are Mormons "saved"?

[SueKrum]

I’ve got a friend who was raised in the Mormon church. He doesn’t go anymore, but he still calls himself Mormon. He reads the Bible often and prayes to Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We’ve been talking a little bit, but I think he’s been railed quite harshly by fundamental protestants, so I don’t push on him too hard. But can he go to heaven? Does the church have any infalable statments on weather or not Mormons can go to heaven? I’m just wondering. I realize that their faith is littered with false doctren and a “new” new testament that is false. Does that block them from receiveing the Lord’s gift of eternal salvation?

Does anyone have any advice on maybe some positive appologetics I could give to this young man? I don’t want to go church bashing because as a Catholic, I am very sesitive to his feelings of being called a haratic, by other protestants. And he’s not extra knowlageable in his faith like the people who come to our homes to evangelize.
Thanks

 

[Brad_Haas]

Sue,

Yes, he could go to Heaven. Anyone can. Whether he would or not if he died right now is something only God knows, just as with any other human, Christian or not.

However, he’s not in any visible communion with the Church, so he doesn’t have the moral assurance of supernatural life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation, that we do. Mormon (LDS) baptisms are not valid (explanation here). The grace in his life is a result of a direct and generous gift by God, not by any sacraments (or, in LDS terms, “ordinances”) he has taken part in.

If I were you, I would pick out my favorite Catholic book or document - whether it had anything to do with apologetics or even other churches, or not - and share it with him. Let him ask specific apologetic questions if he wants to, and answer them at that time, but until then just share with him what’s beautiful and Catholic.

Hope that helps.

 

[trustmc]

SueKrum:

Does anyone have any advice on maybe some positive appologetics I could give to this young man? I don’t want to go church bashing because as a Catholic, I am very sesitive to his feelings of being called a haratic, by other protestants. And he’s not extra knowlageable in his faith like the people who come to our homes to evangelize.
Thanks

Yes, he may very will be saved. The Catholic Church during VCII laid out the criteria on how non-Catholics/Christians can still be saved, even without an explicit knowledge of Jesus Christ and his gospel:

1. The person must have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent of his sins.
2. The person must have answered this conviction in some way, even perhaps in a way that has been ordained by his own religion, such as, say, with pilgrimage or pennance.
3. The person must not have rejected the gospel if it had been explained to him in an understandable way. Explicitly rejecting the gospel will disqualify him from heaven.
4. The person must through no fault of his own remained ignorant of the gospel. For instance, terrorists who bomb churches and murder missionaries can not plead ignorance of the gospel come Judgement Day, whereas the people who were denied the witness of those missionaries can not be faulted for their ignorance.

Taken as a whole, these points comprise what the Church refers to as the baptism of desire. It is God’s way of correcting for the sins of the Church for failing to obey her call to evangelize others or for injustices perpetrated against the Church.

This doctrine makes no room for those who do not respond to the Holy Spirit, so please don’t go away with the impression that the Catholic Church teaches a heresy called universalism – that is, that all people will go to heaven irregardless of their sins. Remember, there are many people who have so hardened their hearts in sin that they go through life without ever repenting of their sins.

Personally, I believe that a person who declares Christ as Savior as best as he understands it has more of a potential to be saved than those who are ignorant of the Savior.

Mike

 

[SueKrum]

Thanks, that helps me a lot The web site you proveded was helpful also. and maybe i"ll share my book about Mother Angelica with him

 

[Brad_Haas]

Sue, that’s an excellent idea. I hadn’t even thought of sharing the story of a saint (or saint-in-the-making).

 

[Joseph_Kopsho]

No Mormons are not saved because they have not received Christ as their Savior which is what is required for salvation and getting to Heaven.

 

[Robert_in_SD]

SueKrum:

I’ve got a friend who was raised in the Mormon church. He doesn’t go anymore, but he still calls himself Mormon. He reads the Bible often and prayes to Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We’ve been talking a little bit, but I think he’s been railed quite harshly by fundamental protestants, so I don’t push on him too hard. But can he go to heaven? Does the church have any infalable statments on weather or not Mormons can go to heaven? I’m just wondering. I realize that their faith is littered with false doctren and a “new” new testament that is false. Does that block them from receiveing the Lord’s gift of eternal salvation?

