Why do some Protestants think Catholics are going to hell?

[XianThinker]

It’s mainly because Catholics rely on their works (love of God and obedience to God’s commandments) instead of faith alone or Christ alone. I think many Protestants think Catholics believe they can work their way to heaven and earn their salvation by doing a bunch of good deeds. Relying on faith alone and/or Christ alone is seen as humble. Relying on works is seen as self-righteousness and adding to the finished work of Christ.

All of the verses I’ve heard used to “prove” Catholics are going to Hell were used way out-of-context. I quoted a few of them.

Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Romans 10:3, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Romans 3:28, “a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” I believe the law is the law of Moses the Jews relied on but some Protestant churches teach this means one must rely on faith alone and not any laws or commandments.

Many Protestant churches teach that praying to Mary or having a statue of Mary is idolatry.

 

[LiarsAtCF]

We:

1.) Worship idols;
2.) Put Mary, the saints on equal footing with God;
3.) We don’t believe in “once saved, always saved;”
4.) We are more like soldiers of Rome than we are Christians;
5.) We actually aren’t Christian, perhaps pagan;
6.) The Pope is the anti-Christ.

Just a few off the top of my head whenever discussions sprung-up regarding Catholicism in a Protestant run forum.

 

[Church_Militant]

We:

1.) Worship idols;

I have a number of blog articles that over some of these.
Iconoclasm: Or: Catholics Worship Graven Images NOT

2.) Put Mary, the saints on equal footing with God;

They cannot supply a single authentic and authoritative Catholic document to support this.

3.) We don’t believe in “once saved, always saved;”

But we’re not alone. many n-C communities do not share in that error. I recommend john Martignoni’s FREE MP3 download Once Saved, Always Saved?

4.) We are more like soldiers of Rome than we are Christians;

Baseless allegation of a specious nature. Of course they have no idea What Authentic Early Christian Worship was Really Like?

5.) We actually aren’t Christian, perhaps pagan;

Sure… Is Catholicism Pagan? | Catholic Answers
THE PAGANIZATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH UNDER CONSTANTINE

6.) The Pope is the anti-Christ.

I have yet to see anything but a-C polemics on this one. None of their allegations ever hold up to simple examination.

Just a few off the top of my head whenever discussions sprung-up regarding Catholicism in a Protestant run forum.

That’s one reason that I no longer post on them. Most won’t even allow documented evidence in support of my Catholic posts. It proves to be a waste of precious time, so I figure if they want the truth about our most holy faith, they know where to find us.

 

[GraceAndMercy]

Uh… no. Modern Lutherans don’t hate Catholics or Catholicism. Some of us even appreciate the grounded teaching that the Catholic church continues to give all people in Christ. On a personal level, I sincerely appreciate the consistent pro-life message the Catholic church has given.

Here’s how much we appreciate Catholics :

There are Catholic children in our church’s Lutheran vacation bible school at this very moment - and we are scrupulous in helping them grow in their Catholic faith, and count ourselves privileged that their Catholic parents would entrust their children to us in this manor.

Hello there, You may be very young? Please note there are many different types of Lutherans. I grew up in the Lutheran church, and I consider myself of the “modern” age. I was taught in my Missouri synod high school that the Holy Father was the Antichrist and that Catholics worship our Blessed Mother. I know the official position of the LCMS has changed but there are still many individuals that hold those and other beliefs that just drive me crazy and are part of the reason I escaped to the Catholic Church. Also please check the WELS (Wisconsin synod) website and you will clearly see they believe the Holy Father is the Antichrist and that Catholics worship our Blessed Mother. Among other insulting beliefs which when I have posted to that site explaining the true Catholic doctrine, I am told I am “incorrect”. If it weren’t so sad it would be laughable. I have kind of given up explaining the Church to my Lutheran relatives and friends, except for 2 of them. They have been raised in such a closed mindset that they are overly scrupulous and they seem to understand concepts only on a very superficial level. And they are intelligent people. It’s very sad.

 

[JonNC]

Hello there, You may be very young? Please note there are many different types of Lutherans. I grew up in the Lutheran church, and I consider myself of the “modern” age. I was taught in my Missouri synod high school that the Holy Father was the Antichrist and that Catholics worship our Blessed Mother. I know the official position of the LCMS has changed but there are still many individuals that hold those and other beliefs that just drive me crazy and are part of the reason I escaped to the Catholic Church. Also please check the WELS (Wisconsin synod) website and you will clearly see they believe the Holy Father is the Antichrist and that Catholics worship our Blessed Mother. Among other insulting beliefs which when I have posted to that site explaining the true Catholic doctrine, I am told I am “incorrect”. If it weren’t so sad it would be laughable. I have kind of given up explaining the Church to my Lutheran relatives and friends, except for 2 of them. They have been raised in such a closed mindset that they are overly scrupulous and they seem to understand concepts only on a very superficial level. And they are intelligent people. It’s very sad.

