re: “Don’t be so naive. . . Catholics teach that works are a required element of faith to achieve salvation. . . as a Baptist, you should know better than that.”
I am very aware of Catholic teaching on salvation, that they add adhering to the “sacraments” of the church to the essential truth that salvation is found in no other than Jesus Christ. But, both Catholic and Protestant theology agree on the Trinity - that Jesus is God the Son, Second Person of the Trinity, and that only through Him is salvation found. That Jesus is God in the flesh incarnated as a human being. That by His life, death, and resurrection alone can we be saved.
The problem is, as you pointed out, they have added to the essential truth of salvation through faith in Christ alone.
My point was attempting to point out the common ground we both share. Catholics are not the same as the non-Christian cults, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science, Moonies, etc. who all deny the Trinity. Catholicism is a Christian sect - not a non-Christian sect. I agree that there are key differences between Catholics and Protestants, but that doesn’t mean we cannot be Brothers and Sisters in Christ - if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
This is not true of non-Christian cults (such as Jehovah’s Witnesses) because they don’t believe in the same Jesus. Catholics and Protestants do agree on a few essential doctrines, but there is no agreement with the cults on ANY essential doctrines.
I’m not demeaning the differences between Catholics and Protestants, some of the differences are extremely important, but we do have some agreement on the essentials.
If you know Christian theology well, you should know better than to say Catholicism is a non-Christian cult. It’s just not true.
thanks ( i think, LOL! )
seriously, Nevadan if you research what you think Catholics “add” like adhering to the sacraments, you will find this is what the Church has believed for 2,000 years.
for example, Peter in Acts 2:38 tells us to be baptized for the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit.
was Peter “adding” the sacraments or is it possible the sacraments are the means of grace established by God?
read the Church Fathers some time, you will be amazed at what the Church has believed for 2,000 years.
Christianity did not start in the 16th century.
Perhaps you have not spent enough time on these threads to know that the Catholics demand to see the scripture where we are told to ask Jesus to be our Saviour because they don't buy it...