Protestant with questions.

[faith44]

Hello,

I am a Non-Denominational Protestant that is considering converting to the Catholic religion. I have been attending Mass at a local Cathloic church near my college for the past year. I even had a non-formal confession with a priest. Overall, I have taken quite a liking to the faith, but I wish to understand a few more things before converting. Can anyone please help me?

1. Purgatory

I think this is one of the coolest beliefs of the Catholic religion. My protestant background taught me that someone who is not saved goes to hell forever, regardless of the degree of their sinful offenses. But I always thought that did not make sense becuase there are people who sin far less than others, yet they receive the same punishment? Someone who steals a piece of candy and someone who murders ten people go to the same place?

Anyway, my understanding of who goes to purgatory is that it is where sinners go if they have comitted less severe sins, comitted severe sins and repented but never confessed them to a Catholic priest or where righteous people that never accepted or heard of Christianity (e.x. a Buddhist lives a righteous life repenting of his sins, but never accepted Christ). Is this accurate? Who goes to purgatory?

My understanding of what purgatoy actually is, is a place where the soul is purified to go to Heaven. I have heard that it is a painless, blank existance, but I have also heard it is a painful process like hell is. Is this state supposed to be painful or painless?

I have read and heard about Catholics praying for those in purgatory. The belief is that the living can speed up the process and shorten the time spent of the souls in purgatory. Is this true?

Finally, I have heard from many Protestants that there is nothing in the Bible that mentions purgatory. I have read the entire New Testament myself, and I feel that I have found enough passages in regards to God’s mercy that would allow the existance of such a thing as purgatory, but nothing that specifically mentions it. I have also read that the belief stems from the Jew’s beliefs in a non-eternal hell found in the Old Testament. What parts of the Bible mention/support purgatory?

1. Protestant Bible vs Catholic Bible

Durring my research comparing and contrasting these two sects of Christianity, I learned that the Protestant Bible removed 13 books from the Old Testament that the Catholic Bible still includes. Does anyone know why this is? What are these books? Do they hold any merit in supporting Catholic beliefs and practices?

1. Virgin Marry, Center of Catholicism

Many people have told me that Catholicism (mostly older versions of it) centers more around the Virgin Marry than it does Jesus Christ. From what I have seen in Mass though, I would say that Jesus is the central focus of Catholicism. Why would some say the focus is more on Marry?

1. The Pope

I am curious as to what power The Pope has. How does his job work? What is he allowed to change? Is there anything in the scriptures that describe how his job works?

1. Other scriptures

Do Catholics follow any scriptures other than the Catholic Bible?

Sorry for such a long post. I really appreciate your help. Please get back to me whenever possible.

God Bless,

-Faith44

 

[Lampo]

Howdy Faith44 :tiphat:

1.Purgatory
2.Deuterocanonicals
3.Mary
4.The Pope
5.Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth

Hope those are helpful.

 

[Hisalone]

What first interested you in the Catholic faith?

 

[BlestOne]

After you read the very good links that Lampo gave you, you may want to listen to some mp3’s from biblechristian society here… You do have to register but the downloads are free… I recommend the one on the eucharist especially. I listened to it on my laptop at a McDonalds with my dh… the whole restaurant got really quiet and when it was over many asked me where i got it. biblechristiansociety.com/

 

[Lampo]

After you read the very good links that Lampo gave you, you may want to listen to some mp3’s from biblechristian society here… You do have to register but the downloads are free… I recommend the one on the eucharist especially. I listened to it on my laptop at a McDonalds with my dh… the whole restaurant got really quiet and when it was over many asked me where i got it. biblechristiansociety.com/

Definitely! I Second BlestOne’s recommendations. This is also a good site and it offers a free book by Matthew Kelly.

 

[faith44]

Howdy Faith44 :tiphat:

1.Purgatory
2.Deuterocanonicals
3.Mary
4.The Pope
5.Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth

Hope those are helpful.

Lampo, thank you very much for your help. I’ll look into these.

What first interested you in the Catholic faith?

I had not been to church in a long time during my first 3 years or so at college. I suddenly wanted to go again, so I asked my buddy where he went. He told me about the church I go to now, but I didn’t realize that it was a Catholic church. So I started going and really taking a liking to it.

Following that, I wanted to learn more about the differences between Protestant and Catholic. From what I have experienced, I feel that the Catholic church is more lenient in their beliefs of the final judgment than Protestants are. It just makes more sense and fits the image of the more merciful God described in the New Testament.

