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YesYou may have already read (because I wrote about it, behold, here) that the Catholic cafeteria Steve Skojec pronounced the anathema of One Luther Five on the Catechism and Vatican II. (Or, at least, what these texts have to say about Islam.) “Dangerous wishful thinking!” Mr. Skojec, CC, cried on Twitter. Well, see for yourself:
So ever ready to follow up on a claim, I decided to go and see for myself what dangerous errors the Pillar and Foundation of Truth promote in such key texts.
Here is what I read:
Well, you know, call me crazy, but the plan of salvation includes everyone. We are not Calvinists here in the Catholic Church who believe that Christ died only for the elect. No. Christ “died for all,” says 2 Cor. 5:15 a.m. Christ “desires all men to be saved,” says 1 Tim. 2:4.
Does this mean that Muslims will be saved? No but Lumen gentium does not say that they will be saved. Besides, it doesn’t say that Catholics will be saved, it doesn’t say that Steve Skojec will be saved, and it doesn’t say that I will be saved or that you will be saved.
Well, of course they “profess” to do so. You can “profess” anything. Steve Skojec professes to be Catholic. What does it mean that Muslims “profess the faith of Abraham”? It means they made a claim. It means that they believe it to be so. Well? Terminus.
- Muslims “worship the one and merciful God” (Lumen Gentium 16; Nostra Aetate 3, CCC 841)
Yes. Muslims believe in one God; they are monotheists. And the Koran calls God “the Most Merciful”. (Virtually every chapter of the Quran invokes God by this name.)
- Muslims “do not recognize Jesus as God” but honor Mary and invoke her with devotion (Nostra Aetate 3)
Yes. To verify. The Quran says: “O Mary, God has chosen you and purified you; He chose you among all the women of creation.
- Muslims “await the day of judgment” and enjoy the moral life (Nostra Aetae 3)
Yes. Recheck. The Quran says: “On that day, people will come forward in separate groups to show their deeds: he who has done an atom’s weight of good will see it, but he who has done an atom’s weight of ‘an atom of evil will see it.’ Again it says, “God will measure everyone’s good and bad deeds according to his mercy and justice, forgiving many sins and multiplying the reward for many noble deeds.” He who excels in good will be generously rewarded, but he whose evils and wrongs outweigh his virtues will be punished.
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That’s it. That’s all the Council and the Catechism say. So Steve Skojec, CC, is right to be alarmed.
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