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FutureCatholic1
Guest
so i went to my uncles last sermon and now im a little concerned does it matter if one is catholic i mean non catholics do go to heaven dont they.
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fhansen
Guest
Would you rather be part of the original Church, established by Jesus, which the gates of hell can never prevail against, guaranteed to hold and proclaim the true gospel regarding the existence, nature, love and will of God for man-or part of some johnny-come-lately wannabes? Catholicism gives us the surest path to heaven.
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Julia_Mae
Guest
Eucharist.
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Pax
Guest
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Aelred_Minor
Guest
It is possible for non-Catholics to go to heaven, if they are in good conscience. That does not mean, however, that it doesn’t matter if you are Catholic. The Catholic Church alone has all the means for salvation God has made available. Other Christian communities or non-Christian religions at most have some means for salvation, but not all. We should not be complacent about the fact that some Christians lack some of these treasures available in the Church, like full, orthodox doctrine and all seven sacraments.
Furthermore, all Christians in fact have a responsibility to be full, practicing members of the Church Jesus Christ founded- the Catholic Church. If they fail to live up to this through no fault of their own, in particular though honest ignorance about the fact that the Catholic Faith is true and that God wants them to join the Catholic Church, then there is no reason to believe they will definitely go to hell. But that doesn’t change the fact that the requirement is objectively there, and that if they are in good conscience they would want to know about it and follow it if they could.
Furthermore, all Christians in fact have a responsibility to be full, practicing members of the Church Jesus Christ founded- the Catholic Church. If they fail to live up to this through no fault of their own, in particular though honest ignorance about the fact that the Catholic Faith is true and that God wants them to join the Catholic Church, then there is no reason to believe they will definitely go to hell. But that doesn’t change the fact that the requirement is objectively there, and that if they are in good conscience they would want to know about it and follow it if they could.
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JRKH
Guest
Yes it matters and yes non-catholics can make it to heaven as well (I hope
).The best way I can describe this to you is to tell you why I am Catholic.
The Catholic Church is Oldest of the Churches. It has the Eucharist - the actual body blood soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ given to us by the actual hands of the successors of the Apostles.
Scripture shows that the Church is to be one and it is to be authoritative…The Catholic Church is one and it is authoritative.
And Yes the Church recognizes that others can get to heaven…But the Catholic Church has the best and the fullest and the most sources of revelation, training, and support available.
Going any other route would be like trying to assemble a car with only the owners manual from the Glove compartment…
That’s how I feel about it anyway…
Peace
James
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Pax
Guest
There are a few things to consider when making a choice between faith traditions. The following scriptures may prove helpful:
John 8:31-32
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 12:46-50
I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me."
These passages make it clear that the truth is extremely important for salvation and that belief involves all of the sayings of Jesus. We cannot pick and choose what to believe. We must accept what God has laid out for us through Jesus. In John 6, Jesus makes it very clear that we must consume his flesh and blood in order to have “life” in us. The Greek word in that passage(Jn 6:53) for life is “zoen.” The word “zoen” means “the divine life of God imparted to us.”
The ordinary means to salvation is through the Church which is the body of Christ on earth. The closer and more fully we are in communion with that Church, and the fullness of truth contained therein, the more likely and secure our salvation will be. There are perhaps other paths that would not automatically exclude salvation, but that would not be a reason to consider them as alternatives to that which God very deliberately and mercifully provided.
I hope this helps and God bless.
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Elvis_Guy
Guest
I believe in Salvation for true believers in Christ outside Catholicism…why am I catholic …I believe the Church Catholic has unique graces and has preserved in Patristics and Creed orthodoxy…on a less …"spiritual " note I find Catholocism to be like a vast museum of music , art, literature architecture an array of beauty and splendor … Augustine once held to Salvation only in the Church…he changed his mind…in an obscure part of his History while in Hippo he did some travels as well as sending out Deacons and Priest in various areas…he found …pockets of Christians isolated after the end of Pax Romana … further the beliefs were investigated by him in reports…to his surprise overall…he found them sound of “core” doctrine… Reports went back to Rome , in an odd act of defiance…or not so odd perhaps for those who know their Agustine he could have a…Stubborn streak…he did not comply to bring them under the Roman Church…what he did …it is obscured in the mists of history , plus given he plain did not feel the need to perhaps change the autonomy given that he felt them sound…he records nothing by his hand on the issue after this…some obscure…references float that he sent material…catechism in nature …or Liturgy…no one knows…
as I say if you look at Augustine even post conversion , even after being made a Bishop…he had sometimes an edgy…headstrong part to him. All that is I much admire Agustine I tend to lean to know a tree by its fruits … I know non Catholic Christians. I really have no cause to doubt their salvation …nor do I think it my place…I only do believe that “I am the way the truth and the life no man may come to the Father but through me.” I reject salvation…outside Christ…
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G3NeSiS
Guest
Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians alike are all baptized in the name of the “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” which binds all believers in communion with Christ. Of course, there are several known and obvious differences between each party, regardless, baptism unifies all believers to Christ. We become the ‘communion of saints’ in life and death.
