Bush takes backdoor approach

[Lurker]

Joe, some simple questions....

What makes Christianity more right than Judaism or Hinduism or Muslim?

What makes your God better than their God?

Why is the Bible a more definitive document than the Koran? Or the Torah?

What maakes Jesus' teachings more important than Buddha's teachings?  Or Mohammad's?

And most importantly which Christian set of beliefs is the correct one?  Catholic?  Methodist?  Southern Baptist?  Episcopalian?  Lutheran?  Greek Orthodox?

[Joe Vancil]

Its not about one side getting exluded from the other. Its about not letting something like religion even be apart of the decision making. How does keeping religion out of decision making hurt the millions of Christians in the US? You are making it sound like I'm just saying all this for non-christians. I am saying this because our government was found on things such as church and state being seperate. When an extreme Christian doctor decides he isn't going to back contraceptives because they conflict with his CHRISTIAN beliefs then that is a problem, he should not be making decisions for everyone based on his beliefs. Thats not ok. No matter what you say. I really do not understand how a man as intelligent as yourself cannot see the problem with it. Your faith really is blinding you.

Yet if a Christian were to vote to distribute the contraceptives out of his Christian compassion, that would be okay, right?  Or is that ALSO wrong?

What you want to get to is an appropriate "end," yet you are attempting to define the means.  That's what I have a problem with.  It isn't CHRISTIANITY that is the problem;  it's the point-of-view.

I don't think this is a case of my faith blinding me.  I think this is a case of your belief blinding YOU.  CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM.  UNSUITABILITY TO THE TASK IS THE PROBLEM.

What if an Islamic government official was asked to be the voice of an area you happen to live in. They are voting on starting programs for women who are in horrible marriages and are afraid to leave their husbands. Being a Muslim he decides that women should obey their husbands no matter what and votes no on the program. Would you have a problem with that?

Again, you'll find many Christians who share this same belief.  And also, from the context of the message, it sounds like this man is a Representative or a Senator; you've changed the rules.  This man is representing a constituency, whose views should be represented.  One would assume that if his beliefs were so extreme, he wouldn't have been voted in by a majority of voters.  The problem we should have is with APPOINTED officials - not elected ones.  Would I have a problem with his vote?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  And if I had voted for him, you can be sure that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Not everyone believes that pre-marital sex is wrong or a sin.

Not everyone believes it's all right, either.  Society determines its own course of action independent of government, and it seems that government determines its own course of action independent of society, too often.

Lastly, this will be my last reply, his decision making is UNFIT for the job title he holds because he lets his Christianity influence his decision making.

NO.  He's unfit for the job because his beliefs do not allow him to do the job properly.  A different Christian may very well have different beliefs and be perfectly acceptable.  Christianity isn't the problem.

There should be NO religious influence on decision making all across the board. If you do not understand why church and state need to be seperated completey then I dont know if I have much else to say.

The first is not possible, making the second irrelevant.  Church and state have never been separated completely, and never will, simply because EVERYONE has a system of belief, and that's all religion really is.  The question is simply if those beliefs are compatible with public service.  It's not Christianity, or Islam, or Judaism, or Buddhism, or Satanism that's the problem;  it's whether a person's beliefs are compatible with the job expected of him.  *THAT* is separation of church and state, in that it leaves religion out of it, and puts a person's BELIEFS and FITNESS TO TASK in question.

 

[Joe Vancil]

What makes Christianity more right than Judaism or Hinduism or Muslim?

I cannot definitively prove that it is.

What makes your God better than their God?

I cannot definitively prove that he is.  In some cases, I can't even prove that he's definitively DIFFERENT.

Why is the Bible a more definitive document than the Koran? Or the Torah?

From a logical standpoint based on no initial assumptions, I cannot prove that it is.

What maakes Jesus' teachings more important than Buddha's teachings? Or Mohammad's?

I cannot, from a logical standpoint, prove that they are either more or less important.

And most importantly which Christian set of beliefs is the correct one? Catholic? Methodist? Southern Baptist? Episcopalian? Lutheran? Greek Orthodox?

I cannot, from a logical standpoint, point to even Christian beliefs as appropriate, much less a certain denomination.

