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You're sounding dangerously like a calvin type person.
As long as it's a running joke, it's OK.
The only Calvin I know is a little boy in a comic strip that has a pet tiger. My doctrine is derived entirely from scripture and from those who teach it. We receive a new nature in Christ which is at war with that nature inherited at birth. The Spirit of Christ, received as a gift of grace through faith in the Son of God, is a seal of redemption that is never cast away or broken. When you put your faith entirely in Christ, you entrust your soul to God's keeping, for better or for worse, and your salvation becomes His responsibility because the witness you bear is His Spirit and His testimony. This is where many theologians have gone astray, not understanding God's power or God's zeal for His word. When my mother was alive I would speak to her about these things, but she had a child's perception of God that was somewhat encouraged by her church, thinking of God in human terms and human limitations. E.G.: She prayed to patron saints believing that the creator of all things was too busy to listen to her, as though the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Sovereign of the universe was somehow limited by His creation. What does the scripture mean saying "in Him we live and move and have our being"?
Your mother was Catholic. She's most probably in heaven, I do believe.
Those who have been forgiven much, love much. The Apostle Paul addressed your same concerns nearly 2000 years ago and the truth remains truth. My problem with the Roman Catholic Church, if you would call it a problem, is that the leadership has stolen away the privileges of adoption by God, from their own membership, placing a priesthood between God and those that He adopts through faith in His Son. All genuine believers are priests of God and not for believers, but for unbelievers and those that have not been recipients of His Spirit. I think that this is egregious sin against Christ and His gospel, but this is primarily the reason for enmity between those who hold to "reformation theology" and Roman Catholic appologists.
I had some help and the Lord has been answering the desires of my youth, to understand His word, since the day I committed my soul to His keeping. He does this for all of us, but I started reading His word at the same age I participated in the RCC rite of first communion. I read scripture fairly regularly for over 30 years before I finally understood and believed the gospel. He's been teaching me and helping me reconcile scripture to itself for the last 22 years. The tricky part of making argument from scripture is dealing with those who mishandle what you say (or write) as badly as they mishandle scripture. The problem that most people have is simply believing what the word of God says plainly. When the resurrected Christ walked unrecognized with some disciples on their way to Emmaus, His only rebuke was that they were slow to believe all that the scripture said about Him. That doesn't seem to have changed in nearly 2000 years.
Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, led by the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, and filled with power by the agency of the Holy Spirit (in His humanity) yet He said that He came with a sword (of division). I'd be a bit more careful about defining what is or isn't unforgivable blasphemy (we don't get to make that judgment.)
....but you're right, it is not "good fruit" but bitter.
