Many Catholics mistakenly assume that all non-Catholic churches are Christian. Whereas most Protestant churches are Christian by definition, the fullness of Christian truth can be found only in the Catholic Church. Jesus established one Church and prayed fervently for the unity of his Body on the night before he died (John 17). St. Paul tells us in 1 Tim. 3:15 that the Church is “the pillar and foundation of truth.”
Although sects with names like, The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS, Mormons) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) seem to imply Christian faith, sadly, there are many reasons why neither group can be considered Christian. For instance, both the LDS and Jehovah’s Witnesses alike deny the deity of Christ, as well as the Holy Trinity. Mormons actually believe that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers, while Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is inferior to God the Father. The JW’s New World Translation of the Bible actually alters many verses to convey their beliefs. One glaring example can be found in John 1:1, which refers to Jesus, where they inserted the word, “a”: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a God.”
LDS founder, Joseph Smith, claimed that an angel gave him a set of golden plates in 1827 which gave a historical account of ancient America and finally allowed him to restore the Church of early Christianity that had fallen into apostasy. This would have rendered Jesus a liar when he told St. Peter in Matt. 16:18, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
The Bible Student Movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell in the late 19th century. Russell, who falsely prophesied the 2nd coming of Jesus in 1878, believed that all previous interpretations of Scripture were extremely flawed – until his, of course. In 1931, the name of his organization was changed to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The sad truth is that an alarming percentage of converts to both of these groups are poorly-catechized Catholics. Those who know little about their faith are easy fodder for door-to-door missionaries who offer a message, which, in contrast with seemingly rigid Catholic beliefs seems wonderful. The difference is that the Catholic Church was established by Christ himself and all others, by men.
We must keep these groups and all who have strayed from the truth of God in our prayers - as well as Catholics who are questioning their faith or feel the need to leave it altogether. We, as Catholics must always strive to learn all we can about our faith and the Word of God because it is in this knowledge that we can come to understand the will of God that we are commanded to follow.
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