Are Catholics Christians

[SonSeeker]

I am a former Catholic as well, but one thing I have to say is this: if you don't put your trust in Christ as your redeemer, it doesn't matter what denomination you are. We aren't saved by denominations, but by Christ's blood.

You too, Robert? I wonder how many there are of us here at RF. Thankfully, I got out of there as a young adult and haven't looked back.

[Meg]

I was raised Catholic, both my parents died Catholic, and the family members who still go to church are Catholic. My family is Irish, and it can be safely said that the chain of churchgoing, however mistaken, could be traced back approximately 1000 years to the first person to accept the Gospel in Ireland. The unbroken chain, however, is now broken. I have 11 nieces and nephews, not a single one of whom goes to church at all. Not a single one. While I would be the last person in the world to even suggest that anyone, including a family member, choose the Catholic church, better a Catholic with some hope in Christ than an atheist with no hope in Him!!

That being said, I did seriously consider becoming a Nun in 2007, but I simply couldn't reconcile myself to that virgin mary business nor could I stomach the relic business... Sometimes that seems a shame, as in abandoning the Monastic system utterly, the Protestant church left many unmarried adults who are either orphaned in fact through the deaths of their parents or estranged from their living families with no refuge in the church at all. There are no pat easy answers here, simply a deep hope in Jesus Christ and His ability to sort this mess out...

[BuzzardHut]

Eddy may be gone, but Montini is back...

Eddy went to confession.

[IamPJ]

Eddy went to confession.

[Elijah's Mantle]

who is Montini ?

old poster or new ?

[Elijah's Mantle]

AVAST JUST PROTECTED ME FROM VISITING A INFECTED WEB PAGE

Infection Details
URL: Mystery Revealed
Process: file://C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\...
Infection: html:Downloader-BH [Expl]

Warn your friends to avoid this website Twitter

whats going on here ?

Buzzerdhut ?
are you aware of this ?

[Hannah]

The Catholic Church teaching has many errors in it and today unfortunately so do many Protestant Denominations.

Will God be judging people by their denomination?

God will be looking upon the heart.

Everbody will be judged according to what they knew.

Those that lived before Jesus came to die will be saved through Christ. How many clearly knew the teaching about the Messiah? Not many. How were they Saved then without the full clear theological understanding of the gospel of salvation?

Simeon looked upon the one who was chosen by God. Even the disciples didn't understand why the Messiah had to die until it was made clear to them. Simeon an old man waited to see God's chosen one and died and probably without full knowledge of salvation.

Now in my parents country there are Catholics and Eastern Orthodox and for many years before WW2 my family lived very isolated lives. You barely travelled to the nearest Town from your village let alone left the country. WW2 changed that forever. Men who fought in that War ended up in lands they never thought they would see. Since then the information highway was created and they became open to much knowledge and many travellors. However my great Grandparents who lived and died between WW1 and WW2 were not exposed to the world, they only had their local Church. We lived in villages surrounded by High mountains where you barely got a travellor from another part of your own nation let alone a Christian Missionary. For the record where my family came from did not have Christian Protestant Missionaries in their life time or before. There is no historical records or evidenece of Christian Protestants coming into our part of Serbia.

So my great Granparents had only the Serbian Orthodox Chruch and I can tell you they don't teach a nice clean gospel but religious traditions and superstitions and it continues in most of our Churches today. Some scripture is regularly read during the services and we have a historical account of men who visited villages and spoke some sort of Christian Biblical teachings. My grandmother and Aunties often told us stories of these visiting Preacher men(they used to preach various Bible based teachings including a basic gospel). This is how my great Grandparents heard the gospel of salvation and came to Christ. They went to the only church available to them with only a little knowledge they had. My family were poor and illiterate until just before WW2 there was a push to get boys educated and they went to school if there was one in walking distance and girls were not educated until after WW2. So their Bible knowledge depended on what they heard which was not much and if my Aunties and Grandmothers re-telling of these teaching was fairly accurate the teaching was not spot on but at times it was accurate. At least they knew about repentance and salvation.

So does God now condemn my great Grandparents for attending an Serbian Orthodox Church with all it's inaccuracies and some heretical teachings?

I've been told that my great grandparents knew about being sinners and needing Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. I only know what I've been told but I believe my Aunties understood wether they had come to Christ or not because I spent many years reading the Serbian Bible to them so they could come to know more fully what was in the Bible and the difference of what they were taught by the Serbian Orthodox Church so they could be released from some of the Churches false teachings.

I believe there are Catholic Christians who have been decieved by the Churches teachings but have put their Trust in Jesus. I believe there are Eastern Orthodox Christians as well. There are many Christians caught up in wrong teaching not through their own fault but due to circumstance. However God knows everybodys heart and we know the Bible teaches those who truly SEEK God will find Him.

