Questions about Catholicism for understanding?

[jdoe]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

 

[EphelDuath]

Firstly, I commend you for your honesty and your desire to clear up misconceptions of our beliefs.

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?

No. Salvation comes solely from the grace of God which leads us to faith and good works. To quote ScriptureCatholic.com, a wonderful website which I heartily recommend you skim through: “The 2,000 year-old Catholic position on salvation is that we are saved by Jesus Christ and Him alone (cf. Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:5). But by the grace of Christ, we achieve the salvation God desires for us through perseverance in both faith and works.”

1. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?

No. Mary is not the redeemer of mankind. The title “Co-Redemptrix,” admittedly a bit confusing, refers to the fact that she was the primary participant of the salvation of the world; but Jesus is the one who suffered and died for our sins, nobody else.

The reverence that many Christians have for St. Mary is because she is a saintly intercessor for us, like Moses for the ancient Israelites, or Abraham for the city of Sodom.

1. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?

Absolutely not. As excellent as St. Mary was, she was a creation of God; whereas Jesus Christ is the king of the universe, the Lord.

1. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)

Some Popes were corrupt, indeed. Some Popes did perhaps say some things that bluntly went against the teachings of the Church. But I hope you can tell that many of the Popes (including our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI), were quite saintly figures that lived solely to bring glory to God.

1. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

Perhaps you did this unintentionally, but separating “Christian” from “Catholic” as if they were two separate things is profoundly offensive to Catholics. We are unequivocally Christians; we were the first Christians, in fact.

The doctrine of “no salvation outside of the Church” is a confusing one, and I can hardly do it justice in a one-paragraph blurb. So I will recommend an excellent tract instead.

I hope this helps. God bless.

 

[JRKH]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

jdoe,
First of all welcome to CAF. I’m sure you will be able to get many answers here. Especially good ones from converts.
I will begin by giving you a link to the Catholic Church Catechism.
If you scroll to the bottome of the page, you’ll find a search engine for the Catechism which will help you look things up. This is especially good as it will help you get the Actual documented teachigns and not jsut someones opinion.

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?

Short answer is that everythnig we have and are is from God. This includes the Grace to be saved and the free will to reject that Grace. God is entirely the one who saves. However, we must co-operate in that salvation by properly disposing ourselves to receive and then to ACT upon that Grace.

1. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?

No

1. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?

No

1. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)

No

1. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

First of all The Catholic Church IS a christian Church. The oldest and most Christian of the Churches. (Which is not to say all catholics are good christians)

As to the question of salvation outside the Catholic Church I will refer you to these two paragraphs in the Catechism:
818 “However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”

819 “Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth” are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: “the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.” Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to “Catholic unity.”

Peace
James

 

[Cluny]

<<1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?

1. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
2. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
3. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
4. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?>>
5. Neither the Catholic nor the Orthodox church has ever taught this.
6. See 1.
7. See 1.
8. The Pope is as corrupt as all human beings are, without God’s grace. I’m not at all sure what your parentheses here is talking about. Are you?
9. The real question should be if you can attain salvation if you go to a pop-evangelical church as opposed to a Christian Church (which includes Catholic and Orthodox).

Finally, remember that Abp. Fulton Sheen once said, “Few people really hate the Catholic faith. But MILLIONS hate what they THINK is the Catholic faith.”

 

[kristanl]

The person prior to me answered your questions the way I would have… So I kinda wanted to ask you, what do you know about the Catholic church?
Do you know we have 7 sacraments, our Holy Eucharist(Holy Communion) is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by a process called transubstation, which is when the Holy Spirit comes down and turns the bread and wine into his body and blood. We also confess our sins to a priest, where he absolves us of our sins. We have infant baptism, as we believe we are born in original sin (from Adam and Eve), we have confirmation where you recieve the gifts of the Holy Spirt, annonting of the sick, holy orders (for Priests), and Holy Matriamony.
We have a Pope, which we do not believe is without sin. He comes down from a lineage since St. Peter- when Jesus handed him the keys to heaven, and tells him he is the rock on which I build my church.

We have Mary (we believe she assumed into heaven and was sinless throughout her life… also Jesus had no siblings) and the Saints intercede for us.
We have a Rosary.
We have a bible, but we do not take everything in it literally, because some things are not meant for literate interpretation.

We have a Cathechism of the Catholic Church, where you can find most of our beliefs. It’s on the Vaticans website or just type it into google, or you could buy one.

We also have 7 additional books then the Protestant bible and additions to Ester and Daniel as well. There are many different reasons why this could be, i.e. these texts were originally written in Greek (some say the may have been written in Hebrew) and Martin Luther did not want to accept these books when he broke away from the Church.

We believe in praying to the dead. We believe souls go to purgatory to clean themselves before entering heaven. As anyone who goes to Purgatory is saved because they will eventually go to heaven. Jesus does not want imperfect people to enter heaven.

We have Mass that has a liturgy, the real presense of the Eucharist. We have adoration and bendition of the Eucharist.

There is much more. But definitely go to www.scripturecatholic.com to read where our beliefs are in the bible. and try some Catholic apologetic websites, or even this website to describe our beliefs.

Hope this helps!

 

[JRKH]

Kristal,
Nice post but I would be careful about overwhelming jdoe with info.
Also I want to make a couple of clarifications on your post.

