What happens to the Rest of Us?

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If the Catholic Church is the One True religion, then what happens to someone who is Christian, but not Catholic. Say Lutheran, or Anglican? Do they go to hell? What happens to their soul? Or do they go to heaven as well?

On that note….what happens to a Child of an interfaith marriage that is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but not baptized Catholic?
 
Alix1912 said:
If the Catholic Church is the One True religion, then what happens to someone who is Christian, but not Catholic. Say Lutheran, or Anglican? Do they go to hell? What happens to their soul? Or do they go to heaven as well?
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If the person is not Catholic because of no fault of their own, but has been baptised in the proper form, they are judged based on how they handled the grace God provided in their lives through their faith in Jesus.
On that note….what happens to a Child of an interfaith marriage that is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but not baptized Catholic?
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All proper baptisms lead to unity in the Family of God, thus all are baptised Catholic.
 
God doesn’t hold people responsible for knowledge that they may lack through no fault of their own. He didn’t judge those who lived before the time of Christ on the same standard He judges us, nor will He judge all of us alike, necessarily, but will take into account what we’ve had the opportunity of learning.

We certainly hold that such people MAY go to Heaven, however, we also hold that the Catholic Church not only contains the fullest possible Truth (which in itself is a help in getting there!) but the greatest possible helps by way of the sacraments.

On the other hand, those such as yourself who have been exposed to Catholicism and have plenty of information available, owe it to yourselves to examine it thoroughly and prayerfully before rejecting it!
 
The relevant paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Outside the Church there is no salvation”

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
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Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
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Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337
848 "Although in ways known to himself 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, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338
 
I think one other point that I haven’t seen made is that we believe “in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins”. Many non-catholics don’t realize that when a person is baptized in a recognized, Christian church that we consider that baptism valid when they join our church. I think this validates that we see fellow Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I think LilyM made a good point about the Catholic church being the fullest truth and best way to get to Heaven. Sacred scripture and tradition give us so much. However, I would never claim as a Catholic that a Christian brother or sister was doomed to Hell.
 
For us obstinant Quakers, we’ll just have to place ourselves in God’s hands…it’s the best place to be anyway.🙂
 
What if someone converted to Catholicism at, say age 17 after making a thorough reading of all the documentation available to him (with an emphasis on the documents of Vatican II), became a candidate in the postulancy program of a major religious order which status involved a moderate immersion in that order’s specific spiritual charism as well as theology and doctrine and then at the age of 30 or so after making a thorough study of the Epistles to the Romans and Ephesians became a Protestant with convictions specifically contrary to those of the church he left?
 
Steadfast said:
What if someone converted to Catholicism at, say age 17 after making a thorough reading of all the documentation available to him (with an emphasis on the documents of Vatican II), became a candidate in the postulancy program of a major religious order which status involved a moderate immersion in that order’s specific spiritual charism as well as theology and doctrine and then at the age of 30 or so after making a thorough study of the Epistles to the Romans and Ephesians became a Protestant with convictions specifically contrary to those of the church he left?
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Each person will be judged by what he actually knows not by what he thinks he knows. People can study and study and still not understand things like faith and works, which I assume is the issue here. I think that person ought to review what the Church actually teaches instead of being swayed by theologies that came along long after Paul wrote and in contradiction to the teachings of the Early Church Fathers and St. James’ Epistle.

However, if one leaves the Church, knowing full well what it teaches he is a formal heretic and has put his soul in immortal danger. And even that statement doesn’t say that such a person is automatically damned, only that God alone can truly judge intentions and anyone’s heart. Of course, that doesn’t give anyone carte blanche to follow after false teachings as if it doesn’t matter. All it means is that God is the judge not us, and God is a God of infinite mercy. If he weren’t none of us would even be here to have this discussion.
 
Alix1912 said:
If the Catholic Church is the One True religion, then what happens to someone who is Christian, but not Catholic. Say Lutheran, or Anglican? Do they go to hell? What happens to their soul? Or do they go to heaven as well?

On that note….what happens to a Child of an interfaith marriage that is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but not baptized Catholic?
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Do you have any asbestos clothing?😉
 
Hehehe. Be careful. Better NOT wear the ‘garment’ that the saints didn’t put on. See Matthew 22:1-14…👍
 
Ah, so this person might make it into heaven because they’re stupid?
 
Steadfast said:
Ah, so this person might make it into heaven because they’re stupid?
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Stupid is not a good word for it. There are lots of reasons someone may not “know” the faith. Ignorance or inability to learn it are but two.

It is possible that they are “too smart” as well. 😉
 
ralphinal said:
Stupid is not a good word for it. There are lots of reasons someone may not “know” the faith. Ignorance or inability to learn it are but two.

It is possible that they are “too smart” as well. 😉
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Stupid works for me.😛
 
So, being Catholic is very difficult and rests on at least some measure of intellectual apprehension?

(Just wanting to see how long you’ll play the “invincible ignorance” card and what kinds of inanity doing so will lead you into)
 
Steadfast said:
So, being Catholic is very difficult and rests on at least some measure of intellectual apprehension?

(Just wanting to see how long you’ll play the “invincible ignorance” card and what kinds of inanity doing so will lead you into)
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Are you talking to me?
 
Alix1912 said:
If the Catholic Church is the One True religion, then what happens to someone who is Christian, but not Catholic. Say Lutheran, or Anglican? Do they go to hell? What happens to their soul? Or do they go to heaven as well?
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Is Catholicism “the One True religion”?
 
Steadfast said:
So, being Catholic is very difficult and rests on at least some measure of intellectual apprehension?

(Just wanting to see how long you’ll play the “invincible ignorance” card and what kinds of inanity doing so will lead you into)
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Invincible ignorance covers, not is not limited to nor in any particular order, these circumstances:

Fear, brought on by being taught all one’s life that the Catholic Church is the “whore of Babylon”, etc. The Seventh Day Adventists leap to mind first, along with many Bible-only Fundamentalists. Some non-Christian religions instill this kind of fear of the Catholic faith, as well, such as Islam.

Deep-seated cultural barriers to understanding.

An inability to accept the supernatural.

God judges people’s inmost souls and spirits–he knows our hearts more fully than we know our own. That is why we leave it up to him to determine who is and who isn’t to be saved.

Of course, people can harden their hearts to the point they can no longer be reached by the Gospel or even by natural law, but once again, only God can know who such persons are.

Does this mean that everyone gets a “get into heaven free” card? Not at all. It only means that the Church will not make itself the judge of human souls, only the voice of God calling out to humanity to repent and be saved through its doors since it, and it alone has received the promise from the Savior that through it lies the way of salvation.
 
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