To the editor:
In the January 21 issue of the Catholic Herald is an article about Pope Francis’ visit to a synagogue where he made the statement that all people are children of the same God.
Really??? That is not the teaching of the Scripture. 1 Peter 1:23-25 tells us that we become the children of God through receiving the gospel; Jesus is the Son of God, who came to the earth to die for the forgiveness of sins and will return to gather in those who are His and punish those who are not.
In John 1:6-12, we find that accepting Christ gives us the power to become the children of God — not naturally born, but through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord.
See also John 8:41-44, John 17:8-9, and Galatians 3:26. See Romans 8:14 in conjunction with Acts 2:38. The Scriptures make it clear, no acceptance of Christ, no childhood of God.
If you believe the pope, that means you believe he has authority over the Scriptures. In truth, the Scriptures have authority over all of us.
Paul Richgels, De Forest