8.92. Being a good person is more important than following man-made rules. I don’t think I need to jump through hoops to be Catholic.
This is one of the most common lies of the modern world—and one of the most spiritually deadly. It assumes that subjective moral goodness is enough for salvation, and that God's commandments, Church laws, sacraments, and teachings are optional or merely “extra.”
But Christ said clearly:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
The Catholic Faith is not about being “nice”—it’s about being holy. Holiness means obeying God, receiving His grace through the sacraments, submitting to the authority of His Church, and striving to conform to His will, not ours.
Below is a comparison between the true Catholic understanding of salvation and the modern false gospel of “just be a good person.”
| Category | True Catholic Teaching | Modern “Good Person” View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation | Requires sanctifying grace, faith, works, sacraments, and obedience | Assumed by being “kind,” “sincere,” or “nice” | False charity cannot replace God's revealed path to salvation |
| Commandments | Must be obeyed to love God and avoid mortal sin | Seen as rigid or outdated “rules” | “He who says ‘I know Him’ and keeps not His commandments is a liar” (1 John 2:4) |
| Faith and Doctrine | Must believe all that the Church teaches as revealed by God | Faith is optional or redefined as vague spirituality | “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6) |
| Sacraments | Necessary means of grace, especially Baptism and Confession | Minimized or ignored; “God forgives directly” attitude | Christ instituted the sacraments—rejecting them is rejecting Him |
| The Church | Founded by Christ, necessary for salvation (EENS) | Seen as optional or just a “helpful community” | Outside the Church there is no salvation (Florence, Boniface VIII) |
| Moral Standard | Objective good and evil, defined by divine law | “As long as I don’t hurt anyone” / relativism | This is the “dictatorship of relativism” warned by Ratzinger |
| Self-Definition | We must conform ourselves to Christ | Religion should conform to our feelings and lifestyle | This is pride in disguise; the faith becomes “do-it-yourself” |
| Fruits | Fear of God, contrition, sacraments, striving for sanctity | Presumption, indifference, spiritual lukewarmness | “Because thou art lukewarm, I will begin to vomit thee out” (Apoc. 3:16) |
Summary:
“Being a good person” is not enough. If it were, Christ would not have founded a Church, given us sacraments, or warned of judgment.
He told us to enter the narrow gate, to keep the commandments, and to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
You cannot love Jesus while rejecting His Church, ignoring His commandments, or refusing His sacraments. That is not love, but pride disguised as goodness.
As Pope Pius XII warned:
“The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.”
Today’s “good person” gospel is a lie that leads souls to Hell.