[annalex]

if I understand the Catholic position correctly, as long as one is baptized into the Catholic Church and never have been excommunicated, they are saved

What? Not at all. You are saved if you are free from unconfessed mortal sin at death. Otherwise, with Hymenaus, you have made a shipwreck of your faith and not saved. I am really surprised you know so little about Catholicism after spending all your time on Catholic threads.

you've backtracked from the early comment that the "seed of faith" comes from God.

I did not backtrack form anything. The seed does come from God. It is up to the faithful to grow it or to wreck it.

[HarleyD]

What? Not at all. You are saved if you are free from unconfessed mortal sin at death.

Mortal sin is defined by St. Augustine (Contra Faustum, XXII, xxvii) as "Dictum vel factum vel concupitum contra legem æternam", i.e. something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law. - New Advent

Wow, that is pretty heavy. If you have one bad thought or say one bad word after the last rites, oops...goodbye heaven...hello hell.

I am really surprised you know so little about Catholicism after spending all your time on Catholic threads.

HA!!! With the answers I get from Catholics???? Please. Half the time I have to spend trying to figure out if what I'm being told is correct Catholic doctrine. New Advent website hits have gone up 75,000 in the last year simply because of me. Ask Catholics what the Church believe in the Atonement or the inspiration of scripture and I get all sorts of goofy answers telling me I'm wrong. Ask Catholics what the Church believe in Mary and everyone seems to know that!!! Shows you where the emphasis lies.

The seed does come from God. It is up to the faithful to grow it or to wreck it.

Does God give the seed of faith to everyone? If not then how can you believe in unlimited atonement? If so then why doesn't everyone believe in Christ?

But for me a broader question is "what is faith"? For a start here is Faith as defined by New Advent. To me it is typical of the gooblygook writings of the Catholic Church. You guys really need to clean house.