Questions For Catholics

[truthnlight]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

 

[orgel_maestro]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

This should probably be in the apologetics section. I’m not sure what quesiton one is asking. For question two, readings from the bible is taken and said at Mass everyday, it changes depending on the liturgical season. In the post-Vatican II Novus Ordo mass, there is 1 reading from the old testament, one epistle reading, and one reading from one of the Gospels. It alternates over a three year cycle. That day’s reading is usually available in the missalettes in the pews in front of you. Just flip to that certain Sunday to follow along. For question three, the bible is important, it’s just most of us don’t have sunday school type stuff like many protestants. Rest assured that everything which is taught is based in scripture, check out the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”. It has a summary of offifcial church teachings and scriputural examples and etc. 4) there are two types of sins: mortal and venial. For something to be a mortal sin it must be 1) be of grave matter, 2) it is committed with full knowledge of the sinner (i.e. you know it is a grave mortal sin), and 3) you do it with full consent. We’re supposed to confessing and be reconciled with God through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation when we’ve committed a mortal sin. Venial sins do not require going to confession, however confessing them if possible is not a bad idea. If you die and are not in a state of grace at the time of death (free of mortal sin), you don’t go to heaven. Remember, the Catholic church was the one who compiled the Bible

I’m no apologist or w/e, i’m just ure ordinary average joe catholic.

 

[yinekka]

1** Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?**What is soulwin?

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?
The Sacrifice of the Mass isn’t a bible study. We come together as a community to listen to God’s word from the Scriptures and offer worship to God. At Sunday Mass we have four readings from Scripture: one from the Old Testament, one from the Psalms, one from one of the Epistles and one from the Gospel. Those people who have missals can read the Sunday readings with the reader or priest and those who don’t have missals can listen to the readings. During the homily the priest explains the readings and how we can apply them to our lives.

3 **When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?**Some Catholics know the bible more than others.

Is this important for a Catholic to study?
The holy Scriptures are very important for a Catholic to study. St Jerome, a bible scholar from the5th Century, said that ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ. I agree though, that Catholics need to follow the lead of our non Catholic brothers and sisters and become more familiar with the scriptures.

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?
Our eternal judgement can only be decided by God alone who is all merciful. Objectively speaking, if a person dies in the state of mortal (deadly) sin he/she will not be able to go to heaven but subjectively all depends on the mercy of God; only He can see our innermost thoughts and dispositions.

 

[Proletarian]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

“soulwin”? are you referring to evangelisation? It is the duty of all good Catholics to evangelise.

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

Because the readings are read aloud. If someone wishes to read along with the weekly reading they are free to bring their own bibles, or better yet, a mistle.

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

The reading and studying of the Bible should be an essential part of a Catholics spiritual life. But one must keep these things in perspective; the Church created the Bible, not the other way around.

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

That is for God to decide.

 

[andzy]

It is only a myth that Catholics are the ones who don’t evangelize and don’t read/know the Bible. Actually most Christians (at least in the US and Europe) don’t - Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox alike.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

Another term for evangelise? The Church tends to frown on amateur efforts - then occasionally canonises people for doing it if they manage to get themselves killed in the process. However there are missionary societies and similar run by clergy.

Should more Catholics be more actively involved? I don’t see any reason to deny this.

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

They might get nicked. And it creates an intimidating atmosphere for people who can’t read well.

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

Most people don’t. For instance how many people could tell me what the name “Methuselah” means? It is not necessary to become an expert to be a good Catholic. However the best scholars in the world are to be found in the Catholic Church.

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

Not necessarily. Only a very few live such lives of heroic virtue in the face of the hatred of the world that we can be 100% sure that they are in heaven. However if a Catholic makes regular confessions it is silly to worry about being hit by a bus the day before. God isn’t a machine.

 

[CB_Catholic]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

Hi truthnlight!

1. Catholics have been “soul-winning” for over 2000 years. That is how the Gospel got spread! If you are talking about evangeization, our methods, as compared to many Evangelicals or Fundamentalists may be a bit different. We have many priests, religious, and lay people involved in evangelization ministries, but generally they do not stand up in front of the church and give an altar call, although I have seen this done at prayer meetings and conferences. It is the responsibility of every Catholic to evangelize, beginning at home and in our own environments, but we generally are not “in your face” about it. Actively living out our Christianity every day is a much more powerful witness–it is our faith in action, or more crudely put, it is “putting our money where our mouth is.” and is more believeable to non-believers. This is very Scriptural.
2. We don’t bring our Bibles to Church because the Word of God is proclaimed orally and we listen to it, the way the early Christians did, who did not have Bibles. But we can follow the readings of the day in missals, or Bibles, if we wish.
3. Yes, Bible study is very important to Catholics, but unfortunately not enough do it. However, not enough Protestants do it, either.
4. That is between the person and God. We cannot judge these things.

