"The proof texts for infant baptism have nothing to do with that. Far more explicit texts support believer's baptism by immersion for disciples. Unique RC doctrine relies on tradition/later papal decree and a few prooftexts out of context if lucky. We agree to disagree, but I appreciate your thoughtful answers.
So, can I go to heaven and be right with God despite rejecting Catholic Church/distinctives? I believe you can despite the errors of Catholicism (individual issue vs automatic)."
The Catholic Church's doctrines was what was believed by the early Christians from the beginning and developed over time. If you read the writings of the Early Church Fathers, this would bear this out.
Again, where in the bible does it say that all doctrine must be in the bible? Book, chapter and verse please. Christ started a Church, and did not write a book. He relied upon oral tradition to teach others, and the Apostles in turn taught by word of mouth as well, in addtion to their writings. That's how Christianity spread so quickly. As far as papal decree's....
Matthew 16:19
"whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
John 16:12-13 (emphasis mine)
12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
So who has the final authority to correctly interpret scripture?
In regards to salvation for non Catholic's, I'll cite these paragraphs from the Catechism:
845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."
The Church considers those that have broken away from Her to be seperated brethren and do not have full access to God's grace through the sacraments.
Peace be with you