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Sacred_Heart_1
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Does the Catholic Church still consider Protestantism as heretical or has the language changed as concerning interdenominational relationships?
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DavidFilmer
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The Church has softened its language. The people who invented protestantism (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc) were all Catholic, as well as the large majority of their early followers. (Luther was an Augustinian priest; Calvin had seriously considered a religious vocation, and some claim that Zwingli spent time as a Dominican novice.) The leaders of this new movement could rightly be called heretics, because they were Catholics who were teaching contrary to Church doctrine.
But modern protestant leaders and teachers are usually not Catholics. They cannot rightly be called heretics, because you have to be a Catholic to be a heretic (at least as far as the Catholic Church is concerned).
Furthermore, in modern parlance, “heretic” is considered an insulting and pejorative term, and the Church has no desire to insult protestants (only to correct them and lead them closer to Jesus).
But modern protestant leaders and teachers are usually not Catholics. They cannot rightly be called heretics, because you have to be a Catholic to be a heretic (at least as far as the Catholic Church is concerned).
Furthermore, in modern parlance, “heretic” is considered an insulting and pejorative term, and the Church has no desire to insult protestants (only to correct them and lead them closer to Jesus).
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MarcoPolo
Guest
In order to be culpable of heresy, one must be aware of the trueness of the Catholic faith from which they depart doctrinally. Traditionally, you can see a good definition from Thomas Aquinas:
*The heretical tenets may be adhered to from involuntary causes: inculpable ignorance of the true creed, erroneous judgment, imperfect apprehension and comprehension of dogmas. In none of these does the will play an appreciable part, wherefore, one of the necessary conditions of sinfulness–free choice–is wanting and such heresy is merely subjective or material.*In other words, if you are honest in not understanding the Catholic faith as the true faith, you are not guilty of heresy.
Also from Catholic Answers: *A person who is ready to be corrected or who is unaware that what he has been saying is against Church teaching is not a heretic.*So if you honestly don’t recognize the Catholic Church as THE Church in the first place, you cannot be guilty of heresy against it. As I’ve understood the historical label, one is guilty of heresy when professing to be a member of the Catholic Church while teaching false doctrine.
*The heretical tenets may be adhered to from involuntary causes: inculpable ignorance of the true creed, erroneous judgment, imperfect apprehension and comprehension of dogmas. In none of these does the will play an appreciable part, wherefore, one of the necessary conditions of sinfulness–free choice–is wanting and such heresy is merely subjective or material.*In other words, if you are honest in not understanding the Catholic faith as the true faith, you are not guilty of heresy.
Also from Catholic Answers: *A person who is ready to be corrected or who is unaware that what he has been saying is against Church teaching is not a heretic.*So if you honestly don’t recognize the Catholic Church as THE Church in the first place, you cannot be guilty of heresy against it. As I’ve understood the historical label, one is guilty of heresy when professing to be a member of the Catholic Church while teaching false doctrine.
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Swiss_Guy
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Protestantism as a belief system is heretical, but not all (probably most) Protestants aren’t heretics.
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