Dogma about the Catholic Church being the Only way to God?

[Keith_W_OR_USA]

I recall reading dogma about the Catholic Church being the only way to salvation or something very similiar to that. If I recall correctly the dogma was issued in the 8th century. Anyone have a reference to it on the web? Also is there a place one can read all the Church dogma on the web? Just interested in all this dogma since I have returned to the Church recently. Thanks to CA and this web site for the help in returning me to faith. Now I have to relearn everything I have forgotten over the decades since I left the Church. Thank You.

 

[JimmytheButcher]

At the moment, I do not have the time to post resources, but I can say this…

1. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.
2. All Sacraments draw their power from the Eucharist.
3. Baptism even if performed ‘outside’ the Church when validly confected spirates from within Church.
4. In this way, all people who have been validly baptised are in the Church in some capacity.
5. There are people who have no knowledge of the Prophets knowledge of the Sacrament of Baptism.
6. But, all people have the beautiful Laws of God inscribed upon their hearts.
7. In this way, each is paid according to his measure. Those given much, much is expected. Those who do not have much less is expected.

Scripture:
It is easier for a camel to pass throught the Eye of the Needle than for a rich man (in graces) to pass into the Kingdom of Heaven…

The more graces the greater the responsibility:
Consider the camel, a loyal hardworking creature of the desert wasteland, to be regular good folks who know little or nothing about the Church. Yet, they were good people who observed the Laws written on their hearts. Consider the nice people, and the bad people, and everyone else who did not observe the Laws written on their hearts. They were instead like vipers who bask in the heat of the sun and slither into the pools of water making them undrinkable for the thirsty camel. The camel who has been a good servant is paid according to his measure by being pushed and squeezed through the narrow-gate by his master. This is done to thank the camel and to ensure the good camel’s future health and survival. Once inside the city, the camel will take his place at the mangier and trough, getting his fill of grain and sweet-drink.

For all those graces the Christian recieves, he is still required to work with the camel in order to get to the city. St. Francis sometimes would refer to his body as brother donkey. A donkey that was good to him and carried him when he was weary, but still occassionally needed to be trained and disciplined.

The animal and master analogies work only so well when discussing living breathing men and women but please continue to think of them as they are commonsense.

 

[mdgspencer]

Putting it this way, so simply, that the Catholic Church is the only way to salvation, can be misleading. It might be taken to mean that anyone saved has to be a member of the Catholic Church. But no one who lived before Christ, right up to Saint John the Baptist, was a member of the Catholic Church. Catholics do not believe that Abraham, Moses, and the parents of the Virgin Mary were not saved. Nor do Catholics believe the everyone who is not a Catholic is a lost soul. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the affirmation that “Outside the Church there is no salvation” can be reformulated positively to say that "“all salvation comes from Christ the head through the Church which is his body.”(section 846). I presume that this means, in part, that anyone baptized enters into a relation with the Church, which is the body of Christ, including those baptized by desire.
One online source of Catholic dogma, of course, is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can google to it easily. However, I have found that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is easier to use if you have a published printed copy.

I recall reading dogma about the Catholic Church being the only way to salvation or something very similiar to that. If I recall correctly the dogma was issued in the 8th century. Anyone have a reference to it on the web? Also is there a place one can read all the Church dogma on the web? Just interested in all this dogma since I have returned to the Church recently. Thanks to CA and this web site for the help in returning me to faith. Now I have to relearn everything I have forgotten over the decades since I left the Church. Thank You.

 

[BertBlyleven]

This is a complicated question. You are going to hear many different answers, and the answer has varied over time due to situations. In the 8th century the answer would’ve been de facto yes - there was no other longstanding Christian body (except for the Oriental Orthodox), only small heretical sects. The best answer we can say for anything that is not Catholic is “we do not know.”

You will hear many modern Catholics say all Christians, and all religions for that matter, are a path to God. This view has had no place in the Church prior to the 1900’s. It is probably wishful thinking more than divine truth. The saints, though not authoritative, are not heterodox, and I would trust their opinions over most others.

 

[Credo_in_Deum]

The index to the Catechism is on this link:

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

The doctrine you’re referring to is explained in this link:

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p3.htm

I hope this has helped.

God bless, and welcome back home.

I recall reading dogma about the Catholic Church being the only way to salvation or something very similiar to that. If I recall correctly the dogma was issued in the 8th century. Anyone have a reference to it on the web? Also is there a place one can read all the Church dogma on the web? Just interested in all this dogma since I have returned to the Church recently. Thanks to CA and this web site for the help in returning me to faith. Now I have to relearn everything I have forgotten over the decades since I left the Church. Thank You.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Everyone is called to be in communion with Rome. The visable Mystical Body of Christ on Earth.

As the story goes, We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not.

 

[YoungTradCath]

It goes something like this:

Those people (Catholics) who subject themselves to the authority of the Roman Pontiff, that is, the institutional Catholic Church on earth, and who die in a state of grace go to heaven, although not excluding a possible stint in purgatory.

Those people (non-Catholics) who do not subject themselves to the authority of the Roman Pontiff, out of complete and utter ignorance, who nevertheless try to lead moral lives as best they can, go to heaven, although not excluding a possible stint in purgatory.

Not all Catholics go to heaven, nor do all non-Catholics. Similarly, not all Catholics go to hell (God forbid!), nor do all non-Catholics.

What we have to know about non-Catholics getting to heaven is that they really are part of the Catholic Church by an act of God (versus a priest- or deacon- or lay person-administered baptism), but they just don’t know it. Notice that I didn’t say that all non-Catholics go to heaven, but that it is very possible that it can happen. Numbers? I don’t know and pointless to argue, IMO, and that goes also for Catholics in heaven.

I think that’s how it goes.

 

[Swiss_Guy]

I recall reading dogma about the Catholic Church being the only way to salvation or something very similiar to that. If I recall correctly the dogma was issued in the 8th century. Anyone have a reference to it on the web? Also is there a place one can read all the Church dogma on the web? Just interested in all this dogma since I have returned to the Church recently. Thanks to CA and this web site for the help in returning me to faith. Now I have to relearn everything I have forgotten over the decades since I left the Church. Thank You.

Jesus is the only way to salvation, and since his Church and Him are one, it is true that the Catholic Church is the only way to salvation. With that said, there is a lot of misunderstanding about what that means, but some people on this thread have already clarified.

One online source of Catholic dogma, of course, is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Technically it’s not dogma, but you’re still required to believe what it says, assuming you (not referring to you specifically) trust the authority of the Catholic Church.