Protestants and miracles

[CrispSnowflake]

Yes, of course they can be saved! God knows their hearts!They love and serve Him faithfully till death, and love His children! :]
There are a lot of nice Protestants that I believe should be “proclaimed saints”- i.e. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :]

 

[tabycat]

In Heaven, all that we need to know will be revealed, including things like the Eucharist. So, if people are told all the truth in Heaven, and if Catholics (of which I believe) are right, then people will come to believe all the Catholic Church teaches when they get to Heaven. And, therefore, all in Heaven will be Catholic, even if they weren’t on earth.

 

[Nicea325]

I think there is a misconception here about what the church says about salvation out side of the Catholic Church. The Church does not say/teach that only Catholics make it to heaven. Rather, what the Church teaches is that Salvation outside of the Church is possible however, **Salvation is easier via the Catholic Church because we have the fullness of faith.**I believe miracles are possible anywhere because God is present every where. but the greatest miracle occurs each time a Mass is said. Bread and Wine become body and blood. Jesus comes to dwell among us. Amen!

In regards to the bolded words? Yes…for those Catholics who truly follow and practice their faith. To many Catholics assume because they are baptized Catholics they can just ditch their faith because everything will be okay. Wrong! They are lazy and passive Catholics. Sad to say this but many are essentially pagans.

 

[john330]

My question concerns Protestant faiths, and Apostolic-Pentecostals in general. I was raised and brought up in this church for all of my life. It is very charismatic and my family and others in the church are very sincere about their faith and beliefs. They don’t smoke, drink, curse, have sex before marriage, etc.

My mother, in particular, prays all the time and claims to have a deep relationship with and understanding of God. She tries to witness to almost everyone she meets and is very sincere in her beliefs. She claims that God deals with her in dreams and has witnessed miracles in her life through prayer. An example of this is one time, my mom when she was dating my dad (who was ironically a non-serious Catholic at the time) saw a rat in her basement while she was with my dad. She freaked about this, I guess as most would, and called her Pentecostal bishop immediately on the phone to pray for her. As soon as the bishop prayed, the rat immediately turned over and died, and my dad essentially converted to the Protestant faith after this prayer.

**
So, essentially my question is** - if Catholicism is the only true way to God and is the only way to be saved (mainly because Catholics believe in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist) - how do you explain these types of miracles that happen in Protestant faiths? Not just with my “rat” example, but also with other people who are Protestants claiming to be healed and to have experienced joy in having faith in Jesus?

I assume that God is answering their prayers even though they are not Catholic? And if so, **can they be saved without being Catholic? **

Your mom called the bishop because she saw a rat in the basement?

 

[MaryT777]

Your mom called the bishop because she saw a rat in the basement?

That is different; I hope the poster can comment upon when one calls the Bishop in their denomination.

 

[batmon112]

I think there is a misconception here about what the church says about salvation out side of the Catholic Church. The Church does not say/teach that only Catholics make it to heaven. Rather, what the Church teaches is that Salvation outside of the Church is possible however, Salvation is easier via the Catholic Church because we have the fullness of faith.
I believe miracles are possible anywhere because God is present every where. but the greatest miracle occurs each time a Mass is said. Bread and Wine become body and blood. Jesus comes to dwell among us. Amen!

Well if this is true, how does one explain Protestants who commit mortal sins - can they yet go to heaven? For example if a Protestant uses contraception in a marriage relationship or gets divorced and is later remarried - how is it that they can still be saved according to Catholic theology?

 

[batmon112]

To clarify the “rat” miracle, I’m not so sure I agree with above poster. First, aren’t there some examples (namely in the old testament) of God allowing animals to be killed (such as a bear or serpant…I thought I remember reading something about that once).

 

[Aggies08]

Well if this is true, how does one explain Protestants who commit mortal sins - can they yet go to heaven? For example if a Protestant uses contraception in a marriage relationship or gets divorced and is later remarried - how is it that they can still be saved according to Catholic theology?

We don’t know.

Only God knows how culpable they are. Only God knows to what extend they may or may not have known the wrongness of an action or course of actions. We leave that up to his mercy.

 

[john330]

That is different; I hope the poster can comment upon when one calls the Bishop in their denomination./

Haha… Just realized that my post was offensive. Sorry!

 

[pablope]

Pardon me if I seemed harsh, it was not my intent…I wanted to get you to think more in where you attribute miracles.

Anyway…if God allowed it to be killed in the OT…it was meant as an offering to Him…and for a specific purpose, not to ease the fear of rats in a person.