The person prior to me answered your questions the way I would have… So I kinda wanted to ask you, what do you know about the Catholic church?
Do you know we have 7 sacraments, our Holy Eucharist(Holy Communion) is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by a process called transubstation, which is when the Holy Spirit comes down and turns the bread and wine into his body and blood. **We also confess our sins to a priest, where he absolves us of our sins. **

I want to clarify that we confess our sins to God through the priest who officiates for Christ. “In persona Christi” (In the person of Christ). We then receive absolution in the same way, from God through the Priest.

We have infant baptism, as we believe we are born in original sin (from Adam and Eve), we have confirmation where you recieve the gifts of the Holy Spirt, annonting of the sick, holy orders (for Priests), and Holy Matriamony.
We have a Pope, which we do not believe is without sin. He comes down from a lineage since St. Peter- when Jesus handed him the keys to heaven, and tells him he is the rock on which I build my church.

We have Mary (we believe she assumed into heaven and was sinless throughout her life… also Jesus had no siblings) and the Saints intercede for us.
We have a Rosary.
We have a bible, but we do not take everything in it literally, because some things are not meant for literate interpretation.

The church uses different level of interpretation. Though I am not up on the terms, it basically means interpretion at “face value” to interretation at the “Theological level”. Others would be able to explain it better.

We have a Cathechism of the Catholic Church, where you can find most of our beliefs. It’s on the Vaticans website or just type it into google, or you could buy one.

We also have 7 additional books then the Protestant bible and additions to Ester and Daniel as well. There are many different reasons why this could be, i.e. these texts were originally written in Greek (some say the may have been written in Hebrew) and Martin Luther did not want to accept these books when he broke away from the Church.

The “Additional books” aren’t really additional at all since we did not “Add” them. These texts were part of the Bible since the canon was set around 400 AD at the councils of Carthage and Hippo. They were removed by the Reformers and are no longer contained in the protestant bible. The NT remains the same in both the Protestant and catholic Bibles.

We believe in praying to the dead. We believe souls go to purgatory to clean themselves before entering heaven. As anyone who goes to Purgatory is saved because they will eventually go to heaven. Jesus does not want imperfect people to enter heaven.

We believe in praying FOR the dead. This is supported in the Bible, but it is in one of the books that was removed by the “reformers”. We also believe it is acceptable (though not mandatory) to pray for the saints to intercede for us, just as we might ask a friend or members of our Church to keep us in their prayers.

We have Mass that has a liturgy, the real presense of the Eucharist. We have adoration and bendition of the Eucharist.

There is much more. But definitely go to www.scripturecatholic.com to read where our beliefs are in the bible. and try some Catholic apologetic websites, or even this website to describe our beliefs.

Hope this helps!

Peace
James

 

[jdoe]

Hello, thanks a lot for your answers. I appreciate very much any sound and true information I can get.

No. Salvation comes solely from the grace of God which leads us to faith and good works. To quote ScriptureCatholic.com, a wonderful website which I heartily recommend you skim through: “The 2,000 year-old Catholic position on salvation is that we are saved by Jesus Christ and Him alone (cf. Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:5). But by the grace of Christ, we achieve the salvation God desires for us through perseverance in both faith and works.”

First, I would like to hope and ask that you answer straightforwardly and transparently. I am not saying that you aren’t, but just as an exhortation. Often times for instance I can speak to one from the LDS Mormon Church and they are taught to answer in a way that does not reveal the truth. By one of their own confessions they do this because they do not think people could handle all the truth up front. They use certain words, but by their terminology have defined them in a different way so as bringing confusion.

So, I ask when you say solely by the grace of God what do you mean? Do you mean God gives us grace to do enough good to get to heaven and thereby earn our own way to God by our works though we did those works ultimately by the grace of God? Or are you saying that we receive the grace of God through the work of receiving sacraments and by receiving these sacraments receive salvation? Please be clear with me.

I believe that our righteousness comes from the blood of Christ washing our sins and that alone. Then after receiving the Holy Spirit God changes us and bears fruit in us as a result of our salvation and we then lives a life of righteousness not to save us but because we have been saved.

If it is true that the Catholic tradition teaches grace alone for salvation then what was Martin Luther’s problem?

No. Mary is not the redeemer of mankind. The title “Co-Redemptrix,” admittedly a bit confusing, refers to the fact that she was the primary participant of the salvation of the world; but Jesus is the one who suffered and died for our sins, nobody else.

The reverence that many Christians have for St. Mary is because she is a saintly intercessor for us, like Moses for the ancient Israelites, or Abraham for the city of Sodom.

Thank you for clearing up the co redemptrix thing.

Are you sure that is what it means? Is there a context to that statement or a definition given? Is that your own interpretation of the use of the word?

Even if the Catholic tradition does not teach that Mary saves from sin. Do you think it fair to say that too much emphasis is placed upon her? For instance Jesus spoke of her and said she was blessed, but even more so those who hear the word and do it. So that would mean that giving birth to Christ is not that big a thing (though it is big in a sense) in relation to that fact that obeying Christ is much more blessed. So therefore there are many Christians who out labored her and obeyed so why not honor them just as much or more? I mean for her to be prayed to at every meeting or I have heard that the honoring of her goes to even more extremes in some place of the world more then others like S. America.

