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Christy Sanchez STILL CATHOLIC AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I believe in God, Father
Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, Our Lord, who was born of
the Holy Ghost and of Mary, the Virgin, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate
and buried; on the third day He rose from the dead ascended into heaven, and is
seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence He shall come to judge the
quick and the dead; and in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Church; the remission of
sins; and the resurrection of the dead. (Apostles Creed) I am Catholic, and this
prayer that is said at church every Sunday encompasses my beliefs as a Catholic.
Before I get into what I believe in as a Catholic, I would like to give some
background on the religion itself, because this has also shaped my beliefs.
Catholicism comes from Christianity. Of all the religions, Christianity is the
most widespread and has the largest number of members. (Smith, p.317)
Christianity is based on actual history, and they have historical facts to back
up a lot of the ideas. The word Catholic is generally taken to mean universal,
although the Greek roots of the word mean according to (kata) the whole (holos).
In the ancient Church, it was used to refer to a single, visible communion,
separate from others, bonded together through faith in Jesus Christ (web).
As far back as the ninth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem stated: The Church
is called Catholic, because it teaches universally and infallibly each and every
doctrined which must come to the knowledge of men, concerning things visible and
invisible, heavenly and earthly, …because it brings every race of men into
subjection to holiness, …because it universally treats and heals every class of
sins, and because it possesses within itself every conceivable form of virtue,
in deeds and in words and in the spiritual gifts of every description.
Catholics are followers of Jesus. Our journey begins at baptism, and we
continue on that journey towards eternal happiness. There are two main ideas
that separate Catholicism from Christianity. The first is that Catholics believe
in the Church as its teacher. This means that just as you might need a math
teacher to explain your textbook in a way that you understand, we need the
leaders of the Church (Pope, bishops, and priests) to interpret the Bible. We
shouldn't take everything the Bible says literally, and these leaders help us to
apply its teachings to our lives. The second main idea is that there are seven
Sacraments (baptism, confession, communion, confirmation, marriage, annointing
of the sick, Holy Orders) that we need to incorporate into our lives so that we
may live the teachings of the Church.
It is one thing to hear how we should live our lives, but it is another to
do. That is where the Sacraments help. The Church has laws governing the
reception of all the sacraments. Members are expected to try and understand the
meaning of the Church's rituals and to develop a full sacramental lifestyle.
(web) Catholicism has other teachings that are integral to the religion.
Followers are expected to live according to the Ten Commandments of the Old
Testament, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the laws and moral teachings
of the Church. The Church is officially against any racial or national criteria
for membership. It is a universal church, and everyone is welcome. (web) There
is also no age requirement to become Catholic, although there are age
restrictions on some of the Sacraments.
Members of the Catholic Church are expected to offer Christian services
within the Church and the community, and to be especially generous with both
time and money to the poor. Church members are expected to support their church.
However, no one is excluded based on his or her lack of financial contributions.
Baptism is required for membership. The Catholic Church requires its members to
attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, and to participate in prayer services and
celebration of the sacraments. Those are the core beliefs that date back to it's
earliest teachings. Some of the beliefs that are heard about in more recent
times, are the church's stance on abortion, the death penalty, birth
control/premarital sex, women in high church positions, and same sex
relationships.
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