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You've heard it all before. The Protestant claim, often coupled with hysteria, that Catholics believe there is no salvation for non-Catholics. It doesn't matter how often the Catholic position is explained and the Protestant claim is refuted. Protestants like to throw the charge anyway...as if it is somehow a self-evident refutation of the Catholic Faith. So I will not bother here even trying to clarify or explain the Catholic position. Rather, we will examine the corresponding Protestant position on salvation outside of the Protestant Church. Do Protestants believe Catholics are saved? Do Protestants believe there is salvation within the Catholic Church? Do Protestants believe the Catholic Church is even "Christian"? The chaos of the 20,000 (+) Protestant churches, denomination, sects and cults notwithstanding, even today far too many answer "No" to the above questions. All anti-Catholics agree that the Catholic Church is the "Whore" of Revelation, the Pope the "anti-Christ", the Catholic Church isn't "Christian", Catholics aren't "saved/Christian", or some combination thereof. Many Protestants readily admit that Catholics are not saved. "To confirm Roman Catholicism as a valid expression of the Christian faith is to doom multitudes of Catholics to eternal hell" is a typical example. See, "Holding Hands with the Pope." This Baptist group has a link entitled the Roman Catholic Church, each article therein dedicated to the proposition that the Catholic Church is not Christian and that Catholics are not "saved". Other Protestants, such as CARM, are not so straightforward. Yet CARM's position is clearly discernable with some digging. At CARM's link "Why is it necessary to write about Roman Catholicism", the statement is made, "Which ever side you fall on, the real issue is whether or not the Roman Catholic Church is representing true Christianity." The very framing of the "issue" suggests its answer, "No." After raising the false dilemma between the "doctrines of Rome" and the Bible, CARM proceeds to put forth its "evidence" that the Catholic Church is not Christian. In fact, at CARM's "testimonies" link, we find the following: "(NOTE: CARM recognizes that many Catholics are Christian.)" [Emphasis mine.] Many Catholics are Christian. Most Catholics are not Christian. The Catholic Church definitely is not Christian. Which brings us to the question: how are these many Catholics saved? The probable answer is that they aren't really Catholics. They are most likely the "bad" Catholics; i.e., those Catholics who are basically "Protestant" in their thinking and belief. Those who will soon be Protestant, or who would definitely be Protestant...but for their invincible ignorance. We need not now engage in further speculation as to CARM's views. The point has been made: The Catholic Church is not even Christian. So why jump on the Catholic Church for supposedly teaching no salvation outside of it, if you basically believe the same thing? (It should be noted that the Catholic Church appears to be more charitable in recognizing the "Christian" status of the Protestant Churches than many Protestant Churches are of the Catholic Church.) January 19, 1999 Update March 11, 1999: See CARM's position on the Creeds page. Looks like I was right! Also, CARM seems to oppose the concept of a "true Church"...apparently looks too much like "cult" thinking. Anti-Catholicism's Catch-22 Update December 22, 1999: Many Protestants will state that the "true" Church is comprised of the saved - those who believe in Christ. They will deny that the true Church consists of a denomination or organization. The Catch-22, however, is that they often do not consider Catholics to be part of the "true" Church. It is my belief that the Protestant version of No Salvation Outside the Church is more harsh, unforgiving and merciless than the Catholic version. Many Protestants not only don't blink an eye that billions of pagans are damned with no chance whatsoever for salvation (including those pagans who never heard of Christ), they don't even consider Catholics to be saved. But the propaganda will focus only on the perceived Catholic version of No Salvation Outside the Church. Because anti-Catholic propagandists have their own version of No Salvation Outside the Church, which often excludes Catholics from the "true Church" and salvation, no Catholic ever need apologize to them for the Catholic view, even the most extreme Feenyite view (i.e., that only Baptised, card-carrying Catholics can be saved.).
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