Can Muslims be considered for inclusion in eternal salvation?

[PasionCatechist]

Recently I began reading a book called “Catholic Replies” by James J Drummy. This particular book includes over 800 Questions and Answers about varies teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. So far the book is both insightful and enlightening offering explanations on many controversial theology positions of the Catholic Church.

However, I have come across a particular question answer response within the book that has caused me to ponder on the relation to the practice of the Muslim Religion and the inclusion of these individuals in eternal salvation.

The question begins by stating,
"Paragraph 16 of the Lumen Gentium from the Vatican II, it says that Muslims who worship in the religion of Abraham may share in salvation…could you explain?" The answered response to this question states that as sited in the Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions"Upon Muslims, too, the Church looks with much esteem.They adore God, living and enduring, merciful and all powerful, maker of heaven…Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere him as a prophet."

The answer concludes with the position that** “Muslims not baptized with water,who adore and worship the one God and try, with the graces God gives them, to live a moral life, exhibit what is equivalent to the desire to belong to the Church of Christ, even if they do not know what Church that is. Such sincere efforts would include them in the plan of salvation”"pg.95 Catholic Replies by James J. Drummey).

Hence, personally varies questions began to arise with this particular response. One of them being with those whom embrace the Muslim Religion yet reject Christ as the Messiah and refuse to accept the Holy Trinity simply God’s divinity in three persons…The father(God) The son(Christ) and the Holy Spirit (God’s comforting presence among humanity) ultimately with the acceptance of these beliefs disqualify Muslims for eternal salvation?

Also if this particular response rings true that Muslims can be included in the plan of salvation although Muslims reject Christ as Messiah and the Trinity, what of other individuals who reject Christ’s divinity yet live moral lives or what appears to be a good lives? Can they too share in salvation? Could this be considered a doctrine more closely associated with the concept of by “good works alone” as a means of eternal salvation?

In conclusion it is a personal belief that both Catholics and Muslims do share genuine areas of common ground concerning Monotheism (Belief in One God) and also the reverence to the God almighty sovereignty in which Muslims also commemorate in many of their religious practices. However, although common ground can be shared in these particular areas beliefs are divided with the Muslim religion with the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah which as a Christian Catholic I sincerely accept. Accepting Christ’s Divinity as True God and True Man, Fully God and Fully Man is a crucial catholic doctrine that I choose to believe in as absolutely true.

Hence, I’ve always thought that because of a devote Muslims rejection of Jesus as divinely the Messiah and of the belief in the Trinity that until repentance occurred for these beliefs that they would be severely in jeopardy of being eternally dammed. However, I am open for instruction on this matter.
If anyone would like to shed some additional comments, questions concerns, disagreements, and/or in my hopes answers to these questions presented in this thread please feel free to do so.
In advance thank you very much for taking time to read this thread and hopefully placing a response have a wonderful blessed day.

 

[tonyrey]

We are not expected to be infallible in order to reach heaven. We may be misguided but if we follow our conscience to the best of our ability and live in accordance with the teaching of Christ we shall be saved by the power of His infinite love.

 

[FurtherSuntime]

Here you mention…

Hence, I’ve always thought that because of a devote Muslims rejection of Jesus as divinely the Messiah and of the belief in the Trinity that until repentance occurred for these beliefs that they would be severely in jeopardy of being eternally dammed. However, I am open for instruction on this matter.
If anyone would like to shed some additional comments, questions concerns, disagreements, and/or in my hopes answers to these questions presented in this thread please feel free to do so.
In advance thank you very much for taking time to read this thread and hopefully placing a response have a wonderful blessed day.

FS

I don’t understand how you think , how a Muslim would understand that repentance for not accepting Jesus Divine would be required. In other words the Muslim would be dis-obeying what has been taught to them. What do you think conscience is exactly ? You want them to contradict their conscience…?
.
Whats with all this included in an afterlife non-sense. What do you think Catholics are preferred stock or something because of what they proclaim or attempt to believe in order to contribute in a worthy way to Gods creation?

Everything has to be translated onto a loving intelligent God.

So I guess if a child born into another Country and obeys the parents but gets tossed over the balcony or stoned to death for nothing, God comes along and says…na, I don’t want you around either? Where do you draw the line on common sense man…?

 

[stevekehl]

My belief is that a Muslim may go to heaven if they have never heard of Jesus or the Gospel, therefore no opportunity to repent and accept Christ as Savior. I base this on verses from Romans
Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Other than this I have to refer to verses that tell us that Jesus is the only way to salvation.
John 14:6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.
1Timothy 9:5 For there is one God: and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus:
Hebrews 9:15 And therefore he is the mediator of the new testament: that by means of his death for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1Corinthians 3:10 God was kind and let me become an expert builder. I laid a foundation on which others have built. But we must each be careful how we build, 11 because Christ is the only foundation.
Reflect on the Muslim’s denial that Jesus is God’s Son in light of this verse.
1John 5:10 If we have faith in God’s Son, we have believed what God has said. But if we don’t believe what God has said about his Son, it is the same as calling God a liar.
1John 5:11 God has also said that he gave us eternal life and that this life comes to us from his Son.

There are many more verses like this which teach that Christ is the exclusive way to salvation for those who have heard His message. I honestly can’t think why the Vatican would say otherwise.

 

[wcknight]

Pope John Paul II has already said, that folks who are non-Christians can still share in salvation. And St Paul says basically the same thing, that the unbaptized become the equivalent of the baptized when they live by the same values taught by Jesus. (and the reverse, the baptized can be considered unbaptized when they live an unchristian life.)

 

[stevekehl]

Pope John Paul II has already said, that folks who are non-Christians can still share in salvation. And St Paul says basically the same thing, that the unbaptized become the equivalent of the baptized when they live by the same values taught by Jesus. (and the reverse, the baptized can be considered unbaptized when they live an unchristian life.)

Not the unbaptized, those who were ignorant of God’smessage. As I noted earlier
Romans 2:12 Those people who don’t know about God’s Law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says. 13 God accepts those who obey his Law, but not those who simply hear it. 14 Some people naturally obey the Law’s commands, even though they don’t have the Law. 15 This proves that the conscience is like a law written in the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned,

We see that those who don’t know about the law will still be punished for what they did wrong. Paul writes God has written His law on people’s hearts, in effect, everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. Those who have never hear Jesus message will be judged based on whether they were true to the law on their hearts. That goes for those who were not Jewish in OT times. So I’m sure there will be former Muslims, Egyptians, Romans, Hittites, Babylonians, etc… in heaven, but they will be those who never had the opportunity to hear the truth.