Beck's Minus: Doctrinal Indifference continued:
If it doesn’t matter what the Eucharist is- whether it is just bread and wine or if it really is the body and blood of Christ- then nothing in Christianity matters. If Catholic doctrine is correct and the Eucharist is worthy to be worshipped, then a host of Christians and non-Christians are simply missing out on many spiritual blessings. On the other hand, if Catholic doctrine is wrong and the Eucharist is nothing more than bread and wine, then hundreds of thousands within the Catholic Church are committing idolatry by worshipping bread on a regular basis. Indeed, they would be no better off than the ancient pagans.
If we need not concern ourselves with the difference between Eucharistic adoration and worshiping a piece a bread, then people will not concern themselves with the difference between the worship of Christ and a false god. That's right! Generic Christianity and the growing indifference to those doctrines which unfortunately divide Christians has led to the indifference of Christianity in general! If it doesn't matter if you're Catholic, a Baptist, a Methodist or a Mormon, then being a Christian will not matter. Such is the unintended consequence of doctrinal indifference.
And this is where Glenn Beck gets off track: Only in theory can he say that the God of Christianity, the God of Judaism and the God of Islam are interchangeable. Only in theory does the doctrinal divide among the great monotheistic religions not make a difference. In reality, however, each of these great monotheistic religions has their own peculiar effect on the individual, society and the world. And it remains doubtful if a Republic like America- with its justice system, free market and religious liberty -could long endure under Judaism or Islam. The bottom line is this: doctrinal differences do matter. Not only do they have a significant impact on America's longevity, but they will also affect Christianity's survival in North America.
Christ is not an option for America any more than it is for the individual. Without invoking His benedictions, all is lost. He was the reason why the United States of America became the greatest nation on earth. And as far as Christianity is concerned, it can only be the source of countless blessings to culture if it presents itself as preeminently and exclusively privileged to be the bearer of God's revelation to all people. If the Church in America ceases to missionary in this respect, she will cease to be competitive with alternative religions and ideologies. The incentive will not be there for onlookers to join her ranks.
I return to a quote from Pope Leo XIII: “To hold, therefore, that there is no difference in matters of religion between forms that are unlike each other, and even contrary to each other, most clearly leads in the end to the rejection of all religion in both theory and practice."
