Um.

Actually, the traditional doctrine of "works righteousness" was that the works involved were the sacraments, such as baptism and communion.

The big argument between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants was not over whether being kind to widows and orphans (even if you had no faith) was good enough to get you into heaven.


Disclaimer: I am not a Christian. I am correcting what I perceive as a misconception about church history rather than asserting my own theological convictions.