Lately, I started talking about Catholicism with my friends from back home more often. Some of my best friends since grade school were all raised Catholic, but we never really discussed religion all too often. I wanted to learn more so I asked them about their faith and beliefs.

Added to that, not to go on a rant, but at my school some of the Protestant evangelists (primarily Southern Baptists) show up on campus calling the girls whores and holding signs telling everyone about how they are going to go to hell. I understand that they want to spread the word, but I don’t think evangelism is supposed to be yelling at strangers and trying to inspire faith primarily through the fear of being tormented for eternity. I think they turn people off to Christianity and make people think we’re crazy.

After you read the very good links that Lampo gave you, you may want to listen to some mp3’s from biblechristian society here… You do have to register but the downloads are free… I recommend the one on the eucharist especially. I listened to it on my laptop at a McDonalds with my dh… the whole restaurant got really quiet and when it was over many asked me where i got it. biblechristiansociety.com/

Thanks for the link. I’ll have to check it out.

 

[Hisalone]

Faith its not important what Protestants say about who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. It is not importatnt what Cahtolics say who will go to heaven and who will go to hell.

What is important is what God says about it. We can learn fromGod through His word.
God says:

ROM 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

ROM 10:9-10, 13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

HEB 7:25 “Wherefore [Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them

The gospel of Christ has the power for salvation on all who believe.
The gospel or good news is that Jesus Christ is God become man who was crucified, died and rose again so that if we believe in Him we will be saved.
We believe in trust in rely on Christ that He is able to save us.

 

[Lampo]

It is not importatnt what Cahtolics say who will go to heaven and who will go to hell.

Quite the contrary Hisalone. It is a matter of life or death as to what the Church founded by Jesus himself says about salvation.

What is important is what God says about it. We can learn fromGod through His word.

Very true!

God says:

ROM 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Amen. The principal theme of the letter is salvation through faith. I am not ashamed of the gospel: Paul is not ashamed to proclaim the gospel, despite the criticism that Jews and Gentiles leveled against the proclamation of the crucified savior; cf 1 Cor 1:23-24. Paul affirms, however, that it is precisely through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus that God’s saving will and power become manifest. Jew first (cf Romans 2:9-10) means that Jews especially, in view of the example of Abraham (Romans 4), ought to be the leaders in the response of faith.

ROM 10:9-10, 13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Amen. Don’t forget about baptism! It is true that belief and profession of faith are necessary, the whole witness to the NT shows that baptism is necessary as well.

 

[AquinasT]

HisAlone,

You stated the following:
“…its not important what Protestants say about who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. It is not importatnt what Cahtolics say who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. What is important is what God says about it. We can learn from God through His word.”

But isn’t the whole point of our disagreement based on the fact that Catholics and Protestants arrive at different conclusions on what “we can learn from God through His word”? We understand God’s Word differently. It is EXTREMELY important to study understand what Protestants and Catholics (and Hindus and Jews and Muslims and Mormons, etc) say about how one gets to heaven because it allows us to separate Truth from falsehood. We ought to be very interested in studying these differences and knowing which interpretation of God’s Word is correct. Which religion or denomination has it right.

Now I am not saying that we should condemn individuals to hell (the Catholic Church has NEVER taught that), but in general all Christian churches have developed theology concerning sin and damnation, repentance, conversion, salvation, sanctification, grace, and so on. Each church views these issues differently. We must be concerned with these theological points, we must evaluate them, so that we can be certain we are on the right path.

If you believe that no denomination is correct, then you too bring your own personal interpretation of God’s Word into the mix, and it ought to be examined. You are presenting yet another WAY to salvation. So join in the discussion. But you cannot dismiss other churches’ theological viewpoints and claim that yours trumps their without any evidence to back it up. You cannot say that Catholics and Protestants don’t matter, but YOUR view of God’s Word does.

Thomas

 

[Hisalone]

What is important is that because of Christ every human being can walk withy God. Every human being can fellowship with God as the great men in the Old Testament. The bible says “Noah walked with God”. Each and every one of us can walk with God. What is important for Faith and those dear souls like her is to know God. The first steps in knowing God is through His word. Through His word he communicates with us.

 

[mom2three]

What is important is that because of Christ every human being can walk withy God. Every human being can fellowship with God as the great men in the Old Testament. The bible says “Noah walked with God”. Each and every one of us can walk with God. What is important for Faith and those dear souls like her is to know God. The first steps in knowing God is through His word. Through His word he communicates with us.