These questions are questions of faith, which is irrelevant to this discussion.  The question at issue is not whether or not Christians are correct in their beliefs.  The question is whether Christian beliefs are completely incompatible with public service.  I firmly believe that some Christian beliefs prevent some Christians with those particular beliefs from making effective public servants.  I also firmly believe that some Christian beliefs make some Christians with those particular beliefs EXTEREMLY effective public servants.  The belief here is that BOTH are unsuitable because they're Christians.  And that's crap.

The point is that CHRISTIANITY is irrelevant in such a discussion.  It's the ability to do the job.

If I were to say "That man can't do the job because he's black," everyone would recognize that as racist.   If I were to say, "That man can't do the job because his beliefs don't fit the job, and that's because he's black," everyone would recognize that as ALSO being racist.  HOWEVER, if I were to say, "That man can't do the job because his beliefs don't fit the job," then that has taken race COMPLETELY out of the picture.

It's a VERY subtle difference, but the entire context of the decision has changed.  Why folks can't see that is beyond me.

Replace "black" with "Christian" and you see religious bigotry.  Yet everyone seems most comfortable with the SECOND statement - not the third.

Why is that?
 

[westkoast]

Its not about one side getting exluded from the other. Its about not letting something like religion even be apart of the decision making. How does keeping religion out of decision making hurt the millions of Christians in the US? You are making it sound like I'm just saying all this for non-christians. I am saying this because our government was found on things such as church and state being seperate. When an extreme Christian doctor decides he isn't going to back contraceptives because they conflict with his CHRISTIAN beliefs then that is a problem, he should not be making decisions for everyone based on his beliefs. Thats not ok. No matter what you say. I really do not understand how a man as intelligent as yourself cannot see the problem with it. Your faith really is blinding you.

Yet if a Christian were to vote to distribute the contraceptives out of his Christian compassion, that would be okay, right?  Or is that ALSO wrong?

What you want to get to is an appropriate "end," yet you are attempting to define the means.  That's what I have a problem with.  It isn't CHRISTIANITY that is the problem;  it's the point-of-view.

I don't think this is a case of my faith blinding me.  I think this is a case of your belief blinding YOU.  CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM.  UNSUITABILITY TO THE TASK IS THE PROBLEM.

What if an Islamic government official was asked to be the voice of an area you happen to live in. They are voting on starting programs for women who are in horrible marriages and are afraid to leave their husbands. Being a Muslim he decides that women should obey their husbands no matter what and votes no on the program. Would you have a problem with that?

Again, you'll find many Christians who share this same belief.  And also, from the context of the message, it sounds like this man is a Representative or a Senator; you've changed the rules.  This man is representing a constituency, whose views should be represented.  One would assume that if his beliefs were so extreme, he wouldn't have been voted in by a majority of voters.  The problem we should have is with APPOINTED officials - not elected ones.  Would I have a problem with his vote?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  And if I had voted for him, you can be sure that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Not everyone believes that pre-marital sex is wrong or a sin.

Not everyone believes it's all right, either.  Society determines its own course of action independent of government, and it seems that government determines its own course of action independent of society, too often.

Lastly, this will be my last reply, his decision making is UNFIT for the job title he holds because he lets his Christianity influence his decision making.

NO.  He's unfit for the job because his beliefs do not allow him to do the job properly.  A different Christian may very well have different beliefs and be perfectly acceptable.  Christianity isn't the problem.

There should be NO religious influence on decision making all across the board. If you do not understand why church and state need to be seperated completey then I dont know if I have much else to say.

The first is not possible, making the second irrelevant.  Church and state have never been separated completely, and never will, simply because EVERYONE has a system of belief, and that's all religion really is.  The question is simply if those beliefs are compatible with public service.  It's not Christianity, or Islam, or Judaism, or Buddhism, or Satanism that's the problem;  it's whether a person's beliefs are compatible with the job expected of him.  *THAT* is separation of church and state, in that it leaves religion out of it, and puts a person's BELIEFS and FITNESS TO TASK in question.

Ok Ill crack and reply lol....I cant help but debating things with people.  

edit: excuse the misspelling, grammar, and all the typos I am on phone with tech support, repairing a pc, and typing this all while fielding questions.

