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The concept of a one true faith, one true religion, or one true church, stems from the monotheistic belief in the "one true God", which implies a degree of exclusivism. The claim that one faith is true, and that by implication other religions are false, is based upon the claim that God has spoken to mankind through a revelation intended for all, revealing the will of the divinity.

The concept of "one true faith" is also based on the basic philosophical law known as the law of noncontradiction: two propositions that contradict each other cannot both be true. Therefore, various religious traditions offering contradictory doctrines cannot be affirmed as equally true.

Christianity

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The claim to be the one true church is related to the first of the Four Marks of the Church mentioned in the Nicene Creed: "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church". Some Christian churches claim to be the one true church while others claim only to be part of the one true church.

Anglican branch theory

Apostolic succession is sometimes seen as one of the essential elements in constituting the one true church, ensuring it has inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority and responsibility that Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles.

This is the position of those Anglicans who uphold the branch theory that, "though the Church may have fallen into schism within itself and its several provinces or groups of provinces be out of communion with each other, each may yet be a branch of the one Church of Christ, provided that it continues to hold the faith of the original undivided Church and to maintain the apostolic succession of its bishops."

The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, according to that theory, are the principal branches of the one true Church, along with the Anglican Communion. Those churches, however, reject the theory, as do Anglicans other than the church faction often termed "Anglo-Catholicism". Anglo-Catholicism is a point of view that arose during the nineteenth century's Romantic era and which led to a renewed interest in things Gothic. The English Reformation was imagined by Anglo-Catholics to have been only a temporary and artificial interruption in the Catholic history of English Christianity. Anglicans generally do not subscribe to the idea that their church, with or without any supposed connection to the Roman Catholic and Eastern churches, constitute a "one true Church" to the exclusion of other Christian bodies.

Iglesia ni Cristo

The Iglesia ni Cristo believes that it is the one church founded by Jesus Christ. Adherents hold that Iglesia ni Cristo is the only true church of Jesus Christ as restored by Felix Manalo. The church recognizes Jesus Christ as the founder of the Church. Meanwhile, its reestablishment is seen as the signal for the end of days.. They believe that the church was apostatized by the 1st or 4th century due to false teachings. The INC says that this apostate church is the Roman Catholic Church.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

— Isaiah 43:5 (New International Version)

They believe that the Iglesia ni Cristo is the fulfillment of the passage above while "east" refers to the Philippines where the Church of Christ would be founded. The INC teaches that its members constitute the "elect of God" and there is no salvation outside the Iglesia ni Cristo. Faith alone is insufficient for salvation. The Iglesia ni Cristo says that the official name of the true church is "Church of Christ or Iglesia ni Cristo (in tagalog)". The two passages often cited by INC to support this are Romans 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you" and the George Lamsa translation of Acts 20:28: "Take heed therefore . . . to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood"

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church declared in the Fourth Lateran Council that: "There is one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which there is absolutely no salvation", a statement of what is known as the doctrine of Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. The Church is further described in the papal encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi as the "Mystical Body of Christ".

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church professes that it is the "sole Church of Christ", the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of the Nicene Creed. Peter Kreeft has written that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ, who appointed the Twelve Apostles to continue his work as the Church's earliest bishops. Alan Schreck writes that the Church "is the continuing presence of Jesus on earth", and John F. Barry that all duly consecrated bishops have a lineal succession from the apostles. It is the teaching of the Catholic Church that the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) is the successor to the apostle Simon Peter, and that the pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope. Furthermore, the Holy See has stated: "Christ 'established here on earth' only one Church and instituted it as a 'visible and spiritual community', that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted. 'This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic . This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him'. In number 8 of the Constitution Lumen Gentium 'subsistence' means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church, in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth. It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them, which originally came from the Catholic Church and are shared in common with the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the word 'subsists' can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe… in the 'one' Church); and this 'one' Church subsists in the Catholic Church." In Lumen Gentium the Catholic Church teaches that "many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity", and also: "Whosoever, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.

