Are Muslims automatically saved?

[irish2010]

The Catholic Catechism’s stance on salvation of non-Christians, especially Muslims, is one of my last obstacles to becoming Catholic. I understand that God is merciful and I believe it is certainly possible for these people to be saved, but I get the feeling that the Church is drifting from “its possible” to “its guaranteed, so why evangelize?” The following statement from the Catechism is most troubling to me:

“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day” (CCC 841)."

Does this statement mean

1. Muslims are automatically going to be saved; there is no need for them to convert.
2. Muslims may be saved if they are invincibly ignorant, but this is not guaranteed; they need to be evangelized.
3. Something else

Thanks in advance for replies; I have been lurking here for over a year and Catholic Answers has been extremely helpful to me!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

The Catholic Catechism’s stance on salvation of non-Christians, especially Muslims, is one of my last obstacles to becoming Catholic. I understand that God is merciful and I believe it is certainly possible for these people to be saved, but I get the feeling that the Church is drifting from “its possible” to “its guaranteed, so why evangelize?” The following statement from the Catechism is most troubling to me:

“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day” (CCC 841)."

Does this statement mean

1. Muslims are automatically going to be saved; there is no need for them to convert.
2. Muslims may be saved if they are invincibly ignorant, but this is not guaranteed; they need to be evangelized.
3. Something else

Thanks in advance for replies; I have been lurking here for over a year and Catholic Answers has been extremely helpful to me!

It means that there may be a possibility of salvation for them, if they are ignorant of the Gospel, the need for Conversion and Baptism, and live a moral life pleasing to God.

 

[dal11]

It is possible for anybody on this earth to be saved, but it is so much easier as a Catholic .As a Catholic you have every single thing that Jesus intended us to have on this earth. All truth, and all 7 sacraments from which grace is normally given to us.

 

[Contarini]

The Catholic Catechism’s stance on salvation of non-Christians, especially Muslims

I hope and presume that you mean that the Catechism takes a particularly lenient stance toward Muslims (classing them in some sense with Christians and Jews rather than with pagans), and not that you have more problems with Muslims being saved than, say, with Hindus.

is one of my last obstacles to becoming Catholic. I understand that God is merciful and I believe it is certainly possible for these people to be saved

Then this should be no obstacle

but I get the feeling that the Church is drifting from “its possible” to “its guaranteed, so why evangelize?”

If you don’t trust the Catholic Church not to “drift” into heresy then you certainly shouldn’t be Catholic. If you think the Catholic Church’s position is currently heretical, that’s a serious issue. But if you are worried about a trend, don’t be. There are always trends within the Church (however we define the Church) that if followed would lead to heresy. Orthodoxy consists in not following those trends beyond a certain point.

The following statement from the Catechism is most troubling to me:

“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day” (CCC 841)."

Does this statement mean

1. Muslims are automatically going to be saved; there is no need for them to convert.
2. Muslims may be saved if they are invincibly ignorant, but this is not guaranteed; they need to be evangelized.
3. Something else

I think that it means 2, or perhaps “something else” with a strong dose of 2. Obviously it doesn’t mean 1. Even Catholics aren’t automatically saved, for goodness’ sake! Have you really thought about your wording here?

The main argument for 3 over 2 is the implication that the Muslims are not saved simply by their ignorance but by their acknowledgment of the Creator. However, that should be self-evident. No one is saved by a lack of something (culpable rejection of the truth). Evil is a privation of good, not the other way round. We are saved by the grace of God, made known to us in the self-revelation of God. The most the Catechism can be made to say is that if all you have of God’s self-revelation is that God is Creator, then that will save you.

Myself, I have some problems with that too. I would prefer to say that we are saved only by Christ, but that any truth and goodness made known to us has the natural tendency of leading us toward salvation through Christ. This salvation can only be said to take place when we are confronted with Christ and respond by faith–in the case of those who never truly hear the Gospel, this may not happen till death.

However, I think my view is compatible with what the Catechism says, and a case can be made (though I don’t agree with it) that a doctrine of salvation at or after death (one reason I don’t agree is that my view places the decisive moment at, not after death) opens a bigger can of worms than does the “inclusivist” view which is the most obvious reading of the Catechism.

In Christ,

Edwin

 

[irish2010]

I hope and presume that you mean that the Catechism takes a particularly lenient stance toward Muslims (classing them in some sense with Christians and Jews rather than with pagans), and not that you have more problems with Muslims being saved than, say, with Hindus.

Yes; I should have been more clear. The issue is what could be interpreted as an assertion Muslims are all saved.

