Roman Catholicism In the Catholic Church, baptism of desire "replace[s]
Sacramental Baptism in so far as the communication of
grace is concerned, but do[es] not effect incorporation into the Church, as [it] do[es] not bestow the
sacramental character by which a person becomes attached formally to the Church". The
Catholic Church teaches in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church that "baptism is necessary for
salvation". It also states the desire for baptism "brings about the fruits of
Baptism without being a
sacrament". It further states that "[f]or
catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with
repentance for their sins, and
charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament". Lastly, it adds: "Every man who is ignorant of the
Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of
God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity".
Feeneyism The doctrine of
Feeneyism is associated with the position of
Leonard Feeney on the doctrine ("outside the Church there is no salvation"). Feeneyism's interpretation of the doctrine is that only
Catholics can go to
heaven and that only those
baptised with water can go to heaven. Feeneyism opposes the doctrines of baptism of desire and
baptism of blood as well as the view that non-Catholics can go to heaven.
Lutheranism Lutheranism affirms that baptism is ordinarily necessary for salvation. However, citing the teaching of the
early Church, Lutherans acknowledge a baptism of desire where a person desire baptism but could not receive it.
Dismas, the repentant thief on the cross, is cited as an example of an individual who trusted in Jesus but did not have the opportunity to get baptized. As such, "though God ordinarily ties himself to the means of the sacrament, if one desires baptism but is unable to receive it prior to death, God counts one's desire as sufficient for the grace given". == See also ==