But even then only God can judge how much they knew with regard to their faith and what’s in their heart, that’s why I don’t like calling people who leave the Church (thanks for the distinction) “heretics”. My job is only to help bring them back to the church with as much love and knowledge as I can muster.
Yes, technically, they would be, but should we go around calling them “heretics”, i.e., in Corinthians we are told that love is the greatest virtue, i.e., if you have faith but not love. . . . etc., so although faith is very important, love is greater. I think we need to be reminded of that while we’re debating each other on these forums.
Exactly.
I’m sorrythings are so clear in my head, I forget others don’t live there too. I was referencing the whole biblical Jewish issue with defilement from foreign idols and nations (influences) all of which was completely unnecessary after David and the call to convert the nations, which was the entire point of being chosen. Jesus points out that our job is to be the illumination of the world, not living in fear of being defiled by it. It just seems like a parallel this excommunicating and rebaptising thing. (Unless I misunderstand.)
Take my opinion as you will. I have a non-practicing Protestant husband, who was raised in an anti-catholic home. It is not ideal, but I have no doubt at all that he is supposed to be my husband, because discussing religion with him brought me back to the Church. I have faith in the recommendations of St Paul and St Monica
I know Catholic families who all married non Catholics going back several generations. And all the non Catholics ultimately became not only Catholic, but all save one, became great Catholics. And to a key point, none of the non Catholics were made a propject by their Catholic spouse. When questions came up, the Catholic was able to answer their spouses questions. And ultimately the non Catholic couldn’t resist. Sometimes it took decades but it still happened. Keep up the faith. 
Actually it has to do with whether one is baptised or not…
Agreed, in all things charity
I’m hearing Bette Midler sing From a Distance in my head…At least in the Orthodox way of looking at it, there is a greater difference between the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox than there is between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant (both being non-Orthodox themselves, as well as sharing certain presuppositions that make them alike in their approach to religion, as is natural since the Protestants came out of the Catholic Church, and not some other church). Perhaps that better explains what might seem to Catholics to be an unreasonable or inflexible stance on the part of the COC.
That is the hope
It is kind of a weird position though, since everyone else in my family married Catholics… I often hear this claim from both EO and OO, but as far as I’m concerned, as a former Protestant now Catholic, the similarities the Orthodox refer to are superficial at best. Yes, Protestants use similar terminology when it comes to some of these doctrinal issues, but their understanding of those terms is completely foreign from the Catholic understanding. Catholics and Protestants tend to speak past each other. That being said, if you are referring to more traditional Lutherans or Anglicans, I would agree that there is a lot of common ground and similar propositions - but if you are looking at the bulk of the world’s “Protestants” today we are talking about Evangelicals and Pentecostals - and even finding a common theological language is nearly impossible. When a Pentecostal speaks of “justification” they mean something very different than when a Catholic does. No Evangelical or Pentecostal, unless a student of Church history, would have any idea what the “Filioque” even is, as creeds outside of Scripture are foreign to them.
The Protestants that I know preach, and I think this is standard fare for most Protestants given the influence of televangelism, that God abandoned Christ on the cross. That Jesus was cursed and the Trinity was in effect broken, until the resurrection. I have way more in common with the Orthodox, I think than with any theology that effectively denies the Godhood of Christ, the oneness of the Trinity or the mercy of the cross. Modern evangelical Protestantism has many terms in common with Catholicism, but far more theology in common with Gnosticism…
That is an unjustified overgeneralization of Orthodoxy. There are very, very many Orthodox who rightly understand that the CC is closer to them than any of the Protestant bodies (notwithstanding the liturgical/magisterial Protestants, though there are certainly gradations even in that group, some more Catholic than others).At least in the Orthodox way of looking at it, there is a greater difference between the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox than there is between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant (both being non-Orthodox themselves, as well as sharing certain presuppositions that make them alike in their approach to religion, as is natural since the Protestants came out of the Catholic Church, and not some other church). Perhaps that better explains what might seem to Catholics to be an unreasonable or inflexible stance on the part of the COC.
As far as soteriology, soteriology is what split the Protestants from the Catholics. The EO Council of Jerusalem even utilized the arguments of the Latin Church against the Protestants who came to their land, so there is no justification in that claim.
How on earth would you know? You are an apostate from Orthodoxy, and hence your ability to speak on it is to be taken no more seriously than my own ability to speak regarding Roman Catholicism as an apostate from that church – something which you have frequently taken me to task for here when you felt I was speaking out of turn. Well, physician, heal thyself, and leave alone.
In what world does one exist wherein one cannot speak of one’s experience of Orthodox Christians unless one is in the Orthodox Church? Any person who speaks to any Orthodox can get a gauge of what Orthodoxy is. You alone are not the sole determinant of what Orthodoxy is, brother.