Some Questions about Theology From a Devout Catholic

[Hank_1981]

Hello:

This is my first post and I’m writing it because I don’t know where else I can get answers to my theological questions. Just a little bit about myself. I’m a devout Catholic. I pray the Rosary every night with this site:

comepraytherosary.org/

I watch Catholic Mass almost daily with this site:

catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass

So, I am a devout Catholic I just don’t know the Catholic view of these questions so I’m hoping someone here will answer them.

1. I think I was told in Catechism that as Catholics we believe Revelations is the fall of the Roman Empire. That’s why unlike other Faiths we don’t emphasize it. Is this true? Or is this not within Catholic Theology?
2. Now, in the Apostles Creed it says we believe in the resurrection of the dead. What does this mean? In other words, upon death is judgement immediate? Meaning, if we live a good a holy as sinless as possible life we will go to Heaven afterwards? I know this is such a basic question but still I’m confused by that line of the Apostles Creed.
3. How figuratively do we read the Hebrew Bible?

Thank you for any of your answer.

 

[YoungTradCath]

I don’t really know how to address the other questions, but as to no. 2, we have both a particular/personal/immediate judgement right “after” death and there is also the Last/General Judgement at the end of the world.

Of course, that does not negate the reality of Hell.

 

[Mr_Clean]

#1-The Catholic Church does not interpret Revelation as literally as you will see in many Protestant circles. It is read during mass just like the rest of the bible so it not skipped.

#2- The resurrection of the dead in the creed refers to the 2nd coming where the dead shall rise. We will all see Him, even those who have been dead since the beginning of time. I believe it also refers to the resurrected dead who appeared when Jesus arose from the dead.

 

[Robyn_p]

Hello:

This is my first post and I’m writing it because I don’t know where else I can get answers to my theological questions. Just a little bit about myself. I’m a devout Catholic. I pray the Rosary every night with this site:

comepraytherosary.org/

I watch Catholic Mass almost daily with this site:

catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass

So, I am a devout Catholic I just don’t know the Catholic view of these questions so I’m hoping someone here will answer them.

1. I think I was told in Catechism that as Catholics we believe Revelations is the fall of the Roman Empire. That’s why unlike other Faiths we don’t emphasize it. Is this true? Or is this not within Catholic Theology?

Part of it is about Christian persecution by the Roman Empire, some is about the end times. There are several layers to it. In fact, some theologians say the whole thing is basically about the Mass! (See Scott Hahn’s book The Lamb’s Supper for a better explanation than I can give here.)

1. Now, in the Apostles Creed it says we believe in the resurrection of the dead. What does this mean? In other words, upon death is judgement immediate? Meaning, if we live a good a holy as sinless as possible life we will go to Heaven afterwards? I know this is such a basic question but still I’m confused by that line of the Apostles Creed.

Yes, immediately after death, we are judged and sent to heaven or hell. This is called the private or particular judgment. But at the end of time, we will get our bodies back, and then we will either be in hell with our bodies, or heaven. This is called the General or Last judgment. All our deeds will be seen by everyone, and then we’ll understand why a particular person got sent to heaven or hell.

1. How figuratively do we read the Hebrew Bible?

You mean the Old Testament right? The same as the rest. The Church has some good guidelines. (I’m going off memory here, I might have missed one or two, sorry.)

1. Be aware of the content and unity of Scripture. In other words, we can’t just take a passage out of context of the rest of the bible. We have to read in light of all revelation, especially in light of Christ.
2. Understand the sacred authors intentions and what the literal meaning is. Is he writing a strict chronological history? Or is he using poetry? Or is this prophecy? All those things need to be taken into account to understand the Bible.
3. Read from the heart of the Church’s Tradition. We can only fully understand the Scripture’s if we are reading it through the Church’s eyes. So how does the Church understand this passage, how did the early Christians read this? That’s the questions we always need to be keeping in mind, especially in the Old Testament.

Again, I think I might have missed something, but that’s some of what the Church gives us as far as reading the Bible goes.

Thank you for any of your answer.

Hope it helped a little.

 

[RPRPsych]

Hello:

This is my first post and I’m writing it because I don’t know where else I can get answers to my theological questions. Just a little bit about myself. I’m a devout Catholic. I pray the Rosary every night with this site:

comepraytherosary.org/

I watch Catholic Mass almost daily with this site:

catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass

So, I am a devout Catholic I just don’t know the Catholic view of these questions so I’m hoping someone here will answer them.