My daughter is an LCMS teacher, and she was not taught to teach children in the way you relate, nr would she do so. While the confessions maintain that the papacy was anti- Christ (as in, opposed to Christ, not the end-times beast we hear from some groups), we do not teachit our of the context of history and what was actually meant. No Lutheran should teach or say that The Pope, and individual, is The AntiChrist.
What’s really sad is that you went through that, and I’m sorry you did.
On the other side of the story, my son went to Catholic school for a while, and came home one day and asked why the priest said that only catholics can be saved. This, too, is very sad.
Pray the Holy Spirit bring us closer together.

Jon

 

[sandusky1011]

I am Catholic now but was born and raised in the United Church of Christ church. I never recall being taught that Catholics are going to hell. In fact, we weren’t taught anything about Caholics. All I knew about them was what I heard on the news. I guess it depends on the chruch.

 

[homesower]

As a Protestant I will answer as I believe, but I cannot speak for all Protestants, which does cover a lot of ground.

First, I do not believe that Catholics are going to hell because they are Catholics. Most (I hope) are going to heaven. The determining factor is a believe in Jesus as your Lord and savior. Having perfect doctrine is not a requirements.

Second, I see a lot of Catholics for whom being a Catholic is more of a culture thing than a relationship thing. They are Catholics because they were born into a Catholic family, not because they came to believe in Jesus and sought after a Church where they could continue to worship Him and grow in his word. Of course this same criticism could be made of many Protestant churches. It appears (from the outside) that many of those who claim the title, went through confirmation and at least occasionally sit in the pews only nominally accept that they need to be saved and that Jesus did just that.

So are Catholics going to hell? Not for being Catholics but for the same reason others are.

Of course there are some Protestants that believe that Catholics are going to hell, but I think that would be a small minority.

 

[benjammin]

I am Catholic now but was born and raised in the United Church of Christ church. I never recall being taught that Catholics are going to hell. In fact, we weren’t taught anything about Caholics. All I knew about them was what I heard on the news. I guess it depends on the chruch.

No offense to the UCC, but aren’t they are fairly liberal church who doesn’t really pass judgment on people and basically are okay with everything and anything that happens in the world. Just wondering?

 

[Womanoffaith10]

Homesower thank you! I have to agree with you on your second part. Yes there are many Catholics that are Catholic by description and not by faith. I myself converted 4 yrs ago so I am not a “cradle catholic” and it breaks my heart sometimes to watch my Catholic brothers and sisters only attend Mass because it’s a requirement and not because they wish to celebrate the Sacred Mass and worship our Lord. It has even caused me to question my own faith and return to my previous( born-again fundamentalist), but it’s just not something I can do. It worries me where our church is going.

To answer the original concern; because I’ve been on both sides of the fence I’ve found that if others(both Protestant and Catholic) we’d realize that we both have the same basic belief for salvation: That Jesus Christ was sent by God to be a sacrifice for our sins and it is through His blood we are saved. I’ve had countless discussions with former church friends who feel that because we worship idols ::rolls eyes:: and we have a works based salvation( see James 2:14-24), these references are only two examples there’s more, that we are not living as God truly intended and therefore are not worthy of salvation. I find it all quite arrogant and ignorant to be honest.

 

[douglas714]

I was raised in the American Baptist Church (Northern Baptist Church) and have NEVER believed that Catholics are all going to Hell. I was raised to believe that there will be people from ALL faiths in Heaven.

I have heard that people who are in the Southern Baptist church (Southern Baptist Convention) strongly believe that QUITE A FEW PEOPLE NOT IN THEIR CHURCH ARE CONDEMMED TO HELL.

I hope and pray that people don’t misunderstand this. Northern Baptist should NEVER go around talking like that. After all, who are we to judge others. It does seem that the Southern Baptist do do alot of this.

My brother-in-law and his wife were South. Baptist and after listening to them, I couldn’t believe that they called themselves Baptists.

SO, the next time a Baptist tells you that you are going to Hell, ask him/her if they are members of the SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH. I ALMOST can guarantee that they are.

 

[QuickCat]

If a Protestant claims Catholics are going to hell, what exactly is their reasoning? What scripture are they relying on?

