Second, the blatant anti-Catholicism sticks out like a sore thumb. Suggesting books is evangelization. Shoving Scripture down people's throats, posting the same derisive material from thread to thread, is not only proselytizing, but is a negative presentation of faith in general.
While I as a Catholic believe the Catholic Church has the greatest deposit of Faith, there is an amount of truth in all faiths. We don't get most of the mean flak from our mainstream Protestant brethren, (with a few exceptions). The bashing is mostly from ex-Catholics, and independents who interpret the Bible for themselves.
As for salvation outside the Church, people tend to get stuck in the Council of Trent. That was hundreds of years ago. Check out Vatican II:
The Second Vatican Council speaks of salvation outside the Church in Lumen Gentium, nos. 14 and 16. Here are the pertinent sections from those two articles: 14. This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved. [. . .] 16. [. . .] Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life.
Defending your beliefs is one thing, but check out some of the posts on the site. I recently got called a troll! I consider the source, but honestly, we aren't kids on a playground; we just act that way sometimes- just about all of us. We, myself included, need to lighten up sometimes- but it's hard when people deride what you love most in the world, and the only thing that's worth living for in an otherwise horrific world.
God bless you, and may we all meet in Heaven!
Certainly, but not making statement as if they were a seasoned active veteran, which they would be in order for your judgement to have validity.
Second, the blatant anti-Catholicism sticks out like a sore thumb. Suggesting books is evangelization. Shoving Scripture down people's throats, posting the same derisive material from thread to thread, is not only proselytizing, but is a negative presentation of faith in general.
I would like to see what shoving Scripture down people's throats means, but then may i asked, where or where have You been when RCs did this for years, and note that shoving Scripture down people's throats has its parrellel with constant posting of RC propaganda, engaging in argument by assertion, which they seem to demand we submit to.
Here is just a sample of what you must have missed.
There Is No Salvation Outside The Catholic Church (Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus)
Divinum Officium: Whoever does not embrace the Catholic Christian religion will be damned
Why Catholicism Is Preferable to Protestantism
The Protestant's Dilemma: A Review
Protecting God’s Word From “Bible Christians”
Why do Protestant lay people hate clergy?
Protestants: It's time to come back
From Fundamentalist Baptist to Catholic
EWTN - The Journey Home - November 10, 2014 - Dale Ahlquist, convert from being a Baptist
The Trouble With Calvin – Pt. 1
Why would anyone become Catholic?
In Defense of the Immaculate Conception: Part 2
The Nature of the Mass and the need for Sacrifice
The Hail Mary of a Protestant
500 Years of Chaos: Protestantism’s Anniversary
And which is just a few, plus multitudes of pro RC polemics for herself that invite and incite debate.
But all RCs see is what reproves Rome's errors and elitism, and whine about what exposes her. Which is what their posting has resulted in, as can be shown, by God's grace.
And when we brought up the issue of the plethora of papist postings, i was told we should post our own, so now that has happened more yet RCs still complain.
You simply lack standing in this debate as you do not represent the regular RCs with whom we have debated here for years. And when some of them are silenced by correction, they either post more of the same, and or a lurker or new poster shows up and so it must be done again.
We don't get most of the mean flak from our mainstream Protestant brethren, (with a few exceptions).
That is because they do not contend for much, likewise it is not the liberal RCs that most strongly debate within your church, but the SSPX and SSPV RCs, and whose vituperative criticism can sometimes even make us look mild. The reality is that the more committed one to doctrine, then they stronger the unity is within their group, but likewise they are the most divisive, which is actually necessary when their is real compromise going on, though that is contrary to the Roman system on paper. .
Meanwhile, what we get, even much this week, is mainstream Protestantism thrown in our face as representing where SS leads to, thus invalidating the Reformation, which is actually an argument for the Reformation, since the mainstream/liberal Prots are those which deviate from the Reformers esteem and place of Scripture, and instead they tend to be closest to Catholicism.
The bashing is mostly from ex-Catholics, and independents who interpret the Bible for themselves.
Who are overall surprisingly (to RCs) basically unified, while Jews in the 1st century could have said much the same as you did about the followers of a group of itinerant preachers who followed a giant of an itinerant preacher, all of whom were rejected by the historical magisterium, whom they rebuked.
Obviously our preachers are not the apostles, nor are yours for sure, but we can show by the Scriptures what they taught, which the established upon Scriptural substantiation in word and in power.
As for salvation outside the Church, people tend to get stuck in the Council of Trent. That was hundreds of years ago. Check out Vatican II:
Which i myself have posted, as again, you simply do not represent the regular RCs with whom we havw debated here for years. And who are not the kind that calls us "brethren," but say such nice things as,
thanking God the Spanish Inquisition was up to the job,
that Protestantism is belief in one’s self, and
absolutely alien to Christianity, and that,
Protestants are mostly biblically illiterate,
intellectually dishonest,
evil fruit, who
don’t have the Holy Spirit, and
are not part of the Body of Christ, and
who have no foundation for their understanding of Christianity, and
will not be saved unless they becomes a member of the Catholic Church ( which is how they interpret Lumen Gentium), and
are by inclination vandals who should be eradicated from the face of the earth,
But that Catholics never put down or challenge beliefs from protestants, and that,
there never has been a bit of anti-protestant bigotry on FR, etc.
These are all taken from actual statements i have.
I recently got called a troll!
I understand, but it kind of like a stateside soldier lecturing those in combat that they need to be more respectful toward those who are shooting at them, and seem to long for the days of the Inquisition.