In the encyclical Mortalium Animos of 6 January 1928, Pope Pius XI wrote that "in this one Church of Christ no man can be or remain who does not accept, recognize and obey the authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors" and quoted the statement of Lactantius: "The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this the house of Faith, this the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation." Accordingly, the Second Vatican Council declared: "Whosoever, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved. In the same document, the Council continued: "The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not profess the faith in its entirety or do not preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter." And in its decree on ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio it stated: "Catholics must gladly acknowledge and esteem the truly Christian endowments from our common heritage which are to be found among our separated brethren. It is right and salutary to recognise the riches of Christ and virtuous works in the lives of others who are bearing witness to Christ, sometimes even to the shedding of their blood. For God is always wonderful in His works and worthy of all praise."

Catholicism also teaches that there are some elements of truth in non-Christian religions, and Vatican II's Nostra Aetate stated: "The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ 'the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself."

Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church has identified itself as the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church" in, for instance, synods held in 1836 and 1838 and in its correspondence with Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII.

Latter Day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) or "Mormons" believe that Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the original organization established by Jesus, which ceased to exist shortly after the end of the apostolic age (see the Great Apostasy in Mormonism), now "in the fulness of time", rather than to reform the church. This belief is not shared by the second largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, the Community of Christ (formerly The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).

As Allen and Hughes put it, "o group used the language of 'restoration' more consistently and more effectively than did the ... early Mormons seemed obsessed with restoring the ancient church of God." According to Smith, God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and instructed him that the creeds of the churches of the day "were an abomination in his sight" and that through him, God would restore (or re-establish) the true church. Smith taught that the Great Apostasy was complete and required a full restoration of the original church. This included the Aaronic priesthood, the Melchizedek priesthood, and the full church structure consisting of prophets, apostles, pastors, evangelists and teachers. Joseph Smith founded the Church of Christ in 1830, serving as the first prophet believed to be appointed by Jesus in the "latter days".

Smith published the Book of Mormon, which LDS members believe was translated from golden plates as directed by the Angel Moroni. Members of the Latter Day Saint movement believe that the Book of Mormon contains a record of the original church of Jesus in the Americas between about 600 BC and AD 421. In addition, Smith claimed that he received the true authority or priesthood directly from those who held it anciently, namely John the Baptist, who returned as an angel and gave him and Oliver Cowdery the authority to baptize. Saint Peter, Saint James and Saint John, the Apostles, returned as angels and gave Smith and Cowdery the authority to lead the church just as they had done anciently.

The church was organized on April 6, 1830 in New York State. Originally the church was unofficially called the "Church of Christ". Four years later, in April 1834 it was also referred to as the "Church of Latter Day Saints" to differentiate the church of this era from that of the New Testament. Then, in April 1838, the full name was stated as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".

Some have attributed Joseph Smith's understanding of restorationism to Sidney Rigdon, who was associated with the Campbell movement in Ohio but left it and became a close friend of Smith. Neither the Mormons nor the early Campbell movement's leaders invented the idea of "restoration"; it was a popular theme of the time that had developed independently of both, and Mormonism and the Restoration Movement represent different expressions of that common theme. The two groups had very different approaches to the restoration ideal. The Campbell movement combined it with Enlightenment rationalism, "precluding emotionalism, spiritualism, or any other phenomena that could not be sustained by rational appeals to the biblical text." The Latter Day Saints combined it with "the spirit of nineteenth-century Romanticism" and, as a result, "never sought to recover the forms and structures of the ancient church as ends in themselves" but "sought to restore the golden age, recorded in both Old Testament and New Testament, when God broke into human history and communed directly with humankind."

Islam

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Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Template:Lang-ar, Allah), and the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and Hadith) of Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be the final Prophet of Islam, the Seal of the Prophets.

