“Ask a Priest: What If a Christian Group Questions the Sermon on the Mount?”

Q: A Christian friend is asking me to consider becoming a Christian. However, I am concerned that this can lead to demonic possession. His church seems to worship Donald Trump and has questioned the validity of the Sermon on the Mount. Even though I am not a Christian, these words of Christ are sacred to me, and so you can see my concern. Some of his church members have also declared that Catholics are “not saved” and worship the Pope of Rome. To me this sounds like they are possessed by bizarre fantasies, if not demons. What should I say? – B.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s great to hear that the words of Christ are sacred to you. Indeed, he is Our Lord and savior and has the words of eternal life (see John 6:68).

One wonders whether the situation with your friend’s church might be overstated here. It’s hard to imagine that self-identified Christians would question the validity of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon is a great synopsis of Jesus’ teaching and thus central to what a Christian would need to heed.

This group or some of its members might simply be struggling to interpret the exact details of the Sermon or how to implement it.

And while this group might strongly support Mr. Trump, that doesn’t necessarily imply a quasi-worship of him.

I can’t speak for Protestant denominations or independent sects and communities. The Catholic Church in principle doesn’t endorse individual candidates; its mission is moral and spiritual rather than political.

If your friend’s church thinks that Catholics worship the Pope, it is mistaken. We worship God alone: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, but we don’t consider our salvation as being automatic.

We take seriously St. Paul’s exhortation to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). In practice, that means we try to stay close to prayer, frequent the sacraments, fast, and do acts of charity.

While your friend’s church might have some faulty views, that doesn’t mean it is possessed by demons.

How you respond to your friend is something to pray about first.

Resources that might help you understand Catholic rebuttals to anti-Catholic views include the books of Karl Keating (especially Catholicism and Fundamentalism; Patrick Madrid (notably Surprised by Truth), Jimmy Akin and the Catholic Answers site.

I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers for you and your friend.

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