surprising number of catholics don't belive Jesus is the only way to Heaven

[kisstheson]

This according to an ABC news report that I saw on television tonight. Even among evangelicals...they are being swayed from their position that Christ is the only way to heaven.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to Father except through Me." John 14:6

What do you think? Is Jesus the only way to heaven?

 

[Fantine]

This is my heart speaking right now, so before you dash off a huffy response, remember that "feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are."

I know many wonderful people who aren't Catholic. I know many wonderful people who aren't Christian. Now if I were God, I'd want them in heaven with me, and the one thing I know for sure is that God is better than I am....

So if I'd let them in and God is better than I am, well of course I think He'd let them in, too.

OK, calm down. Read the disclaimer.

 

[PetersKeys]

there is no salvation outside the blood of Christ. If there are other ways to heaven, then Christ's Passion was in vain. Jesus Christ is humanitys only hope.

 

[JoabAnias]

This according to an ABC news report that I saw on television tonight. Even among evangelicals...they are being swayed from their position that Christ is the only way to heaven.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to Father except through Me." John 14:6

What do you think? Is Jesus the only way to heaven?

I saw the same thing on MSN and there was no mention of Catholics, only evangelicals and the whole point was religious tolerance. Huh. I think they missed the relativism in the claim. The Church will never become relative though.

Tolerance is good as long as it brings virtues and doesn't turn into permissive license which is deception.

I have free will to steal your car but I bet you wouldn't be that tolerant of it.

I think our example has to be Jesus, what was and wasn't He tolerant of?

 

[QuantaCura]

This story seemed to be on all the stations. The one I saw (I forget which one), didn't give hard numbers on Catholics, but did briefly show one Catholic woman stating that if one lives justly, one may attain eternal life (whereas the Episcopalian woman interviewed at greater length was saying all religions are equally good, etc.).

Catholics do believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The faith necessary for salvation is choosing God's will and wisdom over our own--that is, we choose to surrender to the divine Logos. Faith is choosing God's way--who is Christ--over our own. Now, someone who does desire to abandon themselves to the way of God, but is mistaken or ignorant in good faith about about that will, can have the supernatural faith in Christ the way and truth necessary for the life.

That being said, one who rather does not seek the way of God, but rather is content with his own way (or attributes his own way to God), has only faith in himself. This is why we evangelize and spread the Gospel of Christ, to convince the world to surrender to God's way, Jesus, which leads to life, and not our own way which leads to death.

Point being, saying someone without explicit belief in the person of Christ can be saved does not mean Christ is being excluded from how they are saved.

 

[Miss Shelby]

it doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[D'Ann]

I'm not surprised that many upon many people believe that most will make it to heaven. I hope and pray that is true.

I believe that this is all really in God's hands who will go or not go and it is up to God to judge this. I know what the scriptures say and I know what the Catholic Church teaches.

For me, I believe that how we love God and serve God will determine the outcome of where our soul/spirit ends up being. And in how we love and serve God, do we love and serve each other? Does our faith have action to back it up? Faith is an absolute as a dear friend just said last night. And along with absolute faith, let there be absolute action on that faith and then pray and intrust all of these things in God's hands, which is part of the action of having faith.

 

[seeker777]

there is no salvation outside the blood of Christ. If there are other ways to heaven, then Christ's Passion was in vain. Jesus Christ is humanitys only hope.

Then your saying that God condemns people to an eternity in hell because they were born in India and were raised as Hindus.

You actually believe that salvation is based upon the happenstance of where one is born and what faith group they were raised in?

If you believe that god is responsible for everyones birth and He knows exactly how a person will live their life....why would God create a person, knowing that they will never become indoctrinated into Christianity and knowing full well they are going straight to hell? Doesn't make much sense, to create something, only to have it suffer for eternity after a short time on earth.

I choose to believe that God simply looks into peoples hearts and takes a look....regardless if they were lucky enough to have lived a life that was exposed to Christianity.

 

[QuantaCura]

Then your saying that God condemns people to an eternity in hell because they were born in India and were raised as Hindus.

You actually believe that salvation is based upon the happenstance of where one is born and what faith group they were raised in?

If you believe that god is responsible for everyones birth and He knows exactly how a person will live their life....why would God create a person, knowing that they will never become indoctrinated into Christianity and knowing full well they are going straight to hell? Doesn't make much sense, to create something, only to have it suffer for eternity after a short time on earth.

I choose to believe that God simply looks into peoples hearts and takes a look....regardless if they were lucky enough to have lived a life that was exposed to Christianity.

I don't think PeterKeys meant waht you are understanding him to say (you're giving his words a kind of Evangelical/Fundamentalist understanding.) Catholic doctrine does not say salvation is based on special knowledge (that's Gnosticism)--but it does say that all salvation comes from Jesus Christ. He joined the divine nature with ours, so that we can join ours to his. This is why apart from Him (and by extension His Mystical Body) there is no salvation, but exlicit knowledge of the entirety of Christian doctrine is not absolutely necessary for salvation. As the original sin was man's pride in choosing a way other than God's, salvation is about choosing God's way over our own--and that way was made manifest in Christ. But one desires to surrender himself to God's way is choosing to surrender himself to Christ, even without explicit knowledge of Him.

It is our duty to seek to convince the world to surrender to God's way by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

YOu know this all just makes me think of the Prodigal Son--and how he's really ticked that he's been the good one and followed the rules- and his bro gets the party....