There is no voting going on here.  He makes the decisions and we never put this guy into his spot.   They are strickly his own decisions.  If the majority voted for him and he got put into that spot then I would have very little room to complain.  He was appointed to this spot.  That is why I have such a problem with an extreme Christian doctor filling that spot.  If there was a way for the people to get their say in then this would not be as big of an issue to myself or others who do not feel the same way about certain issues that will come across his desk.  I feel it should be up to the woman on if she does or does not want to take birth control and/or use contreceptives.  He has denied previous patients those choices.  Thats where the problem lies.  His extreme Christian views have him making these decisions for others, I find that wrong.  A Christian giving the OK for the contraceptives is ok because it is giving the women a choice to either use it or not.  By shooting down new medicine and technology based on what the bible says is wrong the doctor is eliminating the choice.  On top of that, birth control pills also help regulate women's menstrual cycle.  Look at his track record, it speaks for itself.  Its not about him being Christian, its about him letting his extreme view on faith influence important decisions that effect EVERYONE.  Even Christians who may not fall so far to that one side.  I retracted my broad statement about just Christians when I spoke to Ted and focused in on the word 'extreme'.  This doc is extreme IMO.

You are taking this as an all out assault on Christianity by myself.  That is not the case.  The doctor is unsuitable for the job because of his beliefs.  Many people, including yourself, see it the same way he does but may not go the same route he would go.  He is going overboard.  You can still be Christian and not let your beliefs fully decide which way to go on issues.  A government official should be able to make a decision with no trace of race, sex, age, or religion on it.  I thought the United States was suppose to be a place for everyone to come to start a new life.  A place where everything is fair and balanced.

Not everyone believes pre-marital sex is right....you are dead on.  But to limit the avenues women and men can take before and after is not ok.  People need to have choices here.  Again, this is one of the strengths of our country.  The people, not the bible, should be dictating how things go.  There is no getting around that.  Church and state are to be seperate.  Will it ever be 100%? No but people should try their damnest to get close.  There are people extremely blatant about it.  Not good.  Bush is very very Christian but some of the decisions he has made were made in the people's best intrests (or so he thought) and not because the bible says its not ok.  Some, like homosexual marriage, were based on his belief rather than speaking about how much of a strain homosexual marriage would put on insurance companies and social security.

Joe, I believe you are a good Christian but are a little oblivious to other Christians and just assume that there are very little to no Christians who do things I have mentioned.  You are very wrong.  Maybe you yourself are more mild, toleratant, and not dead set on witnessing like a used car sales men.  Others are.   I wish I could introduce you to my Uncle and some of his friends, the countless number of men and women who have approached me at various bus stops, strong christian professors, and other friends.   My uncle and his friends are a perfect example of alot of things I am talking about, but not the only Christians I have met that do some of the things ive mentioned in previous posts.  I am not saying Christians all do this but quite a few I have come across do.  I live in a rich part of Orange County now and it seems as if these kinds of Christians out number your regular Christians 2 to 1.  One example is in 2000 during the first election they said, straight out, that they will not vote for Gore because "jews have no place in a high government spot making decisions".  .

Whether Christians are trying to witness people because they care for them and want to see them goto heaven does not matter.  Maybe you dont see this because you are Christian so let me explain it to you.  Plenty of Christians come off, to people who are not Christian, as arrogant thinking that they are right and that others beliefs are nothing more than a one way ticket to hell.  You and Ted certainly have not enjoyed my views on Christianity, even tho I feel you have skewed my view a bit.  How do you think someone who is not Christian feels when they hear Christians saying that if you go against Christian belief that you will be sent to hell to recieve more pain and suffering than you will ever no for eons?  Have you ever stepped back and thought about that?  Did you ever think in the back of your head that some of the things you've said to your muslim friend could have really offended him?Just today there was something on the news about a Christian conservative group asking for a ban on a movie about a Proffessor who was the first to start doing sexual related studies.  They say the movie promotes pre-marital sex and bad practices and needs to not hit the theatres.  When in fact the movie is merely about the man, his studies, and how they have effected America.  You dont see a problem with things like this going on?  Sure they have their own right to voice their opinion, march, protest, whatever....but it says something about that menatality.  There is not a problem with Christianity, there is a problem with people going to an extreme.  I never once Christianity is a problem.  People just let their faith blind them and keep them from seeing something from another point of view.