Then this should be no obstacle

The obstacle isn’t that Muslims could be saved; the obstacle is if the Church is teaching Muslims will be saved.

If you don’t trust the Catholic Church not to “drift” into heresy then you certainly shouldn’t be Catholic. If you think the Catholic Church’s position is currently heretical, that’s a serious issue. But if you are worried about a trend, don’t be. There are always trends within the Church (however we define the Church) that if followed would lead to heresy. Orthodoxy consists in not following those trends beyond a certain point.

If my belief that the Catholic Church is the one true church is correct, then the church won’t drift into heresy. But if the church was teaching something clearly heretical such as “Muslims are automatically saved,” I would be back to sqare one because the Catholic Church would not be the true Church.

I just wanted to be sure that the Church wasn’t proclaiming 1, because then it would be contradicting itself and would obviously not be true. A lot of my confusion comes from a class I am taking right now where the professor is Catholic and seems to teach something very close to Universalism, and acts as if this is the church’s current belief. Sorry for confusion about my wording. I just wanted to clarify this point, because if the church did proclaim universalism, what would be the purpose of joining? If it were correct, I would be saved anyway, and if it were wrong, I would be better off as an evangelical protestant.

I also have issues with the idea that just knowing God is the creator will save you. As James 2:19 states, “You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Thanks for the replies so far, especially your in-depth reply Edwin.

 

[ricko]

The Church is not teaching that Muslims will be saved as if there are different paths to salvation, it is saying that they may be saved. There is only one path to salvation and that is the Catholic Church. The Church is simply stating what links the Muslims have in common with the Church. Some in the religions other than the Mother Church have a change of salvation but it is by no means certain and it is not because they are Muslim, Jew or Hindu.

1. They “profess to hold the faith of Abraham.” The operative word here is “profess”—they claim to hold the faith of Abraham. In reality, their faith is an imperfect version of the faith that comes from Abraham, but they are trying to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, and the Council gives them credit for that.
   Catholic Answers

Nowhere does the Church state that if you are of another faith that there is a guarantee of salvation. This statement was wrongly inserted by you trying to understand its meaning. There is no change in the Church’s teaching about salvation outside of the Catholic Church. With what we see going on in the world with Muslims I would say that very few live up to any of Christ’s teaching and therefore have little change of salvation.

 

[RobbyS]

Yes; I should have been more clear. The issue is what could be interpreted as an assertion Muslims are all saved.

The obstacle isn’t that Muslims could be saved; the obstacle is if the Church is teaching Muslims will be saved.

If my belief that the Catholic Church is the one true church is correct, then the church won’t drift into heresy. But if the church was teaching something clearly heretical such as “Muslims are automatically saved,” I would be back to sqare one because the Catholic Church would not be the true Church.

I just wanted to be sure that the Church wasn’t proclaiming 1, because then it would be contradicting itself and would obviously not be true. A lot of my confusion comes from a class I am taking right now where the professor is Catholic and seems to teach something very close to Universalism, and acts as if this is the church’s current belief. Sorry for confusion about my wording. I just wanted to clarify this point, because if the church did proclaim universalism, what would be the purpose of joining? If it were correct, I would be saved anyway, and if it were wrong, I would be better off as an evangelical protestant.

I also have issues with the idea that just knowing God is the creator will save you. As James 2:19 states, “You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Thanks for the replies so far, especially your in-depth reply Edwin.

One problem with the catechism is “tone” and of course that is the work of the translator, rather than the official document. PC is rampany in all English-speaking countries, so one might tends to “tone-down” the failings of
other religions. Islam is a very worldy religion, and so while
devout Muslims might profess to be shocked by western morals, a hundred years ago, the Victorians were equally aghast at Muslim morals. Christianity tends toward asceticism. Except where it has made contact with Christians, say among the Sufis, not much is to be found
among them. I tend to think of it as morally arrested at the stage of the book of Joshua. Such a morality is a great impediment to salvation as we Catholics understand it.

 

[Caesar]

No, Muslims are not automatically saved. Quite the opposite in fact.

 

[SedesDomi]

No, Muslims are not automatically saved. Quite the opposite in fact.

Automatically damned?

 

[Genesis315]

The plan of salvation includes all men–Our Lord came to save all men and God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Since the one Supreme God can be known from natural reason, traditionally it has been understood that those who worship one God have discovered Him (like Aristotle, the pagans St. Paul came across, and even Muslims) but they worship Him through a fog of error. Likewise, since Islam is basically a severe Catholic heresy (see Hillaire Belloc’s book, “Great Heresies.”) it is all the more likely that it is the same God, albeit through the fog of error.

