Many Protestants say that Catholics are not Christian and will go to hell...?

Question

What about all of the people that died before the Protestants broke from the Catholics...did they go to hell?

Serious question for the fundamentalists...or anyone who knows what the fundamentalist protestants believe about this.

Answer 1

Belief in Christ is the key to heaven.

A lot of the other items are foolish squabble.

Answer 2

Most Christians do not believe that Catholics are not Christians and will go to hell. They do believe, however, that there are many false teachings in the catholic church, such as there being no salvation outside of the catholic church. The Bible says differently, in numerous scriptures. We do not believe that the Pope is God on earth as the catholics teach. That belief fits one of the definitions of antichrist, which is replacing God on earth. We also do not believe in a two-stage return of Jesus Christ, with a seven year tribulation period in between. That false idea was planted in the 16th century by two jesuit priests, Francisco Ribera and Robert Bellarmine at the order of the pope, in an attempt to get those hundreds of thousands of catholics who went over to protestantism, back into the catholic church. It didn't work and didn't become a common protestant belief until Hal Lindsay's "The Late Great Planet Earth" and the "Left Behind" novels were popularized.

Answer 3

A Christian is one who has asked Jesus into their heart and believes that He is the only begotten Son of God and that He died and was resurrected. That's it. It doesn't have anything to do with going to church or giving money.

Catholicism began when the Roman Emperor Constantine saw a vision of a cross before the Battle of Milvian Bridge and he thought that under that sign he would conquer the world. Even though he had seen visions before and after that one, it was 13 years later that he wanted to unite the world theologically as he had done militarily. There were many pagan religions in the Roman Empire, there were also Jews and Christians. Constantine, in order to please everyone (although the real reason is debatable) brought a lot of those "religions" together and created the Roman Catholic Church. It incorporated Christianity, Judaism and pagan religion rituals. Instead of the twelve gods of ancient Rome, there were the twelve apostles, whose relics could cure diseases, control the weather, and inflict harm on those who opposed them. Instead of the departmental deities of ancient Rome, there were the departmental Saints of papal Rome.
Instead of Diana, Queen of Heaven, there was Mary, Queen of Heaven. It incorporated the priests and bishops of the Jews and Jesus as God's Son from Christianity, among other things. In 324 he made himself head of the Church and deemed that no one was allowed to disagree with him. Anyway, you get the picture. The Roman Catholic Church, which was the Church of the Roman Empire quickly became wealthy and began to conquer in the name of God. The Catholic Church has stayed powerful and wealthy due to casting fear into people and ruling with an iron fist.

I'm sure that the Catholic church has Christian members. As any other churches do. But being Catholic and being a Christian are two different things.

Religions that broke from the Catholic church like Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, etc are called Protestant because they protested and broke away.

The Baptists did not. They have always been separate from the Catholic church. Many, many years ago they were called Anabaptists, short for Antibaptists due to their unpopularity with the Catholic church.

Answer 4

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for our sins and rose from the grave, and you confess your sins to Jesus, the Bible says you are saved. You must have a personal relationship with Jesus. I am a protestant and consider myself to be a fundamentalist, but I don't care if you are Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal or Presbyterian. If you invite Jesus in your heart, you are saved! I have a lot of Catholic friends that I believe are saved and will go to Heaven.

Answer 5

Yes, Catholics are Christians. Just because I have some issues with Catholic doctrine doesn't mean that I would deny their status as Christians.

I don't believe that anybody goes to hell without first being given an opportunity.