If people go to heaven it's through the merits of Jesus Christ--but how God applies that justification will be mysterious until after our death. We have been created for communion- God made us to know, to love, to serve, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven...all of us have been created for that---yet each of us have also been different cpacities and allowed different hurts and wounds which might preclude us from doing so in a way acceptable to other devout CHristians. One born into a non-Christian family- might hear the Gospel, but be unable for it to resonate, there are so many things which might keep one from professing Christ--and we on the outside can never know.

Let's hope and pray that all will go to heaven...and stop being miffed at the idea that those who are prodigals might be embraced with deep love in their Father's home--even a Father they've abused and rejected.

 

[JoabAnias]

it doesn't surprise me at all.

Oh common, not even a little bit?

 

[isshinwhat]

I think Archbishop Chaput sums it up well:

More than most groups, Catholics break with their church, and not just on issues like abortion and homosexuality. Only six in 10 Catholics described God as "a person with whom people can have a relationship" — which the church teaches — while three in 10 described God as an "impersonal force."

"The statistics show, more than anything else, that many who describe themselves as Catholics do not know or understand the teachings of their church," said Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput. "Being Catholic means believing what the Catholic church teaches. It is a communion of faith, not simply of ancestry and family tradition. It also means that the church ought to work harder at evangelizing its own members."

This story seemed to be on all the stations. The one I saw (I forget which one), didn't give hard numbers on Catholics, but did briefly show one Catholic woman stating that if one lives justly, one may attain eternal life (whereas the Episcopalian woman interviewed at greater length was saying all religions are equally good, etc.).

These are the numbers from the study:

Nearly across the board, the majority of religious Americans believe many religions can lead to eternal life: mainline Protestants (83 percent), members of historic black Protestant churches (59 percent), Roman Catholics (79 percent), Jews (82 percent) and Muslims (56 percent).

 

[QuantaCura]

That's really sad--I think one of the most difficult things to do is convince someone of the truth when they don't believe it even matters in the first place. We need to concentrate on making blazing charity present where lukewarmness is the norm.

 

[MoNiCa4316]

the Church teaches that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and is the only way to heaven and to the Father.

We do however believe that God is merciful, and that He won't send to hell ALL people who have never heard of Christ, etc.. He will judge people's hearts, and what they knew, not what they didn't.
I have some evangelical friends who believe that anyone who didn't say the "sinners prayer" is going to hell. Catholics don't believe that God is so legalistic, and that He will look at people's hearts, as I said.. in the end what He cares about is how we live out our faith, not necessarily how much 'intellectual' faith we have, because not all are given the same amount.
Maybe this makes it seem to some people that Catholics believe in another way to heaven... but that is not true, anyone who will go to heaven will go there by grace and because of Jesus' sacrifice... but how they have accepted that sacrifice might differ from person to person.. again, this is up to God, not up to us.

well that's my own view.. I can't speak for all Catholics.

 

[IgnatiusOfAntioch]

This according to an ABC news report that I saw on television tonight. Even among evangelicals...they are being swayed from their position that Christ is the only way to heaven.

That is a misleading thread title. They didn't even mention Catholics. It is actually protestants who are doing this. Here's the article:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=490325&p=1

Perhaps you should go over to GT and post the question to the Protestants who are the ones denying Christ. Apparently the further the separated denominations drift away from The Church that Jesus founded, the more misinformed and false they become.

If you would like to learn more about the teachings of Jesus Christ, please contact the folks at http://www.chnetwork.org/. I promise, if you unite yourself to Jesus Christ through His Church, you will experience the great gift the He has promised to those who follow Him. As Jesus said, "He who eats My body and drinks My blood lives in Me and I in him and I will raise him up on the last day." And He is faithful and sure to keep His promises. Repent, turn to the Gospel and be saved and you will have everlasting life.

Grace and peace be with you.

Your servant in Christ.

 

[kisstheson]

Surely you are not calling me a liar? I saw the report on ABC news. They mentioned Catholics and evangelicals.

 

[kisstheson]

Yes I agree but I also think that people should be warned when they keep refusing to turn to Jesus after hearing the gospel time and time again. Some just don’t want to accept that Jesus is the only way because they think its too narrow. "Narrow is the path that leads to heaven, " said Jesus. There’s a lot of warnings about that from Jesus Himself. We are to proclaim the word but not judge the one who hearing the message. Leave the results with God. The love of Christ is always first and foremost.

 

[stone]

What do you think? Is Jesus the only way to heaven?

yes

 

[stone]

Then your saying that God condemns people to an eternity in hell because they were born in India and were raised as Hindus.

You actually believe that salvation is based upon the happenstance of where one is born and what faith group they were raised in?

If you believe that god is responsible for everyones birth and He knows exactly how a person will live their life....why would God create a person, knowing that they will never become indoctrinated into Christianity and knowing full well they are going straight to hell? Doesn't make much sense, to create something, only to have it suffer for eternity after a short time on earth.

I choose to believe that God simply looks into peoples hearts and takes a look....regardless if they were lucky enough to have lived a life that was exposed to Christianity.

Many lessons that christ taught are difficult to understand. This is where the parable of the sower should apply. Not only has his word been spread across the nations, it's also been rejected by many more than those that believe.

In the old testament, the Israeli's were ordered by god to kill off many races of humans and races of giants because they did not obey him and turned to the ways of evil. I said, entire races of humans were eliminated at the request of god. The only difference between then and today is that christ has given us humans more time to make more humans understand the truth, before the fullness of the gentiles comes to pass; and i tell you what, i don't care what anybody says to me on this issue, it looks to me like the fullness of the gentiles has come to pass.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

I think the question is intended to be confusing and make people's responses seem something other than they intended.