There were no "rules" to the examples on how a man of another faith could influence a decision that would effect Christians.  I believe if something like a Supreme Court justice was to throw out a case based on his religion, that confliced with Christian views.  That would cause an uproar among the Christians who feel that is wrong.  Yet there is no way for that to be regulated.  Would kinda make you feel powerless, which is why I am mad about someone being appointed to that kind of spot without letting THE PEOPLE voice who they want.  If he was appointed to office by the people then I would not have much ground to stand on and complain.  That is the way it goes.  I dislike Bush and Co but he was elected by the people and I have to deal with that.   Doesnt mean I like it but I feel alot better that the people voiced their opinion than one single person putting him in that spot.

 

[Ted]

Okay, I will no longer assume you are a Christian hater. Sorry if I came across that way.

I will, however, assume you are a anti-birth-control extreme radical Christian doctor hater. Fair enough?  

[westkoast]

Okay, I will no longer assume you are a Christian hater. Sorry if I came across that way.

I will, however, assume you are a anti-birth-control extreme radical Christian doctor hater. Fair enough?

I'm against two main things:

1) Not letting people have a choice.  If a Jewish appointed doctor were to do the same exact thing I would be heated too.  Like Joe was saying its not up to a single person on what is right or wrong.  Let the people decide themselves and when that day comes for that person, they will find out if they made the right or wrong decisions.  According to the bible God gave man free will, lets stick to that.

2) I am against government officials using their faith as a SOLE reason for making a decision.  I am not so blind that I do not see that religion is a big part of alot of people's lives and do dictate things.  However, you can still be religious and try to make a decision that is best for the people at that point in time.  If it conflicts with your beliefs but is the right way to go then you need to push them aside.  You will not goto hell for making a decision that goes against what the bible says is ok.

The only real problem I have with SOME Christians (which I would say you and Joe def do not fall under) is that they worry too much about others and not about themselves and their family.  Same problem I have with some of the snobby soccer moms in the neighborhood who are constantly worried about others and what they do, but dont focus in on their own family.  Believe me tho, Im not just some punk kid against Christianity cuz its "cool", Im not against it at ALL.....I actually have done quite a bit of reading/learning, asking questions, and use to attend church.  There are a number of things I do not agree with.  I do however believe in a Supreme Being, just not god in the Christian, Jewish, or Islamic sense.

[Joe Vancil]

Ok Ill crack and reply lol....I cant help but debating things with people.

I wouldn't hold you to such a statement, anyway.  Seldom is anything gained out of silence.

Its not about him being Christian, its about him letting his extreme view on faith influence important decisions that effect EVERYONE.

Unsuitablility to task - EXACTLY.  

A Christian cannot help but make decisions on faith.  That's not where the problem is.  The question is whether or not the decisions a person WILL MAKE make him unsuitable for the task - it doesn't matter if those decisions are due to faith, religion, gender, etc.  "Are they SUITABLE?" is the question.

Many people, including yourself, see it the same way he does

Do we?  I think some of his views are wacked out.  Just because we share the same faith doesn't mean we share the same opinion.

You can still be Christian and not let your beliefs fully decide which way to go on issues.

I don't know that I agree with that.  Being a Christian involves giving yourself to God and to his service.  As God speaks to different people different ways - according to their needs and to his will, you're going to have differences in Christians.  Just because God doesn't lead me to the same conclusion as another Christian doesn't mean that one of us isn't listening to God and following his will.  Faith is ALWAYS a part - a major part - of the equation.

The people, not the bible, should be dictating how things go.

This statement, I agree with.

Joe, I believe you are a good Christian but are a little oblivious to other Christians and just assume that there are very little to no Christians who do things I have mentioned.

Guess again.  I figure most abortion clinic bombings are carried out by "Christians."  I believe that there are "Christians" who favor mandatory, school-sponsored Christian prayer.  I believe there are "Christians" in organizations like the KKK.  Some, I question whether they have the love of God in the heart.  (I believe that the Bible says that "they will know we are Christians by our love" - not completely sure about that, though.  It may just be a church song.)  Some, I question whether or not they're following God's will.  And some, as the Bible indicates, may not even be Christians.

It's not the pushiness of CHRISTIANITY - it's the pushiness of individual people.  Keep that in mind.

Did you ever think in the back of your head that some of the things you've said to your muslim friend could have really offended him?

Heck, I've even offered my Muslim friend food during Ramadan before.  I'm sure that COULD HAVE offended him, if he had chosen to take it that way.  Instead, he took it as a friend trying to do something nice for him - which he politely refused.  One time, I was particularly insistent - right up until he reminded me that it was Ramadan - which I had forgotten.  Understanding isn't a one-way street.  

