Someone named Donald called into question my status as a Christian based on several misunderstandings of Catholicism. I’ve listed them below with my responses:

Donald wrote:

“You have given your conscience over to the Magisterial authority of the RCC, you believe, based on your works, that you can lose your salvation, then regain it, then lose it, and in theory all in the same day.”

Yes, Hebrews 6:4-6 teaches that “enlightened” Christians who have become “partakers of the Holy Spirit” can lose their salvation:

[4] For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
[5] and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
[6] if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.

Moreover, Saint Paul says, “you have fallen away from grace” (Gal 5:4). And again:

Heb 3:12 “Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

Donald wrote:

“You accept the idea that all graces come through Mary, have placed her as a mediator between man and Jesus Christ.”

All grace has come to us through the humanity of the Incarnate Son of God. He became incarnate through Mary. Without Mary, the grace of Christ would not have flowed out to humanity because she provided the substance of His body. And so all grace has come to us through Mary, though she’s not the source of grace – to say so would be blasphemy!

Donald wrote: “[You] are in defiance of Hebrews and daily sacrifice Christ.”

This is simply not true. The Sacrifice of the Mass isn’t a “daily sacrifice of Christ” but a re-presentation of that one and for all sacrifice.

Donald wrote: “you believe that a fallen human being, even one regenerate, has merits that can be transferred to someone else (reparation).”

Yes, this is all over the Bible. The friends of the paralytic brought the paralyzed man to Jesus. If they hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been healed or forgiven. 1 John 5 also teaches that we can pray for others, that their sins might be forgiven. Saint Paul even wrote:

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Cor 9:22).

Paul was a sinful man and yet God used him as an instrument “to save some.” This is biblical…and this is Catholic.

Donald wrote:

“you deny the merits of Christ because you think man has to save himself, and cleanse himself in purgatory, (sp) for thousands of years, unless you gain an “indulgence” from another fallen sinner (the pope),

The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that we “cleanse ourselves.” This isn’t true. Christ cleanses us. Saint Paul teaches in 1 Cor 3:15 that we will be cleansed “through fire” after we die. So again, it’s biblical…and Catholic. I don’t know where you got “for thousands of years.”

Oh, and an indulgence is simply a Church approved prayer or act that guarantees our progressive salvation. It is related to the explanation above about how we can help others gain the reward of eternal life.

Donald wrote:

and you think Mary has appeared in Fatima and other places, even though she has, according to RCC legend, uttered false doctrine and made blasphemous statements.”

No sure what to make of this. Has Mary appeared and uttered false doctrine? I can’t imagine her doing that!