I see your point with Moses and Abraham. That is a good point. They were so honored by God that God relented from destroying certain people. I agree that the prayer of men and women of God are effective. However, I would also say that Abraham and Moses as intercessors were mere shadows of Christ interceding for the whole world. Christ has sat down at the right hand of God and now makes intercession for us. So should not our main seeking for intercession be emphatically and mainly Christ? I mean I believe I have heard that many turn to Mary to get favor with Christ. But, is Christ not welcoming? Does He not call all to Himself? It may be hard to get to the Father, but not to Christ. Christ says come to me and He has made a way to the Father.

Absolutely not. As excellent as St. Mary was, she was a creation of God; whereas Jesus Christ is the king of the universe, the Lord.

Do you believe that she sits at the left hand of God? Or that she is the second Eve? Or things to that height? I mean how high do you place her or more specifically officially the Catholic tradition?

Some Popes were corrupt, indeed. Some Popes did perhaps say some things that bluntly went against the teachings of the Church. But I hope you can tell that many of the Popes (including our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI), were quite saintly figures that lived solely to bring glory to God.

So, the current Pope does not teach that all religions lead to God or other heresies? Because I believe I have read some things and seen some quotes and what not?

Another question that would arise in light of this. I believe Catholicism teaches Apostolic succession. That the Apostle Peter passed his authority down to the Pope and then each Pope has passed that authority and mantle down. Therefore the Pope today is the vicar of Christ the authority of Christ in a man on the earth. Now… if there were corrupt Popes would not that authority and passing down have been broken? I mean if some Pope’s killed and slaughtered thousands and lead inquisition and other practicing immoralities then how can they be said to have Apostolic succession and if it were not passed down then where did it go or how did it come back?

How can Catholicism claim to be the Church of Christ yet kill multitudes and inquisit claimed heretics by fire and have corrupt Popes and so forth? I know that Christians can have error but there is a difference between falling into sin and practicing it. If one practices sin the Scriptures say they are not Christians especially the more sinful of sins.

I also don’t understand if at one time Catholics would kill Protestants why does it seem that nowadays they seek to embrace them? Would they still seek to kill them if they had the power? Or is this something that has been changed?

 

[jdoe]

Perhaps you did this unintentionally, but separating “Christian” from “Catholic” as if they were two separate things is profoundly offensive to Catholics. We are unequivocally Christians; we were the first Christians, in fact.

Yes, I was just using the normal terminology. It seems Catholics mainly call themselves Catholic and Evangelicals or other Christian. I was just using the main usages.

This brings up a question as well. The early Church was established before the Roman Church was assembled. I am sure you know this and are probably just saying that Catholicism were the first Christians in the sense that they descended from the first Christians. The question is is it true that the Constantine was not the best of Christians if one at all since for one thing he did not get baptized til before he died and the governmental power ultimately ended up corrupting the Church?

The doctrine of “no salvation outside of the Church” is a confusing one, and I can hardly do it justice in a one-paragraph blurb. So I will recommend an excellent tract instead.

By asking if outside the Catholic Church I meant can one be saved if one in their heart follows Christ and fellowships with others who do yet does not attend a Catholic service and take of the Eaucharist ect.

I am not sure as to the official standing of the Catholic tradition. It would seem from the articles that it is hard to say. That one may be saved outside of the Catholic Church if ignorant though having a heart to follow Christ.

If salvation came through sacraments like the Eucharist and what not then how could they have salvation?

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

I would be HONORED to take ALL of these questions if I may. I will not touch the catechism, I will not touch any other book accept for scripture. Tradition & the like require the use of such books, but you are asking some pretty biblical questions, and I can see a bit of a slight misunderstanding of catholcism. It’s ok, I’ve been catholic since Easter of 2007, and I havent even got it all down yet, but I’m getting there. FIRST, I will use 2 books in the new testament, because this is the cliche classic, Faith vs. Works bout. Works wins. Let me explain. First an example. I hear fundamentals use Abraham, ALL the time & say, Abrahams faith saved his son. That is PARTIALLY true. What he DID had a huge part in that. You can break it down…God says, take your son here, and kill him as a sign of faith and obedience. SURE, whatever you say lord! SO. Abraham is a man of faith. HE (pay attention to this next word) D-O-E-S what the Lord requested of him so he took (TOOK is a VERB meaning he DID something) his son to the perscribed location and got ready to DO what the Lord commanded & the Lord stopped him. He didnt stop his faith, he stopped the ACTION Abraham was about to do. The WORK that he was about to do at the request of the Lord. Suppose he had said no? Suppose he had said, SURE LORD, & hoped & prayed that it would go away…no…he DID obey. Action. NOW for the SCRIPTURE. (Did this make sense at all?)

 

[JRKH]

Hello, thanks a lot for your answers. I appreciate very much any sound and true information I can get.

First, I would like to hope and ask that you answer straightforwardly and transparently. I am not saying that you aren’t, but just as an exhortation. Often times for instance I can speak to one from the LDS Mormon Church and they are taught to answer in a way that does not reveal the truth. By one of their own confessions they do this because they do not think people could handle all the truth up front. They use certain words, but by their terminology have defined them in a different way so as bringing confusion.

We do not use words with the intention to deceive. That would be sinful. However, we do use words carefully so as to accurately convey meaning. Issues can arise where the catholic and NCC (Non-Catholic Chrisitan) understandings of a word are different.