You'd be surprised how many things that Christians and non-Christians have in common.  I was particularly surprised by how much Skander and I have in common, which is part of the reason that we're friends.  Yet if I say the word "Muslim" to some folks, and add in "Arab," all of a sudden, he's an outsider, a heathen, a terrorist.  He even recently asked me why I turned out to regard him so differently than I should have if I had simply followed my upbringing, where I was taught all Muslims were essentially suicidal fanatics.  All I can say is that the information I was given about Muslims was flawed, and I recognized that.

Not for MY sake on this, westkoast, but for YOUR sake, I'm wanting you to see that some of your views about Christianity are flawed.  Christianity is about a belief in God and the salvation offered by his son, Jesus.  From that core belief, there are literally MILLIONS of different beliefs - some right, some wrong (all defined by an all-knowing, all-powerful God).  Every one of those folks who believes in that core belief is a Christian.  In fact, with this statement:

I do however believe in a Supreme Being

you're not far from being one, yourself.

You talk about the "salesmanship" of Christians, and I don't deny that.  My entire purpose in arguing this point isn't because I feel attacked by your view of Christians, but because what was attacked is not the Christian set of beliefs that I know.  I don't want someone believing that if you're a Christian, you have to vote Republican, be pro-life, pro-death penalty, anti-Muslim, etc.  If you're a Christian, God will lead you to your beliefs.  He might even lead you to different beliefs at different times.  It's not this scary cult-like thing that is sounded like you were making it out to be.  It's something PERSONAL.  Your Christian experience will be something that God tailors to YOU.  And it isn't any more of a bed of roses than anything else in life.  It is, however, rewarding at a personal level.

I'm as much of a salesman as any other Christian, because I believe in the product.  And if anyone asks - or even opens the door to the discussion of it, I'll tell them about it, as best I can - just like I've done in these messages.  And, yeah, I pray for my "lost" friends.  Seems like the least I can do, given what I believe to be the circumstances.  I trust them - and if necessary, God - to forgive me if I'm a little overly selfish about wanting to have them with me in eternity.

 

[westkoast]

I dont think my views are flawed on the types of Christians I was speaking about.  More like my generalization inside this thread were wrong.  That was def my bad and I felt it put a dent in what I really meant.  I do post at random times during the day and did in this thread let what was going on at work run down my fingers and into this thread.  I did not mean to lump all Christians together but failed to specifically address who I was speaking about.   Christians do believe their god is thee only god and do look at people from other religions differently.  Much like muslims, jews, etc etc do the same thing.  I have a problem with ALL people who do that.  There are just a heck of alot more Christians who do it than any others in Southern California.

I still will always disagree with the salesman approach.  I know why Christians do it, I just think some dont realize how they are comming off when they do.  The person may think they are doing good and really care for that person.  However, I can tell you that there are plenty of people who do not like it.  I being one of them.  Information on Christianity is very easy to obtain in this country.  Any church from LA to NY will let people walk in if they feel they want to get closer with god.  People do not need to be pitched, sold, or scared into becomming Christian.  If they want to be or have the calling they will go.

Not sure what you meant by me being a Supreme being myself.  I was attacking the extreme Christians beliefs.  Not the everyday normal Christians.  I thought it was obvious who I was talking about.  Obviously it was not because both you and Ted did not understand.  I dont dislike Bush because his Christian and I dont dislike this Dr because hes Christian.  I dislike the fact that both of these guys in the past have let their beliefs be the sole reason they make specific decisions.  John Kerry is a catholic and him supporting abortion pretty much takes a dump on the Catholic church.....however he realized he needed to push his Catholic backround aside and let people have an option.  Other Christians I have spoken with were not very happy that I was VERY heavy on voting for stem cell research.  I tried to explain to them my reasoning and why the issue personally effected me to vote YES.  They were not having it because they let their faith cloud their vision.  There was no other avenue to go down to them.  There was one street and that was the street that says its not ok no ifs, ands, or buts.  I even said to them 'I understand where you are comming from as far as religion, however I believe there are benefits to it'.  I then got 'The bible says its wrong and there are no benefits to outweigh that'.  Science and politics should always try to be done as neutral as possible.  Not catering to non-Christians beliefs and not catering to Christians beliefs.  Not catering to anyone.  Just do what it takes to find a better medicine, treatment, or law to benefit EVERYONE across the board the best you can.  Im sure the Christian population here in the US is well over 60% but what about that other 40% of people who are not?  The best way to service both sides is to not let religion get into it period.  I know its hard but plenty of people manage to do it.

