Question Regarding Salvation Outside the Church

[Mungling]

Alright, so as I understand the Catholic Church’s position a non-Christian may attain salvation if he/she, through no fault of their own, is never properly introduced to the Gospel message or does not have a chance to embrace it. In this way people not exposed to Christianity can still eventually reach heaven.

However, the use of the phrase “through no fault of their own” gets me wondering. Let us say I am a non-Christian who is simply not convinced of the claims of Christianity. Am I at fault for my sincere belief? Can anyone who is sincerely acting on his/her beliefs not be considered in this no-fault category? Who then is at fault?

 

[Bookcat]

Yes it is possible for those who through not fault of their own do not know Jesus or his Church…but who still seek God…and seek to live according to his will as they see in their conscience …

It will of course still be Jesus who saves them…(and WE are to proclaim Christ…the Gospel to them!)

Whoever is saved in the end…will be saved by Jesus Christ…even if he has never heard of him or the Church …and in relation to the Church.

But yes if a person has heard the Gospel…and rejected Christ…this is not a positive sign…

Having said that…

Now there can be “more to the story” they may have not heard it properly …not really …or were beat by someone claiming to be doing so as a Christian or something…lots can go into why this question…etc etc etc

bottom line …we do not know …

God can give graces…we have no knowledge of…

and God does He wills our salvation…and knows what the person may have rejected (a fake portrait of Jesus) etc…

 

[Mungling]

Yes it is possible for those who through not fault of their own do not know Jesus or his Church…but who still seek God…and seek to live according to his will as they see in their conscience …

It will of course still be Jesus who saves them…(and WE are to proclaim Christ…the Gospel to them!)

Whoever is saved in the end…will be saved by Jesus Christ…even if he has never heard of him or the Church …and in relation to the Church.

But yes if a person has heard the Gospel…and rejected Christ…this is not a positive sign…

Having said that…

Now there can be “more to the story” they may have not heard it properly …not really …or were beat by someone claiming to be doing so as a Christian or something…lots can go into why this question…etc etc etc

bottom line …we do not know …

God can give graces…we have no knowledge of…

and God does He wills our salvation…and knows what the person may have rejected (a fake portrait of Jesus) etc…

I like this answer. I really do think that so many people have not *really *heard the Gospel as it should have been told, and I find it difficult to believe that God would automatically damn someone for something that is essentially not their fault. I wonder, then, if our salvation is imperiled if we do not evangelize. I do know that all Catholics are called to evangelize in some form or another, but I suppose I’ve always thought one persons salvation was distinct from one another. I’m not suggesting that one persons salvation is contingent on another person’s salvation or that one person’s damnation can be cause be another’s, but like one poet so famously said: “No man is an Island…”

 

[DAAVEED1590]

Alright, so as I understand the Catholic Church’s position a non-Christian may attain salvation if he/she, through no fault of their own, is never properly introduced to the Gospel message or does not have a chance to embrace it. In this way people not exposed to Christianity can still eventually reach heaven.

However, the use of the phrase “through no fault of their own” gets me wondering. Let us say I am a non-Christian who is simply not convinced of the claims of Christianity. Am I at fault for my sincere belief? Can anyone who is sincerely acting on his/her beliefs not be considered in this no-fault category? Who then is at fault?

If someone concentfully hold that Christanity is not the One, True faith, then they are willingly rebelling against God. Saying otherwise is called “moral relitivism”, meaning basicly, “I think therefore I am”. Or in this case, “I think its not the truth, therefore it isnt”.

All people are saved by the grace of God, so even if someone dies in invincible ignorance(In which there is only a CHANCE of salvation), they are not save through invincible ignorance, but by the Grace of God.

Fact is that some people can frankly draw wrong conclusions about God. Those conclusions arent true just because they think they are. Invincible ignorace is a very rare situation, and is almost impossible in places like the USA, where Catholisism and Christanity are everywhere. Someone must fully embrace the Catholic Church in order to have a stright shot at salvation.