Evangelizing

[deepsouthpapist]

Based on my knowledge of “no salvation outside the church” people have a right to Salvation outside the Catholic church and even outside the Christian religion provided they are blissfully ignorant that the Church is the “Way” because they haven’t been exposed to the church or its teachings.

That said, WHY EVANGELIZE anyone???

If God is about kindness and mercy isn’t it far more merciful and kind to leave people alone in their ignorance to allow them a free chance at Salvation?

 

[SimonArizona]

Based on my knowledge of “no salvation outside the church” people have a right to Salvation outside the Catholic church and even outside the Christian religion provided they are blissfully ignorant that the Church is the “Way” because they haven’t been exposed to the church or its teachings.

That said, WHY EVANGELIZE anyone???

If God is about kindness and mercy isn’t it far more merciful and kind to leave people alone in their ignorance to allow them a free chance at Salvation?

St. Paul begins his Roman letter with an statement that men have no excuse for not believing in God. “A doctor from America went to an isolated tribe to save them from a deadly illness and the tribe could not believe two things he told them. 1) that there was such thing as an atheist, someone who didn’t believe in a god or gods, and 2) that people pay hired killers to kill their unborn children. They said why do you tell us this horrible thought?”-Scott Hahn

It is the truth about God we are evangelizing

 

[deepsouthpapist]

St. Paul begins his Roman letter with an statement that men have no excuse for not believing in God. “A doctor from America went to an isolated tribe to save them from a deadly illness and the tribe could not believe two things he told them. 1) that there was such thing as an atheist, someone who didn’t believe in a god or gods, and 2) that people pay hired killers to kill their unborn children. They said why do you tell us this horrible thought?”-Scott Hahn

It is the truth about God we are evangelizing

That may well be true that men should believe in God but living in a remote tribe in Africa means they don’t believe in Christ and his Church. Therefore, they are blissfully ignorant of the Catholic church and cannot be held accountable for “knowing” that the Catholic church is necessary for salvation. Since they cannot be held accountable, the church teaches us that they too have a right to Salvation. So why evangelize them? Wouldn’t it be far more charitable to leave them alone?

 

[Ignatius]

That may well be true that men should believe in God but living in a remote tribe in Africa means they don’t believe in Christ and his Church. Therefore, they are blissfully ignorant of the Catholic church and cannot be held accountable for “knowing” that the Catholic church is necessary for salvation. Since they cannot be held accountable, the church teaches us that they too have a right to Salvation. So why evangelize them? Wouldn’t it be far more charitable to leave them alone?

Are we then to leave them in their ignorance?
God forbid. Jesus said “Go into the whold world” and teach them the Good News of the Gospel and baptize them in the name of The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit. Are we then to discard what Jesus said? If one rejects the command of Jesus, clearly he is no longer a follower of Christ.

 

[Scoobyshme]

Based on my knowledge of “no salvation outside the church” people have a right to Salvation outside the Catholic church and even outside the Christian religion provided they are blissfully ignorant that the Church is the “Way” because they haven’t been exposed to the church or its teachings.

That said, WHY EVANGELIZE anyone???

If God is about kindness and mercy isn’t it far more merciful and kind to leave people alone in their ignorance to allow them a free chance at Salvation?

We evangelize because we have been commanded to do so by Christ. It is His will that everyone know the fullness of His truth.

That said, the “no salvation outside of the Church” may not be the best translation into English from the Latin, from what I understand. It would be better translated, “no salvation apart from the Church.” It means that all salvation occurs through the Church, regardless of whether one is an explicit member thereof or not. The Church is Christ’s chosen instrument, on earth, of His salvation. He put it here to help us to be saved.

 

[SimonArizona]

That may well be true that men should believe in God but living in a remote tribe in Africa means they don’t believe in Christ and his Church. Therefore, they are blissfully ignorant of the Catholic church and cannot be held accountable for “knowing” that the Catholic church is necessary for salvation. Since they cannot be held accountable, the church teaches us that they too have a right to Salvation. So why evangelize them? Wouldn’t it be far more charitable to leave them alone?

To love God and not the world. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is wrapped up in loving God, and loving obedience to Him through faith by grace alone. With that said, knowledge of God serves that love of Him, so that the more we know about him, the more we love him.

" while it is obvious that an ignorant man can be virtuous, it is equally obvious that ignorance is not a virtue; men have been martyred who could not have stated a doctrine of the Church correctly, and martyrdom is the supreme proof of love. Yet with more knowledge of God they would have loved him more still."-Frank Sheed

 

[deepsouthpapist]

Say to make it easy, is the following story a good way of describing the Salvation of the church? It is surely an over simplification but I am just trying to understand it the best I can.

So, as a father I am taking a trip in my car to an amazing place. It is a place of unimaginable beauty, peace and comfort. We can stay there forever and no harm will come to anyone while we are there. I invite my family. My sons, daughters and my spouse get in the car. I know the way as I have been there before. We will not get lost. Those in my car will go to the amazing place with me.