1. I think I was told in Catechism that as Catholics we believe Revelations is the fall of the Roman Empire. That’s why unlike other Faiths we don’t emphasize it. Is this true? Or is this not within Catholic Theology?

Traditionally, Catholics have held to an amillennial view of the book of Revelation.

This means that we don’t believe in a literal, earthly 1,000-year reign of Christ on Earth.

We believe that Revelation was written in the immediate context of the early Roman persecutions - most probably the persecution of Nero. However, its application is far wider than that.

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is an excellent resource on how to read Revelation.

1. Now, in the Apostles Creed it says we believe in the resurrection of the dead. What does this mean? In other words, upon death is judgement immediate? Meaning, if we live a good a holy as sinless as possible life we will go to Heaven afterwards? I know this is such a basic question but still I’m confused by that line of the Apostles Creed.

There is both a particular judgement (at death) and a general judgement (at the end of the world.) It’s discussed in the Catechism here:

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2L.HTM

1. How figuratively do we read the Hebrew Bible?

Ah, that’s a tricky one.

The classical resources to answer this question are Divino Afflante Spiritu (an encyclical by Pope Pius XI), Providentissimus Deus (an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII) and Dei Verbum (a document of the Second Vatican Council).

However, the simple answer is this:

If something is held as literal in the New Testament, then it should not be read purely as figurative and symbolic (David as author of certain Psalms, a literal first human called Adam, and the story of Jonah are examples.)

In other areas, legitimate speculation is possible, as long as this does not contradict either the rest of the Bible itself or Tradition.

Thank you for any of your answer.

 

[Hank_1981]

OK, thanks for the replies. I learned quite a bit.

Now, let’s see if I’m reading the Old Testament correctly. I read it very figuratively and I think it is within Catholic Doctrine but I’m not so sure. For example, I read Genesis very figuratively as not necessarily answering how life came about but instead guiding into moral truth about life.

So, for example I don’t really believe there was an Adam and Eve. Is this within Catholic Doctrine? Instead, the story of Adam and Eve is meant to offer guidance on spiritual life. So for example, Eve comes from the rib of Adam if she came from the Head she would be superior and if she came from the feat she would be inferior but she comes from his side so they are both equal. I can’t remember which Catholic Theologian wrote this. But that is just an example of how figuratively I read the Old Testament. I can provide more upon request. Is this within Catholic Theology?

Now, do we as Catholics still believe in the purgatory? In reading comments mention was made of both Heaven and Hell but not of the purgatory. The reason I ask is because it’s tough getting into Heaven. I can’t imagine most people get there but I don’t think they would go to Hell just for living so so spiritual lives but not committing mortal sin. So the only solution is the purgatory. Do we still believe in the purgatory. This may be wrong but I even think Thomas Merton was exploring reincarnation in the final years of his life. I know reincarnation is not within Catholic Theology but how about the purgatory.

Thanks again for answering all my Catholic questions.

 

[weirdcatholic]

OK, thanks for the replies. I learned quite a bit.

Now, let’s see if I’m reading the Old Testament correctly. I read it very figuratively and I think it is within Catholic Doctrine but I’m not so sure. For example, I read Genesis very figuratively as not necessarily answering how life came about but instead guiding into moral truth about life.

So, for example I don’t really believe there was an Adam and Eve. Is this within Catholic Doctrine? Instead, the story of Adam and Eve is meant to offer guidance on spiritual life. So for example, Eve comes from the rib of Adam if she came from the Head she would be superior and if she came from the feat she would be inferior but she comes from his side so they are both equal. I can’t remember which Catholic Theologian wrote this. But that is just an example of how figuratively I read the Old Testament. I can provide more upon request. Is this within Catholic Theology?

Now, do we as Catholics still believe in the purgatory? In reading comments mention was made of both Heaven and Hell but not of the purgatory. The reason I ask is because it’s tough getting into Heaven. I can’t imagine most people get there but I don’t think they would go to Hell just for living so so spiritual lives but not committing mortal sin. So the only solution is the purgatory. Do we still believe in the purgatory. This may be wrong but I even think Thomas Merton was exploring reincarnation in the final years of his life. I know reincarnation is not within Catholic Theology but how about the purgatory.

Thanks again for answering all my Catholic questions.

As far as purgatory goes: The Catholic Church teaches in the affirmative that it exists as means of purification after death. Here are the parts of the Catechism that mention it.