So, I ask when you say solely by the grace of God what do you mean? Do you mean God gives us grace to do enough good to get to heaven and thereby earn our own way to God by our works though we did those works ultimately by the grace of God? Or are you saying that we receive the grace of God through the work of receiving sacraments and by receiving these sacraments receive salvation? Please be clear with me.

We mean SOLEY by the Grace of God.
As to the rest, I would personally say both are correct in their way. God gives us grace. WE either respond to that Grace or we do not. (free will) If we do, then we receive more grace, if we do not, the grace that was given can be taken away. “Works” are responses to that Grace. Receiving the Sacraments are responses to that grace.

I believe that our righteousness comes from the blood of Christ washing our sins and that alone. Then after receiving the Holy Spirit God changes us and bears fruit in us as a result of our salvation and we then lives a life of righteousness not to save us but because we have been saved.

Once we get into some of this I will bow out. I may recommend a friend to look into the thread. He was a fundementalist Preacher before becoming catholic. He will be able to address this better than I. This is a situation where “Terminology” can have different meanings between Catholics And NCC’s.

If it is true that the Catholic tradition teaches grace alone for salvation then what was Martin Luther’s problem?

Beats Me…

Seriously I would say that the Church does not teach anything “Alone”.
While this is my own, I think it accurately reflects how catholics view the salvic journey.
Belief, Grace, Faith, Love and Works are interwoven pieces. They cannot be separated. They can only be placed in “order”.

1. We begin with Grace. Grace is the supernatural foundation. The “seed” that God plants in every soul that enables it to find it’s way back to God.
2. Then comes Belief. We must believe in something before anything else. If we do not believe in God, then the seed of Grace will not grow.
3. After Belief comes Faith. The difference between belief and faith, is simply this: I may believe in the existance of banks, but do I have faith in them. Faith gets into trusting and believing in the promises of God and believing in Jesus Christ and salvation through doing the will of the Father. Learning and developing our faith is nurturing and allowing the seed of God’s grace to grow in us.
4. Then Comes Love. Jesus places Love as the Greatest and center of all of the Law and prophets. What we Love and covet is how we know “where our heart is”. If we Love God and wish to do His will, then we will Love our neighbor unselfishly and wish to act in ways that are pleasing to our love - who is God Himself.
5. Then comes Works. If we believe properly, that is we have a trusting belief, then works will necessarily follow. If works do not follow then there is a problem with one of the above.

Thank you for clearing up the co redemptrix thing.

Are you sure that is what it means? Is there a context to that statement or a definition given? Is that your own interpretation of the use of the word?

There are other documents that explain this more clearly. One of the issues if I recall correctly is that the term is Latin and in Latin the term has a different meaning than what we normally think of in English. Also it should be noted that Co-Redemptix is NOT a declared dogma of the Church.

Even if the Catholic tradition does not teach that Mary saves from sin. Do you think it fair to say that too much emphasis is placed upon her? For instance Jesus spoke of her and said she was blessed, but even more so those who hear the word and do it. So that would mean that giving birth to Christ is not that big a thing (though it is big in a sense) in relation to that fact that obeying Christ is much more blessed. So therefore there are many Christians who out labored her and obeyed so why not honor them just as much or more? I mean for her to be prayed to at every meeting or I have heard that the honoring of her goes to even more extremes in some place of the world more then others like S. America.

I doubt that you will find any Christians who “Out Labored her” given that she bore the Savior, raised Him, taught Him, watched Him be crucified, buried Him, etc.

I will agree however that some people perhaps do put too much emphasis on her. But that is a matter of private devotion and not a matter of Church teaching. Mary is held up as the “perfect disciple”. An example profoundly to be emulated, from her first assent to the Angel, “Be it done…” to Her caring for the child Jesus to Her witnessing His crucifixion.
She is also our Adoptive Mother. She is the Mother of Our Lord, and Savior and Brother Jesus Christ. Since as Christians we are Children of God, thenJesus is our Brother and Mary our Mother. Why should we NOT honor our mother?

(Cont)

 

[JRKH]

(cont)

I see your point with Moses and Abraham. That is a good point. They were so honored by God that God relented from destroying certain people. I agree that the prayer of men and women of God are effective. However, I would also say that Abraham and Moses as intercessors were mere shadows of Christ interceding for the whole world. Christ has sat down at the right hand of God and now makes intercession for us. So should not our main seeking for intercession be emphatically and mainly Christ? I mean I believe I have heard that many turn to Mary to get favor with Christ. But, is Christ not welcoming? Does He not call all to Himself? It may be hard to get to the Father, but not to Christ. Christ says come to me and He has made a way to the Father.

Many do turn to Mary, and many Great Blessings have been gratned by such intercession. However, I pray that you remember that in Catholic teaching there is nothing that requires on to go to Mary. If a person prefers to Pray directly to Jesus or to the Father, as Jesus taught us, that is just fine with the Church.

Do you believe that she sits at the left hand of God? Or that she is the second Eve? Or things to that height? I mean how high do you place her or more specifically officially the Catholic tradition?

This Link might hep to explain some things.

So, the current Pope does not teach that all religions lead to God or other heresies? Because I believe I have read some things and seen some quotes and what not?

Best to provide the quotes and let us address them. I’m not sure what you are saying above.

