What is the Catholic view regarding Muslims salvation?

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Sereta

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A lot of Muslims do charitable work for others and the Catholic religion says to do that too so I find it abit confusing like what happens after death to a person who follows Jesus instructions but doesn’t believe in him in the Christian way?
It seems to me that often we stick to the religion that our parents or nationality was.

In addition,what does God think of people who are non religious or agnostic who help others because of compassions sake?

And like what’s the difference between being kind cause that’s just your personality/from choice versus a person who’s kind due to becoming a Christian.

Thanks
 
Sereta said:
A lot of Muslims do charitable work for others and the Catholic religion says to do that too so I find it abit confusing like what happens after death to a person who follows Jesus instructions but doesn’t believe in him in the Christian way?
It seems to me that often we stick to the religion that our parents or nationality was.

In addition,what does God think of people who are non religious or agnostic who help others because of compassions sake?

And like what’s the difference between being kind cause that’s just your personality/from choice versus a person who’s kind due to becoming a Christian.

Thanks
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Hi Sereta,

The Catholic Church teaches that non-Catholics may be saved under the doctrine of ‘invincible ignorance’. Muslims can be included under that doctrine. It assumes that the person has not been exposed to Catholicism or has been exposed but has no full understanding of the doctrines and responsibilities of being a Catholic. All your other examples fall under the same doctrine.

Most people I know are kind, some are atheist, some are Muslim etc. Kindness is not restricted to any faith or lack of.

Conversion for most people is a powerful mind blowing experience. Turns their world upside down. Their behaviour changes. It shocks people to the core when they realise the believers are right, there is a God. It happened to me in an instant, one moment I was an atheist the next I knew without a doubt and it wasn’t an intellectual conversion (that came later).

If we look at St Paul, his name was Saul and he persecuted/killed christians until an encounter where God asked him why he was persecuting his people. In an instant Saul’s life was turned upside down, he stopped persecuting and killing christians immediately to the surprise of his fellow persecutors. To their shock he converted from judaism to christianity.

In the end only God decides who enters Heaven for he alone knows all and can read the hearts of men. I will not dare to condemn anyone by presuming to speak for God.
 
It has been infallibly declared that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ.

Now, there are situations in which non-Catholics can be saved, if they were not aware of the Catholic Church or Jesus. Pope Pius IX says that “God, in His goodness and clemency, would not allow one to be lost who did not know through no fault of their own”.

In other words, individuals of different religions can potentially be saved, but other religions, in and of themselves, are not sufficient for salvation.
 
JackVk said:
It has been infallibly declared that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ.

Now, there are situations in which non-Catholics can be saved, if they were not aware of the Catholic Church or Jesus. Pope Pius IX says that “God, in His goodness and clemency, would not allow one to be lost who did not know through no fault of their own”.

In other words, individuals of different religions can potentially be saved, but other religions, in and of themselves, are not sufficient for salvation.
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👍👍

The only way of salvation revealed by God is through Christ via baptism and be a disciple of Christ. Others MAY be saved by invincible ignorance but that’s a big May and a hope in Gods justice

As such always evangelize!
 
SAVINGRACE said:
Hi Sereta,

The Catholic Church teaches that non-Catholics may be saved under the doctrine of ‘invincible ignorance’. Muslims can be included under that doctrine. It assumes that the person has not been exposed to Catholicism or has been exposed but has no full understanding of the doctrines and responsibilities of being a Catholic. All your other examples fall under the same doctrine.

Most people I know are kind, some are atheist, some are Muslim etc. Kindness is not restricted to any faith or lack of.

Conversion for most people is a powerful mind blowing experience. Turns their world upside down. Their behaviour changes. It shocks people to the core when they realise the believers are right, there is a God. It happened to me in an instant, one moment I was an atheist the next I knew without a doubt and it wasn’t an intellectual conversion (that came later).

If we look at St Paul, his name was Saul and he persecuted/killed christians until an encounter where God asked him why he was persecuting his people. In an instant Saul’s life was turned upside down, he stopped persecuting and killing christians immediately to the surprise of his fellow persecutors. To their shock he converted from judaism to christianity.

In the end only God decides who enters Heaven for he alone knows all and can read the hearts of men. I will not dare to condemn anyone by presuming to speak for God.
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An atheist by definition rejects God/does not believe in God and dying in that state will go to Hell. Atheists cannot be covered by invincible ignorance.

In my opinion unless you belong to some remote tribe in an undiscovered jungle very few people on the planet will be covered by invincible ignorance.
 
Thistle, you should invest in a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Then read it.
 
No bites? Anyhow, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says regarding salvation, that Muslims are in “first place”, even ahead of the Jews (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3, Article 9, paragraph 3, No 841).
 
You stop a little short there in your quotation.

841 says that Muslims worship the same God of Abraham that we do. First though paragraphs 839 and 840 speak of how the Jews have answered Gods call in the old covenant. They are closer to Gods plan than Muslims.

841 then says first among all other religions are the Muslims since they too acknowledge the one God of Abraham.