Muslims believe that God is absolutely singular and absolutely transcendent, the doctrine of tawhid. Muslims also believe that Islam is the original and primordial faith, or fitrah, that was revealed at many times and places before, including through, by co-option, the prophets of other religions, including Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses) and 'Isa (Jesus). Muslims maintain that previous messages and revelations such the Bible and the Gospel were revealed for a specific time period and specific people and have become corrupted over time, and no longer remain 100% authentic viable revelation but consider the Qur'an to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God. Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, encompassing everything from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.

Judaism

Jews believe that the God of Abraham is the one true God. The Jews believe the God of Abraham entered into a special relationship with the ancient Israelites, marking them as his Chosen People, giving them a mission to spread the concept of monotheism. Jews do not consider their chosenness to be a mark of superiority to other nations, but a responsibility to be an example of behavior for other nations to emulate.

See also

• Religious exclusivism
• Christian primitivism

Footnotes

References

1. "Branch theory of the Church", The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3
2. Anne C. Harper. "Iglesia ni Cristo" (PDF). StJ's Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Sacred Tribes Press: 1–3.
3. Johan D. Tangelder. "Sects and Cults: Iglesia ni Cristo". Reformed Reflections. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
4. Adriel Obar Meimban (1994). "A Historical Analysis of the Iglesia ni Cristo: Christianity in the Far East, Philippine Islands Since 1914" (PDF). The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies (12). Tokyo: Sophia University: 98–134.
5. Anne C. Harper (2001-03-01). The Iglesia ni Cristo and Evangelical Christianity (PDF). The Network for Strategic Missions. pp. 101–119. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
6. "Isaiah 43: New International Version". Online Parallel Bible Project. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
7. (Pasugo, November 1973, 6)
8. (Lamsa translation; cited in Pasugo, April 1978)
9. Fourth Lateran Council, canon 1
10. Pius XII, Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi, Vatican City, 1943. Accessed Aug 20, 2011
11. CCC, 811, citing Lumen Gentium, 8
12. Kreeft, p. 98, quote "The fundamental reason for being a Catholic is the historical fact that the Catholic Church was founded by Christ, was God's invention, not man's ... As the Father gave authority to Christ (Jn 5:22; Mt 28:18–20), Christ passed it on to his apostles (Lk 10:16), and they passed it on to the successors they appointed as bishops."
13. Schreck, p. 131
14. Barry, p. 46
15. CCC, 880-884. Accessed August 20, 2011
16. "Responses to Some Questions regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church"
17. Lumen gentium, 8
18. ^ Lumen Gentium, 14
19. Mortalium Animos
20. Lumen Gentium, 15
21. Decree on Ecumenism ch.1.4
22. Nostra Aetate, 2
23. Erwin Fahlbusch, William Bromiley (editors), The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Eerdmans 2003) vol.3, p. 867
24. ^ C. Leonard Allen and Richard T. Hughes, Discovering Our Roots: The Ancestry of the Churches of Christ, Abilene Christian University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-89112-006-8
25. (See Pearl of Great Price: Joseph Smith—History: Chapter 1:19)
26. See The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 115:4
27. ^ Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8, 854 pages, entry on Mormonism
28. * Quran 51:56
    • "God". Islam: Empire of Faith. PBS. Retrieved 2010-12-18. For Muslims, God is unique and without equal.
29. "People of the Book". Islam: Empire of Faith. PBS. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
30. Accad (2003): According to Ibn Taymiya, although only some Muslims accept the textual veracity of the entire Bible, most Muslims will grant the veracity of most of it.
31. Esposito (1998), pp.6,12
32. Esposito (2002b), pp.4–5
33. F. E. Peters (2003), p.9
34. F. Buhl. "Muhammad". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
35. Hava Lazarus-Yafeh. "Tahrif". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online.
36. Esposito (2002b), p.17
37. Esposito (2002b), pp.111, 112, 118
38. "Shari'ah". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
39. Pelaia, Ariela. "What Does It Mean For Jews to Be the Chosen People?". About.com. Accessed: August 19, 2011

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