What are Catholic beliefs about sin and salvation?

Answer 1

The basic Catholic teaching is that there is no salvation outside the Church. The Church here being the one that Christ Himself founded and which over the centuries has come to be identified as the "Catholic" Church.

What is contingent for salvation then is initiation into the Catholic Church. This is properly done through the sacrament of baptism. Baptism places a permanent character on the soul, forever identifying it as Christian. Baptism also effaces the mark of Original Sin on the soul and all actual sins the person many have committed as well as all the temporal punishment due for them. If a person would die after being baptized, they would go straight to heaven.

Once baptized a person must continue to grow and deepen their Faith in order to arrive at death in a good disposition. Christ, therefore, gave His Church other sacraments, teachings and powers in order that its members could be strengthened in the Christian life and live lives pleasing to God. At death, a soul must be in the state of grace, that is, have no major unconfessed sin upon the soul and thus be in peace and union with God. To be sure to die in such a good way, daily perseverance in Christian virtue and living is deemed necessary. This is the function of the Church in the life of a Catholic, for It provides the means and encouragement by which to correctly stay the course.

I MUST CORRECT THE FIRST STATEMENT HERE - Yes, The Church does believe there is osalvation "outside the Catholic Church" - Jesus is the key to salvation... He purchased our salvation..... I agree with the rest above... The Church does not teach that we "earn" salvation.... as Jesus earned it for us..

Answer 2

Catholics believe that every human being (saving Our Blessed Lord who had a human nature, and His Mother, Our Blessed Lady, who was conceived immaculately and preserved from all sin her entire life long) commits sins. However, there are sins and then there are mortal sins. Mortal sins, when unconfessed and unforgiven will put you in hell immediately upon dying, so that is why every Catholic should go to confession as frequently as necessary and no longer than once a month or your conscience will become hardened. The mortal/venial sin is broken down in 1 John 5:16-17, mortal sins are those which kill. All sin is bad and wounds us, and continuing in venial sin will eventually end you up in mortal sin, which will end you up in hell, so we should examine our conscience every day, and go to confession every week or so, and pray at all times.

Answer 3

Roman Catholic AnswerSort of a big subject for Answers.com, there have been volumes written about both. So, very short synopsis: (from the Catechism)

1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law." (St. Augustine, Contra Faustum 22: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 42, 418; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, 71, 6) 1850 Sin is an offense against God" "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight." (Ps 51:4) sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods," (Gen 3:5) knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God." (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 14, 28: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 41, 436) In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation. (Cf. Phil 2:6-9)

As for sin and salvation, we all sin, so we all need salvation:

588 Jesus scandalized the Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and sinners as familiarly as with themselves. (Cf. Lk 5:30; 7:36; 11:37; 14:1) Against those among them "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others," Jesus affirmed: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Lk 18:9; 5:32; cf. Jn7:49; 9:34) He went further by proclaiming before the Pharisees that, since sin is universal, those who pretend not to need salvation are blind to themselves. (Cf. Jn 8:33-36; 9:40-41)

Finally, baptism is necessary for salvation, this is where it begins; of course, there is much more, for that you must attend your Catechism class or read you Catechism!:

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. (Cf. Jn 3:5) He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptise them. (Cf. Mt 28:19-20; cf. Council of Trent (1547) Denzinger-Schonmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definition et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum {1965}1618; Lumen Gentium 14; Ad gentes 5)