It’s okay to question ordinary Church teaching on some issues. Questioning Divinely Revealed Truth, however, is another matter altogether.
So when a Cardinal of the Catholic Church publicly states that Catholic teaching on homosexuality is “false” and “no longer correct,” it’s rather alarming.
It’s outrageous that a Cardinal would make such a heretical statement. And make no mistake, such a statement is heresy. It’s even more unsettling that the Cardinal who said this is “Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, the Relator General of the unfolding Synod on Synodality.”
Clearly Pope Francis made a mistake in making this appointment. The question is will Pope Francis correct this mistake?
And there’s also Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German Bishops’ Conference. When asked by a reporter of “same-sex relationships were permissible,” Bätzing replied “Yes, it’s OK if it’s done in fidelity and responsibility.”
Three cheers for Cardinal George Pell here. He has called on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to publicly reprimand both Hollerich and Bätzing.
But there’s also Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising. Cardinal Marx is a member of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinal Advisers. Cardinal Marx “celebrated Mass last month with the rainbow flag draped before the altar to celebrate 20 years of “queer worship” at St. Paul’s parish church.”
He “apologized for the Church’s supposed decades of discrimination against homosexuals.” He also said Catholics have a right to doubt what the Catechism teaches. And here he was referring to what the Catechism teaches in regard to homosexuality.
As Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas posted on Twitter, “Cardinal Marx has left the Catholic faith. He needs to be honest & officially resign.”
Perverting the Truth
The LGBTQ activists and their sympathizers like to say that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. I’ve even pointed out that a Jesuit priest on a temporary assignment in our parish even said this to me! But as Monsignor Charles Pope wrote, Jesus “never mentioned rape, or incest, or sexual abuse of minors either, and His “silence” in these matters should certainly not be taken as approval.”
Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23 “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” So He pretty much covered all sin right here.
Additionally (as I schooled the Jesuit priest), Jesus tells us in Luke 10:16 that whoever hears His disciples hears Him. And His disciples, specifically St. Paul, said homosexual acts are grievous sins (1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:8-11).
But, just to be clear, there really was no reason for Jesus to specifically call out the sinfulness of homosexual acts. The Jewish people knew homosexual acts were sinful. The gentiles and pagans to whom St. Paul brought the gospel, however, needed to hear this. And many still need to hear this today.
Dogma and Divinely Revealed Truth
Others like to say that Church teaching on homosexuality is not dogma so it can be changed. But while the sinfulness of homosexual acts is not dogma, it is certainly divinely revealed truth. It is divinely revealed because it is stated in scripture. And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture.” As such, Catholic teaching on homosexuality cannot be changed because it is God’s teaching. A Cardinal of the Catholic should know this.
The only difference between dogma and divinely revealed truth is that the Church has officially declared certain teachings to be infallible truth – dogma. This has been done over the last 2,000 years when heresies arose calling into question specific Church teachings.
But the Church has really only defined teachings on faith and the sacraments as dogma. There has never been a need to define moral teachings on sin as dogma. This is because God’s moral teachings on sin have never really been called into question.
(Dr. Ludwig Ott’s book “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” published by the Mercier Press Ltd., Cork, Ireland, 1955, is the “go to book” on Dogma. At 568 pages it is not a quick and easy read, however. For a quick list of the dogmas check this link.)
But in the last 60 years or so this has changed. Today, people think it’s perfectly fine to call God’s revealed truths into question. In calling God’s truths into question, however, they give voice to heresy. They also set themselves up as gods above God.
Scriptural Accuracy
Realizing that the “Jesus never said . . .” and the “it’s not dogma” attacks don’t hold water, LGBTQ activists and their sympathizers are now directly attacking God’s Word. This has many today quoting Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, the Superior General of the Jesuits.
Abascal said no one had tape recorders in Jesus’ time so it is okay to doubt the accuracy of scripture. I don’t know if this remark was flippancy, made out of ignorance, or something else altogether. Quite a lot of painstaking research has gone into verifying the accuracy of scripture.
Now this is not to say that there are no historical or scientific errors in scripture. There are. But when it comes to faith and morals there are zero errors.
As Dei Verbum (11) states:
“Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.”
Written by God
So those who doubt the accuracy of scripture may need reminding that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Consider what this means. If Scripture is the inspired of God, then its accuracy cannot and should not be questioned.
On the other hand, if the Bible is not the inspired Word of God, then nothing in it is God’s truth. If this is so, we can disregard everything it says. God did not give us the 10 Commandments, and the Beatitudes are just some nice thoughts about how to be nice. And of course, Jesus Christ is not the Son of God and He did not die for us. The Eucharist is also not His Body and Blood. And He probably did not rise from the dead on the third day.
Of course there is a third possibility. Maybe some of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and some of it is not. But if the Catholic Church is the one true Church instituted by Jesus, we can also discount this possibility.
Jesus gave His Church absolute authority on earth in Matthew 16:18-19 and again in Matthew 18:17-18. It is unlikely that Christ would allow His Church, His Body and His bride, to teach that which is not true.
Don’t Get Fooled
So do not let the devil’s false teachers pull you in. Don’t let stupid memes like “love is love” sway your thinking. Hold fast to the God’s truths.
And remember that we’ve been warned about teachers who would pervert the truth.
“And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them” [Acts 20:30].
“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent” [Romans 16:17-18].
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ” [2 Corinthians 11:13].
“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths” [2 Timothy 4:3-4].
“There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled” [2 Peter 2:1-2].
11 thoughts on “False Teachers Denying Divinely Revealed Truths”
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To Jehanne
“Behold, thou art cured. Sin no more lest something worse befall thee.” John 5:14
Now if I said something like that then you’d have a right to assume what you did, however, having a closed mind, most likely without benefit of a dozen years of parochial education that instilled in us the capacity to reason well and seek truth in all its myriad forms, limits your understanding of my point.