To put the question another way, what is required to be saved, that Catholics do not do/have?

Peter Kreef, a Catholic apologist, told me in an e-mail, that many Catholics do not know the gospel. He, of course, means the gospel by which one is saved. The gospel is found in 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Paul calls this “…the gospel by which we are saved.” The moment we are saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit not only baptizes us into the Body of Christ, but He also seals us until the day of redemption of our body [1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13]. Hope this is clear.
Grace and Peace,
QC

 

[QuickCat]

I was raised in the American Baptist Church (Northern Baptist Church) and have NEVER believed that Catholics are all going to Hell. I was raised to believe that there will be people from ALL faiths in Heaven.

I have heard that people who are in the Southern Baptist church (Southern Baptist Convention) strongly believe that QUITE A FEW PEOPLE NOT IN THEIR CHURCH ARE CONDEMMED TO HELL.

I hope and pray that people don’t misunderstand this. Northern Baptist should NEVER go around talking like that. After all, who are we to judge others. It does seem that the Southern Baptist do do alot of this.

My brother-in-law and his wife were South. Baptist and after listening to them, I couldn’t believe that they called themselves Baptists.

SO, the next time a Baptist tells you that you are going to Hell, ask him/her if they are members of the SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH. I ALMOST can guarantee that they are.

Hi Douglas: What do the Northern Baptist teach about how to be saved?
QC

 

[GraceAndMercy]

My daughter is an LCMS teacher, and she was not taught to teach children in the way you relate, nr would she do so. While the confessions maintain that the papacy was anti- Christ (as in, opposed to Christ, not the end-times beast we hear from some groups), we do not teachit our of the context of history and what was actually meant. No Lutheran should teach or say that The Pope, and individual, is The AntiChrist.
What’s really sad is that you went through that, and I’m sorry you did.
On the other side of the story, my son went to Catholic school for a while, and came home one day and asked why the priest said that only catholics can be saved. This, too, is very sad.
Pray the Holy Spirit bring us closer together.

Jon

Hello Jon,

That’s very good to hear. I agree, no one should say the Holy Father is the Antichrist, and I don’t believe this is now the teaching of LCMS, but please check out the WELS website I referenced earlier (Wisconsin Synod). This information is clearly stated there. And I did hear this in my LCMS high school. There may also be a difference in various parts of the country? Regarding the nomenclature, so as not to confuse those who are not familiar with the Lutheran denominations, there are various synods of the Lutheran church and the Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Wisconsin Synod (WELS) are two examples of them. They are not confined to Missouri or Wisconsin they are simply named for these states. There have been other synods but since I left the Lutheran denomination, I believe many of them have been consolidated into what is called the ELC or something similar. The WELS and LCMS are more “conservative” than the ELC churches which have embraced more liberal social morality. And it is my understanding that the LCMS has changed a great deal recently and is the synod which most closely agrees with Catholic teaching. The WELS folks are not even supposed to worship together with other denominations. The LCMS still has enough disagreements to prevent full union with us, though: I won’t go into those now but I don’t believe they include a belief that Catholics are going to hell. But it is true that I heard this and many other horrible things about Catholics while growing up in LCMS churches and schools, and my family is still adamant that I “worship” our Lady and pray to the “dead” etc., etc., which they consider very serious problems. And are very adamant that there is much “error” in Catholic teaching which is dangerous to me. It is my hope that this is not the official teaching but rather a habit for them. Some of the LCMS churches now even state that they have roots in the “Catholic tradition”, even though they then state that they follow Solo Scriptura which as you know, to me, is baffling. But if it’s a positive feeling towards us, that’s all good. In my case, I think that all of what I heard came from a complete unwillingness to learn about the Catholic church, and it is my impression now that that has changed for many in the LCMS, but my family members still make me feel quite uncomfortable because I know they are thinking my beliefs are erroneous. Erroneous enough to send me to eternal damnation? I don’t know if they believe this any longer. They never say this any more but they may be too embarrassed. I hope all the schools have completely abandoned it. I agree, I pray that this division will be diminished. I can say that it greatly hurt my spiritual life and development. I always felt drawn to the Catholic Church but was terrified to even enter one. About your son’s experience with the priest, I think this is similar. My family would latch on to a part of what someone is saying and focus on that part when what is being discussed is more complex than what can be said in a simplified sentence as I highly suspect was the case there. I’m sure you have explained to him what the Church teaches about salvation. I assume you will agree that it is always best to consult Catholic sources for questions about Catholicism and Lutheran sources for questions about Lutheranism. In my case, that would have solved the problem. Best wishes to you for many blessings.

