Pope Francis says Atheists are Redeemed

By Tom Beasley on May 23, 2013

Recently Pope Francis said that even atheists receive redemption through Christ as long as they do good. The Pope stressed the importance of doing good over all else as the criterion for redemption. This is a historical new direction for the Catholic Church and the Papacy. This also comes following a slew of traditions that the Pope has already broken. The new Pope has also abandoned the gaudiness and excessive showiness that the Vatican normally portrays (see Pope Francis featured on the right compared to Ratzinger on the left and note the clothing and throne).

There are two points worth making regarding this new perspective. First, perhaps the more pedantic point, the position that good works are the key to redemption is actually counter to what the Bible actually says. Most clearly John 14:6 states this:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6, NIV 2011).

This is not ambiguous and every translation of this conveys the same message. One of the most popular verses in the Bible, even called a basic summary, is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NIV 2011).

Here listed is the sole criterion for redemption — belief and acceptance of Christ as lord and savior. This is also not a passing notion only appearing in John. The entire New Testament points to this idea. Paul, for example, formerly Saul, was a murderer and rapist an found redemption through Christ and became not only saved but an early church leader. It is a core tenant of Christianity that those who do evil may repent and accept Christ for redemption and Paul is the quintessential example of this. Lastly, Matthew wraps up this idea by showing that the one unforgivable sin is speaking against the holy spirit:

And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:31-32, NIV 2011).

There is some debate as to what blasphemy against the holy spirit actually entails. Many would say that this includes, by their very nature, atheists.

This leads into my second, less pedantic point. Pope Francis is straying from Biblical tradition and instead is turning to a morally superior approach — it is good actions that make someone good and it is more important than acceptance in Christ. This is laudable and while some people might think that we need no approval of the Pope, that is true — we need no such blessings. However, distrust of atheists is rampant. The Catholic Church has a long way to go when it comes to many issues, like contraception and women’s rights, but we should not shun progress. These actions are a glimpse of the future where we are not distrusted, belittled, or treated as second class citizens since we are not united “under god” with our theistic brothers and sisters. Yes, we do not need the Pope’s blessings. Yes, the Catholic Church has a long way to come and has morally reprehensible teachings. However, we do far more for our cause by doing good and acting conciliatory when appropriate. We should strive to appear as the most reasonable people in the room and act with some grace and civility when handed an olive branch. This does not mean abandon altogether the otherwise appropriate sharp tongued rhetoric directed at the Catholic Church.