There are other sons and daughters as well that left the family many years ago. They started new families and all would like to go to the amazing place but do not have a complete map. However, they can follow the map they received from me years ago the best they can. Their map is fractured through time and disagreement with those seeking the map but all have pieces of the correct map. They however have been given tools by me to recreate the map. They must use these tools to find the amazing place.They may follow the map they have which may get them there or it may not. It depends on how fractured the map is and how well they use the tools to recreate the map. It also depends on how much they garnered from the original map.

I have grandsons and grand daughters as well. They know of the amazing place but have not a map and only have pieces of stories that tell them of the amazing place. However, they too can find the place if only they will listen for the sound of my voice and follow it to the amazing place. I will lead them through the wilderness.

Along the way, all will find me and my family in the car and all who ask will be allowed to travel with us. No matter who they are, all must listen intently to my voice and ask to follow.

Okay, so the car is the Catholic Church and those in the car are inside the true church. The sons that fell away are protestants and grand sons and grand daughters are those that have never been given access to the Catholic Church. The tools are of course prayer, The Bible, charity and love.

No matter the situation whether you are in the car, outside the car or in the wilderness, all will be lead to me if they listen intently for my voice through prayer.

Whew! Is that about it?!

 

[SimonArizona]

Say to make it easy, is the following story a good way of describing the Salvation of the church? It is surely an over simplification but I am just trying to understand it the best I can.

So, as a father I am taking a trip in my car to an amazing place. It is a place of unimaginable beauty, peace and comfort. We can stay there forever and no harm will come to anyone while we are there. I invite my family. My sons, daughters and my spouse get in the car. I know the way as I have been there before. We will not get lost. Those in my car will go to the amazing place with me.

There are other sons and daughters as well that left the family many years ago. They started new families and all would like to go to the amazing place but do not have a complete map. However, they can follow the map they received from me years ago the best they can. Their map is fractured through time and disagreement with those seeking the map but all have pieces of the correct map. They however have been given tools by me to recreate the map. They must use these tools to find the amazing place.They may follow the map they have which may get them there or it may not. It depends on how fractured the map is and how well they use the tools to recreate the map. It also depends on how much they garnered from the original map.

I have grandsons and grand daughters as well. They know of the amazing place but have not a map and only have pieces of stories that tell them of the amazing place. However, they too can find the place if only they will listen for the sound of my voice and follow it to the amazing place. I will lead them through the wilderness.

Along the way, all will find me and my family in the car and all who ask will be allowed to travel with us. No matter who they are, all must listen intently to my voice and ask to follow.

Okay, so the car is the Catholic Church and those in the car are inside the true church. The sons that fell away are protestants and grand sons and grand daughters are those that have never been given access to the Catholic Church. The tools are of course prayer, The Bible, charity and love.

No matter the situation whether you are in the car, outside the car or in the wilderness, all will be lead to me if they listen intently for my voice through prayer.

Whew! Is that about it?!

its more like a long uphill walk with everyone carrying their crosses, following the leader, who is a man standing in for Christ who is ever present. Everyone is being fed bread from heaven for the journey. Everyone must listen to the shepards of the flock, some are not listening to the shepards and are going their own way after other voices, putting down their crosses and running from suffering. The communion of the flock is Christ in all, everyone as one walking the same way, picking up millions on the way, but also losing those who are easy pickings for the crafty. millions of non-catholics, once were, and still are.

 

[BabyFang]

Based on my knowledge of “no salvation outside the church” people have a right to Salvation outside the Catholic church and even outside the Christian religion provided they are blissfully ignorant that the Church is the “Way” because they haven’t been exposed to the church or its teachings.

That said, WHY EVANGELIZE anyone???

If God is about kindness and mercy isn’t it far more merciful and kind to leave people alone in their ignorance to allow them a free chance at Salvation?

Wouldn’t it be crueler that they never know God, never experience His love, never enter into the relationship their souls are longing for?

 

[deepsouthpapist]

its more like a long uphill walk with everyone carrying their crosses, following the leader, who is a man standing in for Christ who is ever present. Everyone is being fed bread from heaven for the journey. Everyone must listen to the shepards of the flock, some are not listening to the shepards and are going their own way after other voices, putting down their crosses and running from suffering. The communion of the flock is Christ in all, everyone as one walking the same way, picking up millions on the way, but also losing those who are easy pickings for the crafty. millions of non-catholics, once were, and still are.

Sorry but this doesn’t hold up. This is an easy question and the answer should be easy to but it seems people continue to make it challenging.

 

[DOShea]

The “why evangelize” question is easy, and it has two answers.

1. We are commanded to
2. Although salvation is possible outside the faith, there is no assurance of it. Suppose 10 cars left Boston. 8 of them had maps and a planned destination - Los Angeles. The other two are just going to drive at random. It is possible one or both of the two could end up in Los Angeles, but no guarantee they wouldn’t end up in Kalamazoo.

In that latter case, what does loving one another demand? Letting them make the random trip, or handing them a map and telling them about where everyone else is attempting to go to?