Another question that would arise in light of this. I believe Catholicism teaches Apostolic succession. That the Apostle Peter passed his authority down to the Pope and then each Pope has passed that authority and mantle down. Therefore the Pope today is the vicar of Christ the authority of Christ in a man on the earth. Now… if there were corrupt Popes would not that authority and passing down have been broken? I mean if some Pope’s killed and slaughtered thousands and lead inquisition and other practicing immoralities then how can they be said to have Apostolic succession and if it were not passed down then where did it go or how did it come back?

When President Richard Nixon had to resign because of His crimes in Office, did the office become null and void?
The Pope of the Church has protection when teaching on faith and morals. The interesting thing to note in the case of “corrupt” popes it that not one of them was able to change or pollute Church teachings. This of course was due tot he protection of the Holy Spirit.

How can Catholicism claim to be the Church of Christ yet kill multitudes and inquisit claimed heretics by fire and have corrupt Popes and so forth? I know that Christians can have error but there is a difference between falling into sin and practicing it. If one practices sin the Scriptures say they are not Christians especially the more sinful of sins.

I also don’t understand if at one time Catholics would kill Protestants why does it seem that nowadays they seek to embrace them? Would they still seek to kill them if they had the power? Or is this something that has been changed?

Getting into these things at this point is a blind alley and a diversion. I can claim that Protestants also burned and otherwise killed catholics etc. If we go down that road, we are led right where the devil wants us, divided and at each other instead of fighting him.

The Church has made public apology for past mistakes. She also recognizes that those raised in NCC churches today are not responsible for the Schisms. Therefore we should not treat them as enemies but as brothers in Christ.

Peace
James

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

Part 2 of the first part…(I dont want to make them too long so you lose interest, I’m trying to leave nothing out in answering your question.) My scripture will be coming from my Douay-Rheims Bible, which pre-dates the King James Version. FIRST, there is James, everyone know’s this one: James 4:20-26 " But wilt thou know, O vain man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son on the altar? Seest thou, that faith did cooperate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, saying " Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God…"“Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only? And in like manner, also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them out another way? For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.” The second piece of scripture I’d like to leave with you is from the book of TITUS. People quote 2 Timothy all the time & dont even know what is next door on the next page…LOL TITUS 3:8-11 “It is a faithful saying: and these things I will have thee affirm constantly: that they, who believe in God, may be careful to excel in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and geneologies, and contentions, and stivings about the law. For they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is a hereti, after the first and second admonition, avoid: knowing that he, that is such a one, is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned by his own judgement.” Welcome to the KJV of Catholicism. LOL!!! I use this bible because I know many protestants have a close feel and deep love for the beauty of the King James version, and believe it or not I like to make them comfortable when using scripture. Douay-Rheims version of the bible pre-dates it and is written very much same way as the KJV. Here’s a tid-bit for you. The very first KJV actually had all the Deuterocanonical books that the catholic bible contains? Protestants today call them apocrypha, but it isn’t apocrypha. They were removed when the SECOND and AUTHORIZED KJV came out. THEN they got yanked. It shines some light on us adding books doesnt it. We never took them out. Deuterocanonical means disputed book. Protestants dispute them. It doesnt make them Apocrypha. The GOSPEL according to JAMES is apocrypha. YES, there IS a gospel of James. It exists. It isn’t in the bible because it’s apocrypha. If it was apocrypha, it wouldnt be there. Just food for thought.

 

[JRKH]

Yes, I was just using the normal terminology. It seems Catholics mainly call themselves Catholic and Evangelicals or other Christian. I was just using the main usages.

This brings up a question as well. The early Church was established before the Roman Church was assembled. I am sure you know this and are probably just saying that Catholicism were the first Christians in the sense that they descended from the first Christians.

Big correction here. The Early Church IS the Catholic (Greek for universal) Church. Your information about the so called “Roman Church” is in error. it was not “Assembled” later. It is the same Church that was founded at Pentacost. It is called "Roman simply because that is where the Pope resided.

The question is is it true that the Constantine was not the best of Christians if one at all since for one thing he did not get baptized til before he died and the governmental power ultimately ended up corrupting the Church?

The status of Constantine is a matter best left to God. What he did do was legalize the Church in the empire which greatly helped to advance the Kingdom of God.
As to the “governmental power” thing, I again must plead ignorance to what you are refering.

By asking if outside the Catholic Church I meant can one be saved if one in their heart follows Christ and fellowships with others who do yet does not attend a Catholic service and take of the Eaucharist ect.

I am not sure as to the official standing of the Catholic tradition. It would seem from the articles that it is hard to say. That one may be saved outside of the Catholic Church if ignorant though having a heart to follow Christ.

If salvation came through sacraments like the Eucharist and what not then how could they have salvation?

If one learns and accepts that the Catholic Church is the True Church of Christ and yet refuses to join, then that person is not saved. If a person, even knowing of the church, is not convinced that the Catholic church is the One True church, then that person is not guilty of rejecting the Church.

Peace
James

 

[scylla]

I haven’t been here in a while but I have a quick minute to answer the questions brought up in this one part of your post…

]

First, I would like to hope and ask that you answer straightforwardly and transparently. I am not saying that you aren’t, but just as an exhortation. Often times for instance I can speak to one from the LDS Mormon Church and they are taught to answer in a way that does not reveal the truth. By one of their own confessions they do this because they do not think people could handle all the truth up front. They use certain words, but by their terminology have defined them in a different way so as bringing confusion.