 

[puzzleannie]

1 Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

2?

what does this mean?

 

[SherryLynn9]

what does this mean?

Soul winning is witnessing and leading others to Jesus, our Lord. Some knock on doors, some stand on the street and preach.
Some do their best to live their lives as a witness to others, first to their family, then others. At times extended family will notice, especially if you’re a convert, the change in you and ask.

(1Pe 3:1 In the same way you must submit yourselves to your husbands, so that if any of them do not believe God’s word, your conduct will win them over to believe. It will not be necessary for you to say a word)

 

[Proletarian]

Soul winning is witnessing and leading others to Jesus, our Lord. Some knock on doors, some stand on the street and preach.
Some do their best to live their lives as a witness to others, first to their family, then others. At times extended family will notice, especially if you’re a convert, the change in you and ask.

I’d say that Catholics in general practice the latter method. Outreach evangelisation is normally left up to specific groups within the Church. I would agree with this, as it prevents Catholics that may not properly understand the faith spreading error.

 

[TraditionalCath]

Why don’t Catholics soulwin ?

Soul win? what do you mean by that? clarify please.

2 Why don’t they have Bibles in the the church for the members to read at the mass?

The Scripture that is to be read at Mass is usually inside the missal.

3 When I talk to Catholics they dont know the bible all that well ?
Is this important for a Catholic to study?

Not true on my part. Alot of Catholics are very well versed in the Bible. This is a common misconception from non Catholics.

4 If a Catholic sins before he or she tells the priest in confession
and they die will the still go to heaven?

No one knows who will be saved or not. That is up to God, not us.

 

[Cat]

Good questions, Truthnlight.

I have been in Catholic churches that didn’t have missals in the pews, but instead, had BIBLES, and when the readings are done, the references are given first so that the Catholics can look them up in their pew Bibles and read along.

I have attended several of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Family Conferences, and last year, one of the speaking priests said that he is encouraging ALL his parishioners to carry their Bibles to Mass.

So it does happen in some churches.

Our Adoration Chapel has Bibles in the pews

Our parish offers several Bible studies throughout the week. I actually got over-involved in my first year of being a Catholic–I was doing four Bible studies! I finally cut it back to one.

Our city has a Catholic Bible Fellowship for men and women that has been going on for over ten years now. Many of the attendees have been there from the beginning, and they know their Bibles.

I agree that there are a lot of Catholics that don’t know their Bibles at all. But there are many who do. Call the diocese and ask to be put in contact with a Bible study group in a local parish. Visit, and you will meet Catholics who are serious about Bible study.

Also, someone else described the Mass readings in an above post. I have read that Catholics are supposed to study these readings BEFORE they come to Mass (remember, Mass is daily, so Catholics are supposed to read the daily readings, too), and they are supposed to discuss the readings AFTER Mass with their families. Of course not all Catholics do this, but they’re supposed to.

When it comes to soulwinning, Catholics do practice personal evangelism. Every Catholic home is supposed to be a “church.” The parents are supposed to be raising their children up to follow the Lord. This is soul-winning.

Also, Catholics are supposed to be involved in the life of the Church, using whatever gifts and talents they have. All of this helps to win souls. The person who cleans out the pews is helping someone to be more comfortable so that they won’t be distracted during the reading of the Word and the homily.

And Catholics are supposed to be giving personal testimony out in the world. I believe that one way that Catholics win souls is through their continued work for pro-life causes. Many Protestant denominations have admitted that the Catholics have fought this fight against death bravely for many years. It’s a real witness to the love of God for every soul, and I believe that many people come to know the Lord because of pro-life work of Catholics.

Catholics don’t have an easy format to “share the Gospel” with their friends. Protestants have tracts like “The Four Spiritual Laws” that make witnessing easier. I personally think that it would be good if Catholics had some kind of little tract that they could use to share the Gospel whenever they have the opportunity. But since they don’t, they often have a hard time finding the words to share their faith. A lot of Protestants have the same problem witnessing until they get some training through various organizations like Evangelism Explosion, Campus Crusade for Christ, or until they learn to use a Bible method like “the Roman Road” (which, BTW, I think would be particularly appropriate for Catholics to use, too!)

I do have a “Gospel Rosary,” that has six Bible verses describing how someone can be “saved.” It’s pretty cool.

 

[Cat]

truthnlight, I hope you don’t mind if I say this.

I don’t think you’re here to bash Catholics or to try to convert us all to your Christianity.

I honestly have the feeling that you are someone who is truly “hungering and thirsting after righteousness” and that you are on this Forum to do some honest questioning and study.

You are truly searching for “truth” and “light” and you are willing to learn about Catholicism, even though some of your friends have told you that it is a “religion of works” or a “cult” or even “the whore of Babylon.”

You aren’t afraid to march into battle and see for yourself what the truth is.

Good for you! The Lord has promised that you will be filled, and that if you seek, you will find.