I’m not knowledgeable enough to tackle what C.S. Lewis wrote in the final chapter of the Chronicles of Narnia, but if the salvation of other souls concerns us enough then we will take the Great Commission to heart.
I’m not knowledgeable enough to tackle what C.S. Lewis wrote in the final chapter of the Chronicles of Narnia, but if the salvation of other souls concerns us enough then we will take the Great Commission to heart.
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Elizabeth502
Guest
None of us knows for sure who goes to Heaven (certainly among the dead who are non-canonized), but most people of good will can trust that people who live honest, righteous lives will be enjoying God’s friendship at some point after death, whatever their religious beliefs or even uncertainty about those.
That said, the reason (in my prejudiced opinion!) for being/becoming a practicing Catholic, sincerely living one’s faith, is because of the sheer resources that Catholicism provides for achieving the kind of personal life on earth that allows that ultimate friendship with God. The breadth and depth of the spirituality and theology in Catholicism far surpasses what is available in other Christian traditions, as beautiful as many of them also are.
Finally, yes – Real Presence in the Eucharist is a compelling reason, but I go further than it: it’s the entire Catholic sacramental life and the sacramental theology which informs that: regular Reconciliation, the conferring of Holy Orders, Confirmation, the Annointing of the Sick – these are uniquely found in Catholicism. Those (along with Baptism and Matrimony which other traditions also share) provide a framework of passages in the believer’s life which reinforce our identity as children of The Father and keep us rooted in that identity.
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mcrow
Guest
We can’t know for sure. I suspect some non-Catholics go to Heaven, but I believe that the path set forth for us is through the Church started by Jesus himself and that is the Catholic church.
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funion987
Guest
If you believe in the Holy Catholic Church, then certainly it should matter to you that you are Catholic. However, I understand your question because it’s one that I have asked myself, too. I’ve come to the reconciliation that Catholicism is the true religion, and that is all the reason I need to justify Catholicism “really mattering.”
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thistle
Guest
Not all Catholics go to Heaven but EVERYONE in Heaven is Catholic.
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Elvis_Guy
Guest
Except for those who are given heart mind and soul to Christ…who for various and sundry reasons are not in the Church Catholic.
…the idea of judging Christians out of the Church daunts and frightens me.
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JRKH
Guest
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wmscott
Guest
As a convert of some 26+ years now, I cannot imagine being anything other than Catholic. YES agreed the most Holy Eucharist.
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ALotLessThumb
Guest
As The Second Vatican Council reminded us, all baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are apart of the Church even if they are not in full communion.
It does matter to be part of the community where the deposit of faith is held but this does not exclude all others from God’s mercy. Being Catholic matters, but matters as a question on an individual basis- the rest is in God’s hands.
It does matter to be part of the community where the deposit of faith is held but this does not exclude all others from God’s mercy. Being Catholic matters, but matters as a question on an individual basis- the rest is in God’s hands.
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Elvis_Guy
Guest
James my friend!!! I am not in zone today…so I did not intend that as corrective…in my earlier post…you will find that we are lockstep …sorry if I confused…pax my Friend!!!
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bmonk
Guest
Does being a Catholic matter? I believe so. Jesus promised the community he founded, the Body of Christ–which subsists in the Catholic Church–the guidance of the Holy Spirit to protect it from serious deviation, and it continues to keep that community alive in the world. As the community with the fullness of all Jesus left us–the Sacraments, the Apostolic faith and traditions, why look for a church which has less to its treasury?
To get the complete picture, you need the community that has the fullest understanding and the richest resources–and that is the Church.
Others may be saved in other churches–but why chance the possibility that something essential for you is missing?
Or, you may rely on your own judgment, and trust you are right–but are you willing to bet your soul, your chance of eternal life, that you are right and the Church is wrong?
To get the complete picture, you need the community that has the fullest understanding and the richest resources–and that is the Church.
Others may be saved in other churches–but why chance the possibility that something essential for you is missing?
Or, you may rely on your own judgment, and trust you are right–but are you willing to bet your soul, your chance of eternal life, that you are right and the Church is wrong?
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FutureCatholic1
Guest
sounds to me that no one is really sure who goes to heaven but it also seems like if someone wants to be sure they go to heaven they would be catholic not that people in christian sects wont go to heaven
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