Green's only desire was to create that division. I am pointing out that Catholics should not feel as victims in this story as Protestants can be just as offended by the official teachings of the Catholic church. There are differences, if there weren't we would all belong to the exact same church.
" Extraordinary Magisterium ---EX CATHEDRA “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.) “With Faith urging us we are forced to believe and to hold the one, holy, Catholic Church and that, apostolic, and we firmly believe and simply confess this Church outside of which there is no salvation nor remission of sin… Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by absolute necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam, Nov. 18, 1302) “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” (Council of Florence--Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)" __________________
And so continues the ongoing disagreement whether entrance into the church comprising the saved is through the door of Christ, or whether entrance into Christ is through the ministrations of a body that on earth features sinners of various degrees. All I can say is that the temptation of a church’s declarations to become self serving is immense.
Question:
Have you ever googled any Catholic responses to these citations?
Yeah, trot out the proof text from Unam Sanctam. It’s talking about those who knowingly continue in schism. Most Protestants today do not knowingly choose against the Catholic Church.
Even you don’t knowingly—until now—choose against the Catholic Church. You were fed the lie that Unam Sanctam says all non-Catholics go to hell.
Now I’ve pointed out what it actually means. You can, of course, decide that I don’t know what I’m talking about and go your merry way. That would be irresponsible but common.
Or you can actually investigate the Church’s teaching in its context. Unam Sanctam has a context. At the time of the Protestant schism, those who knowingly abandonbed their Catholic faith were condemned by the Church (though only God knows their heart at their deathbed). After centuries passed and few, if any, Protestants were knowingly choosing against Catholicism (all they knew was Protestantism, they were fed falsehoods about it, they could not make a knowing choice), the Church explicitly addressed this in doctrinal statements in the 1800s and following. Vatican II repeated this—one has to knowingly choose against what one knows to be the true Church.
But you might want to think twice about getting into arguments over this. The more you get into it, the more resopnsibility you incur to find out the real story.
And I’m telling you you that you’ve been sold a bill of goods on this. You can trot out your prooftexts all you want, but who’s right about the interpretation of them? How are you going to know who’s right?
Look at Dominus Iesus, the most recent statement on this issue, if you truly seek to know what the Catholic Church teaches.
” Extraordinary Magisterium -—EX CATHEDRA “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.) “
Your mistake here is to assume that “one universal Church” is identical in boundaries with the external boundaries of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church’s boundary is created by “communion with the Bishop of Rome.” Anyone in communion with a bishop who is in communion with the bishop of Rome is a “member” of that visible, historically-bounded church.
But “universal Church” in Lateran IV does not refer exclusively to those visible boundaries. That’s the point of Dominus Iesus, Lumen gentiusm etc. John Paul explicitly addressed this in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope.
Anyone who is saved who is outside the visible boundaries (and there well be many, as well as many who are within the visible boundaries who will go to hell) is saved through Christ through Christ’s one Church. It’s mysterious invisible boundary is not identical with it’s visible boundary. But anyone who has come to see that the visible boundaried-Catholic Church is where the fullness subsists, has to enter the visible boundaries, or be damned.
But most non-Catholics don’t believe the fullness of the Church exists in the Catholic Church, so they aren’t rejecting something deliberately and knowingly.
You also quoted the Council of Florence:
“No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.”
“remain within”—that means someone who was within but left. If he does so knowing that he is leaving the true Church, he’s in big trouble.
But 99.9999999999 percent of all non-Catholics never were within that bosom and did not leave it knowingly and deliberately.
They might still go to hell, but not because they aren’t Catholics but because they knowingly lied, cheated, murdered, manipulated. . . . whatever. Just as Catholics within that bosom who lie, cheat, manipulate, murder, etc. will go to hell.
In other words this is not a statement about any living Jew or Protestant, but on those who at the hour of death do not join the Church as they face the judgement of Christ.
Protestants believe that people are saved by their faith alone. So naturally, they think that a faith different from theirs condemns to hell. Catholcis know from the Holy Scripture that we are saved by faith and also by our works of love. Therefore it is the totality of your works at the time you die that makes you Catholic and therefore saves you.
This might seem as a confusing point but since you venture into what you think Catholics teach, you should ask a Catholic before you jump to conclusions. I am Catholic, I consider your religion, Protestantism, heretical and a grave danger to your soul; but I do not know if you are going to hell or not; I likewise do not know if I am going to heaven or hell. I know what to do to get to heaven, but I cannot say with certainty who among non-Catholics would go to hell or heaven. They may all go to heaven for all I know; many of them are fine people and much holier than me, and how it happens despite the heresy they profess is a mystery.
On the main topic, I think it is natural for a Protestant to be somewhat anti-Catholic, and besides it is Bachman's past membership, so I don't think it is a big deal. On the other hand, we should be curious about a politician's religion; it is often the most important thing in a man.