All in all I believe you guys took what I was saying the wrong way, partially my fault I will say.  I disagree strongly on a number of issues (which is ok cuz frankly one westkoast is enough in this world) with both you and old man Ted.  However, I was generalizing because I did not specifically address the kinds of Christians I was talking about.  Didnt mean to say all Christians do this or that....just was not specific in my posts.  Hopefully now that I explained that you can re-read some of my posts and see them in a different light.     You do have to also understand I work in Orange County, in an office, that is filled with rich arrogant know-it-all Christians who carry themselves in such a matter when we discuss things that I get frustrated with the way they seem to talk down on me because I freely come out and say I dont not believe in your religion or because I am not 35+.  All over this area there are similar people.  I know good Christians also.  Quite a number.  I also know alot of good people who skew Christian beliefs to fit their own agenda.   Christians do share similar views that I disagree with, as you can tell I love to debate so people take me the wrong way.  I am no champion for the non-christian, I just would like more Christians to not let their religion fog up their glasses all the time.  Really I dont think Christians say certain things to be jerks or arrogant, but some let faith overwhelm them and dont take a step back.

[Joe Vancil]

Not sure what you meant by me being a Supreme being myself.

No, no.  I was saying that given the fact you believe in a Supreme Being, you're a lot closer to being a Christian, yourself.  That's a very basic building block of Christianity.


 

[Lurker]

Not sure what you meant by me being a Supreme being myself.

No, no.  I was saying that given the fact you believe in a Supreme Being, you're a lot closer to being a Christian, yourself.  That's a very basic building block of Christianity.

It also is the basic building block of other religions such as the Muslims which you feel are condemned to hell.

[Joe Vancil]

It also is the basic building block of other religions such as the Muslims which you feel are condemned to hell.

Also true.  Still, the belief in an invisible "Supreme Power" is a positive sign in that it means faith plays a part of your belief system.  Faith, to me, seems like something that you just can't "teach."  And without faith, there can be no salvation.

And to be quite honest, if someone were to show me incontrovertable proof that Islam rather than Christianity was what God wanted, I'd be a Muslim that same day.  Ditto for Judaism, Buddhism - whatever.  Heck, it might even be like the line from Babylon 5:  "Perhaps God doesn't care how you say your prayers, as long as you say them."  (In which case, I'd be a Christian - I'd hate to give up Canadian Bacon on my pizza.)

Personally, I secretly hope that there are parts of Christianity that just aren't true.  I secretly hope that Muslims - and others - go to heaven along with Christains.  When I pray, yes, I do pray that my friends become Christians, but I also pray that if my friends don't become Christians, that God will find a way to work everything out so they still make it to heaven.  And I believe that he MIGHT.  I just don't believe that he's PROMISED it, the way he did for Christians.

 

[Derek Bodner]

It's amazing how something with little to no (substantiated) proof can be not only so incredibly unifying but also so incredibly dividing.

[Lurker]

I secretly hope that Muslims - and others - go to heaven along with Christains. When I pray, yes, I do pray that my friends become Christians, but I also pray that if my friends don't become Christians, that God will find a way to work everything out so they still make it to heaven. And I believe that he MIGHT. I just don't believe that he's PROMISED it, the way he did for Christians.

But the Supreme Being (God) HAS promised heaven to those people....if you believe in their religion.  So in their minds you are the heathen that is condemned and they are the ones who will be rewarded with a place in heaven.

It raises some of those same questions I asked earlier...what makes Christianity a more correct religion than any other?  Is there different heavens for different religions?  

How do you explain that Catholics (just one form of Christianity) believe that other Christians will go to hell for not believing in the one true religion?  For example...my wife is Episcopalian.  When we attend a Catholic church the prayer books there specifically state that she is not allowed to take communion as they do not feel she is a true believer.


P.S.  I was raised a Catholic and attended Catholic schools all the way through high school.  I raised these same questions with various priests at that time and got very similar answers.