ou may have read by now (for I wrote about it, behold, here) that cafeteria Catholic Steve Skojec has pronounced the anathema of One Luther Five upon the Catechism and Vatican II. (Or, at least, what those text have to say about Islam.) “Dangerous wishful thinking!” Mr. Skojec cried on Twitter [in a since courageously deleted tweet—SEA, 4/28/24]. “The Catechism isn’t infallible on the topic,” he insisted in another tweet [also courageously deleted]. “Can’t be, inasmuch as the Church has no authority to define another religion.”
So always being willing to follow up a claim, I decided to go and see for myself what dangerous errors the pillar and ground of truth is promoting in such key texts.
Here is what I read:
- The “plan of salvation” includes Muslims (Lumen Gentium 16, CCC 841)
Well, you know, call me crazy, but the plan of salvation includes everybody. We’re 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. Christ “desires all men to be saved,” says 1 Tim. 2:4.
Does this mean that Muslims will necessarily be saved? No, but Lumen Gentium does not say they will be saved. For that matter, it does not say Catholics will be saved, it does not say Steve Skojec will be saved, and it does not say I will be saved or you will be saved.
- Muslims “profess to hold the faith of Abraham” (Lumen Gentium 16, Nostra Aetate 3, CCC 841)
Well, of course they “profess” to. One can “profess” anything. Steve Skojec professes to be orthodox. Fake Site News professes to be journalism. What does it mean that Muslims “profess to hold the faith of Abraham”? It means they’ve made a claim. It means they believe it to be so. Well? End stop.
- Muslims “adore 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 all-Merciful.” (Practically every chapter of the Koran invokes God by that name.)
- Muslims “do not acknowledge Jesus as God” but honor Mary and call on her with devotion (Nostra Aetate 3)
Yes. Check. The Koran says: “O Mary, God has chosen you, and purified you; He has chosen you above all the women of creation.”
- Muslims “await the day of judgment” and value the moral life (Nostra Aetae 3)
Yes. Check again. The Koran says: “On that Day, people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds: whoever has done an atom’s weight of good will see it, but whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil will see that.” Again it says: “God will weigh everyone’s good and bad actions according to His Mercy and His Justice, forgiving many sins and multiplying the reward for many noble deeds. One who excels in goodness will be rewarded generously, but one whose evils and wrongs outweigh his virtues will be punished.”
That’s it. That’s all the Council and the Catechism say. So Mr. Skojec is right to be alarmed.
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