Gnostics started off as a movement within the early Catholic church; we both have offshoots we're not proud of! :)
Then you have some Protestants who commit mortal sins are unrepentant, so they are not in a state of grace. Take for example O.J. Simpson, a cold blooded killer who will not admit his sins and repent.
Protestants go further - ANY sin for which one is not repentant will remove you from a state of Grace. ALL sin is equally abhorent in the eyes of God, and breaks our relationship with Him. Classifying sins is man's way of justifying actions.
But it's up to Jesus to determine who's heart has shown grace and salvation to be saved. As a mortal I can merely venture a guess.
On that we fully agree!
Some Protestant "communion" ceremonies don't bring you close to Jesus at all, as I said, they're merely chewing on bread and thinking about Jesus' death.
In your opinion, fair enough. And in my opinion, the Catholic mass is devoid of passion and simply is rote recitation for rituals sake. We both have found paths that work for us, and as long as the fundamental beliefs are sound, that should be enough...
Unfortunately, in another thread here just tonight I was told that because I was a Protestant I was a heretic and not eligible to be a member of the Body of Christ. That kind of thinking is a BIG reason there are tensions between Catholics and the rest of Christianity.
On that we can fully agree. There are alot of Christians out there that don't follow the examples of Jesus at all to love their neighbors. Any Catholic who insists all protestants are heretics doomed to damnation are equally at fault as those Protestants who claim Catholics are non-Christian cult led by the anti-Christ. Christians who tear down fellow Christians are indeed the "sowers of discord" and sinners we were warned about.
That being said, I have argued on FR that Mormons and Unitarians are NOT Christians, but I believe I do so from a simple examination of their basic theology and not because I have any hatred or bigotry in my heart against them. Their views about "Jesus" are simply so far removed from the historic, risen Jesus of the bible that the "Jesus" they know is not the actual Jesus who lived and died and that Christians follow as our savior. This is not to say that I believe Mormons and Unitarians are evil, Godless, terrible people, simply that their views of Jesus are wrong and I hope they will discover the true Jesus someday. I certainly believe they can be saved and find salvation, perhaps through their own sense of right and wrong they will see the light.
**And in my opinion, the Catholic mass is devoid of passion and simply is rote recitation for rituals sake. **
You might think this because you don’t understand the Mass or the mystery of transubstantiation.
I very often am moved to tears during the two parts of the MassL 1) The Liturgy of the Word (You believe in the Bible, don’t you?) 2) the litrugy of the Eucharist — this is the part that I judge you don’t understand. Keep reading and learning — you may be the next Catholic convert.