Catholicism and Universalism

[Truthstalker]

Please critically evaluate the following statement:

The Catholic church affirms universal salvation. It states that there are many paths to God and that one can go to heaven without necessarily believing in Jesus for salvation.

This is not my opinion but I don’t know enough about Catholicism to refute it adequately.

 

[FCEGM]

Please critically evaluate the following statement:

The Catholic church affirms universal salvation. It states that there are many paths to God and that one can go to heaven without necessarily believing in Jesus for salvation.

This is not my opinion but I don’t know enough about Catholicism to refute it adequately.

I’m sure others will answer more fully, but briefly:

The Catholic church affirms universal salvation.

No; the Church affirms the existence of Hell and the possibility that it is occupied - not just by the fallen angels, but by souls who have chosen against God’s mercy.

It states that there are many paths to God and that one can go to heaven without necessarily believing in Jesus for salvation.

The Church teaches that it is only through the Incarnation of Christ and the redemption that He won for us and the establishment of His Church and the graces that flow through her that any one can be saved; the Church also teaches that it is possible that those who do not know Christ can still be saved by virtue of their fidelity to the lights of grace that they have received even if not fully cognizant of what Christ has accomplished for them (us).

 

[Franciscan]

“All salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his body” CCC 846

But…

“Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or hisd Church, but never the less seek God with a sincere heart…try to do his will as they know it…throough conscience-those too may achieve eternal salvation” LG16, CCC 847

But…

We must not abandon our efforts to evangelize and strive for conversions. It’s not ok to see any other path to God except through Christ, the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE! We must avoid syncretism and pluralisim in our thinking.

 

[jemfinch]

Please critically evaluate the following statement:

The Catholic church affirms universal salvation. It states that there are many paths to God and that one can go to heaven without necessarily believing in Jesus for salvation.

This is not my opinion but I don’t know enough about Catholicism to refute it adequately.

One can go to heaven without an explicit, rational understanding of Christ’s role in salvation. Infants do it. The severely mentally handicapped do it. And the Catholic Chuch teaches that, “God gives all innocent unbelievers (infideles negativi) sufficient grace to achieve eternal salvation.” (though I couldn’t tell you where it proclaims that; I pulled it from a list of dogmas of the Church )

Jeremy

 

[I_A]

John 14:6:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john14.htm

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.60 He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.61 Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament.62 The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” *God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.

CCC 161:

**161 **Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. “Since “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life ‘But he who endures to the end.’”

CCC 846-847:

**“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

 

[scylla]

It states there is the possibility that people by Jesus can be saved if it is God’s will, we do not limit God.

They would have to be sincerely seeking God’s will anyways as this is something we all are naturally inclined to do, God always makes truth available and if they were truly sincere would know God’s will for them, and submit to it thereby being saved by Jesus. Rejecting His truth which is fully expressed in His Church would damn you. There are many who reject submitting to God and submit to what they desire instead. This eventually leads to Hell. Not knowing truth as elswhere described, such as in the case of someone who is retarded does not bar someone from heaven. Yet rejecting truth and defining it yourself is one sure path to damnation.

As Jesus said, paraphrased, the path is narrow, so very few will actually be saved.

In Christ
Scylla

 

[Genesis315]

I think it’s funny that we get accused of these two things: everyone gets saved and no one but Catholics get saved.

From the Catechism of St. Pius X:

24 Q. To be saved, is it enough to be any sort of member of the Catholic Church?

A. No, to be saved it is not enough to be any sort of member of the Catholic Church; it is necessary to be a living member.

25 Q. Who are the living members of the Church?
A. The living members of the Church are the just, and the just alone, that is, those who are actually in the grace of God.

26 Q. And who are the dead members?

A. The dead members of the Church are the faithful in mortal sin.

27 Q. Can one be saved outside the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church?

A. No, 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.

28 Q. How, then, were the Patriarchs of old, the Prophets, and the other just men of the Old Testament, saved?
A. The just of the Old Testament were saved in virtue of the faith they had in Christ to come, by means of which they spiritually belonged to the Church.

29 Q. But if a man through no fault of his own is outside the Church, can he be saved?

A. If he is outside the Church through no fault of his, that is, if he is in good faith, and if he has received Baptism, or at least has the implicit desire of Baptism; and if, moreover, he sincerely seeks the truth and does God’s will as best he can such a man is indeed separated from the body of the Church, but is united to the soul of the Church and consequently is on the way of salvation

30 Q. Suppose that a man is a member of the Catholic Church, but does not put her teaching into practice, will he be saved?

A. He who is a member of the Catholic Church and does not put her teaching into practice is a dead member, and hence will not be saved; for towards the salvation of an adult not only Baptism and faith are required, but, furthermore, works in keeping with faith.

 

[Fidelis]

The key point is to define what one means by “universalism.” If one means by this that everyone **will **be saved (i.e., hell will be empty), then NO, the Church does not teach this. If you look at examples of Church teaching on this given above, you can see that clearly.

There is a big difference in saying everyone WILL be saved, from saying others who are not Catholics MAY be saved.

 

[Truthstalker]

The key point is to define what one means by “universalism.” If one means by this that everyone **will **be saved (i.e., hell will be empty), then NO, the Church does not teach this. If you look at examples of Church teaching on this given above, you can see that clearly.

There is a big difference in saying everyone WILL be saved, from saying others who are not Catholics MAY be saved.

You point out a key inconsistency in the OP statement: will be saved versus may be saved.