Now, implicit Baptism by desire would be necessary for someone who died a Muslim through no fault of his own to be saved. Because they worship the Creator, the one God, this is more likely for them than an atheist or polytheist/idolator.

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1691-1787) Moral Theology - (Bk. 6): “But baptism of desire is perfect conversion to God by contrition or love of God above all things accompanied by an explicit or implicit desire for true Baptism of water, the place of which it takes as to the remission of guilt, but not as to the impression of the [baptismal] character or as to the removal of all debt of punishment. It is called ‘of wind’ ‘flaminis’] because it takes place by the impulse of the Holy Ghost Who is called a wind ‘flamen’]. Now it is de fide that men are also saved by Baptism of desire, by virtue of the Canon ‘Apostolicam De Presbytero Non Baptizato’ and the Council of Trent, Session 6, Chapter 4, where it is said that no one can be saved *‘without the laver of regeneration or the desire for it.’” *

Of course, on the other hand, many of their errors do present obstacles to salvation.

While we should never despair of anyone’s salvation, we should also not presume that all those outside the visible bonds of the Church will be saved. The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ must be shared with all men.

 

[Trad_Catholic_1]

Ricko is correct. Do not infer that muslims are automatically saved.

As far as I am aware, Church doctrine (Nostra Aetate) is:

1. Muslims acknowledge the Creator.
2. Muslims profess to hold the faith of Abraham.
3. Like Catholics, Muslims worship God, and regard Him as one, merciful, and judging.

The Church does not recognise Muhammad, the Qur’an, or any implied agreement with what Islam teaches, only what Muslims in general believe.

Consequently

The Catholic Church has a high regard for Muslims inasmuch as muslims worship God and try to submit to God’s will, eagerly linking their faith to that of Abraham.

However, muslims do not acknowledge Jesus as God, but adore him as a prophet and also honor and sometimes devoutly invoke Mary.

Muslims believe in a day of judgment and the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead; highly esteem an upright life and worship God by way of prayer, alms-deeds and fasting.

The Church also acknowledges that muslims and Christians have quarreled many times.

It is recognized that there is some truth among Muslims, but there is no recognition given of any specific revelation.

So whatever truth there may be in what muslims believe must come either from the universal truths that God has always made accessible to the minds and hearts of all people, or else by transmission from the divine revelation granted to the Jews or Christian Church.

Hope this helps

Paul.

 

[Vincent]

“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. . .”

It means that God desires their salvation and has made plans for their salvation—plans that include giving them graces that lead in the direction of salvation and the Church. But that doesn’t mean that they can be saved by being nothing more than non-Jewish theists.

Jimmy Akin, “The *Catechism *on Islam”

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

Automatically damned?

The traditional teaching, now downgraded, was that virtuous Muslims, suicide bombers and the like, would go to Limbo.

Limbo is a place of perfect earthly happiness. Oddly enough, Muslims themselves agree with the traditional teaching. The suicide bomber looks forward to a garden of spreading shade and seventy virgins.

 

[Genesis315]

The traditional teaching, now downgraded, was that virtuous Muslims, suicide bombers and the like, would go to Limbo.

Not necessarily. That was for those who died in original sin, with no actual sin. Baptism of desire has traditionally been affirmed as possible for those without access to the Gospel as a way of cleansing original sin. Of course, that requires much more than neutrality.

 

[Caesar]

Automatically damned?

Pretty much.

Of course, it is a common belief (although certainly not doctrine, but something worthy of belief) that the virtous pagans, including the Mohammedans, will go to limbo.

They cannot be saved unless it is through the baptism of desire. Only a member of the True Church can be saved.

The Catechism of St. Pius X clearly defines this:

No one can be saved outside the Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church, just as no one could be saved from the flood outside the Ark of Noah, which was a figure of the Church.

 

[MilesXpisti]

The traditional teaching, now downgraded, was that virtuous Muslims, suicide bombers and the like, would go to Limbo.

Limbo is a place of perfect earthly happiness. Oddly enough, Muslims themselves agree with the traditional teaching. The suicide bomber looks forward to a garden of spreading shade and seventy virgins.

I would like to see some citations involving the notion that suicide bombers gain a place in the natural paradise of Limbo. I’ve always held that the possibility of salvation for those outside of the Church, and in invincible ignorance, extends to those who, through a desire to follow God, live in accordance with an innate understanding of natural law, even if they fail frequently through lack of sanctifying grace. Thus, by the merits of that ignorance of the Church, Gospel and baptism, they are saved through the Church.