Do Non-Catholics go to Hell?

Dark_Lite

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Can Protestants go to Heaven?

Yes.

Do Catholics believe that Protestants go to Hell?

The general answer to this question is no. The actual answer to this question is far more nuanced.

I been reading online and alot of people have been saying those not of the True Church go to hell.

Rule #1 about claims about Catholicism on the Internet: Under no circumstances should you believe anything you hear, read, or see about Catholicism on the Internet unless it's from an official source. At least half of the time it's bigoted anti-Catholic crap, another sizable chunk of the time it's "Catholic" (that aren't really Catholic) ultra-traditionalists who think anyone that doesn't speak Latin goes to hell. Then there's the media. They can never get anything straight. Most of the time the headlines of articles completely contradict what the article itself says.

Rule #2 about claims about Catholicism on the Internet: Corollary of rule #1. Check any and all citations from Church documents in context. And not just in the context of the document itself. Check it in the context of the entirety of Church teaching. Anything less is a false representation.

Rule #3 about claims about Catholicism on the Internet: Even if you think it's from an official source, still check everything in context. If it's a Catholic answering your question, double check that what they say lines up with Church teaching. Catholics, particularly in the US, are notorious for disagreeing with the Church on numerous issues. What individual Catholics believe does not matter when it comes to explaining Church teaching. "Well, a Catholic told me it works this way"--doesn't matter. Does that Catholic actually know what he's talking about? Check the CCC. Check the documents of the Councils. If they line up with what the person told you, great. If not, they are not correct. Simple as that.

Now that that's out of the way, here's the answer to your question.

The teaching of the Catholic Church is this: outside the Church there is no salvation. However, who is in the Church? The CCC states this:
817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 - do not occur without human sin:

Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

"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:

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:

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."
The notions of imperfect communion and invincible ignorance (described in the quoted text) make the boundaries of the Church much larger than the visible institution. Protestants are included under imperfect communion. Non-Christians might even find their way in under invincible ignorance.
 
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1watchman

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This matter is not sectarian. Whether of the RC religion or a Prot. denom. the only truth for salvation of our soul is in true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, Savior for the world, and your own personal Savior and Lord of your life. Religion cannot save a soul, and it seldom pleases God. We must be in conformity to the Word of God and have personal communion with the Lord Jesus Christ to have any part in God. That is the essence of Christianity.

- 1 Watchman
 
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SharonL

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Anyone can go to Hell - Catholic, non-catholic, protestant, non-protestant - the label is not what takes you to Heaven - the belief of the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the road to Heaven. Catholics do not have an edge on going to Heaven. It does not matter what label you have on you- it is what is in your heart and the fact that you believe that the only way to Heaven is Jesus Christ as the Bible says. We are the church - not a label that is put on us.
 
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Crosssword

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I would have asked the other way around, for Catholics seem to do much that goes against the Bible

Matthew 5:20 (King James Version)
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." -Mark 7:7

"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." -Mark 13:22

1) Jesus clearly says thou shalt call no man on this earth thy father, for ye have one in heaven. This excludes earthly fathers, IT IS AIMED AT CHURCH FATHERS
2) Jesus says "Many will say they have casted out demons in my name, but I will tell them to depart ye workers of iniquity." THIS IS AIMED AT DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES
3) We are to pray to God the Father alone, and in Jesus name. NOT TO MARY
4) Priests and Nuns disobey the original commandment "Be fruitful and multiply." This manmade blasphemous restrictions leads to homosexuality and molestation of children
5) Satanism In The Vatican! massive massive page exposes every square inch of Catholicism.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False Religions/Roman Catholicism/hail_mary_hail_satan.htm





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Brother Chris

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Can Protestants go to Heaven?

Do Catholics believe that Protestants go to Hell?

I been reading online and alot of people have been saying those not of the True Church go to hell.

No brother, non-Christians go to hell. We must have a biblical understanding of what a true Christian is. The bible defines a true Christian as those who have been reconciled to God through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross, they have repented of their sins, put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, have had their sins forgiven and the power of sin broken, are born again by the Spirit of God and sealed by His Spirit and are being transformed into the image of His Son. Read the book of 1 John. That is the book that tells us if we are Christians or not, regardless of our denomination or religion. Please note, a true Christian isn't perfect, but that is his/her direction. Religion doesn't save anyone.
 
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Brother Chris

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This is a perfect example of where you should apply rule #1.

All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.

The Catechism says justification is by faith in Baptism. Baptism of what? As a former Catholic, I know that many things the Catholic church teaches is not biblical. So tell me, if I was a hell-bound sinner, and needed salvation, and came up to you and asked what must I do to be saved, what would you say to me?
 
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Brother Chris

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Id say " Confess your sins to Lord Jesus Christ and believe he is the son of God that died on the cross for our sins and for our salvation "

You're right, but in the confession of sin, there must be repentance and that Jesus is the only one who can save and forgive. I'm interested to see what Dark_Lite has to say.
 
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papaJP

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I been reading online and alot of people have been saying those not of the True Church go to hell. by NR90
===============================================
The true church is a body of believers who know the true God and are His followers.
That is not limited or defined by some description of a group or denomination.
 
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childofGod31

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Can Protestants go to Heaven?

Do Catholics believe that Protestants go to Hell?

I been reading online and alot of people have been saying those not of the True Church go to hell.

Everybody (people of different denominations and variations of Christianity) thinks that THEY ARE the true church, and everybody else will go to hell
 
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Brother Chris

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I been reading online and alot of people have been saying those not of the True Church go to hell. by NR90
===============================================
The true church is a body of believers who know the true God and are His followers.
That is not limited or defined by some description of a group or denomination.

The true church isn't man made, it isn't a religion or a denomination. The true church is all those sinners that God has reconciled to Himself through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are redeemed, granted repentance and faith, born again, bought with the blood of Christ, made into new creations and are being transformed into the image of His Son. This is the biblical definition of a Christian.
 
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