Because of the necessity for personal, vital faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ... Protestants don’t even necessarily consider Protestants to be Christians.
But to the point of your question, most Protestants would freely acknowledge the presence of many true believers in Christ among Roman Catholics.
Many would add, though, that these are saved in spite of Catholic teaching on salvation and in partial contradiction to it.
Anyway, Fur Shur the Islamofascists would have no difficulty selecting which heads to chop off.
Worthy of note John Smith of Jamestown fame, was a well-known Protestant. He was taken prisoner fighting in an army drawn up to protect Europe from the Turks then trying to expand their domains in the Balkans.
I think that's when Protestants and Catholics in Europe first figured out that they were going to have to defend Christendom even if they didn't like each other. The Treaty of Westphalia had, of course, seen them agree to stay out of each other's hair.
Anyway, John Smith was selected by the Virginia Company to be the Governor of Jamestown colony precisely because he could speak fluent Turkish. In those days it was believed Turkish was commonly spoken along the East Coast. Fact was the Spanish had been running a POW camp for prisoners seized in their wars against the Turks in the Eastern Mediterranean. Many such prisoners were actually Orthodox Christians ~ they regularly escaped from the Spanish POW camp and fled up the coast to live with Indians. Odds are good that Turkish was commonly spoken on the East Coast in those days.
Now, is there some sort of dispute going on between the RCs and the Protestants? One would hope not.
I agree with that statement. Without faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, there IS no salvation for anyone, Catholic or Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, Mormon, NO ONE. Many Catholics are saved. Many are not.
This is an interesting point. I have a website forum called "Fundamentalist Reformation." The point being that even Fundmentalists who claim the mantel of being "Bible Christians" can't even agree on what it means to be Christian.
But to the point of your question, most Protestants would freely acknowledge the presence of many true believers in Christ among Roman Catholics.
And most Protestants must also acknowledge that there are many who are unsaved within their own ranks. This being the case, your point is moot. Within any group of those who call themselves Christians there will be both saved and unsaved people.
Many would add, though, that these are saved in spite of Catholic teaching on salvation and in partial contradiction to it.
The same is true among Protestants, so again you point is moot as it's not our affiliations that save us, it is the grace the God grants us as a result of the shedding of His own Son's blood.
Please don't think I'm picking on you. It's just that for me these ideas we have about incorrect doctrine, belief, and their expression don't only flow one way. We are all subject to having erroneous beliefs in regard to our religion. We need to be very careful not to let our own preferences, talents, passions, and experience dictate what is neccessary for others to be saved lest we become a church of only one.
Well, it’s awfully damned nice of “most protestants” to freely acknowledge the presence of “many true believers in Christ” among Roman Catholics. I will reply in kind to this out-pouring of magnaminity by stating that most Catholics believe Protestants to be Christans, but of the benighted, misguided and heretical variety.
Amen.