I am happy to discuss my position and you make a good point, but throwing insults around does not lead to good discussion. You know very well that, when someone starts insulting people, they are beginning to lose reason and have to resort to put-downs.
I beg your pardon. I considered your one word conclusion that Protestants were heretics rather insulting.
It wasn’t just a direct, cut-to-the-chase answer. It was arrogant.
Now, back to intelligent discussion. Let’s take a look at another heresy: Arianism.
Okay. I know a little about that.
Let us consider that Arianism lasted for centuries. That means generations were a part of it. These were people baptized into Arianism by Arianist bishops and priests. Were they not heretics?
No, they were not. Technically, they were members of an heretical church but only Arius and those others among them who had become Arian after having been baptized Catholic were heretics qua heresy.
Now, I wouldn’t condemn everyone who has ever darkened the doors of a Protestant church. However, anyone who is of the age of reason, who knows the tenants of Catholicism (and that’s hard not to know in this communication age) and has still not rejected the heresies of Protestantism is, indeed, a heretic.
I am glad your Pope and the Second Vatican Council disagree.
Please search the pertinent conciliar documents (Lumen Gentium, Unitatis Redintegratio) as well as the writings of Benedict.
You will find both the council fathers and the Pope far more reticent in “calling a spade a spade” than you are.
In fact, you will never hear or read the word “heresy” or “heretic” used to describe either the beliefs or the members of those churches.
It would be far more just to conclude that the absence of such a designation implies a correlating absence of cause than to conclude that they’re “just being charitable”.
Indeed, a careful reading (especially of the V2 documents) leaves one with no other conclusion than that Protestants aren’t called heretics for any reason other than that they aren’t actually heretics.
Now heretic is not a knee-jerk insult.
It is when it is applied without qualification and in an apparent effort to dismiss an argument or a person.
Being a heretic is rejecting a truth of the Deposit of Faith.
Actually, it is “the obstinate post-baptismal denial” of such a “truth” (Rahner and Vorgrimmler) the implication being that the baptism was into communion with the Bishop of Rome since it cannot be seriously maintained that those not baptized into this communion would be expected to submit to doctrines not part of their confession.
It is a serious charge that shouldn’t be levied lightly. It’s also important that we treat those who espouse the Protestant heresies with love and engage them in discussion. This discussion is NOT to come to some sort of compromise, but to try to eliminate any misconceptions on either side. The Church cannot compromise and any return to communion with any Protestant denomination must be a result of clearing up any misconceptions, but primarily a result of their accepting and believing everything the Catholic Church believes to have been revealed by God.
Don’t hold your breath.
And I am in my 20s…the only things I’m old enough to be a throw-back to are Clear Pepsi and pump-up shoes.
I am in my 40’s and one thing I have learned is that youth is no bar to anachronism.
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