I think that evangelicals give inadequate credit to the value of being raised in, understanding, and believing in the Catholic faith. I do not need to be saved by the Spirit though a conversion experience to become a Christian. It is who I am, utterly and thoroughly, as a sinner who is by Grace and choice a believing and practicing Catholic.
In saying that, I have no sense of pride, nor do I mean in any way to deride the Christian faith of others. We are all invited to Christ by our separate paths and according to our understanding. I trust in the generous love of Christ as redeeming me and other believers in spite of our sins, follies, and inadequacies. Just as Christ welcomed to Heaven the Good Thief on the Cross next to him, I hope that I too may be admitted to Glory.
“I think that evangelicals give inadequate credit to the value of being raised in, understanding, and believing in the Catholic faith.”
LOL!
“I hope that I too may be admitted to Glory.”
You don’t have to “hope”; you can know.
Actually the Catholic Church does not regard the teachings and practice of the very early Christians as having supreme authority in working out the details of Christian faith, since as said, distinctive Catholic teachings are not manifest in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, in particular Acts through Revelation, which best shows how the NT church understood the gospels).
Instead, Catholicism selectively looks to the uninspired writings of later persons, so-called "church fathers" (they were not fathers of the NT church) with their incremental accretions of traditions of men. And from which and some cherry-picking of Scripture Rome decrees that she possesses ensured perpetual magisterial veracity of office, at least as regards salvation, and infallibility in defining matters of faith and morals for all the church by popes and ecumenical councils in union with him. All of which Catholics are required to assent to.
For Rome has presumed to infallibly declare she is and will be perpetually infallible whenever she speaks in accordance with her infallibly defined (scope and subject-based) formula, which renders her declaration that she is infallible, to be infallible, as well as all else she accordingly declares.
"and the decisions of various Councils."
And inattention your traditional RCs contend, some of which wish the decree for RC rulers to exterminate from their lands all the heretics was still enforced.
"I think that evangelicals give inadequate credit to the value of being raised in, understanding, and believing in the Catholic faith. "
I was raised in it, and understanding it in the light of what the NT church manifestly believed is to understand that two are very different faiths.
"I do not need to be saved by the Spirit though a conversion experience to become a Christian. . It is who I am, utterly and thoroughly, as a sinner who is by Grace and choice a believing and practicing Catholic."
You most assuredly do need to be saved by the Spirit though a conversion experience with its basic profound changes in heart and life (though for some they are very dramatic relative to before), as do all persons, (Eph. 2:1) and which all believers within the NT church realized. Which is not effected by the act itself of baptism, but conversion is by heart-purifying regenerating faith. (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9)
"We are all invited to Christ by our separate paths and according to our understanding."
But the only path to the Father is thru Christ, only thru the basic understanding of salvation by grace, in which the redeemed are those who come to God as sinners knowing their desperate need of salvation - not as a souls saved by their works or church affiliation, but as destitute of any means or merit whereby they may find salvation - and with a humble and penitent heart (that wants a new life following Christ) believe on the crucified and risen Lord Jesus who alone can save them on His account, by His sinless shed blood and righteousness. And who thus are baptized and follow Him. Thanks be to God!
"Just as Christ welcomed to Heaven the Good Thief on the Cross next to him, I hope that I too may be admitted to Glory."
You can only be admitted to glory as per the above, and which means you can know that your presently have eternal life by effectual faith, and one dies in that living faith then wherever Scripture clearly speak of the next conscious reality for believers then it is with the Lord, (Lk. 23:43 [cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7]; Phil 1:23; 2Cor. 5:8 [“we”]; 1Cor. 15:51ff'; 1Thess. 4:17) Note in the latter case all believers were assured that if the Lord returned, which they expected in their lifetime, so would they “ever be with the Lord,” though they were still undergoing growth in grace, as was Paul. (Phil. 3:7f)
And the next transformative experience that is manifestly taught is that of being like Christ in the "first resurrection." (1Jn. 3:2; Rm. 8:23; 1Co 15:53,54; 2Co. 2-4; (Revelation 20:6)) At which time is the judgment seat of Christ, which is the only suffering after this life, which does not begin at death, but awaits the Lord's return, (1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Timothy. 4:1,8; Revelation 11:18; Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Peter 1:7; 5:4) and is the suffering of the loss of rewards (and the Lord's displeasure) due to the manner of material one built the church with, which one is saved despite the loss of such, not because of. (1 Corinthians 3:8ff) Thanks be to God.