1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent.

As far as scriptures go:
I believe your understanding of the creation account is close. It is important to remember that Scripture is made up of various forms of writing (poetry, allegory, history). And recognition of these is important. So we can’t necessarily say that ALL of Genesis falls under one form of writing. As well, not all writing is figurative, so much as it is depicting truth and history in an allegorical/metaphorical format.

Humani Generis (by Pope Pius XII) states:
…the first eleven chapters of Genesis, although properly speaking not conforming to the historical method used by the best Greek and Latin writers or by competent authors of our time, do nevertheless pertain to history in a true sense, which however must be further studied and determined by exegetes; the same chapters, (the Letter points out), in simple and metaphorical language adapted to the mentality of a people but little cultured, both state the principal truths which are fundamental for our salvation, and also give a popular description of the origin of the human race and the chosen people

The Catholic Church currently teaches monogenism, that is that all humans were derived from one pair of parents. See Humani Generis again:

1. When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled with that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Teaching Authority of the Church propose with regard to original sin, which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam and which, through generation, is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own.[12]

I put an emphasis on that one line, because perhaps in the future we might be able to reconcile polygenism with the Church teaching of original sin.

Hope this helps

 

[edwest2]

The question about Adam and Eve includes the reason why Jesus Christ was born. By believing in Him and being baptized, we have the hope of eternal life. To be more specific:

“Now, it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the teaching authority of the Church proposed with regard to original sin which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam in which through generation is passed onto all and is in everyone as his own” (Humani Generis 37).

“The story of the creation and fall of man is a true one, even if not written entirely according to modern literary techniques. The Catechism states, “The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents” (CCC 390).”

Regarding Creation, and how it happened, you should know that God, by His word, brought all things into being.

"Real History

"The argument is that all of this is real history, it is simply ordered topically rather than chronologically, and the ancient audience of Genesis, it is argued, would have understood it as such.

"Even if Genesis 1 records God’s work in a topical fashion, it still records God’s work—things God really did.

"The Catechism explains that “Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine ‘work,’ concluded by the ‘rest’ of the seventh day” (CCC 337), but “nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God’s word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history is rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun” (CCC 338).

“It is impossible to dismiss the events of Genesis 1 as a mere legend. They are accounts of real history, even if they are told in a style of historical writing that Westerners do not typically use.”

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

[wcknight]

Thank God for Purgatory or there would be no place where we can be made pure enough to enter God’s kingdom. Many of the saints have said they have seen or heard from souls in Purgatory. AND prayers for the dead are explicitly mentioned in the second book of Maccabees (one of several books remove from the Bible to eliminate the idea of Purgatory).

IF there were no Purgatory there would be no need to pray for the dead, because they would either be in Heaven or Hell where prayers are not needed.

 

[edwest2]

As far as purgatory goes: The Catholic Church teaches in the affirmative that it exists as means of purification after death. Here are the parts of the Catechism that mention it.

1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent.

As far as scriptures go:
I believe your understanding of the creation account is close. It is important to remember that Scripture is made up of various forms of writing (poetry, allegory, history). And recognition of these is important. So we can’t necessarily say that ALL of Genesis falls under one form of writing. As well, not all writing is figurative, so much as it is depicting truth and history in an allegorical/metaphorical format.

Humani Generis (by Pope Pius XII) states:
…the first eleven chapters of Genesis, although properly speaking not conforming to the historical method used by the best Greek and Latin writers or by competent authors of our time, do nevertheless pertain to history in a true sense, which however must be further studied and determined by exegetes; the same chapters, (the Letter points out), in simple and metaphorical language adapted to the mentality of a people but little cultured, both state the principal truths which are fundamental for our salvation, and also give a popular description of the origin of the human race and the chosen people

The Catholic Church currently teaches monogenism, that is that all humans were derived from one pair of parents. See Humani Generis again:

1. When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled with that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Teaching Authority of the Church propose with regard to original sin, which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam and which, through generation, is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own.[12]

I put an emphasis on that one line, because perhaps in the future we might be able to reconcile polygenism with the Church teaching of original sin.

Hope this helps

Regarding your last sentence, Pope Pius XII issued Humani Generis in 1950 under some pressure. Piltdown Man was not proved to be a forgery until 1953.

Peace,
Ed

 

[weirdcatholic]

Thanks for the insight.

 

[edwest2]

Glad to help.

