Non-Catholic Souls

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Here is a question…what happens to the soul of a person born in Asia and raised in the traditional religion of Buddhism? They do not practice baptism. If every aspect of an individuals life were filled with goodness and charity, would their soul be condemned to hell upon their death?
 
It is part of Catholic thinking that the soul of a non-Christian person who otherwise lived his or her life “seeking God,” so to speak, by his or her actions, will go to heaven, if this person was never introduced to Christianity.

I don’t know if this is doctrine, though. Someone else comment?

However, the reason why it is so important to spread Catholicism is because we KNOW of one guaranteed way to heaven, and that is by being baptized and dying in a state of grace.
 
The above poster comments are from the catechism and paraphrased. I couldn’t find the exact place in a quick search but it was the same explanation I was given by a Priest when I asked about good mormons who lived their lives in service and I asked would they go to hell because they didn’t believe in the trinity. The answer I was given was from the catechism.

Here is another article that I found which was interesting.

catholicity.com/commentary/shea/00059.html

Personally, I find it hard for a loving God to condem folks if they are doing good. Jesus said, Evil can not cast out evil.
 
YoungTradCath said:
It is part of Catholic thinking that the soul of a non-Christian person who otherwise lived his or her life “seeking God,” so to speak, by his or her actions, will go to heaven, if this person was never introduced to Christianity.
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Even if the person is introduced to Christianity, but continues to practice his or her previous religion, he or she may be saved.
 
842 The Church’s bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race:
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All nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in the holy city. . .331
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843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."332
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844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:
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Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.333
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845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.334
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YoungTradCath said:
Oh. 🤷
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For instance, let’s say a non-Christian country is invaded and colonized by a Christian country, and the Christians oppress, enslave, and dehumanize the non-Christians, while teaching the non-Christians to follow “Christianity”.

Even though the Christians would teach the Bible and so forth, this would not be a case of non-Christians being taught real “Christianity”, because the non-Christians would associate “Christianity” with “oppression”, “enslavement”, and “dehumanization”.
 
TXFLYGUY said:
Here is a question…what happens to the soul of a person born in Asia and raised in the traditional religion of Buddhism? They do not practice baptism. If every aspect of an individuals life were filled with goodness and charity, would their soul be condemned to hell upon their death?
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** . . :coffeeread: . . . **
CATECHISM
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Section Two
The Seven Sacraments of the Church

CHAPTER ONE
THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION

VI. The Necessity of Baptism

**1260 **
"Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the **Holy Spirit **offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."63 Every man who is ignorant of the **Gospel of Christ **and of his Church, **but seeks the truth and does the will of **God ****in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

:compcoff: Link: usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2.shtml#art1​
. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Precious Lord
. . .our God and our Saviour+
. . . our All+​
 
Ahimsa said:
Even if the person is introduced to Christianity, but continues to practice his or her previous religion, he or she may be saved.
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+In all charity and peace . . . I’m sorry . . . but the above is a completely and utterly . . . FALSE STATEMENT . . . nowhere . . . in the doctrines/teachings of the Apostolic Holy Roman Catholic Church is it taught that . . . any-old-religion-will-do . . . Christianity consists of souls who have relinquished all else and embraced . . . Jesus . . . the Blessed Christ of God . . . God the Son . . . as the . . . Redeemer and Saviour of their souls . . . and become “followers” of Him in a profoundly personal relationship with Him . . . and who live their lives and walk in the holy pathways of God as revealed in Christianity . . . and Christianity in its fullness is revealed in the depths and rich treasury of belief entrusted to our Holy Mother Catholic Church . . .

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Dear and Blessed Lord our Saviour+
. . . thank you Blessed Virgin Mary our Mother+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+
:signofcross:​
 
In CS Lewis’ “Last Battle” there is a strikingly Moslem character who make it to Aslan’s Land even though he worshipped the false God and even tried to kill followers of Aslan.

I heard…maybe Scott Hahn, Grochel or anthother respected teacher explain that this well reflects baptism of desire. That if God chose not to reveal Himself in his true form (Aslan in this case) then the devotee of the false religion will be santified by his adherence to his own faith. Had this man been given the oppurnity in the living to choose Jesus he most certinaly would of, but, for whatever reason, this was not to be. This also ties in with the measure wich you give will be the measure in which you are given. I sincerly doubt that someone who lived their life well and had no real oppurtunity for Christianity would be condemned to hell.
 
Yup, the key phrase you should look up in catholic books (trustworthy ones) is “Baptism of Desire.”

In short, it means that those who recognize the offerings of Grace they have received in this life and joyfully embrace it, embrace Christ even if the verbalized name is repugnant to them.

To paraphrase Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, the definition of christianity is summed up in the doctrines and teachings of the church. But the definition of a “christian” is not necessarily just “one who assents to the doctrines of christianity!” The definition of a christian is one who has received the offered Grace of God through Christ.

Intellectually assenting to incorrect beliefs surely makes it harder to genuinely know, love and trust Christ, but not impossible. The christian is he who has entered into a relationship with God through Christ (even if that takes the form of a deeply implicit baptism of desire). On judgement day, there will be a lot of people surprised to hear that they are christians, but they’ll get over it! 😉
 
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