Personally I find it hard to believe of a true born-again Christian remaining in the RCC. I believe that God will eventually lead them out of it like He did with my mother. (Please don't take this as a personal attack on you-you seem to be quite sensitive on this issue)
My testimony may change your thinking. I was raised in a Nazarine Church in a protestant family. I got on my knees as a 7 year old boy and asked Jesus into my heart. I was baptized at nine and raised with all the riches of the protestant tradition that I still treasure today. But more than anything; my personal relationship with Jesus; you see, I knew Jesus since I was very little and learned to love Him more and more as I grew up.
But when I became an adult I closely scrutinized the Bible and found protestantism to be in error in many respects, and that my true beliefs were more in line with the Catholic faith, and so I made an adult decision to convert to Catholicism. That was 11 years ago. Today my dad is a pastor in California, and all my family and closest friends are protestants. Do you see why I love you all here and consider you brethren?
Your belief that God will eventually lead a born again Christian out of RCC implies that we don't really know any better and that as we learn the truth, we will leave the Church. But my decision was well informed, and the more I learn about both Protestantism and Catholicism, the more assured I am that I made the right decision. I am a Catholic-with-eyes-wide-open.
Yes, I am sensitive, and I apologize to Pilgrim, averagefellar, semperreformanda, and any other that have felt my teeth sink deep. There are two factors I think contribute to this; one is how dear and precious to me is my relationship to Christ Jesus. I am a born-again Christian and everyday experience the evidence of the new birth. Perhaps a good analogy, for you married folk, is for someone to tell you that you aren't married to your spouse and have no relationship in that regard. Wouldn't that quickly get a rise out of you?
The second factor is that I'm the sole Catholic in a Reformation chat forum. Sometimes you may see my "treed cougar" stance as I become defensive, thinking everyone is against me. I know I bring this on myself voluntarily participating as a Catholic here, but this is a side effect; for the most part I enjoy our somewhat turbulant fellowship here.
And so, I hope everyone here will bear with me when I have an "episode", and simply roll your eyes saying "here he goes again," instead of regarding my presence here as intolerable. And in return, I'll try to grow thicker skin, like I do with my section chief and platoon sergeant.
And I again rejoice that your mother found Christ by any means. From an eternal perspective, that's all that really matters.
"Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."
