[Mind and Body]

Hi, I am new here, but, since most everyone here is a Protestant who disagrees with Catholicism, I want a definitive answer, with Biblical evidence. I am a Baptist myself, but I am not convinced that Roman Catholics are damned. If anyone here thinks that they are, then will you please tell me why? Because Chick and the like say that they are.

[Fredoheaven]

Originally Posted by Mind and Body

Hi, I am new here, but, since most everyone here is a Protestant who disagrees with Catholicism, I want a definitive answer, with Biblical evidence. I am a Baptist myself, but I am not convinced that Roman Catholics are damned. If anyone here thinks that they are, then will you please tell me why? Because Chick and the like say that they are.

I myself is a member of RC before I came to know Christ as my Saviour at the age of 14. I believed that all are sinners (Romans 3:23) in the sight of God whether you belong to a Prostestant Church or a Roman Catholic Church which simply means we are all damned to eternal hell. It is only because of God's grace that we are brought into life from the terrible darkness. Your question of RC if they are damned? The answer is imperatively yes when one did not accept Jesus to be His personal Saviour but no for the reason if one have already received Christ. I was saved when I am still a member of Roman Catholic Church yet God brought me into a right church when a Baptist Preacher baptized me and Praise the Lord that now I belong to a local bible believing baptist church. God blesss you in your search for the truth....

[Kiwi Christian]

Welcome to these forums Mind and Body, I hope you will be encouraged through them.

You ask a good question, of which a few of us down here in NZ discussed only two nights ago in a home Bible study. I don't think you can make a general statement that ALL Catholics are unsaved, because it's apparent that there have been some saved while mixed up in the religion, who came out later.

Catholicism is a cult, it is a counterfeit of Christianity whose roots go back to ancient Babylon, it is basically Baal worship in the guise of Christianity. Salvation is attained through a system of good works, NOT by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ALONE (Ephesians 2:8-9). They may say that they believe Jesus Christ is their Saviour, but deny Him as being the ONLY way to heaven. It's Jesus Christ PLUS the sacraments and good works, etc, etc.

I think one of the only sure ways to recognise a saved Catholic is when he leaves the Catholic church and goes on the serve the Lord, yet there may be some who do get saved but continue to be a memebr of the Catholic church and never do anything for God in this life, God only knows.

If you want to know for sure if a Catholic is saved or not, ask them the following question: "If you totally abandoned the Catholic church tomorrow and all you had left was faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for you, would you still go to heaven when you die?"

[Buck]

I would think yes, because we are not to worship none other then God himself.

Catholics pray to mother Mary. " hail Mary, mother of God forgive us our---

We are to repent to Christ for our sins per the Bible, not a priest

Catholics claim to actually eating the body and blood of Jesus Christ at Communion. The bible says to take in remembrance of me.

Baptism is to be done by submersion, the same as Christ was. It's a public show of a new birth as a Christian.

[chette777]

I agree with Kiwi you can't assume all Catholics are unsaved.

as far as their worship today. let us remember there are plenty of Born Again churches from Evangelical Charismatics to some Baptist who practice things not found in the Bible. our practice does not determine our salvation.

If a person has truly trusted Jesus as the sole means for their salvation they are saved. prayers to Mary for forgiveness would amount to nothing just as going to the confessional amounts very nothing.

there is a Charismatic group here, most have trusted Jesus for salvation but they practice barfing demons into bags and believe they can be possessed by devils. their salvation is secure but the practice in unbiblical and they would grieve the Holy Ghost so their personal spiritual growth would be slow to nill because of such practices

[Kiwi Christian]

There was an idea tossed about in our discussion the other night that some Catholics have probably gotten saved by chance, considering how simple it is to be saved by accepting the truth of the gospel as a free gift, some Catholics could have been innocently reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit spoke to their heart about their need for Christ. Not every Catholic person is devout, and many don't even know the doctrines that their religion teaches (like all cults), they are Catholic in name only and not in practise, so if there is any hope for a Catholic to be saved it would be these ones.

Martin Luther is an example of a Catholic who realised from scripture that salvation was by grace through faith and not of works, but I'm not even sure he got saved in the end? He didn't want to come out of the Catholic church, he wanted to reform it. Of course he got excommunicated in the end. Can anyone shed any more light on whether or not he got saved?

[Biblestudent]

Chick publications may be "too hard" on Roman Catholics, but they do get the job done - opening people's eyes.

I remember when we went tract distribution and cemetery preaching on a November 1st, we were handing out "The Death Cookie" with smiles pasted on our face. After giving them out, we read it and "wished" we did not gave that tract. We wondered why we kindly handed out tracts and some religious fanatics looked angrily to us. The tract was too much for them.

But no, we did not regret. One lesson we learned from that experience is to read the tracts before giving them out.

Originally Posted by Mind and Body

Hi, I am new here, but, since most everyone here is a Protestant who disagrees with Catholicism, I want a definitive answer, with Biblical evidence. I am a Baptist myself, but I am not convinced that Roman Catholics are damned. If anyone here thinks that they are, then will you please tell me why? Because Chick and the like say that they are.

Welcome to the forums!
You are getting some good replies here. People are not condemned because of their denomination, they are condemned because of their unbelief.

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:18

I just want to add a few more thoughts for your consideration...

1. Baptists are not really protestants, we have different history.
2. Only God looks on hearts and knows who is saved for sure.
3. Catholics can certainly be saved, just like Baptists.
4. Baptists can be unsaved, just like Catholics.
5. Denominations do not save people, Christ saves people.
6. Catholic DOCTRINE does not lead one to salvation by grace.
7. Baptist DOCTRINE can lead one to salvation by grace.
8. The King James Bible is the final authority on our doctrine.

Good news for all Catholics; believers do not need an Italian priesthood system, or any other such system. Believers don't need a "mediator" to relate to God, the Bible tells us we now have Jesus, so we can "CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN!"
(Heb. 10:11-22, 1 Timothy 2:5, Eph. 2:8-9, Romans 3:23)

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Mind and Body

Hi, I am new here, but, since most everyone here is a Protestant who disagrees with Catholicism, I want a definitive answer, with Biblical evidence. I am a Baptist myself, but I am not convinced that Roman Catholics are damned. If anyone here thinks that they are, then will you please tell me why? Because Chick and the like say that they are.

Of course a Roman Catholic can be saved.

Brother Parrish correctly wrote: People are not condemned because of their denomination, they are condemned because of their unbelief.

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:18

To me, the relevant question is: "Can a true born-again "Catholic" continue to follow the false teaching of Catholicism?"

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Mind and Body]

I nowhere said that people were saved by Church attendance or denomination or anything other than belief, but I was wondering if anyone here perscribed to the notion that Catholics worship a non-Scriptural Christ, or perhaps that some did not worship Him at all, which would damn them to Hell.