Correct… and his Word is given to us through Scripture, Tradition and His Church… but first “the Word” is a person: Jesus Christ! Amen!

 

[NDfan]

Hello,

I am a Non-Denominational Protestant that is considering converting to the Catholic religion. I have been attending Mass at a local Cathloic church near my college for the past year. I even had a non-formal confession with a priest. Overall, I have taken quite a liking to the faith, but I wish to understand a few more things before converting. Can anyone please help me?

1. Purgatory

I think this is one of the coolest beliefs of the Catholic religion. My protestant background taught me that someone who is not saved goes to hell forever, regardless of the degree of their sinful offenses. But I always thought that did not make sense becuase there are people who sin far less than others, yet they receive the same punishment? Someone who steals a piece of candy and someone who murders ten people go to the same place?

Your first mistake is thinking that people who are not saved can go to purgatory. Purgatory is a stop off on your way to Heaven. You have to be saved to go to purgatory. Being saved has nothing to do with degree of sins as you are implying. Maybe you were taught incorrectly. The Catholic church believes that you can’t die in a state of mortal sin and go to heaven. Even if you believe in Jesus. It sounds like you are thinking that somehow the Catholic church is more lenient on sin by teaching purgatory.

Anyway, my understanding of who goes to purgatory is that it is where sinners go if they have comitted less severe sins, comitted severe sins and repented but never confessed them to a Catholic priest or where righteous people that never accepted or heard of Christianity (e.x. a Buddhist lives a righteous life repenting of his sins, but never accepted Christ). Is this accurate? Who goes to purgatory?

Purgatory is where believers of Christ go to get purified of their sins before entering Heaven. It’s not for non-believers. Protestants don’t believe in Purgatory before Heaven. They believe all true believers in Christ will go to Heaven. The rest will be subject to GOD’s judgement. (the Buddhist, those that never accepted Christ.) You can’t not accept Christ and go to purgatory. This is a contradiction and again it seems you are totally confused.

My understanding of what purgatoy actually is, is a place where the soul is purified to go to Heaven. I have heard that it is a painless, blank existance, but I have also heard it is a painful process like hell is. Is this state supposed to be painful or painless?

No one really knows just as know one really knows if it exists for sure.

read and heard about Catholics praying for those in purgatory. The belief is that the living can speed up the process and shorten the time spent of the souls in purgatory. Is this true?

That’s the belief.

, I have heard from many Protestants that there is nothing in the Bible that mentions purgatory. I have read the entire New Testament myself, and I feel that I have found enough passages in regards to God’s mercy that would allow the existance of such a thing as purgatory, but nothing that specifically mentions it. I have also read that the belief stems from the Jew’s beliefs in a non-eternal hell found in the Old Testament. What parts of the Bible mention/support purgatory?

There is scripture that speaks of testing ones works by fire. The ones whose works are of straw will burn up. The ones of Gold and Silver survive. The straw person survives but only by fire. There’s alot of implied meaning for purgatory. Jesus never says that if we believe we go to purgatory or a place like purgatory. But that doesn’t mean something like that couldn’t exist.

1. Protestant Bible vs Catholic Bible

Durring my research comparing and contrasting these two sects of Christianity, I learned that the Protestant Bible removed 13 books from the Old Testament that the Catholic Bible still includes. Does anyone know why this is? What are these books? Do they hold any merit in supporting Catholic beliefs and practices?

They were removed for the same reasons the Jews removed it from their Bible. They believed that the prophets stopped speaking after Malachi which many of these books fall in terms of time so they removed them. Also I believe some were questioned for validity. The book of the Maccabees is cited as offering sacrifices for the dead which the Jews would have done before the Messiah came. This is what is used by the RC to justify praying for the dead. But since Jesus has come the gates of heaven are open and everyone that was supposed to go there has gone. Re-read the Gospels to see this.

1. Virgin Marry, Center of Catholicism

Many people have told me that Catholicism (mostly older versions of it) centers more around the Virgin Marry than it does Jesus Christ. From what I have seen in Mass though, I would say that Jesus is the central focus of Catholicism. Why would some say the focus is more on Marry?

Mary is called co-mediatrix. Meaning that she participated in our redemption because she gave her only son and she suffered at the cross. RCs also believe she has strong intercessory powers in prayer. If you listen and read enough you will see Mary can be quite the focus. She gets attributed with alot. When the Pope was shot he credited Mary for saving him and visited the site where her apparition was claimed to have been seen.

