Are there any Christian denominations that don't believe Jesus is the only way to salvation?

Upvote:0

Modern Catholics believe in "Baptism of Desire" (BoD) which means, even though a person dies a Buddhist or Hindu, etc., and they did not desire baptism or even know of it, God provides that person with a BoD somewhere after death but before Judgement.

Eight Church Fathers believed in BoD for Catechumens only, however some rejected it altogether, like St Gregory of Nazienzen. Some later saints believed in Baptism of Desire for Catechumens only, like St Alphonsus de Ligori. Doctrinally, non-water baptism is condemned by multiple Councils, notably Trent.

Pope Paul III, The Council of Trent, canons on the Sacrament of Baptism, Session 7, canon 2: “If anyone shall say that real and natural water is not necessary for baptism, and on that account those words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit’ [John 3:5], are distorted into some sort of metaphor: let him be anathema.”

However, post Vatican II Popes have extended the concept of Baptism of Desire to basically include everyone in every religion whatsoever.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now considered to be the Pope), Truth and Tolerance, 2004, p. 207: “The fact that in every age there have been, and still are, ‘pagan saints’ is because everywhere and in every age – albeit often with difficulty and in fragmentary fashion – the speech of the ‘heart’ can be heard, because God’s Torah may be heard within ourselves...”

In conclusion, almost everyone who would call themselves a Catholic disagrees with your statement.

Upvote:1

Jehovah's Witnesses don't literally disagree but interpret it differently than most other denominations:

We believe in Jesus, who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We have faith that Jesus came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) His death and resurrection make it possible for those exercising faith in him to gain everlasting life. (John 3:16) We also believe that Jesus is now ruling as King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, which will soon bring peace to the entire earth. (Revelation 11:15) However, we take Jesus at his word when he said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.

Also they do not believe in hell:

Some Bible translations use the word “hell” for the Hebrew word “Sheol” and the matching Greek word “Hades,” both of which refer to the common grave of mankind. (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27) Many people believe in a fiery hell, as shown in the religious artwork accompanying this article. However, the Bible teaches otherwise.

  1. Those in hell are unconscious and so cannot feel pain. “There is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol.”—Ecclesiastes 9:10.
  2. Good people go to hell. The faithful men Jacob and Job expected to go there.—Genesis 37:35; Job 14:13.
  3. Death, not torment in a fiery hell, is the penalty for sin. “He who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”—Romans 6:7.
  4. Eternal torment would violate God’s justice. (Deuteronomy 32:4) When the first man, Adam, sinned, God told him that his punishment would simply be to pass out of existence: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) God would have been lying if he were actually sending Adam to a fiery hell.
  5. God does not even contemplate eternal torment. The idea that he would punish people in hellfire is contrary to the Bible’s teaching that “God is love.”—1 John 4:8; Jeremiah 7:31.

Upvote:2

Technically, in some traditions there is a doctrine known as Lucan Inclusivism, which stems from a passage in Luke in which a parable by Jesus includes a beggar, never seen to enter the temple. For those interested, the passage is Luke 16, 19-31. The beggar would not, according to contemporary scholarship, have been allowed to enter the temple; ergo never following the traditions of Judaism for worship, but he is still "carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom".

This argument is occasionally used in some soteriological thought to claim that salvation can come without faith even to those who are not Christian, but only if the chance to accept it was never given.

I personally don't find the evidence (in the passage it never explicitly states that the beggar failed in his faith-indeed, the practice of making assumptions on Christian soteriology off of that of Judaism is somewhat questionable) to support the claim, but I had several long discussions with my brother about it; according to him it's accepted by the Nazarenes (he's a theology student at a Nazarene school, but it is occasionally known for drifting from doctrinal imperatives in its teaching).

Upvote:4

I suppose that depends what you mean by "Christian denominations". I'd say that anyone who rejects the idea that salvation is by Christ is, by definition, not a Christian denomination. But if you mean, groups that call themselves Christian, then the answer is clearly yes.

I tried to find some clear references from doctrinal statements of churches on the web. Frankly, it's a lot of work. Few are going to directly say, "We don't think Jesus is the only way ...", for the simple reason that people rarely say what they don't believe, they say what they do believe. What you're more likely to find is that people who believe in Jesus as the only way say so, and those who don't have vague statements.

But for example:

The most obvious example is Unitarians. http://www-distance.syr.edu/sammaybelieve.html

Presbyterians. See "What about people of other faiths" in http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/today/jesus/

Anglicans. See http://www.stjohnsroslyn.org.nz/guide_to_the_anglican_church.html Note that it tosses in Islam and unspecified others as on a par with Christianity. Or more directly, http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/presiding-bishop-jesus-is-not-the-only-way-to-god-cen-41709-p-7/.

I would have said Mormons, though this page, http://mormon.org/jesus-christ, from the Mormon's web site in fact says that salvation is only through Christ. While they don't believe in the Trinity, they do say Jesus is the only path to salvation.

I once attended a meeting of The Way in which the speaker said that Jesus was just a man, a good man, but a man. I read similar statements in a book given me by a United Methodist minister. But I'm reluctant to make statements about a denomination as a whole based on what one representative said.

Upvote:5

It's not a denomination, but there are a number of people that would call themselves "Christian Atheist". Christian Atheism rejects the existence of God, but follows the moral teaching of Jesus.

There isn't an official "Church" or denomination. (Why would there be?) It seems to be more of a movement and growing trend.

At least one Reverend from the Protestant Church in the Netherlands would fit the profile, and teaches this view from the pulpit.

They wouldn't consider Jesus to be the only way to Heaven, because to them, Heaven is a myth.

Upvote:5

The "emerging church" in general, and Brian McLaren in particular, have often been accused of holding this position. Like good Agile developers, they hold to a set of core principles that are more important than others. In particular, they hold that Jesus' preference for people over doctrine means that any doctrine that excludes people is wrong. Some extend this to mean that the Emerging Church would say that no doctrine (including the "idea" that Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the life) can trump one's eternal worth or destiny.

Also, Unitarians consider themselves to be Christian but reject both Jesus as God and Jesus as the only means to God. Flying directly in the face of Lewis' trilemma, they regard Jesus as a good teacher but nothing more. Additionally, Unitarians are members of the "Unitarian Universalist" association - a group that encompasses both Christian and non-Christian groups.

Upvote:6

Catholics believe that Only those baptised in Jesus' name will go to heaven.

But we also believe that

God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. ccc 1257

So, there is hope for:

  • People who never have heard of Jesus, even those born before him.
  • Children or catechumens who die before baptism.
  • People who die a holy death, but lived a bad life.

These people receive a different kind of the same Baptism one would receive in a Church, and it's all done through Christ.

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