Salvation outside of the Catholic Church?

Question

I have read about the Catholic Church and its strange doctrines. When most of them have been explained to me, they can be somewhat acceptible. The one doctrine to me that does not make sense is having no salvation outside the Catholic Church. What about the Bible and what it says on salvation? I would like to understand why this is so.

Answer 1

You are correct (I just rechecked the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church') - Catholic doctrine indicates that outside the Catholic church there is no salvation. They do allow an exception of those which of no fault of their own are kept from the church. They base this on their belief of Baptismal regeneration, where they believe that water baptism is needful for salvation. The truth is that God does not save through the works of the law, but my the grace of God. The washing that is mentioned in John 3:5 is the washing of the Holy Spirit of our sin sick souls.

Answer 2

When the Church claims, "there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church", this quote comes from Doctrine that pertains specifically to the Sacrament of Baptism.
Baptism is Salvific, not just symbolic - thus it is entirely necessary one receives the Sacrament of Baptism. One must be Baptized in the Church.

I assume you are also aware of the fact the Catholic Church recognizes as valid, Baptisms that take place in non-Catholic Christian Churches. A "valid Baptism" is when one is Baptized "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" - a Trinitarian Baptism.

How do two such Doctrines reconcile? The answer is found in a third element of Church Doctrine:

The Church recognizes that "all Truth is God's Truth". For that reason, any beliefs held by a non-Catholic Christian denomination, that are in sync with Catholic beliefs, are to be acknowledged as God's Truth. Anywhere these Truths are respected is considered part of the Catholic Church.

So, where is the Catholic Church? It is where even a portion of it's beliefs and practices are recognized and believed to be God's Truth. Thus, a person Baptized "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" is a member of the Church. Those who are Baptized in Catholic Churches are direct members of the Church. Those who receive valid Baptisms from other denominations also become members of the Church, albeit indirectly, but memebers nonetheless.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

I'm quoting from this article:

http://www.catscans.com/catholicsite/no_salvation.htm

"What Vatican II had to say on the subject was that some have a saving communion with the Church even if they don’t have an intellectual understanding of such. In other words, they are members of the Church, albeit in an imperfect way, but are not within the visible confines of the Church.

"Vatican II said that if a person is, through no fault of their own, ignorant of the fact that the Catholic Church is the true Church, such a person may attain salvation although they are in an impoverished situation. A person who knows the Catholic Church is true and refuses to embrace the Catholic faith would be accountable for the refusal of God’s plan of salvation."

So what Vatican II said was that if you know the truth and refuse to act on it, then you are held responsible for not joining the Church. There is also an issue called "baptism of desire," but that is a very controversial and hotly-debated issue among Catholic theologians.

I hope this helps to clarify the Church's position on salvation.

Answer 4

There is and the Catholics teach there are other ways to salvation - although we believe the most perfect way is through the Catholic Church. People who teach and preach that the Catholics are against all other religions are simply trying to be a bigot and hateful towards the truth of Christianity.

Answer 5

There is no salvation outside the Roman Catholic church because it the only church instituted by Jesus Christ Himself. All other christian denominations are man-made. The Catholic church is the only one that has maintained its direct continuity from Apostolic times to the present time ( from St.Peter, the first Pope to Pope Benedict XVl the present Pope) It is the only Church that has the Lord's Life, Passion and Death as it's foundation. To say that salvation is possible outside the church is to confound God's purpose in creating this church.
Clink on this link to find out why salvation cannot be found outside the Roman Catholic church:
http://www.olrl.org/apologetics/one_church.shtml

St. Augustine (354-430), Bishop and Doctor of the Church: "No man can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have sacraments, one can sing alleluia, one can answer amen, one can have faith in the Name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and preach it too, but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church."

The Catholic Church has solemnly defined three times by infallible declarations that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation. The most explicit and forceful of the three came from Pope Eugene IV, in the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441, who proclaimed ex cathedra: "The Most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, also Jews, heretics, and schismatics can ever be partakers of eternal life, but that they are to go into the eternal fire 'which was prepared for the devil and his angels' (Mt. 25:41) unless before death they are joined with Her... No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ can be saved unless they abide within the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church."

Answer 6

You're mistaken. I was a religion major, purely academically, and learned from a catholic, former priest. He's the one who taught me that within Catholicism there are many who believe that G-d speaks to people in different ways. It's called Ecumenicism. Or, being Ecumenical. So, I learned, from a strong believing Catholic, that he believed that Jews experience G-d through the Hebrew Scriptures, Buddhists, though Buddha and etc. There are a lot of misconceptions about Catholicism because for many, it is what their parents were taught and that was before Vatican II, which changed everything. There is a lot of movement and room for belief within Catholicism (modern Catholicism).

We're not talking about what the beaurocratic Church says, I'm talking about modern Catholic scholars and theologians, and a strong movement within the Church to make more spiritual sense to more people. There is room within Catholicism for a lot of ideas, and that includes the Ecumenical movement, which is very strong. If you want a link, look some up if you must. But people are never going to be bullied into a belief, and the modern movement allows people a more open choice and acceptance of others' beliefs.

Answer 7

Didn't Jesus present to Peter (the first Pope) the keys to Heaven? Didn't he say to him what you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and what you loose on Earth shall be loosened in Heaven?

I look at this like the woman who had the dead child and kept trying to steal the live one and Solomon said to split the baby in half and the real Mother said No, to give the baby to the other woman for the life of the child she wanted the other woman to have it. This is much like the Catholic Church who has said that there are many forms of baptism and there is only one Jesus so all valid baptisms make the person a member of the Body of Christ. In doing this the Catholic Church has opened up the possibility of other denominations baptisms. Didn't the early Church decide what the people could do (in the way of circumcision) and what they couldn't do? This is the same thing.

Answer 8

It is actually quite simple.

There is no salvation without Jesus. Jesus' death was necessary because of humanitys rupture in relationship with God at the Fall.

While most Christians believe that it is POSSIBLE for non-christians to be saved in SOME circumstances....(Ie: The thief on the cross, the saints of the Old Testament)---all still are justified by Jesus.

Jesus founded the Church with Peter as its head. The Catholic church is the only Apostolic Church----while others have chosen over the years to break away and still found themselves on Christ's teachings----the Catholic church actually accepts ALL baptisms that are made in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that are done with water.....In God's eyes there are no denominational lines---We are one body, one body in Christ.

Answer 9

>>The one doctrine to me that does not make sense is having no salvation outside the Catholic Church.<<

"It means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 846)

It does NOT mean that non-Catholics cannot be saved:

"Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life." (Lumen Gentium, 16)

Answer 10

When Jesus ascended to heaven, he entrusted the Catholic Church with all his grace and all his truth.

If anyone wishes to be saved, no matter how their ultimate salvation comes about, it must come about as a result of the grace and truth that Jesus entrusted to the only church he ever personally founded.

There is no other way.

"Outside the Church there is no salvation"

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 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.336

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.337

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."338