1. The Pope

I am curious as to what power The Pope has. How does his job work? What is he allowed to change? Is there anything in the scriptures that describe how his job works?

He’s infallible in all rulings of faith. Anything he declares doctrine you are required to believe.

1. Other scriptures

Do Catholics follow any scriptures other than the Catholic Bible?

Writings from the early church fathers and sacred tradition.

Sorry for such a long post. I really appreciate your help. Please get back to me whenever possible.

God Bless,

-Faith44

Faith the only recommendation I would make is make sure you understand the Roman Catholic faith completely. Make sure you believe in all doctrines and understand what those doctrines mean. Don’t think it’s cool because it sounds like it fits something specific you always had trouble with. Make sure you understand completely what Protestants believe compared to Roman Catholics and make sure you are on board with those beliefs. If you are then GOD Bless. I believe GOD will lead you to where you should be if you pray and ask for guidance.

PEACE

 

[faith44]

Faith the only recommendation I would make is make sure you understand the Roman Catholic faith completely. Make sure you believe in all doctrines and understand what those doctrines mean. Don’t think it’s cool because it sounds like it fits something specific you always had trouble with. Make sure you understand completely what Protestants believe compared to Roman Catholics and make sure you are on board with those beliefs. If you are then GOD Bless. I believe GOD will lead you to where you should be if you pray and ask for guidance.

PEACE

I greatly appreciate the advice. I will continue to investigate further the differences between the Catholic and Protestant beliefs.

I know that it is written that you will find God when you seek Him with all of your heart. I have been continuing my search and though I still feel that I don’t understand completely, I believe that He will guide, protect and watch over me until I have come to an understanding of His will.

I’ve always had the most important parts down, believing that Christ was the Son of God, He died for my sins on the cross, and was resurrected after three days. Believing in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as The Trinity. All of that I have never had a problem with.

The main thing I have had trouble coping with is what will happen to non-Christians when they die. Some really are good people and either never heard about Christ or know as little about Christianity as most Christians know about their primary religions, making it less likely for them to become Christians.

Too elaborate on this, first I have to tell you that I am a very big fan of the country Japan and always have been since I was 5 (I am now 21). I speak the language (not fluently yet), I studied abroad there, have great friends there and plan on going back after I graduate to live there for 2 years teaching English. The people there are wonderful, polite, well mannered and over all have great morals and execute that with their behavior and actions. However, the vast majority of the nation is Agnostic and another small chunk of them are a mix of Buddhists and Shintos. Even the Agnostic ones, though they have no belief in any specific religion or God, it is very common among the vast majority of Japanese to participate in prayer and to give thanks to God before every meal. Prayer at funerals and celebrations is also very common. It may not seem like a lot, but it is proof that they do have a desire for a relationship with God.

However, only about 0.5% of the Japanese population is Christian (750,000 out of 150 million people). It’s a little hard for me to accept that 99.5% of them will go to hell. And if you’re someone that believes that Catholicism is the ONLY way for ANY believer in Christ to be saved, then you would have to cut the fraction down even lower. Most of that 0.5% of the Christian population in Japan is either Protestant or East Orthodox Christian.

So this is why the idea of purgatory (one of the many different versions I have heard of it by now) really made me start to look at the Catholic church more. I know I can save some by spreading the word, but I’ll be lucky enough to inspire belief in a few people at most! I really received a feeling of relief in the idea that I could at least pray for the departed souls of those who lived righteous lives yet never came to accept or even hear of Jesus Christ.

Imagine how hard it must be to become a Christian in a country like that. Having to accept the belief that nearly everyone they know, nearly everyone in their country and almost every single ancestor of their country’s history over the past 2,000 years has been condemned. And even they have a better outlook on religion than plenty of other countries. In China and Vietnam, most religions are outlawed by the government there.

I know most evangelists say that missionaries have reached nearly all over the globe so there is no excuse, but there are plenty of places where people still have never heard of Jesus Christ. And that’s now, imagine over the past 2,000 years. The further you go back, the less and less Christian influence there was in the world. If there is no way for someone to be saved if they’ve never heard of Christ, then it means there are lots of people that didn’t even stand a chance.

Sorry to go on for so long. It’s a sensitive subject for me. Bottom line is that I’ve never had a problem keeping Christ in my life (though I admit I have been less religious at some points in my life than in others), but I have always worried about everyone else. So I pray that God guides me to find the answers to my questions. I know that He is just in whatever He does, and I also pray that He will grant me comfort in His decisions whether I fully understand them or not.