 

[truthnlight]

This should probably be in the apologetics section. I’m not sure what quesiton one is asking. For question two, readings from the bible is taken and said at Mass everyday, it changes depending on the liturgical season. In the post-Vatican II Novus Ordo mass, there is 1 reading from the old testament, one epistle reading, and one reading from one of the Gospels. It alternates over a three year cycle. That day’s reading is usually available in the missalettes in the pews in front of you. Just flip to that certain Sunday to follow along. For question three, the bible is important, it’s just most of us don’t have sunday school type stuff like many protestants. Rest assured that everything which is taught is based in scripture, check out the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”. It has a summary of offifcial church teachings and scriputural examples and etc. 4) there are two types of sins: mortal and venial. For something to be a mortal sin it must be 1) be of grave matter, 2) it is committed with full knowledge of the sinner (i.e. you know it is a grave mortal sin), and 3) you do it with full consent. We’re supposed to confessing and be reconciled with God through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation when we’ve committed a mortal sin. Venial sins do not require going to confession, however confessing them if possible is not a bad idea. If you die and are not in a state of grace at the time of death (free of mortal sin), you don’t go to heaven. Remember, the Catholic church was the one who compiled the Bible

I’m no apologist or w/e, i’m just ure ordinary average joe catholic.

I did not know that .

 

[truthnlight]

This should probably be in the apologetics section. I’m not sure what quesiton one is asking. For question two, readings from the bible is taken and said at Mass everyday, it changes depending on the liturgical season. In the post-Vatican II Novus Ordo mass, there is 1 reading from the old testament, one epistle reading, and one reading from one of the Gospels. It alternates over a three year cycle. That day’s reading is usually available in the missalettes in the pews in front of you. Just flip to that certain Sunday to follow along. For question three, the bible is important, it’s just most of us don’t have sunday school type stuff like many protestants. Rest assured that everything which is taught is based in scripture, check out the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”. It has a summary of offifcial church teachings and scriputural examples and etc. 4) there are two types of sins: mortal and venial. For something to be a mortal sin it must be 1) be of grave matter, 2) it is committed with full knowledge of the sinner (i.e. you know it is a grave mortal sin), and 3) you do it with full consent. We’re supposed to confessing and be reconciled with God through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation when we’ve committed a mortal sin. Venial sins do not require going to confession, however confessing them if possible is not a bad idea. If you die and are not in a state of grace at the time of death (free of mortal sin), you don’t go to heaven. Remember, the Catholic church was the one who compiled the Bible

I’m no apologist or w/e, i’m just ure ordinary average joe catholic.

there are two types of sins: mortal and venial. How do i find a list of the 2 types of sins that you talk about?

 

[Rolltide]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is also available for free online at the Vatican’s website) contains a complete summary of the entirety of Catholic belief. Included in there is a substantial section on how to recognize mortal sins. It’s not really terribly hard to distinguish most mortal sins though, since most are pretty obvious (murder, rape, adultery, etc.)

Here’s the direct link to the Catechism:
vatican.va/archive/ccc/index.htm

 

[truthnlight]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is also available for free online at the Vatican’s website) contains a complete summary of the entirety of Catholic belief. Included in there is a substantial section on how to recognize mortal sins. It’s not really terribly hard to distinguish most mortal sins though, since most are pretty obvious (murder, rape, adultery, etc.)

Here’s the direct link to the Catechism:
vatican.va/archive/ccc/index.htm

wow who made that site, it’s hard to read.:hypno: its a bad choice of color. But Thank you

 

[truthnlight]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is also available for free online at the Vatican’s website) contains a complete summary of the entirety of Catholic belief. Included in there is a substantial section on how to recognize mortal sins. It’s not really terribly hard to distinguish most mortal sins though, since most are pretty obvious (murder, rape, adultery, etc.)

Here’s the direct link to the Catechism:
vatican.va/archive/ccc/index.htm

I cant find that list can you tell me in what section?

 

[Rolltide]

If that site is hard to read, here’s a different one with the same material from the US Council of Catholic Bishops:

usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

Here is the section that defines how to identify mortal and venial sin:

usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect1chpt1art8.htm

Here in Section Two (on the Ten Commandments) you will find more specific information on what sins are mortal and what are venial. It’s fairly long because it goes into a lot of depth so it can be used as a reference:

usccb.org/catechism/text/partthreetoc.htm

 

[truthnlight]

If that site is hard to read, here’s a different one with the same material from the US Council of Catholic Bishops:

usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

Here is the section that defines how to identify mortal and venial sin:

usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect1chpt1art8.htm

Here in Section Two (on the Ten Commandments) you will find more specific information on what sins are mortal and what are venial. It’s fairly long because it goes into a lot of depth so it can be used as a reference:

usccb.org/catechism/text/partthreetoc.htm

Thank you