Saturday, December 03, 2005

Ex Ecclesia Nulla Salus.

This is an excerpt from a facebook message to a friend:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For example, you might consider the Catholic view to be "Ex ecclesia nulla salus" (it might be extra, but I think its ex) Which is "Beyond the Church there is no salvation"... That is the traditional formulation of the salvation/unity problem.

The conservative Catholic view is commonly espoused by both Catholics and Protestants as the Official view but it is a perversion of the Truth.

(an authoritative understanding of the Church's view on the Church Christ founded is here: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p3.htm )

I'm actually trying to find the reference on how the Church view's what constitutes membership in the Church... which is the main sticking point.

Since I can't find the reference, I'll try to do justice to the Church's position.

1. Christ came to save all men.
2. Not all men in all of history are able to have heard the Gospel or if they have, they might not have been able to recieve it favourably due to the sins of the members of the Church (in this case anyone proclaiming the Gospel).
3. If 1 and Christ knew 2, then he would have created a way for 1 to be realised.
4. Christ knew 2.
5. :. Christ prepared a way for 1 to be realised.

6. God created the world.
7. Other religous traditions derive from experience of the world.
8. God thus in some way inspired other religions.
9. Other religous traditions seek somethings of God (by seeking those things of God that inspired them).
10. Other religous traditions are as Truthful in proportion to how many things of God they are inspired by.
11. Christ is the preeminent Truth, and those who accept him/his teachings fully, are most inspired by God.
12. The Catholic church Visible is this case. (related scripture: my favourite Jn 6 the rest come from catholic answers Mt 18:15-17, jn 17:21-23, acts 1:20, acts 8:14-24, acts 15 1-29, acts 20:28-31, rom 13:13, rom 16-17, 1 cor 1:10-13, 1 cor 12-12-27, 1 tim 3:1-4, 2 tim 4:1-5 , 1 pt 5:1)
13: Those who accept Christ in less full manners are in proportion less fully inspired. (Orthodox being the next, with most protestant follow.)
14: (I forget how this next claim works but it effectively ends with a claim which will be bastardised here: "all who accept the trinitarian baptism are members of the Catholic church, though without practising as visible Catholics, those members are in disunion.")
15: (I would finish this, but I have some place to be... but it basically ends with all of humanity is in some sense members of the Church, by their very exisitence, with a heirarchy of truth established by their conformity with the teachings of Christ.)

--------
one thing I forgot to add was that "extra ecclesia nulla salus" is still held by the Church... just in the understanding poorly presented.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home