“For Christians there are only two choices, Catholic or protestant. If you are not fully in communion with the Catholic Church and profess a belief in Jesus you are protestant.”
I understand this from Rome’s view. Fortunately, God has no grandchildren, only first generation children that are born through faith in His gracious gift. As such, we identify with Him, not Rome and not with those involved in the historic split from Rome. We are simply Christians. Related to Him now. While you may think of yourself as catholic. I don’t know of anyone at my church who would identify themselves as “protestant.”
“Many protestants and prots refuse to acknowledge the roots of Mormonism in protestant ism due to “bizarre” beliefs.”
I readily acknowledge that horndog Smith was influenced by protestant Christians. Clearly, his life showed something quite different than the life of Christ within. Apparently, he was poorly catechized.
But this cuts both ways, since by your line of thinking you will be in the position of acknowledging that every single offshoot of the catholic church since 300 bc is “catholic.” If you do not, it doesn’t serve any purpose to call mormons protestant, once they leave.
“How do you think you all appear to the only real Christians (Catholics) with your bizarre denials of basic Catholic doctrines.”
Real Christians are those who have entrusted themselves to the gracious gift of God in Christ - regardless of denomination. I don’t give any think time to how my relationship as a son of God and joint heir with Christ appears to those who are catholic. Why would I? I want to please God, not man.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 (DARBY)
“but even as we have been approved of God to have the glad tidings entrusted to us, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who proves our hearts.”
Paul never argues that approval comes from anywhere but God. What good news!
best.
Well said! Some of the more polemical FRoman Catholics cannot concede that GENUINE Christians exist outside of the Roman Catholic church so they will try to corral all non-RCs into one big tent so that they can assert their elitist and superior, snooty and snobbish uniqueness and proclaim, "If you aren't a Roman Catholic, you aren't a REAL Christian.". Yet, if we go by sacred Scripture and the writings of the first Christian leaders, it's easy to demonstrate that they aren't either!
Genuine Christianity has always been distinct from the cults and world religions because it's not based on what man must do to bind himself back to God (what the word "religion" means) but what God has done to bind man back to Himself. We are saved by grace through faith and not the works we do. It is a GIFT of God and is why NO ONE may boast.