via_dolorosa,

As you have stated above, you are on a "Reformed Protestant" forum.

I personally, as many others on this board I believe, do not bare any ill will towards Catholics. It is unfortunate that in the area of apologetics; for most, personal feelings are involved. Which is understandable. But when one person is defending their convictions, it doesn't mean that they are being insensitive.

Anyway with that being said; I afraid that it will be impossible for you to sway the moderators here. They are fully convicted and have been defending the Reformed Faith for a long time. They know the arguments.

I don't say this to try to "shoo" you away, I'm just saying it so that you might not get offended and discouraged. Even though I don't agree with your faith and or doctrinal belief's I don't want to see you upset.

In fact, I enjoy having Catholics here and not so I can try to "prove" anything, but because it's simply good to dialog.

Anyway, I hope that I haven't said anything offensive, I'm just simply trying to defend the Reformed Faith and or my personal faith belief's against what I consider to be errors based on Scripture.

One other note.

I can't count how many times I've heard people state "how sad it is for Reformed Protestants to not consider Catholics as Christians."

Again, this isn't a personal attack.

But the same can be said about Catholics.

Now, I do understand the new language of Post Vat2.

For me personally, If I ever became a Catholic, I would have to be a pre Vat2 Catholic..... and I'm not saying that I would ever become a Catholic.

But the pre Vat2 Catholic would have said, "only Catholics are Christians."

But now the Post Vat2 Catholics say that there is still the possibility of true saving faith outside of the Catholic Church.

This new language of course is more "inclusive" and less offensive language.

But it's still based on works righteousness.

The question I ultimately had to ask myself when I was a Catholic Catechumen was this; "what separates me from a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Jehovah's Witness, a Mormon, a morally good person....etc... etc...

As a modern post Vat2 Catholic, I simply couldn't answer that question.

Because at the end of the day.... the modern Catholic's answer is "well there's always the possibility of salvation as long as a person is demonstrating good works."

For me and the other Reformed Protestants, we firmly stand on Faith Alone. Anything outside of Faith Alone is considered by our interpretation of Scripture is "unbelief."

Therefore that is why a Reformed Protestant has to stand firm on this point of contention and so it isn't with ill will that they have to say that they do not believe Catholics are saved, it is because they are defending the most important doctrine for them.

Dave

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. - Galatians 2:16