Catholic v. Protestant views on mortal sin

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So I encountered a group of people in an All -Faiths chapel where I like to study. They invited me to their Bible study. They went over some verses in John that went over “being reborn in order to get to heaven” that I don’t recall and then asked my opinion on the verses. I informed them that I was Catholic and stated what I’ve been taught and believe to be true: that we enter the Kingdom of Heaven by being devout, a believer, and in a state of grace. I explained that mortal sin bars us from the opportunity of heaven. To this, one man became defensive (Not angry in any way, just interested in converting me to his own beliefs) and asked me how I could believe this. I said that there were certain criteria that are required of us to enter Heaven, which he seemed to be aware of. He asked me “The mortal sins are based off of the 12 Commandments right? Well the most important one is ''You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”" He then asked me if any of us can truly ever say that we’ve loved God to this extent on a daily basis. I replied that none of us can really say that. He then said “Well surely breaking this commandment is a mortal sin, then, right? And do you believe that we’re all barred from heaven because of that?”
I’ll admit that he put up a good argument that I didn’t have an answer for, which kind of disappointed me. He also argued that all sins are the same in the eyes of God, that is to say that they are equal. He questioned how God can forgive sins that we can’t remember in confession, because how are we supposed to be sorry for sins we can’t remember. I believe they were Protestants.
Does anybody know the Catholic values on this? For my sake and the sake of helping other people understand.
 
Andrew,

Go to Amazon and do a search for Catholic Apologetics. I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.
 
Lionel_Beezus said:
He then said “Well surely breaking this commandment is a mortal sin, then, right? And do you believe that we’re all barred from heaven because of that?”
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I would suggest that you just refrain from hanging around these people because they sound like they are up to no good trying to sway you from your faith.
But if you must answer them:

They don’t seem to understand that it’s not merely breaking a commandment that is the mortal sin. It’s the degree to which you broke it, and the intent you had when you broke it, that makes it grave matter and potentially mortal sin.
 
A great answer I only wish I had thought of. I guess at some point we (Catholics and Protestants) fundamentally disagree on points that are difficult to argue about technically, and I should just accept that I’m unlikely to change anybody’s opinions in that kind of setting. Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut:)
 
Your friends only accept the Bible so tell them:
Lionel_Beezus said:
He then asked me if any of us can truly ever say that we’ve loved God to this extent on a daily basis.
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Yes we can: ‘For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.’ 1 John 5:3-4
Lionel_Beezus said:
He also argued that all sins are the same in the eyes of God, that is to say that they are equal.
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No they’re not: ‘All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal.’ 1 John 5:17
Lionel_Beezus said:
He questioned how God can forgive sins that we can’t remember in confession
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God knows the heart. The good thief on the cross was forgiven everything with an act of perfect contrition. Tell your friend you are sorry that he thinks little of God’s mercy.
 
I think we both were in understanding of this. He was fairly knowledgeable about Catholicism. Almost more than me, which was a big warning sign to me as a need to study this kind of thing. He knew about confession and its opportunities. He just did not believe them. Protestants believe in a very different kind of gifted salvation, right? Well he was trying to make a point that we needn’t confess sins because our faith is enough. That’s just not what we, Catholics, believe. I think it’s so… strange for lack of a better term that people can value all sins as equal and irrelevant to faith and thus not needing of forgiveness.
 
Dan_Defender said:
God knows the heart. The good thief on the cross was forgiven everything with an act of perfect contrition. Tell your friend you are sorry that he thinks little of God’s mercy.
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VERY good point here. I tried to put this into words but could not. A quote I like is:
“The true measure of a Christian is not by his righteousness, but his hunger”
This is implying that at the end of the day, a pure and contrite heart is all we need for forgiveness, because to have a contrite heart requires that we have the intention to “sin no more” as quoted from the Act of Contrition.
 
Regarding forgotten sins, the sacrament is for penance and reconciliation with the Church and God. If a person is intentionally holding back from confessing grave sins, there’s obviously an impediment that remains in his heart that’s holding him back. If a person makes an examination of conscience and confesses all the grave sins he can remember, the point is that is a good confession; it’s sincere, they’re contrite. Forgetting something doesn’t mean there’s any bad intent or reticence towards repenting and reconciliation.
 
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