Answer 6

Christ did not establish the Catholic religion. It was established many hundreds of years after his death. The Roman Catholic church is primitive christianity &Greek and Roman paganism. The Papal Empire rose out of the ruins of the Western Empire.The term "priest" was borrowed from the Jewish systemand applied after 200 A.D.
Leo1 prohibited priest from marryng and celibacy of priest became a law of the Catholic church.- mans law. Heathen practices of the Goths, Huns and other barbarians of the time infiltrate the church and become a part of the "worship" Catholicism considered "State Religion" and anyone refusing
to worship Emperior was persecuted.
A.D.787 Ecumenical council santioned image worship. Rome 1123 "decided" the bishops were to be appointed by Popes. 1431-1449 and 1512-1518 there were 2 efforts to reform the "church". 1545-1563. They were counteracting the reformation. Well that makes good sense doesn't it.Sounds to me like a church that can't make up it's mind in the first place. 1869-1870 "man" declared that the Pope was infallible. Man? First self proclaimed pope was Leo 1 A.D. 440-461 claiming he was "by divine power" primate of all Bishops in 445. After persuading Atila the Hun/Genseric the Vandal to spare city Emperior Valentinian111 gave him imperial recognition thus he declared himself Lord of the Whole Church; advocated Exclusive Universal Papacy and said that resistance to his authority was a sure way to hell and set the death penalty for heresy. The first "Real" Pope regarded In A.D. 590-604 Gregory 1. "Holy Roman Empire" set in motion by Charlemagne and Leo 111 lasted about 1100 years ,it was a name rather than an accomplished fact. It was bought to an end by Napolean. The crown came from forged documents/decrees in 857 by Nicolas 1. There are many more details I could tell you about the catholic church since you ask. Yes, I believe anyone that has followed a pagan religion knowlingly, has not honored the commandments of God /or asked for His forgiveness/
accepted his son Jesus Christ as the redemption for their sins has/will go to hell.
Once again say to you this is why I chose to be "non-demiminational" because all denominations are made by man and God only wants to have a personal relationship with us. Not our isms and chisms. I encourage you to read and study for yourself. Halley's Bible Handbook. Bible Answers from A-Z. Go to your local Library, Synagogue,(they have the true scriptures) and most of all open your heart and ears to your Creator and the one and only true God. We are the church. Not some man made junk.

Answer 7

I think there is too much emphasis put on your religion, or denomination. I, myself, am a child of God. Period. Call the catholics Christians, if you want to. "A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet" Shakespear. One of the problems I find with the catholic faith, is that they teach their children to break the first 2 commandments. Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me. 4) You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of ANYTHING that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them." I'm not claiming that I keep all 10 commandments, after all, I am only human.

Answer 8

I am not technically protestant, but many lump me in with them because I'm not Catholic.

Catholics can go to heaven IF and ONLY IF they accept Jesus Christ BY FAITH. The Catholics claim that we are saved by grace and works, but this is unscriptural:
Romans 11:6 says, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Either you are saved by grace, or by works, but NOT both... decide which side of the fence you're on.

Well, what does the Bible say?

Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly says,
"8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

So, clearly we are saved by GRACE through FAITH... NOT OF WORKS! So, if you still want to believe that you are saved by grace AND works, go ahead... but it's unscriptural.

Also read: Romans chapters 3 & 4; Galatians 2:16,21; Titus 3:5; and Philippians 3:4-9.

Catholics as well as EVERY OTHER PERSON will only go to hell IF they reject Christ's simple plan of salvation.

This is not merely the Baptist way, IT'S THE BIBLE WAY... pure and simple... who can refute God's Holy and Inspired Word?

Answer 9

People are saved by repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus said, unless you be born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

It doesn't matter what the name over the door is of the church you attend. If you are a born again believer in Christ, you are saved, since that is what the bible teaches and the bible is the word of God.

Answer 10

So the catholics say protestants are heretics and blasphemers
NO they went to heaven.
The Catholic church has revised it view somewhat.
It all a joke and the fools follow.

Answer 11

Your question predisposes that there are only two groups - Catholic and Protestants, but there are Christians who do not belong to either group. You see a protestant church is one who pulled out of the Catholic church in protest. Some examples of churches with Catholic roots : Episcopal, Luthern, Methodist (then the Assemblies came from the Methodists). Baptist though were never a part of the Catholic church so therefore they are not truly "protestant" For the history of the Baptist church through time you can check out "Trail of Blood" ( http://www.trailofblood.com/ )

But to your actual question, the church a person belongs to doesn't not determine whether or not they go to Hell. The only thing that determines that is "What has the person done with Jesus Christ?"

The Catholic church teaches that Jesus died and rose again but most of its emphasis is on "works" and it offers no guarantee of Heaven. It relegates what Jesus did for us in essense to a backseat position.

The Bible however says that you can KNOW that you are saved (1 John 5:11-13) and that knowledge doesn't rest upon your works. It rests on the finished work of Christ.

Jesus Christ was born of virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, shedding His blood, was buried and arose the 3rd day in victory for you and me, not just for the "unknown world in general"

You have to make it personal and realize Jesus took Your punishment and shed His blood to cleanse YOUR sins. He bought salvation with His blood and offers it to us as a free gift. Anyone who realizes they cannot save themselves and comes to Him to trust what He did for them and to accept the free gift of salvation that He offers is saved - no matter what church they are part of.

Once they are saved I believe the Lord will lead them out of churches that teach doctrine that is in direct opposition to the Bible such as the Catholic church. But it is not any church that saves, It is the Lord JESUS CHRIST!

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0071/0071_01.asp