re: Pope, we must avoid rigid ideologies

The Catholic Church never had a rigid ideology, except show me the money. Forgiveness has a price tag.

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What can we do to fight this threat? Pray the Rosary.

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Two unscriptural practices rolled into one.
Praying in vain repetition like the heathens. And the worshipping of Mary instead of God.

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I mean, I would argue that Sedevacantism is Protestantism.

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Whut?

By virtue that they don't think the last 6 popes are popes, sure. But Sedevacantists are beyond Trad Catholics and have a much more rigid view of the world, Christianity and Catholocism. And they often give no thought to what others think.

They would say all Protestants are going to hell for instance. All. No question.

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Paul contrasts grace and faith with works. 

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Works of the Law, not good works of Grace. The Catholic position isn't that we must do good works in order to be saved. This is Pelagianism, which the Catholic church declared a heresy in the 4th century.

The Catholic position is that good works are a testament to saving faith, and by cooperating with them, we can grow in justification (sanctification for prots).

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What we deny is the Roman Catholic understanding of the relationship of good works to our salvation.

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We believe that God's grace is the root of our salvation and good works are the fruit of our salvation.

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This is exactly what the Catholic church teaches. The disagreement is over whether or not justification is a process or a one-time event, and by extension, whether or not salvation is secure (the P in TULIP).

ETA: specific to initial justification, I believe the disagreement is one of semantics honestly.

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Galatians 2:16

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.

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Works of the Law, not works of Grace.

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Galatians 3:2

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh

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Works of the Law, not works of Grace.

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Galatians 3:11
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them

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Works of the Law, not works of Grace.

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Galatians 3:23
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster

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Works of the Law, not works of Grace.

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Galatians 5:4

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace

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Works of the Law, not works of Grace.

Works of the Law never saved anyone. That's why needed Jesus.

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Protestants like myself keep telling Catholics like you that the ultimate divide between us is about ultimate authority: does the final authority rest with God and His word, or with the church? Protestants say it rests with God in His word while Catholics say--either in word or in practice--that it's the church.

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Of course Catholic believe God is the ultimate authority. Please resist the urge to exaggerate as people like Revelator will be easily deceived.
The news of the day (many Bishops around the world have told Francis they will not implement his directive)
Attest to this fact.

But
Most of what you say in the rest of you text is perfectly logical and understandable.
Of course I read and judge the actions of my church with much decernment and study.
I agree that the current leadership is not to be trusted.
The question is, does one stay within the church Christ founded or go somewhere else? “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”
We must all follow Christ first. I agree with you. We must follow Christ wherever he leads us.
I believe the Protestant faith provides a great service to the world in many areas. I also believe that it was the sinfulness of those leading the CC that lead to the reformation. The divisions in the world are the result of sin. And you are correct Priest are not any better than the average person.
Saint Paul says “ I work out my salvation with fear and trembling “
“For fear of after having preached to you that I myself will be disqualified”
Humility, prayer, love.
I hope to meet you on the other side.
God bless you for your witness to Christ.

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The question is, does one stay within the church Christ founded or go somewhere else? “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” We must all follow Christ first. I agree with you. We must follow Christ wherever he leads us.

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The Church isn’t some organization or denomination, it’s the body of believers universal. Jesus said,” where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst.”
Surely Jesus wouldn’t show up to a set of believers that aren’t a part of the body of Christ.

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Swaying around to pop bands at church?

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.. my catholic Priest referred to them as “feel good” churches…

Can't think of any or don't want to acknowledge them?

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Works of the Law, not good works of Grace. The Catholic position isn't that we must do good works in order to be saved. This is Pelagianism, which the Catholic church declared a heresy in the 4th century.

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Yes, and Rome has adopted a semi-pelagian view that while man cannot save himself entirely, God gives man a jump start through prevenient grace and then man cooperates from then on. That's called synergistic justification. Protestants (at least Reformed Protestants) believe in monergistic justification, whereby our justification is done entirely by the gracious work of God towards man.

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The Catholic position is that good works are a testament to saving faith, and by cooperating with them, we can grow in justification (sanctification for prots).

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If all Catholics were saying is that good works testify to a saving faith that God gives and sustains, then I could get onboard with that. But no, that's not what is taught.

As you pointed out, Catholicism conflates justification and sanctification. Justification, then, isn't the one-time act of God's declaration and imputation of Christ's righteousness to our account (while declaring us not guilty of sin), but the one-time act along with the ongoing actions of cooperation that man does. It's my understanding that Rome teaches essentially that God does the initial saving but that man has to keep himself saved.

The Biblical view is that God both justifies and sanctifies us by His Spirit, and that if we are justified, we will be sanctified, which will show itself by improved conformity to God's commands in the lives of the Christian.

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This is exactly what the Catholic church teaches. The disagreement is over whether or not justification is a process or a one-time event, and by extension, whether or not salvation is secure (the P in TULIP).

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Exactly, which is why Rome teaches synergism. Man has to continue to cooperate through good works in order to be forgiven of the sins he accrues to his account after the initial justification and attain positive righteousness on his own account.

The Reformed view is that God does the saving, the sanctifying, and the preserving until the end. God gives us new natures that are not just capable of believing and trusting, but will certainly believe and trust in Christ's work. When we naturally respond to the effectual call (because that's what it is; it's effectual), we are justified by having Christ's righteousness imputed to us (we are only declared righteous. We are not actually righteous at that time), and we will be kept or preserved in the faith until we are glorified in heaven.

Because we believe all of these acts are God's doing in us and not what we do in ourselves, we do not add "works" (of grace or anything else) to the category of salvation. Faith alone receives Christ's righteousness on our account and God enables us to put sin to death and obey Him more and more (though not perfectly in this life).

So yes, we have a different understanding of justification. Protestants believe that once we are justified, we will remain justified. Catholics believe that justification can be lost and that we have maintain it through obedience.

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ETA: specific to initial justification, I believe the disagreement is one of semantics honestly.

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I think it's a pretty foundational difference. It's the difference between God accomplishing all His holy will in us and getting all the glory vs. man getting at least part of the glory through willful cooperation.