Why do people think that Catholics believe good works alone save them?

Question

I was catholic for over half my life. I was NEVER taught good works alone save you. I was taught that you must accept Jesus as your savior, you must repent your sins and you must do good works to reinforce the first two. I was taught Jesus died for my sins and the least I could do it pay a little of that back to the world. So where is it taught that good works alone save you? And why do people keep insisting that Catholics believe this?

CJ you are one of the oddest Christaian I have ever met. You are basically stating that good works are bad. wtf?

LOL Oh I left. I'm a pagan. But I still respect Catholicism.

Answer 1

Bible-fundies think they know everything about Catholicism. but in truth they know nothing. absolutely nothing. that's the reason why they are non-Catholics. they're only practicing their own tradition and that's to hate Catholics and the Catholic Church.

Answer 2

I was once catholic...yeah, I don't get some of the misconceptions about catholicism either. I do know about joking about the whole "catholic guilt" thing, but that's something else. lol It's all about not wanting more than you need. We took trips to homeless shelters and soup kitchens for our religion class. It's not enough to just to go church on holidays and claim that you're a good catholic just because you're a C&E church goer. *shrugs* It teaches humility and love for your fellow man. It's better than going through life thinking that you're saved just because you go to church when it's convenient for you.
I suppose there's many reasons why I left. lol One just being I went out and saw the world. haha

Answer 3

What you are doing is the typical redefining what others believe by setting up this straw man, then knocking it down.

The Catholic church has added much to this simple formula that is so subtle, most people don't even notice.

An example; The pope recently (2001) reiterated the official view of the Catholic church that only Catholics can be saved; salvation is only open to them.

So how does this affect your claim? One can "accept" Jesus, repent, but that's not enough? One must also be a member of the Catholic church?

And the "works" issue is another thing, because people have differing views of what "works" are.

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Answer 4

I'm sorry to say it but CJ, like so many other lunatic fundies, has absolutely nothing good to say about Catholics. It's a very Christian thing to do, don't you think? You know, hating other people and such, that was a major part of Christ's teachings, apparently. The basic point, as I understand it, is this. Catholic or Protestant, you're all Christians. You all believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the saviour of mankind. The details beyond that don't really matter.

Answer 5

III. THE NEW LAW OR THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL

1965 The New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and through him it becomes the interior law of charity: "I will establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws into their hands, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."19

1966 The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity; it uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done and makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it:


If anyone should meditate with devotion and perspicacity on the sermon our Lord gave on the mount, as we read in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, he will doubtless find there . . . the perfect way of the Christian life. . . . This sermon contains . . . all the precepts needed to shape one's life.

1967 The Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old Law to its perfection.21 In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those persecuted on account of Christ and so marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom.

1968 The Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Lord's Sermon on the Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old Law, releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it reveals their entire divine and human truth. It does not add new external precepts, but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure,22 where faith, hope, and charity are formed and with them the other virtues. The Gospel thus brings the Law to its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father, through forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the divine generosity.23

1969 The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing them to the "Father who sees in secret," in contrast with the desire to "be seen by men."24 Its prayer is the Our Father.25

1970 The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between "the two ways" and to put into practice the words of the Lord.26 It is summed up in the Golden Rule, "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets."27

The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.28

Answer 6

tremendous question. Christians do no longer falsely accuse Catholics of requiring works to be saved. The Council of Trent which Rome hasn't ever repealed rather calls every person who teaches salvation by utilizing grace on my own is anathema (accursed). That flies in face of the practise of Jesus and the apostles. Galatians 2:16 - 3, Romans 3-5 come to ideas top off the bat. In what you in worry-free words broadcast by utilizing the pope, he's largely affirming that salvation is residing interior the reciting of that prayer. it is a paintings. interior the evangelical international, many believe that only affirming the "sinner's prayer" brings someone salvation. someone might want to assert the sinners prayer all day lengthy and be lost. We might want to be justified by utilizing faith, repent of our sin and be switched over. We might want to believe interior the entire paintings of Christ on my own for our salvation. Romans 10:9-10, 13. we are saved by utilizing grace via religion. no longer by utilizing grace via the reciting of a prayer. The thief on the pass did not recite the sinners prayer and yet the Lord reported, "at present you'd be with me in paradise." seem and word how lots of the persons Jesus interacted with reported the so observed as sinners prayer. Jesus gave a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector in Luke 18. The tax collector beat his breast and prayed, "Lord be mericiful to me a sinner." That replaced into sufficient. it isn't interior the words themselves, besides the undeniable fact that the hearts cry for God to spare him at the same time with his mercy depending on the entire paintings of Jesus that saves us.

Answer 7

Because its easier to lambaste Catholicism from a Protestant perspective?

I mean you have to understand, they've been taught your "the Corruptive Enemy" for how long again?

Funny of course - you hardly ever hear a peep out of them when it comes to the Orthodox or Oriental Churches that are just as old as the Catholic church.

Answer 8

It sounds like you never left. Good on you. Good works along with prayer and devotion to Christ are required, as well as reparation of sins through confession/reconciliation. I know the non-Catholic Christians do not feel that confession is necessary, but Jesus did say that what you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven and what is bound on earth will be bound in Heaven (Matthew 16:19), referring to our sins and the church's power to forgive them.

Answer 9

NONE.... OF YOUR WORKS... Plus Nothing ELSE.. can save... ANYONE!

I was once A Catholic... and Know WHAT THEY TEACH...!

They DO NOT TEACH.... GRACE... FOR SALVATION...!

They Insist that ONE... goes to Confession.... and Do the Sacraments... and be In Good Standing... with the Catholic Church...!

The BIBLE TEACHES.....

(Ephesians 2:8-9-10) For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,

(Eph 2:9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.

(Eph 2:10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

NEITHER.... do the Catholics... Ever have the ASSURANCCE.... OF ETERNAL LIFE.... as Born Again Christians... DO!

(1John 5:13) I have written these things to you = who believe = on the name = of the Son of God,= = that you may know = = that you have = = everlasting life, = and that you may believe = on the name = of the Son of God.

GRACE... IS.. UNMERRITED PARDON...! You can read about this on my Blog / 360. Simply clikck on my AVATAR = picture of the London Underground.. and them my 360.

Thanks, RR

Answer 10

So... according to CJ... if you accept Christ as your savior, and then go on to do good things.... You're going to hell.

Gotcha.