The catechism says that these are steps toward salvation. Not salvation.

Read on

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

844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:

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

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

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can (not will but can’t) 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
 
Your paraphrase is inaccurate, it says: “The plan of SALVATION also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the FIRST place amongst whom are the Muslims”.
 
EasterBeagle said:
Your paraphrase is inaccurate, it says: “The plan of SALVATION also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the FIRST place amongst whom are the Muslims”.
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Yes that’s true…how do you deduce they are saved from that statement?

The plan of salvation includes everyone that acknowledges a creator…that doesn’t mean they are saved.

The plan of salvation includes Catholics. That doesn’t mean they are saved either.
 
The Catechism is pretty clear, Muslims are in God’s plan of Salvation. Obviously Catholics are too, but I would venture to say that average muslims are going to Heaven before Catholic Bishops who support pro-abortion political candidates. Recall Jesus telling the Chief Priests and Pharisees that prostitutes and tax collectors were entering the Gates of Heaven before them?
 
EasterBeagle said:
The Catechism is pretty clear, Muslims are in God’s plan of Salvation. Obviously Catholics are too, but I would venture to say that average muslims are going to Heaven before Catholic Bishops who support pro-abortion political candidates. Recall Jesus telling the Chief Priests and Pharisees that prostitutes and tax collectors were entering the Gates of Heaven before them?
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You grossly cherry pick and read out of context the catechism.

If what you say is true.

There is no point to being Catholic, or Christian, or being a missionary, or making converts.
 
EasterBeagle said:
It’s not my problem, I didn’t write it.
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No but you choose to read one paragraph and ignore the rest of the paragraphs in the section, ignore chapter after chapter that speaks contrary, and ignore document after document put out by the church.

For example you will trade this papal document for your erroneous reading of a single paragraph.

“Indifferentism” is the belief that it does not matter what religion a man professes, he can be saved nonetheless. The Church has roundly condemned this notion as a heresy in very strong language, holding it to be a denial of extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Here, we feature a brief passage from Mirari Vos, by the last great monk-pope, Gregory XVI (August 15, 1832). All emphasis (bold and italics), paragraph numbers, and reference numbers as in original on the Papal Encyclicals site; please go there to see the references.
  1. Now We consider another abundant source of the evils with which the Church is afflicted at present: indifferentism. This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained. Surely, in so clear a matter, you will drive this deadly error far from the people committed to your care. With the admonition of the apostle that “there is one God, one faith, one baptism”[16] may those fear who contrive the notion that the safe harbor of salvation is open to persons of any religion whatever. They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that “those who are not with Christ are against Him,”[17] and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore “without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate.”[18] Let them hear Jerome who, while the Church was torn into three parts by schism, tells us that whenever someone tried to persuade him to join his group he always exclaimed: “He who is for the See of Peter is for me.”[19] A schismatic flatters himself falsely if he asserts that he, too, has been washed in the waters of regeneration. Indeed Augustine would reply to such a man: “The branch has the same form when it has been cut off from the vine; but of what profit for it is the form, if it does not live from the root?”[20]
  2. This shameful font of indifferentism gives rise to that absurd and erroneous proposition which claims that liberty of conscience must be maintained for everyone. It spreads ruin in sacred and civil affairs, though some repeat over and over again with the greatest impudence that some advantage accrues to religion from it. “But the death of the soul is worse than freedom of error,” as Augustine was wont to say.[21] When all restraints are removed by which men are kept on the narrow path of truth, their nature, which is already inclined to evil, propels them to ruin. Then truly “the bottomless pit”[22] is open from which John saw smoke ascending which obscured the sun, and out of which locusts flew forth to devastate the earth. Thence comes transformation of minds, corruption of youths, contempt of sacred things and holy laws — in other words, a pestilence more deadly to the state than any other. Experience shows, even from earliest times, that cities renowned for wealth, dominion, and glory perished as a result of this single evil, namely immoderate freedom of opinion, license of free speech, and desire for novelty.
— Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos
 
Jon_S said:
Then why don’t you convert to Islam? If someone preferred Islam to Catholicism, you would encourage the transition?!
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That’s a childish response.

I don’t approve of Catholics misinterpreting the Catechism and what the Church teaches.
 
Catholics please read your Catechism again. Nowhere does it say 'however in my opinion"

Jews hold a special place which is why the Church forbids their prosletysing.

Muslims are First amongst non-christians.

"The Church and non-Christians

839 "Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways."325

The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People,326 "the first to hear the Word of God."327 The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God’s revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews “belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ”,328 "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."329

840 And when one considers the future, God’s People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming (or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.

841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims.** "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims;** these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day."330

842 The Church’s bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race:

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

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

844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:

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
 
SAVINGRACE said:
That’s a childish response.

I don’t approve of Catholics misinterpreting the Catechism and what the Church teaches.
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No it’s not its the logical conclusion of your erroneous perspective.

Why shouldn’t soneone be Muslim?
 
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