few minutes are the defeat of conflict between religions.”
Tom:
Dave, this monsignor, he’s a spin doctor. I haven’t heard double talk like this for quite a while, it’s really amazing! First of all, on the one hand, the Catholic church recognizes Allah in the Islamic faith as the same God that Catholics pray to.
Dave:
That’s what Vatican II says in so many words.
Tom:
But now, we see somewhat of a distinction, because the new Pope, Benedict XVI, you know what his background is, champion of the doctrine of the faith, yet very much interested in ecumenism, of working with other religions. This is confusion at best, but if you do it with a straight face, I guess, Dave, people will buy it.
Dave:
He says: “Followers of different faiths can stand next to each other in prayer.” Well now, if you’re praying to different gods, and the god the man next to me is praying to is an abomination to the God that I am praying to—
Tom:
And if you are in the temple of this individual—
Dave:
Right, it would be like Elijah praying with the representatives of Baal on Mount Carmel, well, let’s all pray together. Tom, you know that I’ve had that problem with the National Day of Prayer. Well, they call everybody, all faiths get together. Well, it’s basically calling all the pagans, no matter what your god is, your idol worshipers, you Hindus, you’ve got 330 million gods, which one do you want to pray to—come and join us in the day of prayer. So, that’s what was going on,— stand next to each other in prayer, which is the most pure act in any religion. I wouldn’t say it’s a pure act, not if you are praying to a false god—And together, can renew fraternity, peace and forgiveness. Well, fraternity, what are you talking about? We’re not brothers, we’re not part of the same church. Look, we belong to Christ. You renounced—the Muslim for example, says Jesus Christ did not die on the cross, He’s not God, He’s not the Son of God. The Qur’an says if you believe in the Trinity you go straight to hell, sixteen times the Qur’an denies the Trinity, denies that Jesus is the Son of God. Now, what kind of fraternity is this?
Tom:
Dave, I need to interject this. Having been a Roman Catholic for 30-some years before I came to Christ, having an understanding of what Roman Catholics believe, having a pretty good understanding of what the church teaches, there’s no doubt that this Pope Benedict XVI, has a concept of God that is unbiblical. So now we have him in a position where he’s praying to, on the one hand, as you mentioned earlier, they recognize Allah as the God of the Bible, and not just the Qur’an. Well, we disagree with it completely on the basis of what you said, they have to be different gods. Allah, the god of Islam, is not the God of the Bible. That’s very clear, yet why are they having this problem, saying oh, we’re in a mosque but we’re not really praying to Allah, when they accept Allah?
Dave:
But Tom, it’s worse than that. His final sentence: “Those few minutes are the defeat of conflict between religions.” What! Because you stood next to one another, prayed next to one another in a mosque, that defeated the conflict between Christianity and Islam? I mean, we just explained, they deny that Jesus is the Savior, they deny He’s God, they deny He’s the Son of God, they deny He died for our sins, rose again. He didn’t even die, so He couldn’t have resurrected, He was taken alive to heaven, He’s going to come back, and so forth. Islam denies the God of the Bible, the God of Christianity, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You couldn't even say, John 3:16, For Allah so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Allah doesn’t have a son! Allah, in the Qur’an has 99 characteristics, not one of them is love! Now, we’ve done away with the conflict between religions! Tom, this is delusion, it is deception of satanic proportions!
Tom: And Dave, I think, as well, those out there listening who are Roman Catholics need to really look at the god that they worship. Is this the God of the Bible?
