Are Lutherans heretics

Answer 1

Catholic AnswerThe first protestants were formal heretics, they were Catholics who denied the faith and left to start their own religion. Today's protestants are only material heretics as they were brought up without the truth, so they never actively denied it; unless they were taught Christian truth and then turned against the Church, making them formal heretics.

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 751: emphasis added.)

from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Heresy. Commonly refers to a doctrinal belief held in opposition to the recognized standards of an establish system of thought. Theologically it means an opinion at variance with the authorized teachings of any church, notably the Christian, and especially when this promotes separation from the main body of faithful believers.

In the Roman Catholic Church, heresy has a very specific meaning. Anyone who, after receiving baptism, while remaining nominally a Christian, pertinaciously denies or doubts any of the truths that must be believed with divine and Catholic faith is considered a heretic. Accordingly four elements must be verified to constitute formal heresy; previous valid baptism, which need not have been in the Catholic Church; external profession of still being a Christian, otherwise a person becomes an apostate; outright denial or positive doubt regarding a truth that the Catholic Church has actually proposed as revealed by God; and the disbelief must be morally culpable, where a nominal Christian refuses to accept what he knows is a doctrinal imperative.

Objectively, therefore, to become a heretic in the strict canonical sense and be excommunicated from the faithful, one must deny or question a truth that is taught not merely on the authority of the Church but on the word of God revealed in the Scriptures or sacred tradition. Subjectively a person must recognize his obligation to believe. If he acts in good faith, as with most persons brought up in non-Catholic surroundings, the heresy is only material and implies neither guilt nor sin against faith. (Etym. Latin haeresis, from the Greek hairesis, a taking, choice, sect, heresy.)

Answer 2

Yes. of course. However, that is not necessarily the only answer. It depends upon who is asking the question! If God is asking the question the answer might be somewhat different. If a Catholic theologian is answering the question the answer might be qualified in some way. A heretic is someone who does not measure up to a certain dogma or set of beliefs espoused by a particular group of people. Muslims do not believe that all Muslims are the "true" followers of Mohamed. This is why we have Sunni and Shite Muslims. In politics some democrats may believe that not all democrats are loyal to the democratic agenda. Certainly all Republicans do not believe that every Republican is a true conservative! Actually, there are a number of different points of view within every type of group, religious, political and social. Heretic is a very strong word and it is usually reserved for those who are far removed from the ideals of a particular group. This might be used when someone feels threatened by a difference of opinion or as a means of exerting power over others such as during the Spanish Inquisition. The Pope himself does recognise Baptism as a sacrament which can be performed by Lutherans and other protestant groups. Some Christians did not like the Reformation and believed that is was a threat to the established church hierarchy at the time. Some Christians may still use this word if they feel threatened but do not take the time to study theology or their own relationship with Jesus Christ. All protestants who adhere to the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith are in some sense "catholic" but with a small "c". We are not "Roman Catholic" but we follow the teachings of Jesus and the early apostles. Martin Luther was not interested in forming a new religion but only returning to an earlier emphasis on the fundamentals of the gospel and our salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. He focused on the authority of scripture and on our personal responsibility to the Word of God. He disliked the concept of indulgences which allowed Christians to depend upon the good of others (saints) rather than upon Jesus as our Savior. His most defining moment allowed him to see that even his own good works were not acceptable to God but were powerless to save him without faith in Jesus Christ. He was not perfect and we know that Lutherans are not perfect either. We all need the undeserved grace of a loving God who sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins. John 3:16!

.Catholic AnswerAs the first answer above says, it depends on who is asking. If you look at the two explanations below, the first is from the Catechism and defines heresy from a Catholic perspective as the post-baptismal denial of some truth that must be believed with divine and Catholic faith. Fr. Hardon, in his explanation below that, from the Modern Catholic Dictionary explains the difference between formal heresy and material heresy. A formal heretic is anyone who is validly baptised and denies an element of the Christian faith, a material heretic is a Catholic who has been brought up and educated in the Catholic faith and then denies some element of the faith. (the answer above is incorrect in that the Pope and the Church both recognize baptism in a Lutheran Church as valid, it is also incorrect in that Lutherans do not follow the fundamentals of Christianity). Martin Luther was a formal and a material heretic, he was brought up Catholic, he took formal, binding religious vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. He broke all of his vows with full knowledge, and without so much as asking permission; he then proceeded to doubt - in a big way - many of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, we have that in writing. A Lutheran today cannot be a material heretic as they were not brought up in the Christian faith, so that they cannot actually deny something they were never taught. They are formal heretics in that they are baptized and deny many of the basic truths of Christianity. To say that all the truths the Lutheran Church teaches are all the truths of Christianity is a very short-sighted, redefinition of Christianity. The short answer to your question is, "Yes, they are heretics, but not material heretics."

from

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

2089

Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 751: emphasis added.)

Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Heresy

. Commonly refers to a doctrinal belief held in opposition to the recognized standards of an establish system of thought. Theologically it means an opinion at variance with the authorized teachings of any church, notably the Christian, and especially when this promotes separation from the main body of faithful believers.

In the Roman Catholic Church, heresy has a very specific meaning. Anyone who, after receiving baptism, while remaining nominally a Christian, pertinaciously denies or doubts any of the truths that must be believed with divine and Catholic faith is considered a heretic. Accordingly four elements must be verified to constitute formal heresy; previous valid baptism, which need not have been in the Catholic Church; external profession of still being a Christian, otherwise a person becomes an apostate; outright denial or positive doubt regarding a truth that the Catholic Church has actually proposed as revealed by God; and the disbelief must be morally culpable, where a nominal Christian refuses to accept what he knows is a doctrinal imperative.

Objectively, therefore, to become a heretic in the strict canonical sense and be excommunicated from the faithful, one must deny or question a truth that is taught not merely on the authority of the Church but on the word of God revealed in the Scriptures or sacred tradition. Subjectively a person must recognize his obligation to believe. If he acts in good faith, as with most persons brought up in non-Catholic surroundings, the heresy is only material and implies neither guilt nor sin against faith. (Etym. Latin haeresis, from the Greek hairesis, a taking, choice, sect, heresy.)