 

[Namesake]

However, only about 0.5% of the Japanese population is Christian (750,000 out of 150 million people). It’s a little hard for me to accept that 99.5% of them will go to hell. And if you’re someone that believes that Catholicism is the ONLY way for ANY believer in Christ to be saved, then you would have to cut the fraction down even lower. Most of that 0.5% of the Christian population in Japan is either Protestant or East Orthodox Christian.

Did you ever ponder the odd fact that Christianity began in a place with a much lower population than Asia? Or, why the apostles didn’t travel to China, and Japan?

Wouldn’t it seem logical that an all knowing God would somehow bring salvation to those places too?

I think I know the probably answer, but it still can be a little confusing. Why were all those people left out and why do Catholics believe that all those people are doomed to hell because God chose to operate in the Middle East first?

 

[Lampo]

What is important is that because of Christ every human being can walk withy God. Every human being can fellowship with God as the great men in the Old Testament. The bible says “Noah walked with God”. Each and every one of us can walk with God. What is important for Faith and those dear souls like her is to know God. The first steps in knowing God is through His word. Through His word he communicates with us.

Agreed. Written *and *spoken word.

 

[NDfan]

I greatly appreciate the advice. I will continue to investigate further the differences between the Catholic and Protestant beliefs.

Anytime. I spent 35 years in the Roman Catholic church. I currently attend non-denominational services so I can speak pretty well for both sides.

I know that it is written that you will find God when you seek Him with all of your heart. I have been continuing my search and though I still feel that I don’t understand completely, I believe that He will guide, protect and watch over me until I have come to an understanding of His will.

Amen I prayed so much for GOD to lead us through some turmoil about 2 years ago. The church we attend now literally has changed our lives for the better. GOD will be there for you and I will certainly pray for you.

I’ve always had the most important parts down, believing that Christ was the Son of God, He died for my sins on the cross, and was resurrected after three days. Believing in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as The Trinity. All of that I have never had a problem with.

That’s wonderful. I think GOD will lead you to a church home where you can grow and mature spiritually.

The main thing I have had trouble coping with is what will happen to non-Christians when they die. Some really are good people and either never heard about Christ or know as little about Christianity as most Christians know about their primary religions, making it less likely for them to become Christians.

Just keep in mind that our GOD is a wonderful and just GOD. The non-believers in Christ I believe will have every opportunity to be saved. Remember the parable about the lost sheep in the Bible. The same applies to non-believers. If there is a way to reach them GOD will know. I struggle with my friends who are Hindu and are absolutely wonderful people. I also have a friend who is agnostic. He’s waiting for GOD to knock on his door to prove HE exists.

Too elaborate on this, first I have to tell you that I am a very big fan of the country Japan and always have been since I was 5 (I am now 21). I speak the language (not fluently yet), I studied abroad there, have great friends there and plan on going back after I graduate to live there for 2 years teaching English. The people there are wonderful, polite, well mannered and over all have great morals and execute that with their behavior and actions. However, the vast majority of the nation is Agnostic and another small chunk of them are a mix of Buddhists and Shintos. Even the Agnostic ones, though they have no belief in any specific religion or God, it is very common among the vast majority of Japanese to participate in prayer and to give thanks to God before every meal. Prayer at funerals and celebrations is also very common. It may not seem like a lot, but it is proof that they do have a desire for a relationship with God.

I agree. The desire sounds like it is there. Trust me GOD will reach them if they are reachable at all. You may find GOD using you yourself to reach them.

However, only about 0.5% of the Japanese population is Christian (750,000 out of 150 million people). It’s a little hard for me to accept that 99.5% of them will go to hell. And if you’re someone that believes that Catholicism is the ONLY way for ANY believer in Christ to be saved, then you would have to cut the fraction down even lower. Most of that 0.5% of the Christian population in Japan is either Protestant or East Orthodox Christian.

Well I certainly don’t believe the only way to get to Heaven is through the Roman Catholic church. GOD is much bigger than the Roman Catholic church and trust me HE definitely works outside the Roman Catholic church. I can tell you plenty of stories and so can other Protestant believers about the Hand of GOD in their lives. Christianity may have different branches but we all share the same root and that is Jesus.

