The argument from inconsistent revelations is a common case made by atheists but decreasingly popular, in a less religious culture. In short it says that because so many religions preach different ways to Heaven, then choosing any one of them is mathematically risky and foolish because you could be wrong. Thus it’s better not to choose a religion and be agnostic.
However this is an argument that has had varying success in Christian theology, and since today is the feast of St. Dominic I thought it was an appropriate topic of discussion. When evangelizing in China the Jesuits and the Dominicans were competing for new converts and they encountered followers of Confucius. They asked the priests whether or not Confucius and his followers would go to Heaven or Hell. The Jesuits assured them that Confucius and all holy pagans would probably be blessed eternally because of their good intentions. The Dominicans told them that without baptism, the Confucians lacked any grace and would be damned at least for their original sin.
The Franciscan theory of invincible ignorance (employed by the Jesuits) was a useful invention of the middle ages to quell the fears of overanxious Christians and has many forms especially in Methodistic offshoots of Protestantism and post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. The theory centers of course on the Pelagian assumption that man is born without original sin, or that he can at least overcome its influence by his own heroic efforts and thus merit his salvation before God.
I was interested to see an episode of South Park today that juxtaposed these two old ideas when the boys are told that no one – even their Jewish and handicapped friend – can be saved without being baptized. While blasphemous in its humor, the show displayed an interesting problem in the history of the Church and actually accents Lutheran claims when their struggle with constant besetting sin is shown throughout the episode. Interestingly enough, even the monastic impulse – to flee the sinful world altogether – is chronicled. Once Christ alone has been removed as the basis of salvation, and room is made for human merit and cooperation in a justifying process, it seems Christ can be pushed altogether out of the picture with the only difference between the saved and the damned being their own good or evil intentions. I also thought it fascinating that the question I asked in RCIA classes “what if someone is hit by a bus on the way to confession” was featured. Another case of satire coming far too close to the mark.