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On the topic of how many shall be saved, from a Catholic view, Fr. Lasance in the early 1900s comments on this topic in "My Prayer Book", p. 55: https://archive.org/details/MyPrayerBookHappinessInGoodness/page/55/mode/2up

Attempt at Summary

The heresy of Jansenism in the 1600s tended towards a strict view of salvation that only a few would be saved. Over the centuries we are now tending towards the other condemned view of "universal salvation", or that all will be saved no matter what. A common opinion of theologians is that "few" will be saved, but we know not how many.

Fr. Lasance mentions that Catholics are permitted to believe that a majority of Catholics will be saved, or the majority of mankind; Catholics have not authoritively stated we must believe this number or that number will be saved.

People are simply encouraged to strive to be among the few; if only a few are saved, then hopefully they are among that number, and if many are saved, then they should also be among that number:

> If you want to be certain of being in the number of the Elect, strive to be one of the few, not one of the many. And if you would be quite sure of your salvation, strive to be among the fewest of the few. -St. Anselm

> Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. Luke 13:24

Feeneyism and "Universal Baptism of Desire"

Now today there is a “strict” error Catholics have had to deal with dubbed “Feeneyism”, or the view that only the water baptized may be saved. Catholics have acknowledged that one may be “baptized by shedding their blood” or “baptized by virtue of desiring baptism”. There are many examples of martyrs who were not baptized by water, but “by their blood”, who are considered to be saints, or among the saved.

I think this error of “Feeneyism” came about in reaction to an opposite error of “universal salvation by baptism of desire”, or modernists arguing “everyone has an implicit desire for baptism, whether they know it or not”. In effect they were arguing that almost everyone will be baptized, simply because they have an unknown desire for baptism, and therefore will be saved.

This seems to plainly conflict with people who are aware of a need to be baptized by water, but who for whatever reason do not go and receive baptism, nor make any attempt to do so; the counter-argument would be here that there are at least some people who have had a desire for baptism they haven’t acted on or have opposed, which would be considered to be “morally imputable”.

In any event, I think these are twin erroneous tendencies, with “Feeneyism” taking a strict incorrect approach, with the “universal baptism of desire” approach, which is unnamed, having an incorrect “broad” view of things, and with Catholics taking a “moderate” position that some may be “baptized by blood or desire” and be saved.

(I have heard some young people have become attracted to the idea of “Feeneyism” as a “strict” reaction to some “broad” erroneous attitudes today)

Have you encountered "feeneyism" or an opposite idea of "universal baptism of desire", or do you have any more to elaborate about on the topics?