Tuesday, December 13, 2011

WIKIPEDIA'S ENTRY ON SALVATION MISREPRESENTS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

According to Wikipedia the Catholic Church does not teach exclusive salvation any more and Lumen Gentium 16 (invincible ignorance) refers to the ordinary means of salvation.(See Salvation, Wikipeida).

It says “…all salvation comes through Christ.” never mentioning the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus and the need for all people to enter the Church.

Wikipedia says :'For Catholicism, Christ provides the Church with "the fullness of the means of salvation which [the Father] has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession." Then surprisingly the encyclopedia states:'To Catholic thinking, this does not mean that only Christians can enter heaven, for "By his death (Jesus, the Son of God) has conquered death, and so opened the possibility of salvation to all ."

This is false.We know that the ordinary means of salvation is Catholic Faith and the baptism of water (Ad Gentes 7,Lumen Gentium 14). If there is anyone saved in invincible ingnorance or the baptism of desire it would be known only to God so this is not the ordinary means of salvation nor even an issue. This is an error on Wikipedia. If they could make such a fundamental error here one does not know if there are similar errors on information provided on salvation in other religions.

Wikipedia states: ‘Thus, the Catholic Church clearly teaches that, although Christ is the Saviour of the human race, it is not necessary to know Him personally to be saved.’False. In general, it is necessary to know Jesus personally, to believe in Him and to be a member of the Catholic Church to be saved.

Wikipedia continues: ‘This is because Catholicism believes that the salvation, and reconciliation, of humanity took place when Christ died and rose again, and that this salvation applies to all people whether or not they realise this fact.’ This is false. Salvation is open to all people however to receive it they need to enter the Catholic Church .(Dominus Iesus 20).

Wikipedia states: ‘This in no way means that Catholicism believes that all religions are equal..’.The Church teaches not only that all religions are not equal but that other religions are not paths to salvation. Wikipedia continues,'but merely that not everyone knows of Christ and that even those who do may have had the Gospel presented in such manner as to have turned them away (e.g. by missionaries who were poor examples of the Christian life).'

We do not know of any case on earth of someone saved who has not heard the Gospel preached to them, so why does Wikipedia make this an issue.?

In its Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis humanae, the same Vatican II also stated:

”This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.

Catholics allow others their right to religious freedom and also ask for the right to affirm their own faith, the Catholic Faith.They also ask that others not represent the Catholic Faith falsely as in the case of Wikipedia. Vatican Council II (AG 7,LG 7) says all people need to enter the Catholic Church  for salvation (to avoid Hell).The followers of other religions are oriented to Hell.Wikipedia also needs to mention this passage in Vatican Council II.
Also those who know about the Jesus and the Church and yet do not enter cannot be saved.(Ad Gentes 7). This would include millions of educated non Catholics including the writers on Wikipedia.This too needs to be mentioned.

Catholics have the right to affirm this teaching and not be forced to accept the politically accepted one, thrust on us via  Wikipedia and other media.

Wikipedia says. ‘The council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right"

Catholics also need to have their dignity recognized and their religious beliefs correctly reported and not have political propaganda  forced on them.

It is reported on Wikipedia that  salvation comes from the Jews. This means it needs to be clarified that it comes from the Promised Jewish Messiah, Jesus.So in this sense it comes from the Jews. Catholics are now the new Chosen People of God. The people of the everlasting Covenant.Salvation was won for them, who believe in Jesus and are in the only Church Jesus founded.It was won  through Jesus’ Supreme Sacrifice for those who responded and converted into the Church. This Sacrifice is continued in the Holy Mass.
Salvation is available in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and not defacto in other Christian communities.This is the official teaching of the Catholic magisterium in magisterial texts not quoted by Wikipedia.
-Lionel Andrades

2 comments:

ron said...

Salvation is available in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and not defacto in other Christian communities.This is the official teaching of the Catholic magisterium in magisterial texts not quoted by Wikipedia.

can you provide references from the magisterium?

Catholic Mission said...

Pope Eugene IV, Cantate Domino (1441): "The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the "eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41), unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church."-, Wikipedia, extra ecclesiam nulla salus

Protestants and Orthdox Christians are referred to in this dogma.

2.

Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church.-Lumen Gentium 14

In the unique way of salvation faith and the baptism of water are needed for all.

Therefore, all must be converted to Him, made known by the Church's preaching, and all must be incorporated into Him by baptism and into the Church which is His body. For Christ Himself "by stressing in express language the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, into which men enter by baptism, as by a door.-Ad Gentes 7

ALL must be converted to Him within the Catholic Church.

4.

Above all else, it must be firmly believed 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 (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”. This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); “it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation”.- Dominus Iesus 20

The necessity of the Church for salvation into which men enter as through a door.