So this is why the idea of purgatory (one of the many different versions I have heard of it by now) really made me start to look at the Catholic church more. I know I can save some by spreading the word, but I’ll be lucky enough to inspire belief in a few people at most! I really received a feeling of relief in the idea that I could at least pray for the departed souls of those who lived righteous lives yet never came to accept or even hear of Jesus Christ.

Just keep in mind purgatory is not for the unbeliever. Praying for someone who departed this world as a non-believer is not believed to be in purgatory. Purgatory is the last stop before going to Heaven. What I would say is never stop praying to GOD to have mercy on those souls who departed this life not believing. We never know what GOD does right at the very moment of death or right after. Jesus may very well introduce HIMSELF to them and give them a chance to believe. Just have Faith in GOD and trust that he will handle things appropriately.

Imagine how hard it must be to become a Christian in a country like that. Having to accept the belief that nearly everyone they know, nearly everyone in their country and almost every single ancestor of their country’s history over the past 2,000 years has been condemned. And even they have a better outlook on religion than plenty of other countries. In China and Vietnam, most religions are outlawed by the government there.

Yes we have friends in China and they basically have to practice Christianity underground. But it’s getting better though.

I know most evangelists say that missionaries have reached nearly all over the globe so there is no excuse, but there are plenty of places where people still have never heard of Jesus Christ. And that’s now, imagine over the past 2,000 years. The further you go back, the less and less Christian influence there was in the world. If there is no way for someone to be saved if they’ve never heard of Christ, then it means there are lots of people that didn’t even stand a chance.

Yes I agree and remember GOD knows this as well. So we need to have Faith that he may reach them another way.

Sorry to go on for so long. It’s a sensitive subject for me. Bottom line is that I’ve never had a problem keeping Christ in my life (though I admit I have been less religious at some points in my life than in others), but I have always worried about everyone else. So I pray that God guides me to find the answers to my questions. I know that He is just in whatever He does, and I also pray that He will grant me comfort in His decisions whether I fully understand them or not.

Not too long at all. Enjoyed your post and please feel free to message me if you need support. I fell away from my Faith over 10 years ago. GOD didn’t let me get away though. If I had time to tell you the story you would only believe that it was the Hand of GOD at work in my life. I’m glad you know Christ and I will keep praying for you.

PEACE and GOD Bless you

 

[Lampo]

Hey NDfan…Just wondering what caused you to leave the Catholic Church?

 

[FCEGM]

Did you ever ponder the odd fact that Christianity began in a place with a much lower population than Asia? Or, why the apostles didn’t travel to China, and Japan?

You have no doubt pondered the fact that God prepared a particular People to receive His Incarnate Son. Afterall, if the Son is to be Incarnate then it follows that He will have to be born into a given community. Another fact is that of the Apostles going to where Jewish communities were already established to bring the fulfillment of what they had been prepared over the centuries to receive. And it would be natural for some Apostles to travel to the seat of power of the Roman Empire. Providence is manifest in this in spreading the Gospel throughout that Empire and beyond.

Wouldn’t it seem logical that an all knowing God would somehow bring salvation to those places too? I think I know the probably answer, but it still can be a little confusing.

Well, we know He did and He has through those who came after the Apostles, including the Church entering into India (where there is a strong tradition in Goa of Thomas being martyred there). The missionary activity of the Apostles blossomed into the vast missionary activity of the Church through the centuries that followed them. The Martyrs of Korea and Japan stand in witness to this.

Why were all those people left out and why do Catholics believe that all those people are doomed to hell because God chose to operate in the Middle East first?

FYI, they weren’t and we don’t.

 

[angelusm]

In St. Faustina’s diary you can find information about purgatory - what Jesus says about it. We focus on Jesus, Mary shows us Jesus and leads us to him.
Pope has the keys to the Kingdom, he can loose and bind, inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit.
We follow also the Catechism but it’s based on the Bible.
God didn’t stop talking to his people after the Bible was completed, he is still doing it, just like in Fatima.
God bless.

 

[SummaTheologica]

Did you ever ponder the odd fact that Christianity began in a place with a much lower population than Asia? Or, why the apostles didn’t travel to China, and Japan?

Wouldn’t it seem logical that an all knowing God would somehow bring salvation to those places too?

I think I know the probably answer, but it still can be a little confusing. Why were all those people left out and why do Catholics believe that all those people are doomed to hell because God chose to operate in the Middle East first?

Catholics don’t believe that these people are doomed to hell; we believe that if they sincerely look to follow what they feel is right, they will be allowed into heaven.