I’ve been positive about Catholics when they stuck to the Bible not to the extra biblical stuff they espouse. I don’t HATE Catholics. I, in fact, am concerned about your salvation since you don’t seem to believe that you can be saved and know it in this world instead of waiting until the next and then wondering IF.
You wrote:
“I’ve been positive about Catholics when they stuck to the Bible not to the extra biblical stuff they espouse.”
I said, “And I still never saw a positive word from you about anything Catholic.” But you’re now saying “Catholics”. I am not just talking about the people. Also, we have nothing that contradicts the scriptures and we probably have no more “extra biblical” stuff than you do. And what we have that is “extra biblical” does not contradict the Bible.
“I don’t HATE Catholics. I, in fact, am concerned about your salvation since you don’t seem to believe that you can be saved and know it in this world instead of waiting until the next and then wondering IF.”
No one can know with absolute assurance that he will be saved since no one here has yet died. No orthodox Christian ever preached either absolute assurance or once-saved-always-saved. Those are not biblical or historical beliefs. They are phony baloney Protestant novelties.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Assurance_of_Salvation.asp
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/assurance.html
Since it is logicaly impossible for a person to know about his end (in steadfastness that is) until the end actually has arrived, and since absolute assurance is not an orthodox Christian belief to begin with, I reject it entirely. I refuse to commit the sin of presumption and I refuse to simply fool myself as most Protestants do. I, instead, trust in Christ and His Church, and have no fears about my salvation. I, instead, have the same hope that St. Paul had. In his letters, St. Paul uses the phrases: “the hope of salvation” (1 Thess 5:8) or “hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:2; 3:7). Is we were truly assured of salvation in the sense that Protestants believe then there would be no need for hope. Hope is not the same as assurance (Romans 8:24). As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says (CCC 2090): “Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God’s love and incurring punishment.”
My view is the Biblcal view. It is the view of St. Paul. I will accept no other than that taught by the Church in scripture and through the ages.