Are RCIA converts required to believe all doctrines?

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LariamTox

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I asked this in the “ask an apoligist” section but wanted to see what others think. I’m helping in an RCIA class. One of the questions was do I have to believe all this stuff before I become Catholic? Someone else in the class(who is already Catholic) said to her, “I don’t believe all that stuff and I’m Catholic.” I was floored. I spoke with the person after class but didn’t have much luck. It seems to me that all doctrine would need to believed (but not understood) before becoming Catholic. (cf CCC 88 and CCC 2087-2089) Am I totally off base or on the right track? (Does Cannon Law address this?)
 
It seems to me that all doctrine would need to believed (but not understood) before becoming Catholic.
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That is my understanding, and it applies to ANY catholic, not just RCIA people 🙂
 
Oh, and not to be nit-picky, but DOGMA would have to be believed and not neccissarily understood, doctrine is something that could be changed.
 
Well, seeing as how you have to answer the bishop when he asks if “you believe all that the Catholic Church teaches and proclaims,” I’d say “yes.” One may not understand, one may have personal reservations (but not objections), as long as they can honestly say that they assent to every Catholic teaching and belief and will submit to it.
 
In a nutshell you must believe in all the Church teaches, you can disagree on things but must be obeidient. That said there is a massive ammount out there of what the Church actually teachs, so if you do not know about it and do not believe your safe.
 
A Catholic must believe everything the Church proposes to him for belief. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The Church is in such a shambles because so many people refuse to recognize that reality.
 
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LariamTox:
I asked this in the “ask an apoligist” section but wanted to see what others think. I’m helping in an RCIA class. One of the questions was do I have to believe all this stuff before I become Catholic? Someone else in the class(who is already Catholic) said to her, “I don’t believe all that stuff and I’m Catholic.” I was floored. I spoke with the person after class but didn’t have much luck. It seems to me that all doctrine would need to believed (but not understood) before becoming Catholic. (cf CCC 88 and CCC 2087-2089) Am I totally off base or on the right track? (Does Cannon Law address this?)
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Perhaps you could look at this from a little bit of a different perspective. Ask yourself what it is that you are seeking. Hopefully the answer to that question is that you are seeking the truth about God, about Jesus and about Divine Revelation. If you are seeking the truth, and you conclude that you do not believe all that the Catholic Church teaches then it follows that you have not found the truth. If the Catholic Church does not contain the truth then to enter her would be contrary to your goal of seeking the truth.

On the other hand, if you believe that the Catholic Church is the true church of Jesus Christ and therefore, by that very fact, it must teach the truth, why would you not accept all that she teaches? You have already decided that she is the true Church so it makes no sense to reject any of her teachings. One does not have to understand the teachings to give assent to the teachings. Understanding comes later, after study and prayer. Remember, we will never understand everything because we have a finite mind and God is infinite. Some things will always be mysteries to the finite mind.

One who professes to be Catholic while rejecting any of the truths that the Catholic Church teaches is a fraud. Such a person is being unfaithful to the Church and to Jesus.
 
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alyssa:
Oh, and not to be nit-picky, but DOGMA would have to be believed and not neccissarily understood, doctrine is something that could be changed.
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I think maybe you are speaking of discipline being changed. The celibacy of the preists is a discipline. Dogmas are doctrines with a high degree of certainty…
 
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LariamTox:
I asked this in the “ask an apoligist” section but wanted to see what others think. I’m helping in an RCIA class. One of the questions was do I have to believe all this stuff before I become Catholic? Someone else in the class(who is already Catholic) said to her, “I don’t believe all that stuff and I’m Catholic.” I was floored. I spoke with the person after class but didn’t have much luck. It seems to me that all doctrine would need to believed (but not understood) before becoming Catholic. (cf CCC 88 and CCC 2087-2089) Am I totally off base or on the right track? (Does Cannon Law address this?)
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Someone else in the class(who is already Catholic) said to her, “I don’t believe all that stuff and I’m Catholic.”

If this was a sponsor then they were not screened, trained or formed very well for the role of sponsor. A a Sponsor a person is in a specific role within the Church and is required by Canon Law to speak in accordance with the teaching of the Church, especially in public settings. If they cannot do this then they should be dismissed for the role of Sponsor.

All the Doctrines need to be ACCEPTED (not rejected). They must be able to profess their faith by the Creed and mean what they say.

RCIA is the beginning of a new journey in faith the learning process is just starting and will continue for the rest of their life through adult catechesis opportunities offered in the parish. Also remember with the exception of the sponsor above. the Sponsor relationship is very important and continues for the rest of their lives. Catechumens and candidates should meet with the sponsors on a regular basis after RCIA.
 
We may not believe or understand all, but we accept all since the Church teaches it.
 
Andreas Hofer:
A Catholic must believe everything the Church proposes to him for belief. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The Church is in such a shambles because so many people refuse to recognize that reality.
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It’s actually more important to have a docile spirit and to believe that the Church has the God-given authority to teach. As a Convert, I still struggle with some things, and say “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” – but I believe 100% that the Church calls the shots.
 
