It’s OK. I’ve been told that I have no salvation outside the Catholic Church, or that if I am saved then I am a Catholic. And that I have fallen and/or need to be pruned.
I’ve defined what I am (a Free Methodist). I have only argued from the Scripture (specifically using the USCCB - the Catholic NAB online), and using the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Which Protestant tradition do you feel is not Scriptural? What claims do we make that deny Catholics can be saved and welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven?
PugetSoundSoldier:
Well, all salvation is from Christ, through the Church, which is his body. So, yes Christ has given the Catholic Church, along with the Orthodox Church, the fullness of the means of salvation via the Sacraments or what the East refers to as the Holy Mysteries. Given that most Protestant confessions stil baptize in the Holy Trinity, believe in the incarnation of Christ, paschal mystery, they are by virture of Baptism, Christian and thus related to the Church, which is Christ’ body and thus can be saved.
In addition, the Catholic Church does not say definitively who is in hell, as that is not for the CHurch to decide as that is only in God’s providence. In addition, I should have clarified that not all Protestants here go after Catholics with a vengeance. But notice the Threads that present a Protestant Position don’t have every Catholic on this forum launching flame attacks. However, if you look at the Catholic threads, they tend to get the full shot.
PugetSoundSolider, I have heard of Methodist, and I guess Free Methodist means you are somewhat of a independent Methodist, not in communion with the United Methodist Church? Again, some Methodist lean more to the Anglican Traditon, since they are an offshoot from the church of England, some are more Arminian in there doctrine, some more Weslyan, etc.
driftdiver: Ok, you are a Baptist, which also means you can have theological leanings that are Arminian or perhaps Calvinist.
Now, looking at your 2 traditions, most Methodist I know of use the Creed in their services, they also have Liturgical form of worship, although not maybe to the level of Lutherans and Anglicans, and of course certaintly not to the degree as Catholics and Orthodox. I think Methodist have historically baptized infants, have more of heiarchial structure, etc.
Baptist on the other hand, at least my experience in the Southern United States, which is the only place I have ever lived, are historically anti Creeds, anti Liturgy, and anti infant Baptism, just top of my head, which are in my humble opinion, 3 major theological differences between your 2 traditons.
In closing, I have never said everything in Protestantism is wrong. In fact, it is often said that Protestantism is corrrect in most of what it affirms, but is usually wrong in what it rejects and at there are some Protestant confessions who don’t, as a matter of doctrine, state that Catholics are going to Hell, which the Catholic Church agrees with.