So, I ask when you say solely by the grace of God what do you mean? Do you mean God gives us grace to do enough good to get to heaven and thereby earn our own way to God by our works though we did those works ultimately by the grace of God? Or are you saying that we receive the grace of God through the work of receiving sacraments and by receiving these sacraments receive salvation? Please be clear with me.

I believe that our righteousness comes from the blood of Christ washing our sins and that alone. Then after receiving the Holy Spirit God changes us and bears fruit in us as a result of our salvation and we then lives a life of righteousness not to save us but because we have been saved.

If it is true that the Catholic tradition teaches grace alone for salvation then what was Martin Luther’s problem?**/**QUOTE]
Catholics believe that the term Christian and Catholic are interchangeable. That the Catholic Church is the same Church Jesus founded and the first Christians were Catholic.
Catholics are not allowed to lie, since we believe that sin actually matters and it is an offense against God. This doesn’t mean that Catholics do not lie but to further the faith it is quite wrong and everyone here has answered you quite honestly.
I would exhort you to look at the answers in a charitable light as always the objections to Catholicism is based on misinformation or misrepresentation.
I would invite you to read about the Council of Orange in which those Christians affirmed that we believe in Salvation by Grace alone. To now affirm something else such as say we are saved by our Faith or Works is a contradiction and against the Christian faith. Let me explain… If I say we are saved by Faith alone, then what about Grace? My belief in Christ is an action of will, something I do, if it alone saves me then I do not need Grace, or I have to twist logic to say that Faith isn’t an action it is something that automatically happens, which then opens up another can of worms by making God a puppet master who doesn’t want everyone to be saved only those He picks. So not only is He a puppet master but a monster who creates people with no chance for salvation. This is a topic for a whole other thread…
But since Catholics believe in a God who loves us and desires us all to be saved it is quite a different situation.

We are saved by God’s Grace alone, which allows us to make an act of Faith, love Him, and live a life of love for Him.

Martin Luthers problem was that he was kind of a jerk (read his writings) who saw bad things going on, thought he was smarter than everyone else, and started his own faith tradition. He was a bright guy who came up with a great idea.
Say… we are saved by Faith Alone, which implies that Catholics are saved by works, since that is what he was rejecting and make Faith Alone not really mean Faith Alone but mean a Faith that worked, which should be… Grace gives us, Faith working through love.
He couldn’t do that, because that is what Catholics believe.

In Christ
Scylla
(if too many people are chiming in I will step out, since I can be kind of direct anyways)

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

1. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?

The answer is no. Mary does not earn heaven for me. I earn heaven for me. THIS is a 2 part question believe it or not. THIS is basically asking where the line is drawn on the powers of Mary or her importance, and salvation itself & how it’s obtained.

The first part: NO she does not earn heaven for anyone. We seek her guidance and mercy, and wisdom in bringing us closer to her son, but she is not the person saying, TICKETS PLEASE on the bus ride to heaven. Catholics see salvation as a process. For example, many baptists or fundamentalists believe that you can be saved in a moment in time. If this were true, I wold have been saved several times, and the most recent being easter of 2007. There is no bus pass to heaven once you make a decision. You fill out the job application, guess what, there’s work to do. They believe you can be saved, and once you’re saved, as a public display of the decision they made, the ordinance (in their terms) of baptism is carried out. They dont believe it does anything for you other than bring to a close the decision to accept Jesus. But Baptism actually brings with it the saving effects of the crucifixion. John 3:5 talks about Jesus stating that we must be born again in water and spirit. Sounds like there’s purpose in baptism to me…Acts 22:16, Paul tells people to get up and go get baptized & have sins washed away. I’m paraphrasing, these are not direct quotes, but dont take my word, Find it. I take the Glenn Beck approach, LOL! Salvation is a process. If a naked person is standing outside & he’s shivering & he says it’s freezing out, and I’m wearing a jacket, gloves, a hat & a hoodie, and I say, yep…it’s chilly alright, well…stay warm buddy, gotta go…wifes makin stew… Is this a person acting on faith? He may be a person of faith, but he wold be judged more harshly than a person that says, Man yeah it is cold, here, take my jacket, hat & gloves, I have a hoodie, I can stick my hands in my pockets & pull the hood up, I’ll be alright. THIS person is justified through works & is closer to understanding salvation than the first person. Theres actually scripture similar to what I just said, but I forget where it is at the moment. SO. Mary doesnt earn heaven for us. We pray to her, asking for guidance, we ask her blessing & favor,…think of it as a loved one that has passed away…and they meant a lot to you & you think to yourself, ok, I hope you’re with me, because this is going to be a rough day…It’s kind of like that. Dying in a state of grace is what gets you into heaven. That’s the simplest way I can explain that.

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

1. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?