Having said that I also Believe to those who have been given much, much will be required. Catholics who have a Bible, the ability to read it and understand it and the availability of other resources at their disposal will be judged with more accountability. Are they Saved or NOT? Every individual will be judged by God as an individual. I don't know. No one can truly say that a person who attends a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church today is immediately condemned.

I do not support the blatant heresies these Churches teach. Nor would I recommend a new Saved Believer to attend a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church.

However who is Saved but the one who turns to the Lord and in repentance receives the blood of the Lamb for the forgiveness of their sins. Noone should be in the dark about this Biblical teaching today. Few people remain totally isolated and ignorant.

Amongst non-Catholic Churches there are many who will claim the Lord as Saviour that will find themselves being rejected despite all their service to the Lord. Why? Because God knows their hearts.

MT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

I agree the Catholic Churches teachings are definitely not designed to bring people to Salvation through Christ alone as the Bible teaches. So do many other Churches today also have teachings that do not lead people to God's Salvation.

Who will be Saved and who will not? That truly only God knows. We cannot judge another person's salvation but we can question their theologies and challenge any of them which are not of the Bible.

[BuzzardHut]

Buzzerdhut ?
are you aware of this ?

exploit?
there is no exploit
it's a false positive
probably reacting to my javascript at the top that tells the time
if anyone can find the actual file or script that is triggering it I will remove it
I use avast too and don't get that message
maybe your heuristic settings are too high

[Meg]

Elijah, Avast isn't all that. Robert had it, and after he got on my Norton, he's liked his computer's performance a lot better (I have a subscription for 3 computers, and until Robert moved in, was only using it on one computer). Always remember, you get what you pay for...

[BuzzardHut]

Vehicolul meu pe pernă de aer e plin cu țipari!

Mea putredine aer habet sacculum!

[BuzzardHut]

POPE John Paul II has now been removed from his GRAVE after some 6-1/2 years to go on a sweeping WORLD TOUR! First it was his BLOOD on Tour, now it's his DEAD BODY?
Casket is clear. People flaunting all over it.

[Meg]

GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WKUHilltopper]

POPE John Paul II has now been removed from his GRAVE after some 6-1/2 years to go on a sweeping WORLD TOUR! First it was his BLOOD on Tour, now it's his DEAD BODY?
Casket is clear. People flaunting all over it.

Wow...is that morbid or what?? The dead following the dead--I feel horrible for them.

[micah719]

He looks healthier dead than he did for many of his last years. They planned this in advance, embalming the heretic for this stunt. Or, it is a wax replica. Light the top of his head to see if he is a candle.

Mea putredine aer habet sacculum!

Ok, I give up. I couldn't translate it with the web based stuff, what does it mean? The eely hovercraft was a hit with the Romanians btw.

[Andrei]

POPE John Paul II has now been removed from his GRAVE after some 6-1/2 years to go on a sweeping WORLD TOUR! First it was his BLOOD on Tour, now it's his DEAD BODY?
Casket is clear. People flaunting all over it.

What's next? Zombie apocalypse in Saint Peter's square? LOL!

@Micah: Definitely a wax replica. RCC followers would believe anything "Mother Church"'s leaders would tell/show them.

[Elijah's Mantle]

Buzz
yep your right
Its a false positive
sound like a oxymoron

I had forget to get back to this
sorry

I think Ill try Nort meg
Thanks for info

[Chris]

He looks healthier dead than he did for many of his last years. They planned this in advance, embalming the heretic for this stunt. Or, it is a wax replica. Light the top of his head to see if he is a candle.

Ok, I give up. I couldn't translate it with the web based stuff, what does it mean? The eely hovercraft was a hit with the Romanians btw.

They probably have "life-sized replicas" in the Vatican lobby for sale. Anything to make a buck for the RCC.

*Begin Vatican infomercial for wax pope statues*

"Imagine, having a wax copy of the previous pope as your new coffee table in your living room while you entertain your guests. What a marvelous conversation piece for any home. Get one while supplies last at the reduced price of only $199.95!!"

*End of Vatican Sales pitch *

[IamPJ]

Or, it is a wax replica. Light the top of his head to see if he is a candle.

[Hannah]

POPE John Paul II has now been removed from his GRAVE after some 6-1/2 years to go on a sweeping WORLD TOUR! First it was his BLOOD on Tour, now it's his DEAD BODY?
Casket is clear. People flaunting all over it.

Maybe he has lots of frequent flyer miles still clocked up just wants to use them up before Air Italia goes permanently out of business?

[Chris]

Maybe he has lots of frequent flyer miles still clocked up just wants to use them up before Air Italia goes permanently out of business?