How to reply to my protestant sister?

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This is what my sister said when I asked her if she had questions about Catholicism. “I have faith in Jesus’ gift of salvation. The purpose of his crucifixion. I don’t feel that salvation is in a religion, but in a personal relationship with God. Of course I mean God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. I know one day when I’ve died I will be separated from this body and in the presence of the Lord. II Corinthians 5.”
What do I say to her? I had expected it to be easier.
Thanks
 
How can one have a personal relationship with God without religion?

Just as Jesus was sent by the Father to reconcile us to him, so does Christ send forth his ministers today to reconcile us through the Sacraments.
 
Christianity is a religion of the Word, not of a book! The Word is a Person - Jesus Christ. He is God’s “final word” on everything. Through Jesus,

God has revealed everything He wanted to reveal to us about who He is and what He intends for our lives. God’s revelation of Himself comes to us in three ways:

Scripture (the Bible)
Tradition (especially the liturgy of the Church - the Mass and the sacraments)
The Magisterium (the Church’s teachings, such as its dogmas and creeds)
The Holy Spirit is at work through all three channels - He inspires Scripture, animates the Church’s living Tradition, and guarantees the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium (Catechism, nos. 81-82).

(Scott Hahn: https://stpaulcenter.com)
 
People that say empty platitudes like that do so because they aren’t educated enough in their faith. It’s become very popular in non denominational churches. They take for granted the 2000 years of theology and study the Catholic Church did that explains what they base their “personal relationship” on.

For example, the trinity. They accept the trinity (most of them anyway) and yet have no idea that for quite awhile that was a debate.
 
The idea that everyone should be a member of the Catholic Church for their salvation is straight out of the Bible. :

We must be baptized (John 3:3) into the one Body in the one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), partake of the one bread as one Body (1 Cor. 10:17), and profess the One Lord, one faith, one Baptism (Eph 4:4-5). Like Noah’s ark, you have to be on board to be saved–as the Bible says, like Noah’s ark in the flood, Baptism now saves (1 Peter 3:20-21), and as I just said, we are baptized into that one Body–so the ark and the Body have the same significance in this regard.

In addition, to have fellowship or communion with Christ in His Body, you must have fellowship with those who have fellowship with Him (1 John 1:3). We are forbidden, therefore, from schisms and dissensions and must be united in belief (1 Cor. 1:10).

Furthermore, while Christ is the head of the Church, He has also willed that the Church be led by men (Acts 20:28). He put St. Peter in charge of His flock (John 21:15-17)–therefore, to be a member of Christ’s flock is to be a member of the flock tended by Peter and his successors.

Our sins are to be forgiven through the ministry of the Church (John 20:21-22) and the faith is to be taught by those with succession from the Apostles–those who have been sent (Rom 10:15). Going out without being sent, on the other hand, is harmful to souls (Acts 15:24).

So to sum up, we should not be members of those communities that went out without being sent from the Church Christ founded, do not have their sins forgiven through the Apostolic ministers, do not partake of the one Bread, are not of one belief with the Church they left, do not acknowledge their authorized shepherds, etc. or be an individual who does the same ourselves.

Salvation is only found in the Church because Christ willed our salvation to not be isolated, but rather to be achieved by incorporation into a communion that is in communion with the Trinity. God is a communion of persons, and therefore that is what we are called to as well.
 
jpglisson said:
This is what my sister said when I asked her if she had questions about Catholicism. “I have faith in Jesus’ gift of salvation. The purpose of his crucifixion. I don’t feel that salvation is in a religion, but in a personal relationship with God. Of course I mean God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. I know one day when I’ve died I will be separated from this body and in the presence of the Lord. II Corinthians 5.”
What do I say to her? I had expected it to be easier.
Thanks
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Well…if that is the case, then why did Jesus say that He will build a Church?

Isn’t the Church for the purpose of helping us in our salvation journey?
 
Christianity is a person CHRISTianity in a relationship Trinity and with the human being.
 
I would say that Scripture itself says there is nothing wrong with religion. It says that true religion is to visit widows and to help the poor, etc, etc. In other words, to do loving charitable things. Now, the Catholic Church runs over 5300 hospitals, over 18000 clinics, 17000 homes for the old and terminally ill and 9800 orphanages. Nobody does more charity than The Catholic Church. The Church does this because God wants us to. The Church does not teach that religion saves us. Not even close. But the Bible calls us to a relationship with the body of Christ too. Other people. It’s never supposed to have been just a relationship with God and that’s all. If one claims to love God but does not love their brother they are a liar. It says so in scripture. The Bible calls The church the pillar and foundation of truth. You can’t separate The Church and Christ, Christ is the head of The Church and The Catholic Church is that Church.
 
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