I've been with my girlfriend for almost a year now, and we get along great and we love eachother very much. But now, I'm starting to get to the point where I worry a little bit about our religious beliefs. I've been raised baptisit, and my girlfriend was raised catholic. It is safe to say that neither of us are going to give up our respective religions for the other. I worry about a few things. I'm not sure how catholics believe they will obtain admittance to heaven. And of course, you dont want someone you love to go to hell. My belief is that to get to heaven, you must accept Jesus Christ as your savior and ask him to forgive you. Do catholics believe that too? We havent really gotten into a religious discussion yet, we've both attended eachothers churches a few times, and neither of us have any problems with each others religion. I just want assurance that catholics go to heaven too! I hear a lot of poeple say that they dont.
2007-12-26 11:48:59 · 36 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
>> My belief is that to get to heaven, you must accept Jesus
>> Christ as your savior and ask him to forgive you. Do
>> catholics believe that too?
Yes, they do. However, they doctrinally believe in going through a priest for forgiveness instead of directly to Jesus. They also doctrinally believe that you can earn your way into heaven -- rather than just accepting Christ's gift of Eternal Life.
>> I just want assurance that catholics go to heaven too!
I believe there will be Catholics in Heaven. No God-based religion is completely exempt from going to Heaven. By the same token, though, no religion has a guarantee of going to Heaven just because of the doctrines of that religion. Salvation is an individual thing.
God bless.
2007-12-26 11:58:47 · answer #1 · answered by ♫DaveC♪♫ 7 · 2⤊ 5⤋
Hi, I'm Catholic.
Catholics believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. He does all the work, and we cannot earn our way into heaven. I'm sure that's what you believe as a Baptist, too.
Jesus is our only Savior. We don't go through one formal "I accept Jesus as my personal Savior" thing the way you might have as a Baptist, because we believe we're supposed to accept Him as our personal Savior constantly, without end. That is the theme of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which is the second half of every one of our worship services (Mass, which we have daily, not just on Sunday or Sunday and Wednesday).
Yes, we do ask Jesus for forgiveness. In fact, we have a sacrament just for asking Jesus for forgiveness, called the Sacrament of Reconciliation -- that's how important it is to us.
People who say Catholics don't go to heaven or that Catholics "preach a false gospel of works" are just trying to plant a hornets nest where there isn't one and then stir it up. There is a good book called "What Catholics REALLY Believe." If you read that, you'll get a good primer on what Catholicism is all about.
2007-12-26 12:09:44 · answer #2 · answered by sparki777 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Those who are Christ Followers, staying in the race, keeping their eyes on the goal to attain the prize will be the ones that go to heaven. There will be few who enter into heaven God says. Baptist, Catholic it is about the relationship one has with God. I thought I was saved when I was a baptist....praying for the lost when I was as lost as a day was long too. You can't hind under a religion. The Church isn't a building, it's the condition of your heart with God. You spend enough time with Him, He'll let you know where your heart is. It's not enough to go to church and be a bench warmer or any "religion". God says not to be unequally yolked.....that means you need to be in the same place with God. I house divided can not stand! My dad was catholic and my mother baptist.....they couldn't agree, because of their heart not their church. Where a person's relationship with God should be the most important thing in a relationship with each other, if not, then perhaps they need to evaluate their own priorities may be not be what they should be. God first, always!
2007-12-26 12:13:17 · answer #3 · answered by peekaboo17 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Become a Catholic & move forwards....discuss religion with your girlfriend & be open [ she wont move backwards to become a baptist ] . Study religion & history, & you will find the truth. Become a critical thinker......
Baptist are not quite the same as Protestants but they split from the Catholic church too..
The first Baptist congregations were organized in the beginning of the seventeenth century.
Catholicism - The original Christianity...established in 33 A.D.
Luther was quite ingenious in proposing that only the Bible counted as authority, not the Church Jesus established, and anyone could read the Bible to mean anything he wanted. This was the nuclear explosion that splintered Christianity into 30,000 shards of man-made "churches."
Fact: Jesus started only one Church, and he prayed for unity. John 17:20: "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you."
Those who belong to man-made "churches" rejecting the full gospel and working against Jesus' Church are not answering Jesus' prayer.
You can have all the knowledge in the world and still lack all common sense...."
2007-12-26 12:48:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We believe that a person must accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, repent, and be baptised for forgiveness of their sins. From there, we work to follow Jesus' teachings and live a holy life in the hope of obtaining heaven.
2007-12-27 04:12:00 · answer #5 · answered by Danny H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Catholcis accept Jesus as their savior too. There will probably be key differences in how you, as a Baptist and your girlfriend, the Catholic, view certain aspects of your beliefs in Jesus. But both of you are Christians, which is the primary basis from which you can accept that your girlfriend's religious beliefs include acceptance of Jesus as a savior.
2007-12-26 11:55:05 · answer #6 · answered by backburner001 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Any Christian who has the right to call themselves that believes in the saving work of Christ, that is by grace, unearned. Catholics have a way of living and thinking about that differently than Baptists or Presbyterians. Being a part of a certain denomination guarantees nothing. Being a part of Christ's freely given grace guarantees you everything. Stay focused on that and help your girlfriend do the same.
2007-12-26 12:03:51 · answer #7 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Catholics and Baptist are Christians. Both believe in Jesus Christ as the lord and savior of humans. Both believe he died for our sins, there is no difference in that. If you want you can ask your girlfriend about those things that bother you. Go and seach Catholic websites for these questions. Don't listen to anyone because they may not know what they're talking about. You have many things in common and should focus on the similiarities. I encourage you to research about Catholicism.
2007-12-26 11:54:45 · answer #8 · answered by cynical 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
catholics are the first christians and even martin luther the protestant reformer ackowledged that other chrisitans are forever indepted to the catholic church for it is through the catholic church we have received the word of god in the bible. everything the catholic church does is centered on every level around jesus christ,the heart of the church. jesus is our savior and it was jesus whom founded the catholic church. here are some catholic sources that will cover such things.
www,scripturecatholic.com
www.askmeaboutgod.org
www.fisheaters.com
www.catholiceducation.org
www.newadvent.org
www.salvationhistory.com
hope these help and god bless. hopefully things will work out for you both and catholics can go to heaven.
2007-12-26 17:01:05 · answer #9 · answered by fenian1916 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catholics, like Baptists, believe you must accept Jesus, and ask for forgiveness (through Confession). We also believe in the importance of good works (serving Christ). We do not believe that these are the only ways to get into Heaven (we see value in many ways of worship). After a year-long relationship, you probably should have that discussion on religion, particularly if one or both of you are very devout.
2007-12-26 11:53:16 · answer #10 · answered by Tasha 6 · 7⤊ 3⤋