No one comes to the Father except through the son

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1959

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Do you think it means that everybody must be Christian? I’m Catholic but I believe Jesus meant that he will be the final judge. He will judge Christian’s, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and everyone in between. Although you probably have an advantage being Christian I would imagine. What are your thoughts?
 
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It means we must accept Jesus and His Passion and resurrection.
 
It stands to reason that nonChristians may be saved. Currently about 80% of the world population is nonChristian. Also, think of the many generations of people who lived in the American continent after Christ and before it was discovered by Europeans. A merciful God would not condemn them all.
 
It’s above my pay grade to speculate on such things. I know the way God has taught me. I will stick to that
 
And if they are it’s only by Christ, so we believe it but like most things Catholic, there’s a nuance.
 
Yes. Unequivocally. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life; and the only name in which we can be saved.

Others may be saved but it is because of what He had done rather by their own merit.
 
1959 said:
Do you think it means that everybody must be Christian? I’m Catholic but I believe Jesus meant that he will be the final judge. He will judge Christian’s, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and everyone in between. Although you probably have an advantage being Christian I would imagine. What are your thoughts?
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If a person is saved, it is at death or resurrection. Anyone that is saved is a saint and member of the Church of Christ. Members of the Church of Christ are called Christians, so it can be said that only Christians are saved. All are saved by grace, and experience baptism of water, or of desire, or baptism of blood (martyrs). Others may be saved through other means known only to God.
 
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I believe it says what it means and means what it says.
 
Yes, that is the Catholic doctrine, that faith in Jesus is necessary:

From our Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):
161 Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.42 "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.’"43
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We also believe that “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” (CCC 848) if that person is otherwise properly disposed and following an upright conscience and that He can use the seeds of truth found among the errors of other religions to do this.

Of course, one must also persevere to the end in the charity of God–just being Christian is not enough.
 
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A valid baptism by definition brings one into the Church and frees them of original sin.
 
Where does canon law say this, that they are not made of the Church? If protestant baptisms did not bring one into the Church, then it would be necessary to provide a baptism to baptized protestant converts to bring them into the Church. It would not make as much sense to call Protestants our “separated brethren”.

Why are Catholics only obliged to follow ecclesiastical law? Why, if you don’t believe in Catholic authority how is it supposed to be obligatory upon you? They are not visibly obedient to the Church authority that they don’t recognize.
 
“No one comes to the Father except through the Son”

I can’t think of anyone being more upfront and simple about this than Jesus. You either agree or disagree.

The fact that anyone thinks the Father is different than the Son is also people’s problem. They are both the same God.

“Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” - John 14:8

That’s the Gospel. If you want to think you can reach God while simultaneously rejecting God, I’m not going to even try to figure it out.
 
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Ok, let me phrase it like this:
What does a valid baptism do?

“Those who have been validly baptized outside the Church become Catholics by making a profession of the Catholic faith and being formally received into the Church. This is normally followed immediately by confirmation and the Eucharist.”
Note that there is nothing extra that needs to be done.

Just because one is in some way in the Body of Christ that does not make them formally a member of the Catholic faith. it is not a surprise that those who do not believe in Catholicism are under Her ecclesiastical rules.

However, let’s ask @acanonlawyer if a valid protestant baptism brings one into the Church in some way over arguing about it
 
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Confirmation is not necessary to be a member of the Catholic Faith, and for that matter, neither is taking the Eucharist for those too young.

I am not saying that protestants are formal members of the Church!
 
If you preach Jesus Christ to Moslems, Atheists, Hindus, Budhists, Pagans, etc. etc. and they reject Him, they cannot get to the Father. On the other hand, in my opinion, only God knows how to judge those, who through no fault of their own, never heard about Jesus. For those who have not heard about Jesus our merciful Creator must have written a code of conduct in their souls that would lead them to Him.
 
Kei said:
However, let’s ask @acanonlawyer if a valid protestant baptism brings one into the Church in some way over arguing about it
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Brings them into the Church “in some way”? Yes, I would say it does. That being said, I will pretty much pass on this question since this is more of an ecclesiological question than a canonical one. It is clear that “merely ecclesiastical law” is now understood to apply to Catholics only (see canon 11). This is an innovation in law. The Church could say that these laws apply to the baptized (as was the perspective in the old Code, in canon 12). In the old days, Protestants were thought of as, you could say, bad Catholics (heretics). They were subjects of the Church but not members, due to a practical excommunication because of the heresies they espoused.

Dan
 
Thanks for helping out with this little point of contention between @(name removed by moderator) and I.
 
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