Catholics can you please help me to understand?

Question

I am protestant and my husband's family is Catholic. Although I have a lot of respect for the Catholic faith and I realize that we are all Christians, I guess it's a little confusing to me what you base your belief's on. My mother-in-law is a very devote Catholic and is a better woman than I'll ever be, but a lot of Biblical principles she seems to ignore or blatently disagree with. I guess there's been a time when a family member was really sick and I mentioned something about God being able to heal them and she didn't really say anything back. What about salvation? I believe salvation cannot be earned by merit and good works, but it is a gift given by grace. Then, someone commits suicide and she says that people that commit suicide automatically go to purgatory but they will go to heaven. Where is that found in the Bible? What about purgatory? Is that even Biblical? I've read a lot of the Catholic Catechism, but it does'nt really tell me what I need to know. Please explain

Answer 1

+ Salvation +

Catholics have a different vision of salvation than Protestants.

We are already saved:
- “For in hope we were saved.” (Romans 8:24)
- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:5-8)

We are being saved:
- “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 1:8)
- “For we are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
- “So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

We have the hope that we will be saved:
- “How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life?” (Romans 5:9-10)
- “If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Like the Apostle Paul we are working out our salvation in “fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12) and with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ:
- “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)
- “This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; If we persevere, we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11–13)

+ Suicide +

Suicide when committed in full knowledge and deliberate consent is a complete turning away from God (a mortal sin) and will send a person to hell.

There are 3 conditions of a mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.

While suicide (or any kind of murder) is always a grave matter, people who commit suicide may not always have full knowledge of what they are doing.

Drugs can definitely impair one's thinking, as can other things, such as diseases, intense pain, or anguish.

Therefore, suicide is not automatically treated as a mortal sin. Catholics leave the final judgment to God.

+ Purgatory +

Two points.

Point one. The concept of purgation is hinted at in the Bible. Here are a couple of places:

"But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:15)

"So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves on earth into perfect beings in heaven. Depending on the amount of change needed by different people, this can be an easy or slightly harder process. Everyone in purgatory is on his or her way to heaven. I do not think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

+ Sources of Doctrine +

Point two. The Catholic Church does not only use Holy Scripture for the basis of doctrine. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written (by Catholics).

Catholics also believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like
- The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
- Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
- Which books to include in the New Testament?
- How do our imperfect selves on earth get to be perfect in heaven?

Things that are even more modern like
- Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This is one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
- Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Holy Tradition.

+ With love in Christ. +

Answer 2

Ach, the Catholic religion. I don't like denominations, so I'll try and tell you what I know. THey believe in good works sending them to heaven. Purgatory I have never run across in the Bible, but I have a hard time believing GOd would send us to some room to wait for enough people to pray for us to go to heaven. So if I were you, continue to ask questions but stay protestant. There's nothing wrong with learning. Devout Catholics believe there's nothing wrong with their religion, however there are flaws in every denomination. So....learn as much as you can, ask questions, if they don't want to answer ask one of their priests.

Answer 3

I heard that the Catholic church actually recently removed the concept of purgatory from their religion, so as to make it more "friendly" to people who supposedly were going there for reasons not under their control. I guess it was easier to reorganize the underworld than tell people to deal with it because that's the way it works. It's all a bunch of nonsense when you really look at it.

Answer 4

I'm not a practicing Catholic, so I wouldn't know! But it seems to me that just becuase she doesn't talk about salvation and things of that sort, doesn't mean she believes them. And just like Christians, we don't live our entire lives by the bible! Sometimes people believe what they want to believe and put in their own beliefs, even if they aren't in the bible. This is why I don't believe in the bible... .translated too many times and written by a man. Hmf...

Answer 5

Catholics believe that Jesus called man to follow Him, and so good works are required. The suicide story you mentioned is not part of Catholic dogma and is probably just your mother-in-law's personal belief.

Answer 6

The Bible was written thousands of years ago by a people who couldn't even explain why it rains. It's simply not relevant today and you should move on to a higher plane of existence.

Answer 7

Hi!

First of all I humbly do not regard Catholism to be Christianity.

I am boldly saying this because of the followin reasons:

1.As a Christian, you are not to talk or worship A DEAD HUMAN BEING or spirit: Catholism worships/prays through Mary:

Isaiah 8:19

And when they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

In this chapter, God was warning the Israelites not to ask the dead for anything!

2. THERE IS NO OTHER MEDIATOR BUT JESUS CHRIST: Mary should not mediate in any way!

1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD and MEN, the man CHRIST JESUS,

Mary should not mediate in any way.

3. MARY WAS A SINNER LIKE ALL OF US:

A sinner cannot intercede for other sinners! Mary is a sinner because she was born of man, and all men are born in sin(Psalm 51:5).She also needed the Blood of Jesus to be cleansed of sins.

Mary called God her "Savior" in Luke 1:47 meaning that she ALSO NEEDED SALVATION LIKE ALL OF US!

4.JESUS ACTUALLY PUT MARY DOWN TO HER HUMANITY:

Jesus here says:
(Matthew 12:48) "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

DO NOT BE ASHAMED TO DECLARE THE TRUE WORD OF GOD TO CATHOLISTS....AND DO NOT BE BEGUILED BY THEIR KINDNESS AND MODESTY....

Christlikeness is GREATER than mere kindness and modesty...

Your mother-in-law should NOT disagree with the works of Salvation in any way...that is the spirit of the ANTICHRIST. An antichrist spirit is a spirit that disagrees with the total deity of Jesus Christ. This spirit does not necessarilly fights against the idea of "God"('cause the word "God" is not clear in that which god does one serve), but it fights against the idea of the "CHRIST HIMSELF.

Except a man be born-again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

Don't worry if you feel left out, you have a family of Christ all over the world who suffer persecution with you.

Stay strong, don't be afraid to confront her Catholistic ideas.Pray for her and love her.

Hug!

Answer 8

i thought i already asewered this question like 2 minutes ago, don't feel like typing it again owell

Answer 9

Read the "Great Controversy"..!!! It will enlighten you..