Yay, a thread that I can actually read!  I was wondering what was going on with the other one.

The CCC says this:

"Outside the Church there is no salvation"

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?³³⁵ Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches 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, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.³³⁶

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.³³⁷

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."³³⁸

So just because someone isn't a Christian or a Catholic Christian even that doesn't mean that they have no hope of salvation.  I've talked to a lot of Christians about this one and they end up being surprised by what the Catholic Church professes on the matter, I guess they have this vision of us and our teachings to be so exclusive and that's definitely not the case. 

Yes, all can go to heaven.      See Acts 10:34-36.

Hello,

Absobatooootly YES!

My name is Ceeboo and I approved this message

Peace,

Ceeboo

Jul 15, 2010 -- 9:19AM, Ceeboo wrote:

Hello,

 

Absobatooootly YES!

 

My name is Ceeboo and I approved this message

Peace,

Ceeboo

Hi Ceeboo--and welcome to the forum.

SuZ

I look at the scriptures that talk about people knocking on the door and Jesus saying (paraphrasing) "go away from me you evil doers, I never knew you.  They say "but didn't we prophesy in your name and drive out demons in your name."  He says "yes, but I never knew you."

I also think about the parable of Abraham and Lazarus and the gulf that is between those in heaven and those in hell. (luke 16)

Or the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25.

Also in matthew 25:

⁴¹ "Then He will also say to those on His left, `Depart <sup>R969</sup> from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal <sup>R970</sup> fire which has been prepared for the <sup>R971</sup> devil and his angels; <sup>42</sup> for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; <sup>43</sup> I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' <sup>44</sup> "Then they themselves also will answer, `Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take ^F553 care of You?' ⁴⁵ "Then He will answer them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' ⁴⁶ "These will go away into eternal ^R972 punishment, but the righteous into eternal ^R973 life."