Will I go to Hell?

[JustaServant]

I was raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism 6 years ago, and am now on the verge of leaving the church, largely because of the teaching regarding Mary. My question: according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, am I turning towards the path for Hell? (Oh, and please spare me the “Don’t leave!” or “Only God can judge” comments)

As our illustrious leader says, the question is ‘above my pay grade’. That is information only God knows.

Perhaps you should ask yourself a deeper question.
Why are you asking?

 

[Non_Serviam]

I was raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism 6 years ago, and am now on the verge of leaving the church, largely because of the teaching regarding Mary. My question: according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, am I turning towards the path for Hell? (Oh, and please spare me the “Don’t leave!” or “Only God can judge” comments)

It’s been interesting to watch the typical prgression of this thread from stock answers that don’t apply to your questions (which are excellent, btw your catholic instructors should be congratulated for developing enough interest in the faith to question it so precisely), through to various emotional/authoritarian approaches: appeals to guilt, threats of exclusion or future punishment, derision and so on, hoping to convince you to end your questioning so they can stop thinking about questions they can’t answer.

A few have made honest attempts to provide you with answers or point you to resources-Church Militant’s suggestion seems especially good.
*
My own recommendation to you is a book by Jaroslav Pelikan: Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture* (1996) Yale U. Press, ISBN 0-300-07661-4

More of a history book than theology, it shows the development of various strains of marian thought and belief over history and provides ample references to documents that often get lost in current discussions.

As to the question of your eternal destiny: according to the catholic church your decision to leave is grave matter, thus a possible basis for mortal sin. I’m sure your studies have informed you of all the conditions necessary for mortal sin, and you will have to judge whether you fulfill them since a brief set of posts on an internet forum don’t permit a decision on the conditions of sufficient reflection and free will.

Of course, at a meta level to this discussion you will also have to deicde whether you accept the church’s teaching about leaving being grave matter and whether the three conditions are correct, but you asked for the catholic position.

 

[TLM08]

And how long will it be before you are disillusioned with evangelicals again…?

How long? Are you kidding me? I’ve been disillusioned with evangelicals for years. Evangelical Christianity is in shambles thanks to post modern thinking and the man centered, watered down, cotton candy gospel preached in many evangelical circles these days. I suggest this might be one of the reasons why you yourself turned away from the gospel of Jesus Christ as found in scripture and embraced catholicism.

 

[bookgirl32]

Gods will is revealed to Humans by the holy spirit. Ive already said this.

Okay, HOW does the Holy Spirit reveal it to them? You’re avoiding . . .

 

[bookgirl32]

Go check out what John Macarthur has to say about assurance. He is very solid on the authority of scripture and what it has to say about assurance of salvation. His website is extremely comprehensive with tons of resources regarding your concerns.

gty.org/

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13

So what, exactly, makes him more trustworthy than Hahn and Keating? The fact that you happen to agree with him?

 

[Kawaii957]

It’s been interesting to watch the typical prgression of this thread from stock answers that don’t apply to your questions (which are excellent, btw your catholic instructors should be congratulated for developing enough interest in the faith to question it so precisely), through to various emotional/authoritarian approaches: appeals to guilt, threats of exclusion or future punishment, derision and so on, hoping to convince you to end your questioning so they can stop thinking about questions they can’t answer.

A few have made honest attempts to provide you with answers or point you to resources-Church Militant’s suggestion seems especially good.
*
My own recommendation to you is a book by Jaroslav Pelikan: Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture* (1996) Yale U. Press, ISBN 0-300-07661-4

More of a history book than theology, it shows the development of various strains of marian thought and belief over history and provides ample references to documents that often get lost in current discussions.

As to the question of your eternal destiny: according to the catholic church your decision to leave is grave matter, thus a possible basis for mortal sin. I’m sure your studies have informed you of all the conditions necessary for mortal sin, and you will have to judge whether you fulfill them since a brief set of posts on an internet forum don’t permit a decision on the conditions of sufficient reflection and free will.

Of course, at a meta level to this discussion you will also have to deicde whether you accept the church’s teaching about leaving being grave matter and whether the three conditions are correct, but you asked for the catholic position.

Thank you all for your help. This thread has moved away from my original question, which has been answered. If anyone would like to talk more about what we’ve discussed here, please PM me!

God bless you all!