The answer is no. She is not. Co-Savior is not in the bible. She is not a co-messiah, no, not at all. She is not the equal of Jesus. Mary is not even a part of the Trinity. SHE IS however Blessed, Check out the cantacle of Mary. This could be in reference to the Hail Mary prayer. It seems it’s all about her, and it is, IN PART. LUKE 1:28 "And the Angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. (LUKE 1:41-42 “…Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” In her own words, she says she’s the handmaid of the Lord, and he can do with her as he wills. THIS exercise of free will by Mary was HUGE! She made the conscious decision to submit. HUGE. People say, yeah, she’s just some lady in the bible…(I dont see anyone else I Know in the bible…) Yeah but she’s just some vessel that bore the messiah. That is where I say, Exsqueeze me…but if The almighty thinks she’s got the right stuff and is the right sort for an immaculate conception, then she might just not be your average woman. SHE was a magnificent woman. She is often prayed to because the way she submitted is such that people today would have a difficult time with such submission. BUT, this is where we get our prayer, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women & blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. (SO FAR THIS IS RIGHT OUT OF SCRIPTURE. ) Holy Mary, Mother of God (true statement) PRAY for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, AMEN. That’s all that is. She is not his equal. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. Mary does not sit at the right hand of the Father. This was an easy question to answer, but I also did my best to keep you from asking, “Yeah, but why?” LOL I hope this helps.

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

1. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)

Interesting question. The best honest answer I can give you is that you and I will never know whether he is or isn’t BUT he has less chance of being corrupt than a politician. Given the fact that he IS a human being and DOES in fact go to confession to confess his sins, YES, THE BISHOP OF ROME GOES TO CONFESSION. But then people say, AH HA!!!..>SEE? HE ISNT INFALLABLE!!! The pope can be the biggest jerk in the world if he wants, so long as his teachings are infallable. The TEACHINGS he passes down are infallable. THAT is the ONLY reason that term is used, it’s for the teachings and nothing more. Has NOTHING to do with his personality, character flaws, sins, what have you.
Make sense?

 

[Rolltide]

By asking if outside the Catholic Church I meant can one be saved if one in their heart follows Christ and fellowships with others who do yet does not attend a Catholic service and take of the Eaucharist ect.

I am not sure as to the official standing of the Catholic tradition. It would seem from the articles that it is hard to say. That one may be saved outside of the Catholic Church if ignorant though having a heart to follow Christ.

If salvation came through sacraments like the Eucharist and what not then how could they have salvation?

When we say that there is “no salvation outside the Catholic Church”, it does NOT mean that non-Catholics cannot be saved! It means that they might be saved in SPITE of a lack of knowledge. They will be doing the will of God, as passed down through the Bible and proclaimed most fully through the Catholic Church, without even realizing it. It’s akin to this. Imagine the Catholic Church as a 16 year old who goes out and buys a brand new car. They read the entire instruction manual, sign up and take driving lessons, and successfully make it to school. Now, imagine other groups are 16 year olds who go out and buy used cars. They have only partial instruction manuals, or perhaps no instruction manual at all. Some get lessons, but some do not. Now, they may eventually make it safely to school as well, but if school represents the Kingdom of Heaven, which route is the safer choice? If they DO make it to school, it will be by unintentionally following the rules that were in the book they never read and the lessons they never signed up for. (In other words, they were still saved THROUGH the Catholic Church). The closer one’s denomination or religion is to Catholicism, the more of the car manual and driver’s lessons they have at their disposal.

Now… some other clarifying points. First, one must be INVINCIBLY IGNORANT of the truth of the Catholic Church. In other words, if they truly KNOW what the Catholic Church teaches, and then reject it, then there is most likely no hope for them. For example, the first generation of Protestants that broke from the Church understood what they were breaking from. They were Catholics who left the faith. There would be little hope for these people, although we cannot definitively know their hearts, since for all we know, they could have repented on their deathbed. Now, later generations of Protestants would have grown up with a different faith, and probably wouldn’t have truly studied Catholicism. What they DID know might be skewed by misinformation and prejudice. If they sincerely tried to be good people and followed God as best they could with the limited knowledge they had, it is possible that they could be saved. God would not punish them for their lack of knowledge, anymore then he would condemn a 2 year old child or a mentally handicapped person for their inability to learn about the faith. That said… a 2 year old or a mentally handicapped person might not be capable of committing a sin. An adult could, and so they would still be judged according to their conduct in life, and that knowledge of the true faith that they DID have. Likewise, a Native American before the discovery of the New World could make it to heaven and would have been judged according to the Natural Law. God would not punish Indians simply for being unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong part of the world. It would, however, be FAR more difficult for them to go to heaven, because they would be working with an extremely limited knowledge of God.

Further… in the Catholic Church, there are two ways to be forgiven of sin… the Sacrament of Confession, or an Act of Perfect Contrition. Catholics divide sin up into two types… venial, and mortal. Only mortal sins separate us from God completely and condemn us to hell. Now… a Catholic can go to confession and receive forgiveness from God and a penance from the priest. Non-Catholics (except for the Orthodox) do not have this avenue. So, the ONLY other way that we believe a mortal sin can be forgiven is through the Act of Perfect Contrition, which is incredibly hard to do. To do this, one must ask God DIRECTLY for forgiveness, and NOT just because one is afraid of going to hell, but because one is TRULY sorry for offending God. They also must rid themselves of even the slightest attachment to their former sins. (In other words, you can’t be forgiven for something like having sex out of wedlock if there’s even the tiniest part of you that looks back fondly on it or with any amount of enjoyment). This is so hard to do because it is very easy to deceive ourselves when it comes to asking for forgiveness. We are not held to that standard in Confession because of the penance. The penance relieves us of the temporal consequences of our sins, and also acts as a test of our sincerity. For example, I go and steal something, and maybe I really am truly sorry for doing it. However, if I’m willing to actually go out and track the person down that I stole from, return the item, ask them for forgiveness, and accept the consequences, I’m probably serious and not just “saying” I’m sorry and fooling myself. That said, the penance in NO WAY affects my salvation. If I really AM truly sorry, God will forgive me no matter what. Now that said…what are the odds that someone will go through their entire life without committing even ONE mortal sin? Then, what are the odds that someone who is non-Catholic would know how to make an Act of Perfect Contrition? Now you start to see the limiting factors for non-Catholics making it to heaven.