Does anyone have any advice on maybe some positive appologetics I could give to this young man? I don’t want to go church bashing because as a Catholic, I am very sesitive to his feelings of being called a haratic, by other protestants. And he’s not extra knowlageable in his faith like the people who come to our homes to evangelize.
Thanks

Hello Sue;

The Church does not have an infallible teaching on whether or not Mormons can go to heaven. The issue is ulitimately left to Christ. The Church cannot condemn a soul to Hell. That is left to God.

The church does teach that “outside the church there is no salvation,” but this does not mean one must be a practicing Roman Catholic or else you are damned. Here’s what the Catechism teaches on the issue:

**“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

This teaching seems to suggest that your friend would not be saved if he knew the Catholic Church to be the true Church founded by Christ and knew it was necessary for salvation, but refused to enter it. If, however, your friend is sincere in his disbelief, as described above, AND he is truly seeking God and not something else, then he MAY be saved. Ultimately, however, we as Catholics cannot pre-judge the state of one’s salvation. It all depends upon whether one dies in a state of grace - a “right relationship” with God.

 

[John_Paul_III]

Being Saved is really a protestant term.

what we know is this, The Church accepts many Baptism’s, but the Church does not accept the Mormon Baptism.

At the same time, Mormons are very loving, very very charitable, they believe fully in their heart that they are in the right church, and that their doctrine and beliefs is alligned with Jesus Christ.

So saved or not saved, would God punish a Mormon because he was taught differently, persuaded differently, encouraged differently?

Would God punish you, if you were not born into a Catholic home? But a 3rd world home, that did not hold true christian value?

I would say not, the Mormons like us Catholics are following our conscience, God’s judgemnt is very complex and I glad and find hope that God is fair and just, and will do what is right.

Through all my own faults I do not have to worry if one is saved, but I can offer up my own prayers in hopes that my soul and everyone else’s will be saved, either in this day or a day to come.

 

[Joseph_Kopsho]

John Paul III,

Christ will not allow anyone into Heaven who has not received Him as their Personal Savior. It is erroneous teaching that Non Christians will go Heaven. Christ stated “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by me.” How much plainer can it be that nobody will get to Heaven unless they believe in Christ and receive Him as Personal Savior?

 

[Jo_s_Dad]

• Mormon (LDS) baptisms are not valid

*Here I will most strongly disagree with you. They are as valid as any other protestant religions baptism. Just because the Catholic church dosen’t recognize them does not make them so.

The Baptist’s say the Catholics are idolitors, does this make them so? It is simply the belief of the RCC that LDS Baptisms are not valid. It is simply the belief of the Baptists that the Catholics are idolitors.

Now it is your pervue to disagree with the doctrine of the LDS church, but as to the question “are the members Christian?”, the answer is a resounding Yes. I will not defend the church, but I will defend the members.

The members have the three necessary tennants. Faith, Scripture and Works. Most are as devout in their belief in God as you are, but if they are lead astray, I say it will be Joseph Smith who will be held responsible for leading them so. There is a parable about 3 Shepards that fits here, but I can’t find it now

God Bless

 

[amgid]

SueKrum:

I’ve got a friend who was raised in the Mormon church. He doesn’t go anymore, but he still calls himself Mormon. He reads the Bible often and prayes to Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We’ve been talking a little bit, but I think he’s been railed quite harshly by fundamental protestants, so I don’t push on him too hard. But can he go to heaven? Does the church have any infalable statments on weather or not Mormons can go to heaven? I’m just wondering. I realize that their faith is littered with false doctren and a “new” new testament that is false. Does that block them from receiveing the Lord’s gift of eternal salvation?

Does anyone have any advice on maybe some positive appologetics I could give to this young man? I don’t want to go church bashing because as a Catholic, I am very sesitive to his feelings of being called a haratic, by other protestants. And he’s not extra knowlageable in his faith like the people who come to our homes to evangelize.

Matthew 7:

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
amgid

 

[katewithak]

Jesus died on the Cross for all. His death was final, whole and complete. What people choose to do with that most loving sacrifice is a matter entirely of their own free will. It is not a question of whether Mormons or Protestants or Muslims or Catholics CAN go to Heaven. It is a question only of whether they WILL ALLOW THEMSELVES to do so only. Just my opinion. Thank you.