by Daniel Schwartz

Created on: December 01, 2008

To begin, I think this is a very interesting question. It is interesting because the keyword here is Catholics. It is not asking what the church believes or even what a high ranking member of the church believes. Rather it is asking for the opinions of some nearly two hundred million people who may all call themselves catholic but thankfully may have their own opinions and do not follow the catholic religion or any other with unquestioning blind obedience. So maybe the question should be changed to "Do you as a catholic believe that other Christians can be saved?" With that said I will give you my own individual catholic opinion on the topic.

Before I do that though let me give you a little of my religious background so you will understand those things that influenced my opinion. I was baptized catholic, went to a catholic school for most of my formative years, received the Holy Eucharist, and received the sacrament of penance and confirmation. I was married in a catholic church and all four of my children are baptized catholic. My mother was Baptist and my maternal grandfather was Pentecostal. I've been in both churches and I've seen the power of God move in these churches. I even accepted Christ in my heart in a Baptist church. Does it make me a Baptist? No it doesn't. What it does make me though is a person who is justified by faith.

You see if you study the bible and not what some religion (and I mean any religion) tells you, you will see the answer to the question is yes. Let's look at some of the bible's teachings to substantiate that.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that who so ever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. It doesn't say for God so loved the Catholics or the Methodist or the Jews, it says world. That means that Christ came to die for all of us and not just some of us.

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Again here is an all inclusive statement. Here is another fact to show that you do not have to be a catholic to be saved. In none of his teachings or miracles did Jesus ever exclude anyone. To make sure that there is no misunderstanding here is another verse. "For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God." John

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