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Originally Posted by daking
QED Catholicism Dogma is bolloks.
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Thank you for adding great value to the discussion
reiii, that's not really what I'm referring to. Salvation by grace alone is a protestant belief that Catholics do not share. Salvation by grace alone, in fact, would be an argument that baptism is necessary since it is through baptism that one purportedly receives grace.
Vatican II states that all salvation is found through Christ, but it also states that those who are non-Christian may still find salvation, however it is likely more difficult. It states this by recognizing that while the fullness of Truth subsists in the Catholic Church, real truth exists in other religions. Thus, it is reasonable to think it possible that Ghandi, while not Catholic or Christian for that matter, found salvation through Jesus. In short, the Catholic Church does not believe that God faults people for what they do not know. For example, a person born Jewish is not generally exposed to the idea of becoming Catholic and, really, is socialized against the idea. Most people in that circumstance never come to the belief that the Catholic Church is the one true Church and, thus, never reject what they know to be true. So, if a person is raised in such a manner preventing them from seeing the fullness of Truth in the Catholic Church, essentially preventing them from accepting *OR* rejecting it, and that person leads a life that is good, it is possible that that person may find salvation, despite not being baptized and not believing in Jesus.
It follows, then, that if a non-Christian who has lived and had the opportunity to act in ways which he or she knows are wrong may still find salvation through Jesus, that an infant who has simply not been baptized may also do so. In fact, it seems only logical then that those infants do find salvation since they have done nothing which they know is morally wrong and are unaware of any religion.
EDIT: Furthermore, on a personal level, I tend to identify with the philosophy by some Catholic theologians, such as Fr. Andrew Greeley, that the sacrament of baptism is largely symbolic rather than some mystical and instant cleansing. Fr. Greeley wrote an excellent and concise chapter (7 pgs) regarding this in his book,
The Great Mysteries.