To insist that unless one is a member of a particular denomination - and the Roman Catholic Church IS one, sorry - that one cannot be saved, redeemed, sanctified is the very opposite of love. To do so is to distrust the will of God to open the eyes and ears of those who diligently search for the truth. The TRUE church is the body of believers in Christ and is universal (the actual definition of "catholic"). For one organization to co-opt the designation so that they can turn away whomever the please is not the message Christ intended when he spoke of his church.
I think it is quite telling here that most non-Catholic Christians are genuinely accepting of the fact that there are true Christians among the members of the Catholic Church but very few of the Catholics here do the same.
You probably missed RnMomof7's comment about her dead Catholic relatives likely being in hell.
there are true Christians among the members of the Catholic Church but very few of the Catholics here do the same.
Heck, other'n me I don't think there are very many Xtians in the Catholic Church. Maybe the Pope ... Maybe my pastor. ...
Oh. Wait. You meant ...
never mind.
Seriously, it's just that we don't think there are any Christians among the non-Catholics on FR. We acknowledge the possibility as a theoretical thing, we just haven't seen any instances.
Not much better, huh?
;-)
Seriously, no really, this time I'm serious: We think we have something special. But it is a thing we need (or at least "enjoy" "in a special1 sense") for our salvation, not a thing God needs to save somebody.
We also recognize that, saved or not, God isn't finished with any of us yet.But, for my part, not only to I think there are Christians among the unwashed, uh, I mean, non-Catholics, I also look up to some of them as in a special 2 way models for me.
I do not insist that each individual become Roman Catholic. There are a number of Catholic organizations that fit the bill. If one is asking me to agree to whether, for instance, Latter Day Saints are in the running, I will tell them absolutely not.