jo kus: "That is one of the many questions where I had to answer - either I would be Catholic, or not Christian at all."
Is this a personal statement, or do you believe that only those in the Roman Catholic church are saved?
Interestingly, your hint of exclusivity reminds me of the Jews in the early church...
The Jewish people also thought that they had a corner on the market of salvation. "We are God's chosen people!". But as Paul so aptly preached, the gospel is for the Jew and the Gentile alike. Do you not think God can communicate the Gospel through many means? And many churches? You seem to have placed a very limited definition to God's Church. You have defined God's Church to be the RC Church. I am convinced that the Church of God, of which Christ is the head, is the entire body of true believers - regardless of which doors they pass through on Sunday morning (or perhaps Saturday evening, in your case).
Through the fist thousand years of the church, it does seem that the Roman Catholic Church was akin to the Jews of the Old Testament. God preserved his word and teachings through the RC church. But the reformation (in my humble opinion) was very much like a second Pentacost. It was a renewing of the Holy Spirit and His role in the lives of believers. Many of the RC Church forget the promises made whole at Pentacost that Christ will head the church and God's Spirit will guide it.
Is this a personal statement, or do you believe that only those in the Roman Catholic church are saved?
I believe that this is where logic, if unimpeded by bias, eventually must lead someone. The Bible didn't fall out of heaven - it came to us from men who claimed it came from God. Do you trust that or not? It says nothing about whether a person will be saved or not, because the Catholic Church itself does not demand that a person be a registered Catholic to go to heaven. The Church claims that it alone has the FULLNESS of revelation - the accurate interpretation of Scriptures and the life-giving sacraments where we meet Christ. This does not mean that other Christian faiths do not have partial truths - most Protestants that I know believe in the Trinity and the saving works of Jesus Christ and the importance of Baptism.
The Church teaches that Baptism is the first step towards salvation. However, the Church ALSO says that one can be invincibly ignorant - and not be baptized - but still be saved. Baptism is the ORDINARY way of entering into the Body of Christ. However, God is not bound by the sacraments. The Spirit blows where it will. And since God has written His law on the hearts of even Gentiles (Romans 1 and 2), they CAN make an effort to please Him, based on what they know. God does not expect a person to come to Jesus as a Christian if that person had never heard of Christianity during his life!
As to the Jews, Paul says that the Old Covenant was irrevocable. God has a plan for the Jews. Unfortunately, the polemics that you refer to in the early Church clouded this view. Certainly, the Gospel is better than the Law! So we should still continue to evangelize the Jews. And their refusal to convert during Paul's time must have been frustrating, as the Church saw itself as the continuation - no - the fulfillment - of Judaism.
You have defined God's Church to be the RC Church. I am convinced that the Church of God, of which Christ is the head, is the entire body of true believers - regardless of which doors they pass through on Sunday morning (or perhaps Saturday evening, in your case).
No I haven't. Of all Catholics on this forum, I would likely be the last person to say that! The Church subsists entirely within the Roman Catholic Church - but that does NOT exclude other Christian communities of being part of the Body of Christ. Another way of putting it - to the degree that you are Catholic, you are in the Body. Catholic in belief, practice, and Baptism. Being Baptized is a Catholic ritual! Believing in the Trinity is a Catholic belief. Reading the Scripture (including the NT) is reading a Catholic book. Following Jesus Christ is a Catholic way of life. This is historical fact. It has admittedly been watered down by some Protestant denominations, but Protestants are more Catholic than they realize!
But the reformation (in my humble opinion) was very much like a second Pentacost
The Church is CONSTANTLY being reformed. The Protestant reformation began as just another of the Spirit's efforts to reform the human portion of the Body. Luther was correct and his efforts initially were very much in need, such as his effort to redirect some members of the Church away from over-emphasis of Apostolic Tradition above the Scriptures, or undo emphasis on doing good deeds as opposed to faith and its value. Where the Protestant Reformation went wrong was going too far with "Sola Scriptura" and "Sola Fide", which were NEVER taught by the Church - they were innovations, man-made means that circumvented Christ's authoritative Church. Thus, I agree that Luther had good intentions, but NO ONE justify leaving God's Church and begin anew. That was his mistake - and unfortunately, Christianity has fractured since.
Brother in Christ
Where is that in the Bible? According to the one I read ......
Scripture reveals the Catholic Church to be the one Jesus Christ built upon the rock of Saint Peter (Matt. 16:18). By giving Peter the keys of authority (Matt. 16:19), Jesus appointed Peter as the chief steward over His earthly kingdom (cf. Isaiah. 22:19-22). Jesus also charged Peter to be the source of strength for the rest of the apostles (Luke 22:32) and the earthly shepherd of Jesus' flock (John 21:15-17). Jesus further gave Peter, and the apostles and elders in union with him, the power to bind and loose in heaven what they bound and loosed on earth. (Matt. 16:19; 18:18). This teaching authority did not die with Peter and the apostles, but was transferred to future bishops through the laying on of hands (e.g., Acts 1:20; 6:6; 13:3; 8:18; 9:17; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:6).