DHK said:
The recent Catechism of the RCC states in no uncertain terms that Muslims are saved and are going to heaven.
First the Catechism isn’t a freshly drafted document, it’s in large measure a synthesis of other documents, and therefore one needs to look up the original quotations in the original sources to fully understand them. But then again I’m not expecting any fundamentalist to go outside of his authority of Chick, Cloud, Hunt or Boettner who’s the authority on all things Catholic.
To understand the Catechism 841, we need to examine Lumen Gentium (LG) the Vatican II document found here:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html from where 841 is quoted from, which is from LG 16, but we need to back up to LG 13 to understand the whole picture.
LG 13 states that “All men are called to belong to the new people of God” and concludes: “All men are called to be part of this catholic unity of the people of God which in promoting universal peace presages it. And there belong to or are related to it in various ways, the Catholic faithful, all who believe in Christ, and indeed the whole of mankind, for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation.”
LG 14 concerns itself with Catholics and 14 repudiates the idea that Islam or any other religions are as good as the Catholic Church.
LG 15 turns to the non-Catholic Christians and states: “The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not profess the faith in its entirety [e.g., Protestants] or do not preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter [e.g., Orthodox].
Note 15 doesn’t say they are part of the Church, only that they are “linked” to it many ways, some of which by Scripture, faith in Christ, baptism…
LG 16 doesn’t say that non-Christians are on par with the Church. LG 16 starts with the Jews in that they are more closely related to the Church than any other non-Christian religion. Only after this do we read: "But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims.”
Note that this isn’t saying everyone will be saved, nor that there are many paths to salvation, if anything from LG 13, the council has been describing how people are progressively more distant from the Church.
“…the plan of salvation also includes," we should not understand it as saying that non-Jewish theists are saved. It means that God desires their salvation and has made plans for their salvation; plans that include giving them graces that lead in the direction of salvation and the Church. That doesn’t mean that being nothing more than non-Jewish theists or Muslims can save them.
The council goes on in LG 16 to note the following:
1. They "profess to hold the faith of Abraham." The operative word here is "profess"—they claim to hold the faith of Abraham. In reality, their faith is an imperfect version of the faith that comes from Abraham, but they are trying to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, and the Council gives them credit for that.
2. "Together with us they adore the one, merciful God." God is aware of and acknowledges all that is good and true in the worship offered to him, however imperfect an understanding of him a worshiper may have. While Muslims, like Jews, do not accept the Trinity, they do acknowledge that God is the only true God and that he is merciful. This means that they honor things that are true about God but have a limited understanding of him.
Christians have a fuller understanding of God because he has revealed more to us about himself: specifically, that he is a Trinity. This doctrine cannot be deduced by human reason; it can only be known by revelation.
Failure to accept this revelation of the Christian age does not stop Muslims from worshiping God any more than it stops Jews. It means only that they know less about God and that they have erroneous corollary ideas (for instance, that Jesus is not the Son of God).
3. Muslims recognize that God is "mankind’s judge on the last day." This is another link they have to biblical faith. Muslims may have erroneous ideas about some of the things that will occur before, after, or around this event, but that much they have right.
In any event during my studies since I left the fundamental grip and began to think for myself and read other material, there should be no doubt that the Church recognizes that followers of Islam have elements of truth. But while it is possible for them, as for all men for that matter to be saved if they live up to the light God has given them. It cannot however be said that Islam is a path of salvation or that Muslims do not need to become Christians.
Blessings