Ed

 

[Hank_1981]

Books for me to read to be a better Catholic

1. Scott Hanh the Lamb’s Supper
2. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
3. Divino Afflante Spiritu (an encyclical by Pope Pius XI),
4. Providentissimus Deus (an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII)
5. Dei Verbum (Second Vatican Council)
6. Humani Generis

Here are some works I plan to delve into to be a better Catholic that I got from this thread. Thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone. Amazon is going to be very happy with me (that is where I plan on buying them)

Now then can I be a good Catholic and believe in God directed evolution? Or is this that outside of Catholic Doctrine? After all Monk Gregor Mendel is the father of modern genetics.

What else should I read? Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Hank_1981]

OK, so I bought The Lamb’s Supper and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. I’m looking forward to studying both. However, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible only covers the New Testament and not the Old Testament. Any guidance as to something very, very similar but a Catholic Interpretation of the Old Testament.

Thanks for helping me be a better Catholic.

 

[Robyn_p]

Books for me to read to be a better Catholic

1. Scott Hanh the Lamb’s Supper
2. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
3. Divino Afflante Spiritu (an encyclical by Pope Pius XI),
4. Providentissimus Deus (an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII)
5. Dei Verbum (Second Vatican Council)
6. Humani Generis

Here are some works I plan to delve into to be a better Catholic that I got from this thread. Thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone. Amazon is going to be very happy with me (that is where I plan on buying them)

Now then can I be a good Catholic and believe in God directed evolution? Or is this that outside of Catholic Doctrine? After all Monk Gregor Mendel is the father of modern genetics.

What else should I read? Thanks for all the replies.

Yes we can believe in a God guided, or theistic evolution. God can use whatever processes He chooses to create life, and evolution could very well be that process.

 

[robwar]

you have great questions and each could be a separate thread. I can answer the end times questions with two suggestions for books to read. “will Catholics be left behind” and “The Rapture Trap” Both discuss what the church does and doesn’ teach about end times, revelations and dispensationalism which is the underlying thought behind rapture theology found in some protestant circles.

 

[Robyn_p]

OK, so I bought The Lamb’s Supper and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. I’m looking forward to studying both. However, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible only covers the New Testament and not the Old Testament. Any guidance as to something very, very similar but a Catholic Interpretation of the Old Testament.

Thanks for helping me be a better Catholic.

Hmm. There’s something called the Great Adventure Bible Study, by Jeff Cavins, that covers the entire Bible, OT to the NT, from a Catholic perspective. That might be a good resource for you.

Or if you end up liking Scott Hahn’s stuff, you could try his book A Father Who Keeps His Promises. It’s not really technically a bible study, but he goes through each of the books of the Bible and helps show God’s plan and how it unfolded through history. I really liked it, helped me see the Bible more as a unified whole instead of a bunch of disjointed stories if you know what I mean.

Oh and one more book. This one isn’t really about the Bible, but you said you wanted to dive deeper into theology so for that I highly highly highly recommend this book, *Theology for Beginners. * by Frank Sheed. This is honestly one of my favorite books on the Catholic faith that I’ve ever read. It’s short but he explains everything so clearly and concisely, and everything just fits together so nicely. Get that book for sure!!

 

[Hank_1981]

Yes we can believe in a God guided, or theistic evolution. God can use whatever processes He chooses to create life, and evolution could very well be that process.

Thank you miss Robyn for allaying my fears. As I indicated I was born and raised Catholic but I didn’t know too many Catholics growing up. I pray the Rosary every night, watch Catholic Mass but good luck trying to get this information from a priest. It’s been a lonely journey as a Catholic. So, God bless you for guiding me on my journey.

 

[Hank_1981]

you have great questions and each could be a separate thread. I can answer the end times questions with two suggestions for books to read. “will Catholics be left behind” and “The Rapture Trap” Both discuss what the church does and doesn’ teach about end times, revelations and dispensationalism which is the underlying thought behind rapture theology found in some protestant circles.

Thank you, I’m adding those two to my list.

 

[Robyn_p]

Thank you miss Robyn for allaying my fears. As I indicated I was born and raised Catholic but I didn’t know too many Catholics growing up. I pray the Rosary every night, watch Catholic Mass but good luck trying to get this information from a priest. It’s been a lonely journey as a Catholic. So, God bless you for guiding me on my journey.

Glad we could help. Good for you for wanting to learn the faith! I know how you feel, luckily I found this website. I’ve learned a lot here.