This is a question that I, and for sure, many other people have struggled with over the years. the answer is not a simple one, because so many theologians have argued and fought over this for many years but maybe we can clear up somethings here.
Imagine this; it's your birthday and you are 5 years old, and you want to invite your cousins to your party, so you do, but when they get there they don't bring any gifts, and you ask your mommy, where are all the presents? then it's Christmas time and everyone is around the Christmas tree, and you are there and you are 6 years old, and you see all your cousins getting gifts, so your time is coming soon! then all of a sudden you notice the gifts are going out one by one, but not to you, until the last one is there, and you know it's for you, but it goes to the cousin that already has 5, and again you run to your mommy and ask her why did he get 5 and I got 0? this story seems crazy, like it would never happen, but it has the little boys name was Ivano and he was considered the little "it" from his family, no better than an animal. Why? you might ask.
Ivano was born in a Christian Family in Rome Italy, his parents got saved before he was born, and started attending our church in Rome. His whole family though, was catholic and since Ivano was not baptized as a baby, they considered him a little animal and therefore referred to him as the little "IT" when speaking of him or to him. it wasn't until Ivano became a Christian and then was baptized at the age of ten (in our evangelical church), that he was considered as part of the family as a human being and not as an animal.
Where in the world did Ivano's Family get this idea to treat a child in this way?
the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church aka: what Pope John paul II and Benedict 13 believe becuase they wrote it) states :
“...The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude...”CCC 1257
also they write: "By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin..." CCC 1263
if anyone out there is reading this please comment and show me one verse in the bible where it says that baptism forgives sins.
I could stop here and this would be enough to at least prove that these two Popes believe in a different Gospel. What does the bible say about believing and teaching a different gospel?
Galatians 1:8,9 says : But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! its not my words and it's not my idea but the bible says this.
so now to the question do all Catholics go to hell? The answer to this is simple NO, there has to be some catholic out there who has never heard of the CCC who doesn't follow the Popes, but loves Christ and reads his bible, but eventually (if he is reading his bible) he will notice what is wrong with his church and he will desire to find somewhere where he can grow spiritually and be with other people who are striving to become more like Jesus instead of trying to get away with as many sins as they can so they can be in purgatory for less time.
salvation is through Jesus Christ alone! nothing we can do can gain us salvation. if we can gain salvation than why did Jesus have to Die?
Jesus Said in John 14:6 "I am the way the truth and the Life, no one come to the father except through me". our sin has separated us from God as it says in Romans 3:23 " For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", and in Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is Death, but the Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus".
There is only one way you can "gain" yourself entrance in heaven and that is giving your life to Christ and repenting of your sin that killed him. thats all you need, and if you do this you will be able to say I am going to heaven when I die.
Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhist, and all humans are all the same in one sense, they all fall short of the Glory of God because of their sin. There is only one thing that can get them to God, and that is not following traditions, being baptized, suicide bombings or anything like that, it is only repenting of all our sins and following Christ with our life.