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mercygate:
It’s actually more important to have a docile spirit and to believe that the Church has the God-given authority to teach. As a Convert, I still struggle with some things, and say “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” – but I believe 100% that the Church calls the shots.
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Ditto to that. I started out with a list of 25 or so “yeah-buts” and wound up with only two, both of which happen to be Marian doctrines. I decided to accept them with exactly that statement–“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief,” because in my mind the Church had proven itself right about everything else on my list.

DaveBj
 
Do we need to believe and accept everything Jesus said to us?
If the answer is yes, then why would we not accept everything CHrist’s Church said to us?
After all, the CHurch is the Body of Christ.
 
Yes you have to believe it all. We must belive that the church cannot error in faith and morals, so we HAVE to believe. we cannot pick and choose what we want. but converting is hard so you may not totally understand or totally accept everything and that is alright…you just must understand and believe the church is always right…and then work on understanding and God will help you. if you have an questions or problems with certain beliefs…email me. Jesus’ teachings are hard, so I wouldn’t expect someone to believe 100% all of them in a 1 or 2 year class…but just accept that they are true and then work on why.
 
A catechumen must accept everything that the Catholic Church teaches in matters of faith and morals. That does not mean that a catechumen must have perfect faith before they are given the Sacraments of Initiation. If a person could have perfect faith before they were baptized, why would that person need to be baptised?**Catechism of the Catholic Church

1253 ** ….The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. The catechumen or the godparent is asked: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” The response is: “Faith!”
 
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LariamTox:
I asked this in the “ask an apoligist” section but wanted to see what others think. I’m helping in an RCIA class. One of the questions was do I have to believe all this stuff before I become Catholic? Someone else in the class(who is already Catholic) said to her, “I don’t believe all that stuff and I’m Catholic.” I was floored. I spoke with the person after class but didn’t have much luck. It seems to me that all doctrine would need to believed (but not understood) before becoming Catholic. (cf CCC 88 and CCC 2087-2089) Am I totally off base or on the right track? (Does Cannon Law address this?)
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I’m also in RCIA, and I think that there is a lot to learn and know before making a fair and educated decision to be Catholic. If someone is struggling with parts of church doctrine, then they may want to take more time before confirming. There is no shame in saying “I’m not ready for this yet.” I think that it is better to let faith develop fully than to just say “well, I believe most of it, I guess I can be Catholic now.”

Unfortunately there are plenty of Catholics who pick and chose what they want to believe and disreguard the rest, but that is very dangerous and it is far better to follow all the teaching than to pick and chose. Whether someone believes it or not, truth is truth, and that wont change for the times, thank God!
 
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StephiePea:
Unfortunately there are plenty of Catholics who pick and chose what they want to believe and disreguard the rest, but that is very dangerous and it is far better to follow all the teaching than to pick and chose. Whether someone believes it or not, truth is truth, and that wont change for the times, thank God!
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Well said! If one is “picking and choosing” which doctrines one will accept, then one is, by definition, a Protestant. In any given Protestant denomination, one will find some doctrines that are confessed that are exactly what the Catholic Church teaches, and some doctrines that are confessed that are rejected by the Catholic Church. I can’t think of any Protestant Church that totally rejects all Catholic doctrine.

One reason that a Protestant enters RCIA should be to learn what the Catholic Church teaches. If one accepts the teachings of the Church, then one can be said to be in communion with the Church. If one is rejecting what the Catholic Church teaches, one is out of communion with the Catholic Church, and one should not ask to receive the Sacrament of Communion.
If someone is struggling with parts of church doctrine, then they may want to take more time before confirming. There is no shame in saying “I’m not ready for this yet.”
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👍 An inquirer should be encouraged to take all the time they need before they ask to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. All inquirers should be told there is no time limit being imposed on them. If a person feels he is being forced to make a decision before he or she is ready to give a full commitment to being a Catholic, then there is something wrong.
 
I can’t think of anything to add to the wonderful witness to the beauty of the Catholic Church that this thread presents. After participating in several threads where individuals contend that their unwillingness to accept the Truth is fine, it’s a marvelous breath of fresh air to read the posts of so many who love the Church as I strive to, with a willingness to accept all She teaches.

I too, while a cradle Catholic, underwent an intense investigation of the Faith against a poorly defined, but definite checklist, born of my errant pride. I found that each time I prayed, “I accept the truth, I believe, God help my unbelief” I was nearly always answered in the most incredible ways with the information necessary to touch my heart and mind.

God merely asks that we open ourselves to His infinite Grace.

He’ll do it, we simply need to ask, with a Humble and Contrite Spirit.

God Bless you all, you’ve made my day,

CARose
 
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CARose:
God merely asks that we open ourselves to His infinite Grace.

He’ll do it, we simply need to ask, with a Humble and Contrite Spirit.

God Bless you all, you’ve made my day,

CARose
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👍

God won’t force the gift of faith on someone that doesn’t want to believe. All God expects from us is a decision to be open to receiving the truth.
 
Great thread, yes I’m in RCIA as well and things are going well. There are a few subjects that are somehwhat of a stumbling block (Mary, penance) for me right now, but these are not deal breakers. I will continue to humbly submit myself and keep an open mind. My wife is my sponsor so I had better! 🙂
 
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