Here is an example:

Job 42:

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

Anyways, even assuming that the “rat” was killed by the power of Beelzebub - there are other numerous examples of Protestants witnessing miracles such as through healing, etc. I know of people who have personally had cancer or tumors who are Protestants and through prayer and the laying of hands by Ministers - they were healed. The X-ray before which showed a tumor, after the prayer occurred, did not show it. So essentially if this is true - I don’t see how for sure being Catholic is the only real way to God?

I think me and my fellow catholics have stated that God indeed can act and effect cures and miracles in any way He wants…for after all, He is God.

God permits a lot of things…but then He uses them for His own purpose and glory.

 

[DennisBerry]

Again, why would God respond to the pentecostal bishop’s prayer with the the destruction of one of God’s creatures? Knowing God…this is not the way of God to destroy His creations.

 

[mjeffords1]

My question concerns Protestant faiths, and Apostolic-Pentecostals in general. I was raised and brought up in this church for all of my life. It is very charismatic and my family and others in the church are very sincere about their faith and beliefs. They don’t smoke, drink, curse, have sex before marriage, etc.

My mother, in particular, prays all the time and claims to have a deep relationship with and understanding of God. She tries to witness to almost everyone she meets and is very sincere in her beliefs. She claims that God deals with her in dreams and has witnessed miracles in her life through prayer. An example of this is one time, my mom when she was dating my dad (who was ironically a non-serious Catholic at the time) saw a rat in her basement while she was with my dad. She freaked about this, I guess as most would, and called her Pentecostal bishop immediately on the phone to pray for her. As soon as the bishop prayed, the rat immediately turned over and died, and my dad essentially converted to the Protestant faith after this prayer.

**
So, essentially my question is** - if Catholicism is the only true way to God and is the only way to be saved (mainly because Catholics believe in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist) - how do you explain these types of miracles that happen in Protestant faiths? Not just with my “rat” example, but also with other people who are Protestants claiming to be healed and to have experienced joy in having faith in Jesus?

I assume that God is answering their prayers even though they are not Catholic? And if so, **can they be saved without being Catholic? **

There are at least a couple examples or more in the New Testament of Jesus performing miracles for people outside of God’s Covenant family, because of their great faith. I’m thinking of the centurion in Matthew 8 and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15. But, I don’t think Jesus performing miracles for them is a free pass to knowingly refuse to enter His Church that would be born on Pentecost, if they knew they needed to. Having a request for a miracle granted, or prayer answered in faith, is one thing. But getting to heaven ultimately is another.

What do you guy’s think?

 

[batmon112]

So I have another question about this again. One person in particular who I know is Pentecostal is an older man who used to be a sinner and was not serious at all about God. Then upon coming to some Pentecostal services one day he got “filled with the Holy Ghost” and started “speaking in tongues.” He said that while this was happening, he saw a very bright light and felt the love of God on inside of him like he’s never experienced before in his life. Now he is living a changed live, he is a devout Christian, he takes his faith very seriously, and is passionate about serving God.

Overall, I find that it’s hard to use reason or logic to convert these people to become Catholic given these encounters? It’s hard to use reason or logic to tell someone that there wrong about their faith when they have claimed to have experienced these life-changing events of God/Jesus Christ in their lives.

Also, it kind of makes me wonder since these folks are so serious and passionate about their faith, why doesn’t God reveal himself more fully to them in order to lead them to the one true faith? Any thoughts?

 

[pablope]

So I have another question about this again. One person in particular who I know is Pentecostal is an older man who used to be a sinner and was not serious at all about God. Then upon coming to some Pentecostal services one day he got “filled with the Holy Ghost” and started “speaking in tongues.” He said that while this was happening, he saw a very bright light and felt the love of God on inside of him like he’s never experienced before in his life. Now he is living a changed live, he is a devout Christian, he takes his faith very seriously, and is passionate about serving God.

Overall, I find that it’s hard to use reason or logic to convert these people to become Catholic given these encounters? It’s hard to use reason or logic to tell someone that there wrong about their faith when they have claimed to have experienced these life-changing events of God/Jesus Christ in their lives.

Also, it kind of makes me wonder since these folks are so serious and passionate about their faith, why doesn’t God reveal himself more fully to them in order to lead them to the one true faith? Any thoughts?

My thoughts…if you prayed for patience, will God zap you and you will instantly become patient?

Or will God instead test your patience…you will be put into a situation where you can exercise to be patient…so that you will learn to be patient?

Similarly…if God wanted to lead you to the one true faith…will He instantly show you in an instant?

Or will God instead give you signs…will give you opportunities (I would say)…for you to realize and recognize where God wants you?

You may not know or realize it…you are being given signs, hints, opportunities…where God want to lead you…you just need to see what those are…realize them…and follow those signs.