 

[sandusky1011]

No offense to the UCC, but aren’t they are fairly liberal church who doesn’t really pass judgment on people and basically are okay with everything and anything that happens in the world. Just wondering?

Yes, after being away from the UCC for over 30 years now I’m learning just how liberal they are. My Mom just recently told me that their church has decided that gay marriage is ok. I was shocked as was she but because all of her friends still go there it’s too hard for her to change now. She’s 80 and is battling cancer. In many churches I think it comes down to not wanting to leave your friends over what the beliefs are. But there’s no “head” of the UCC. Each church can decide what they want to do.

 

[benjammin]

Yes, after being away from the UCC for over 30 years now I’m learning just how liberal they are. My Mom just recently told me that their church has decided that gay marriage is ok. I was shocked as was she but because all of her friends still go there it’s too hard for her to change now. She’s 80 and is battling cancer. In many churches I think it comes down to not wanting to leave your friends over what the beliefs are. But there’s no “head” of the UCC. Each church can decide what they want to do.

So basically it’s extreme protestantism. Not to get off subject in this topic, but I’ve always felt that eventually all protestant churches will end up this liberal while more hardcore members will join other groups (or hopefully catholicism). Even evangelicals have told me this, saying how the methodists used to be a good denomination and how all these other churches lost their way.

 

[sandusky1011]

So basically it’s extreme protestantism. Not to get off subject in this topic, but I’ve always felt that eventually all protestant churches will end up this liberal while more hardcore members will join other groups (or hopefully catholicism). Even evangelicals have told me this, saying how the methodists used to be a good denomination and how all these other churches lost their way.

I guess it just goes to show that all churches without any rules will eventually go astray and just believe whatever they want.

I suppose some Protestant churches do think that Catholics are going to hell. I don’t know.

 

[Womanoffaith10]

I guess it just goes to show that all churches without any rules will eventually go astray and just believe whatever they want.

I suppose some Protestant churches do think that Catholics are going to hell. I don’t know.

Yes unfortunately this is true. It’s sad, but I have been condemned on a few occasions. I’ve also been called a heretic, pagan, idol worshiper, and that religion in general is false

 

[benjammin]

Yes unfortunately this is true. It’s sad, but I have been condemned on a few occasions. I’ve also been called a heretic, pagan, idol worshiper, and that religion in general is false

The big thing that I hate is that we follow too many traditions. I’ve never got this because every church has a tradition. Even evangelical churches have a set way of doing things.

 

[JonNC]

So basically it’s extreme protestantism. Not to get off subject in this topic, **but I’ve always felt that eventually all protestant churches will end up this liberal while more hardcore members will join other groups (or hopefully catholicism). **Even evangelicals have told me this, saying how the methodists used to be a good denomination and how all these other churches lost their way.

Just a comment from the perspective of an LCMS member. In the early 70’s, the LCMS went through a period of turmoil known as “Seminex”. To make a long story short, it was a divide between conservative and liberal members of the teaching staff at one of our seminaries, the more liberal ones, and some parishes, broke away and eventually joined the then new ELCA, which was a merger of the LCA and ALC synods.

I don’t see the LCMS drifting toward liberalism anytime soon, as it remains rather confgessional and conservative. But if you are right, then I agree you could possibly see more conservative Lutherans, if no other alternative arose, moving toward Catholicism, or perhaps more likely, Orthodoxy.

Jon

 

[benjammin]

Just a comment from the perspective of an LCMS member. In the early 70’s, the LCMS went through a period of turmoil known as “Seminex”. To make a long story short, it was a divide between conservative and liberal members of the teaching staff at one of our seminaries, the more liberal ones, and some parishes, broke away and eventually joined the then new ELCA, which was a merger of the LCA and ALC synods.

I don’t see the LCMS drifting toward liberalism anytime soon, as it remains rather confgessional and conservative. But if you are right, then I agree you could possibly see more conservative Lutherans, if no other alternative arose, moving toward Catholicism, or perhaps more likely, Orthodoxy.

Jon

the LCMS to me seem to be somewhat of an exception because it seems as if their leadership in the LCMS is good (compared to the ELCA, of which my mother is a member, and loves it since its a very non judgmental type of church. I see this more with evangelicals who were or members of churches like the ELCA, methodists, baptists( at least in my part of the country) and join evangelical churches like the E-Free. Eventually my feeling is that even the evangelical churches will get too liberal and leave, party because there isn’t a central authority. I mean even among conservative evangelicals there are fundamentalists, health and wealth types, and eventually people aren’t satisfied and leave.