The church teaches that there are some things that are “intrinsically evil” – like racism abortion, torture, suicide, euthanasia, and yes, voluntarily engaging in homosexual actions. “Intrinsically evil” means they cannot be good and they cannot be condoned, no matter what the circumstances. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:. . . “There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. (1756) . . . There are concrete acts that it is always wrong to choose, because their choice entails a disorder of the will, i.e., a moral evil. (1761)” .Such acts can never be morally justified or permitted, regardless of the intention of the person who performs them or any circumstances within which they take place. You hate the sin and love the sinner. You can judge the action to be wrong, sinful. for God’s words themselves and to read church teaching see: https://the-american-catholic.com/2022/02/16/teaching-on-homosexuality-false/. For example: “What is at all costs to be avoided is the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behavior of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and therefore inculpable. ” (Considerations Concerning Plans for the Legal Recognition of Unions between Homosexual Persons, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 3, 2003). Capt C: there are NO “gay people” – there are people who freely choose to act. A sinner cannot use this as a “Get Out Of Hell Free” card: https://the-american-catholic.com/2019/04/17/god-made-me-this-way-so-i-cannot-sin/. Guy, Texas
You: >>> If it were sin both would pay some temporal price but this didn’t happen. People couple and thrive, try and don’t, the lack of karmic consistency a tell that it doesn’t cry to heaven for vengeance. <<> “To whom more has been given, more will be required.” Now it is entirely possible sinful acts are mitigated based on many factors, such as —- genetics, family history, nurturing, environment, trauma, etc. So I do not see where we are ever allowed to judge or pass sentence on another soul. We are not, period. But for you to suggest what we observe of others, their good fortune vs. horrible trials, is an indication of guilt or judgment — you cannot be serious. But then, those who are not Christian are always coming up with their own “theological” ideas to justify their actions.
The only fault I consistently see in your essays on sex is an inability to differentiate sin and consequences. Two couples couples cohabitate : one provide a perfection example of love, devotion, success and 4 years down the road they marry. No consequences. The other try, struggle, hurt and fail. Karma is obvious. If it were sin both would pay some temporal price but this didn’t happen. People couple and thrive, try and don’t, the lack of karmic consistency a tell that it doesn’t cry to heaven for vengeance. All politics is local, so too human relations. You touch a live wire it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re going
to experience the same thing; unless it’s live for some and not others The fake theology that two people damned humanity does hint at sex: nakedness, shame, her pregnancy with Cain the first murder and fratricide obvious to anyone who cares to put two and two together. The link to the dogmas is very interesting and could be a good source of debate and knowledge. In any case, you are a very articulate columnist whom I enjoy reading.
Unfortunately everything the Church has told us about gay people, as people, has turned out not to be true, which accounts for the change in heart. I gave a list but Gene won’t post my comment.
Captcrisis, your “list” was deleted because almost everything you said was wrong, starting with “. . . everything the Church used to believe about gay people has turned out to be false.” In all charity, none of the beliefs you listed is Catholic teaching in regard to homosexuality. You might want to get a copy of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Church Teaching on homosexuality is stated in 2357-2359. Bottom line: you make outlandish statements and then wonder why they get deleted. Allowing your list of “false teachings” to be published would make CS a party to the sin of scandal.
To “An Ordinary Papist” ————- You said >>If it were sin both would pay some temporal price but this didn’t happen. People couple and thrive, try and don’t, the lack of karmic consistency a tell that it doesn’t cry to heaven for vengeance.<> “To whom more has been given, more will be required.” Now it is entirely possible sinful acts are mitigated based on many factors, such as —- genetics, family history, nurturing, environment, trauma, etc. So I do not see where we are ever allowed to judge or pass sentence on another soul. We are not, period. But for you to suggest what we observe of others, their good fortune vs. horrible trials, is an indication of guilt or judgment — you cannot be serious. But then, those who are not Christian are always coming up with their own “theological” ideas to justify their actions.
Ordinary Papist, I almost deleted your comment because of the heretical statement it contains but since your assumption (the “hint”) is incorrect , allow me to correct you in charity.
First off, I’m not sure what you mean by my “inability to differentiate sin and consequences.” I have always been clear that unrepentant sin has dire consequences and repented sin is forgiven. Also sin does not always have a temporal price (and Catholics do not believe in karma, which is a belief about the unhappy cycle of rebirth known as samsara that comes from a pluralistic and false religion).
Finally, in all charity, your statement that it is “fake theology that two people damned humanity” is heresy. The “hint” that Adam & Eve’s sin was sexual, is not what the Church teaches. If you’ll recall, God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. Their sin was disobeying God. Read Fr. Hugh Barbour’s concise explanation here – https://www.catholic.com/qa/was-having-sex-the-original-sin
But thanks for the complement.
So you were “schooling” the errant Jesuit (could you sound more arrogant)? While we are on the topic of schooling, you say that scripture is inerrant because divinely inspired, and therefore can never be critiqued Genesis 19:1-36 should quickly put the lie to that statement. Its the story of Lot and Sodom, in which Lot approves of child rape, God randomly kills Lot’s wife, and Lot’s daughters get him drunk and commit incest with him. Out of this unholy stew, the only lesson some people take is that homosexuality is bad!
I think scripture needs plenty of critiquing, unless you really believe Bronze Age values were the universal truths for all people everywhere. If that’s the case, I hope you abstain from pork and shellfish lest you partake of abomination. Deut. 14:1-29.
Edna, please forgive my snarkyness, but I can’t resist – thank you for proving that Martin Luther was wrong in his contention that people can read the Bible all by themselves and comprehend its meanings and teachings.