Thanks for your well-thought and well-written response, Lakey.
Respectfully, no, it is not true that Catholics believe in salvation through Jesus and Protestants believe in salvation through good works. Both believe that salvation only comes from faith in Jesus Christ. That is what all Christians believe, whether Catholic, Lutheran, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Baptist, Church of England, etc. and that belief is one of
the core beliefs of Christianity. Even Salvation Army, known so well for its good works and assistance of the poor and needy, does not believe salvation can come from good works alone, but only through believing in Jesus.
The first key difference between Protestants and Catholics is that Catholics believe the pope is infallible. Protestants do not. That was the first split. The Church of England was split from the Catholic Church and created by Henry VIII so he could get a divorce. The Baptists believe Baptism must be done as an adult, Catholics conduct Baptism on infants to forgive original sin (a very different interpretation between them). Catholics are against birth control, most (if not all) other Christian denominations are not. Those are the types of differences between different Christian churches, but the core beliefs are still the same - one of which is that salvation is not possible through good works alone - one
must also believe in Jesus for salvation.
Regarding the Trinity, no, again, both Catholics and Protestants believe God is one through three, the Trinity. Jesus is also God, yet He is the Son of God. This is taken on faith, but open to interpretations of why this is so. Here's a great link that gives comparison of the beliefs:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Catholic_vs_Protestant
Christianity is the only (major) religion where salvation is
not achieved by good works (as it is with Buddhism and Hinduism, for example), or by keeping the Law and ceremonies (Judaism) or similar.
Biblical Christianity alone comes under the heading of Divine Accomplishment. All the other religions of the world must be placed under the label of Human Achievement. Let's first consider some of the major religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and certain denominations or cults that profess to be Christian. http://www.thebereancall.org/content/works-salvation-delusion (Lakey, this is great article. Worth reading in full)
I hope that answers your basic questions, Lakey. Overall, Christians don't believe they are the only ones going to heaven (except a few sects, like Jehovah's Witnesses). They just believe that everyone else will be judged.
It is probably a difficult concept for one who is not a Christian and an easy one to scorn. I could write tomes of my interpretation of it, but let's save that for another time. To summarise my personal philosophical view and interpretation of it, to be part of God is so much bigger than all of us, more good and loving than anything we can imagine, that it takes a leap of faith to get out of our human mindset and the puny love we can give even when at our very best, and truly connect up to the vast and endless love of Jesus, of God, of the All, the One, who then replenishes us with love, hope, life and spirit. That is faith in Jesus. God the Father is so beyond human that we can't directly link up. Jesus is the Bridge. Jesus was man - He knows compassion and understands us. Perhaps this is all symbolic of something so abstract that it cannot be put in human concepts, but the concepts work well enough. To connect to the bigger good, to something so much more perfect than ourselves, to admit our faults, is bigger than any acts we do in life. That's my view, anyway. And just as we must choose to be left or right handed, we must choose our spiritual route.
So there is no such thing as someone who is both a Christian and Agnostic.
There are other things, too, though. A Christian is taught it is a cowardly and sinful act to ever deny or cover up his faith to others. (based on Peter's denial of Jesus and subsequent Biblical references). Judaism also teaches this. A Christian is taught that he is fallible and weak and strength comes from being in a state of Grace and having a connection to God through Jesus. That State of Grace is through humility, honesty, hard work, prayer and good acts. It is extremely important to a Christian that all miracles, supernatural events, etc. are attributed to God - it is blasphemous to claim personal credit like some sort of guru. Individually, our abilities are limited. Not so as a community connected through God. Community is very important in Christianity.
I don't know if Christians are the most loving or not. I'm not sure it's even fair to compare religions or atheists in that way. I've personally been loved and helped by bighearted people from all walks and beliefs and atheists as well. I'm glad to know you have such a high opinion of Christians, though, and you've known some really honorable ones.
Thanks for the chat, Lakey.
x x x
Sheila
There is no crime in asking another to be straightforward and honest, especially after you've been writing for weeks and weeks criticizing others' beliefs, including Christian beliefs. i.e., your dreaming thread, for one)
