On Hell and Forgiveness

[Neo-Scholastic]

Don't you think there are ways of following Christ without consciously knowing you are following Christ?

Isn't that called 'perfect contrition', the loop-hole the Latin church provides for non-Catholics.

For example, Ghandi. He wasn't Christian. But he still lived by the same principles that Jesus advocated. He strived to love others. He valued humility and charity. He strived to live a life of virtue and dignity. I'm sure he probably felt remorse for his wrong doings.

C/L please correct me if I am wrong, being as you are a practicing Catholic, and not an interested outsider such as myself...

The question revolves around whether or not someone believes their actions, in and of themselves, are meritorious. If someone believes he deserves to be in Heaven, apart from Grace, then no, that person will not attain the full blessing of being in the presence of the Lord. That does not mean in the afterlife that such people cannot be happy. Catholic doctrine includes the state of "limbus infantium" for those not redeemed from original sin but who have nevertheless not engaged in a mortal sin.