 

[JRKH]

Of course I mean the Bible. Let’s look at the case of Acts 15. The Judaizers had a Scriptural basis for demanding circumcision. First, the charisma of the apostolic age was different than it is now, because the apostles were still writing scripture and there was still revelation to be had. Catholics admit this. The church teaches that public revelation ceased with the death of the last apostle. There is no reason to believe that the same charisma of the apostolic age was present in the post-apostlic age. In fact, Catholic teaching seems to deny that. That is precisely the reason why Scripture was written and consolidated: to pass down the teachings of the apostles.

Second, you are wrong to assume that the Apostles had no recourse to scripture. James quotes Amos 9:11,12 in his argument, coupled with Peter’s experience at Pentecost, to form the basis for his judgment.

Furthermore, I remember hearing a lecture by Scott Hahn about how the requirements to abolish circumcision are all foreshadowed in the Old Testament. If we accept St. Augustine’s principle that “the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is made manifest in the new” (or something to that effect), then that stands to reason.

All Good points I must say. The only response I can give is that the individuals involved, including one of the truly GREAT writers and speakers of the apostolic age could not come to a determination based upon Scripture. They needed the collective wisdom of the “Church in Council”.

Also I will grant that NT theology etc was still being formed and, of course, Christ Gave us The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit to help us along, not just during the Apostolic times, but even down to this day.

Peace
James

 

[LaceyC]

The only “Mary” a Catholic must accept is what official Catholic Dogma states, any thing beyond that is speculation and at times a Piety that goes overboard and beyond what the Church teaches. Maximilian Kolbe and Alphonsus Liguori are not official Catholic Dogma. One is free to not accept their theological speculations. All too often too many Catholics go against what the Church teaches with their overboard and over the top Marian piety.

Pardon my ignorance… so what makes something "official Catholic Dogma’? Whose writings are part of “Tradition”?

 

[lookaround]

The problem I had overlooked is the fact that the Catholic Church preaches a completely different, perhaps even contrary gospel than what’s found in the New Testament. Are you and I going to Hell? The Bible says no!

 

[steve_b]

I was raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism 6 years ago, and am now on the verge of leaving the church, largely because of the teaching regarding Mary. My question: according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, am I turning towards the path for Hell? (Oh, and please spare me the “Don’t leave!” or “Only God can judge” comments)

• Conversion is on going. It doesn’t stop. 6 years a Catholic? I’m a cradle Catholic and I learn everyday. Know that whatever is leading you away from the Catholic Church is not from God.
• There is NOTHING in the official teaching of the Church regarding Mary that is wrong. Perceived wrong doesn’t mean actual wrong… Mischaracterizations or misunderstandings on the part of the individual is the usual culprit.
• No one could possibly honor Mary more than God honored her. And His honoring her, continues throughout all eternity. You think you can honor Mary more than Jesus honors her? If Jesus didn’t honor His mother, He would have sinned. Which means He honored her perfectly by definition. If there was even the slightest dishonor, He would have sinned. And we know He was perfect in everyway. And we are called to imitate Jesus. His flesh he sacrificed on the cross, for the salvation of the world came from only 1 human, Mary. Jesus became incarnate through Mary. He came to us the world, through Mary. The one who is ALL Grace to the world came through Mary. This is all definitional by virtue of Jesus being conceived in Mary’s womb, Her carrying Jesus to full term, and giving birth 9 months later to Jesus the Christ, God incarnate.

 

[Church_Militant]

Welcome to my world! Born catholic, I initially left the catholic church due to poor catechesis and joined an evangelical church years ago. When I discovered authentic catholic instruction through the work of apologists like Karl Keating and Scott Hahn I gained a fundamental understanding of Catholic doctrine and returned to the Church. The problem I had overlooked is the fact that the Catholic Church preaches a completely different, perhaps even contrary gospel than what’s found in the New Testament.

Are you and I going to Hell? The Bible says no!Again, you are wrong here. Consider the point made in this article of mine Who REALLY Preaches “A Different Gospel”? The fact is that the New Testament gospel never changed and the Catholic Church has been sharing that for 2,000 years whereas the errant new winds of doctrines of men (that actually are responsible for the the messages of most of the modern step children of the reformers) are the folks who have been preaching that different gospel condemned in Galatians 1:8. My article picks out one serious difference just for example. You, Sir, need to come home.