 

[Jason_1977]

Hello, I am new here.

I mostly believe as a Christian Evangelical. Though I do not totally. I believe much of what they believe. I have though found them to be in error in some places and some more then others and some much less.

I have talked with some of the Catholic tradition. A couple of them referred me here to inquire more thoroughly. I am somewhat well studied in Theology. I am sincere and open to the truth even when it is not comfortable. I take great earnestness in being sincere and true. I could talk to just any Catholic, but I would like to get wise and true answers from those who are stronger in the faith. So as to get better answers from those more qualified.

I know of some Christians who say the Catholic Church is evil others not. Some say many are saved in it other a few. Then some say the charismatic Catholics have many saved. In light of all this I would like to ask questions here to dig deeper and see and understand Catholicism to see what is true and what isn’t.

I hope that it is okay for me to ask questions here. I am also sure that some of these questions are probably asked all the time. As it usually goes people like to deal personally and so hopefully someone will take the time to answer. Also, I believe I may have some more specifics questionings that have not been given so…

1. Do you believe you are saved by your own righteousness, works, merit. Do you believe you will get to heaven, accepted by God, peace with God, eternal life, by your own goodness and things you have done?
2. Do you believe Mary can earn your way to heaven?
3. Do you believe that Mary is equal to Christ?
4. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)
5. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

1. Can you have salvation if you do not go to a Catholic Church and instead go to a Christian Church?

And what are Catholics, Buddhists? Catholics are Christians too. Can you have salvation if you go to a church other than a catholic one? Based on everything else I’ve told you, as long as you understand that salvation is a life long process. You can accept christ in your heart be baptized, sing praises, halleluja, & do nothing & still could be held accountable for doing nothing. You can also accept Christ, be baptized, and all that & go on a killing spree in a day care center. The point is, if you go through life knowing you’re accountable for your actions, should faith be approached any differently? Often times people ask, “does this count?” Search your heart. If you KNOW you could have done more, & KNOW that you (excuse the term) half-arsed something, then the answer is pretty abundantly clear. based on Titus, James, & Paul, we are to do good works & be fearful. Why be fearful if I’m already saved? I’ve acceped Christ, aint nothing gonna happen to me now that I’ve…(cue the mack truck)…know what I mean? It’s a process. It is something we have to cultivate and nurture our whole lives. We seek the promise of salvation, but we are not presumptuous about it. I hope I’ve answered your questions, I did my best to give you the best answers I could & the most detail without being too preachy & long winded. Any questions or feel confused about something, or you just want to plain old raise the B.S. flag, go right ahead. I readily own all mis-speaking, mistakes, or errors. I also come to this room already with a leg and an arm tied behind my back & I only use the bible. Many protestants use and own many catholic publications, but THAT is good if you just want to find a way to refute someone or something. If you look for it, you’ll find it. The notion is that people dont realize just how bible-based catholicism really is. I have a deeply rooted knowledge of scripture. I spend HOURS upon HOURS on the weekend & on off time comparing different translations, texts, arguements, I search for the answers on my own. I only use the bible, and I only use my Douay-Rheims because it provides the KJV feel to my brother/sister protestants, but it is also older & hasnt been tainted by agendas or modern manipulation of language, or the evolution of language. It is very much an english version of a 14th century version of scripture. THAT is why I use this and only this. If it’s a catechism question, I should know it. If I dont, I look it up & get mad that I had to look it up, but in answering questions, I only use scripture from the DRV. Take care my friend & if you have any other questions, dont hesitate to ask!!!

 

[Rolltide]

1. Is the Pope corrupt? (all religions lead to God, will kill to advance the Church, ect.)

Interesting question. The best honest answer I can give you is that you and I will never know whether he is or isn’t BUT he has less chance of being corrupt than a politician. Given the fact that he IS a human being and DOES in fact go to confession to confess his sins, YES, THE BISHOP OF ROME GOES TO CONFESSION. But then people say, AH HA!!!..>SEE? HE ISNT INFALLABLE!!! The pope can be the biggest jerk in the world if he wants, so long as his teachings are infallable. The TEACHINGS he passes down are infallable. THAT is the ONLY reason that term is used, it’s for the teachings and nothing more. Has NOTHING to do with his personality, character flaws, sins, what have you.
Make sense?

Yes, the pope is infallible, but NOT impeccable (meaning free from sin). He is a flawed human being, just like the rest of us. He simply has the added benefit of the protection of the Holy Spirit.

But further than that, it isn’t even ALL teachings of the pope that are infallible. He has to actually invoke the power of infallibility and publicly declare that he’s using it. Even then, it can only be on questions of faith and morals. In fact, this power is almost NEVER used (only twice in the last 200 years). Now, infallibility does ALSO protect the pope from preaching error. In other words, he cannot UNDO an official teaching of the church. For example, he could not suddenly “unproclaim” the Trinity, or something like that.