From your description of call and response through free will above, and from the things I and others have been posting, my opinion in regard to your question:
it seems no, that is not compatible with Catholic teaching, which is based on the Gospel.
While we can’t judge individual persons (which is another reason why I think we were right to change the original “no non-Catholics are saved” to “very few non-Catholics are saved”), there is nothing I know of in Catholic teaching that forbids judgment on theological issues. If such was the case all the Doctors of the Church were unacceptable to Catholic thought for being judgmental!
I am not suggesting that at all. You are making assumptions.
Okay, thats on topic. What, specifically, in the Gospel does my proposed position contradict? Just saying “the Gospel” is a bit vague.
I am going to take fundamental issue with the word “harder”. What does that mean, that salvation is harder for one person than another?
Didn’t you say Catholics bear a harder burden?
How does it not connect with what is happening on the ground and why does that make it unorthodox?
More difficult. The poster I was replying to said, “The burden placed on Catholics is higher” which makes it sound as if being Catholic “raised the bar” of salvation - making it harder to be saved in the Church than it would be if you were outside it.
The basic Gospel, without getting into reams of quotations from scripture and Church documents due to time constraints.
Yes I did say that, Catholics have no excuse, all the resources are at our disposal through Christ’s Church. Compared to a SDA who has no idea about the Truth of the Church and it’s role in Salvation, a Catholic can’t feign ignorance. We are all responsible for our own Salvation.
The basic Gospel doesn’t include salvation for all or even for many. Every time Jesus talks about judgement He talks about people being damned - indeed He even says “many” will be damned, while only “a few” will be saved. I’m not saying being Catholic is enough to be saved - many Catholics will be damned too (some saints have even gone as far as saying the road to hell is paved with the skulls of priests), but nothing in the basic Gospel says many outside the Church will be saved. Jesus died for all, but not all will gain the benefits of that Death, such is the clear and repeated teaching of the Gospel.
And I don’t disagree with that. My proposed position just says the same for most non-Catholics.
Fair enough, but the Church does and Christ speaks through His Church.
Well, there are saints who speculated on the relative number who will be saved. Traditional and modern Catholic theologians have speculated with regard to the same.
You certainly answered my first proposed position (and nicely at that) with the OT saints, but we’ve modified it and continued. I’m not really looking for a certain answer, just enjoying the conversation. Do you think you’ve answered the modified position? Do you think it isn’t permissible for Catholics to think most non-Catholics are not saved?it may not be the answer you were looking for though.
It’s absolutely speculative. I don’t think it usurps the rights of Christ anymore than believing the opposite - that many or most non-Catholics are saved.
My argument is that both contentions are unacceptable, because neither constitute knowledge. Neither have any justification. In which case why would one hold such a belief?
I hardly think there is no justification for my position. The Church teaches the necessity of the Church for salvation - extra ecclesium nulla salus - but recognizes that those outside the Church through no fault of their own (invincible ignorance) are not damned for finding themselves outside the Church. However, the Church also teaches that the Sacraments are the primary way God has chosen to give us His grace - and we know salvation is through grace alone. Thus, those without the sacraments are in an inferior position to be saved. Further, we know Christ founded the Church to help ppl attain salvation. Those outside the Church are not making use of this help and thus are again in a worse position. Finally, we know post-baptismal mortal sins must be confessed to a priest for forgiveness. Again we see non-Catholics in jeopardy of not being saved by their lack of having every thing Christ wants us to have. It is important because of the massive implications one position or the other have for Evangelization