The Christian issue of whether salvation is exclusive only to people who have heard the Bible or exposed to the Christian community has been viewed differently by Catholics and Evangelicals. Catholics tend to have a more tolerant perspective while still holding on to the importance of Christian teachings while Evangelicals carry a more exclusivist or doubtful view.The Vatican II series of Catholic bishop meetings in the 1960s established what would be the obtaining position of the Roman Catholic Church towards other religions. Variously termed ...view middle of the document...
Vatican II's "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions" suggests that Christians could learn from other contemplative traditions especially since adaptation to these cultures would help make non-Christians more receptive to Christ and Christianity (Imperato 20).One developed theory that explains how salvation can be availed of by people beyond the confines of Christianity is propounded by theologian Karl Rahner. Rahner points to the transcendental presence of God, or God's presence in all human hearts, that is manifested through natural human restlessness to open to the infinite or God. This "natural openness to God" independent of whether a person knows the word or concept of God is seen through the human yearning for truth and goodness (Imperato 20). Thus any moral decision at the expense of one's status or pleasure becomes an act of worship or surrender to God.Herein, Rahner developed the concept of the 'anonymous Christian' to explain the idea that people can still live their lives according to God even without the language about God (Imperato 24).This is based on his posits that: God, who wishes to see all men saved, cannot possibly consign all who are non-Christians to the damnation of hell, and Christ is the only way to salvation.
