The most frequent question on this site’s Facebook Page is “Can Protestants get to Heaven?”. Usually, the questioner is an intelligent Protestant, often asking in such a way they seem to believe the only right answer is “Yes.”
Often, the question is asked obliquely: “Well, I believe in Jesus and The Bible, so I’m going to Heaven.” followed by a spoken or unspoken “Isn’t that right?”
Thinking people have increasing concerns about the black/white, yes/no, on/off nature of the question. As the enormity of “My soul is either headed for eternal joy or unending agony.” sinks in, it’s very easy to see why the most frequent question is “Can Protestants get to Heaven?”
Protestants are particularly concerned because they have only two alternatives. For them, it is either Heaven or Hell. No purgatory! They have no place of purification. The smarter ones know how crucial this is. And, that is why our most frequent question is “Can Protestants get to Heaven.”
The answer? First of all, it’s God’s decision. It seems reasonable that many who believe “I am going to Heaven and that’s all there is to it.” are at great risk of having their vanity cause God to judge them quite differently than some Pastor Bob has led them to believe God’s opinion of them will be.
We begin answering “Can Protestants get to Heaven?” with a statement that sums up many modern beliefs, “I’m not a Protestant. I’m a Baptist.” That gives us an idea of the thick cloud of historical ignorance that has filled many minds. For many, the question “Can Protestants get to Heaven?” is no longer relevant because they don’t realize that all the belief systems that avoid Catholic teaching are, therefore “Protestant”.
So, will a person who truly does not understand that Jesus words in John 6: 53, “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.”, or comprehend that Christ’s Body and Blood have been provided in every Catholic Mass since The Last Supper in The Only Church Jesus Founded by saying in Matthew 16: 18-20, “Truly I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I give you The Keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.” be kept from Heaven for not being Catholic and following Catholic Doctrine?
The question “Can Protestants get to Heaven?” may not be the right question. We could say, “Are those who knowingly avoid The Catholic Church and teach others to do so kept from Heaven because Jesus was clear in Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, and Luke 17:2 all agree that Jesus clearly said: “If you lead a little one of mine astray it would be better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea.”?
Better than the most frequent question is “Are those who teach others to avoid The Catholic Church kept from Heaven?” and let Matthew, Mark, and Luke reply.
