Thinking about Catholicism

[Wesley7]

Do you know about the rosary?

The nuns teach you how to pray the Catholic Rosary at the convent.

 

[TristanCross]

Convent?

Also, can anyone reply to my previous post?

Meh, I’m so scared of God’s judgment

 

[Louie1983]

Thanks

I’m concerned about works. Isn’t it wrong to work your way into heaven? Can you even do that?

What I know of the rosary: It’s a bunch of prayers, including the hail mary, that Catholics recite everyday.

Don’t know how true or false that is…

Also, what about the dark period of the Church? Like, the Dark Ages, medieval. I feel like Catholics are in denial of it. I learned in school that the Popes of that time were having kids, Catholics blamed the Jews for the bubonic (Dark) plague, and other stuff

Don’t think of it as working into heaven think of it as earning your way there for this is what god wants of us. If he didn;t, then why is there new testament explaining to us that we are to live good and moral lives (this coupled with faith ofcourse!). No-one should works (good that is) just to get to heaven, they should for the love of god ad because he has commanded us to.

The rosary is a lot more then a bunch of prayers my friend. The rosary is used to meditate purely on christ! That’s what the mysteries (sorrowfull, luminous, glorius and joyfull) are for, they are examples or passages from the bible that we reflect on. The mysteries we reflect on are important and significant events that occurred such as the crucifixion, the ressurection, the birth of Jesus etc. It is a heavily gospel influenced prayer, this prayer was given to st dominic by Mary herself!

No-one is in denial of the fact that some of the church’s acts were regrettable, this highlights the fact that there are sinners in the church. Jesus did promise that the faith the church teaches would be infallible, however he did not promise that the condct of it’s members would be impeccable. Hey, even the apostles were sinners! The church and some popes have also done some fantastic work as well towards mankind. It is a huge player in the fight against poverty, evil and corrupt governents, aids etc.

 

[TristanCross]

Mary did? She wanted to be hailed?

Isn’t it a “vain repetition”?

Also, how does one become a Catholic?

 

[phoenix3212]

Don’t think of it as working into heaven think of it as earning your way there for this is what god wants of us. If he didn;t, then why is there new testament explaining to us that we are to live good and moral lives (this coupled with faith ofcourse!). No-one should works (good that is) just to get to heaven, they should for the love of god ad because he has commanded us to.

This is incorrect. It’s impossible to “earn” or “work” your way to Heaven according to Catholic doctrine. Rather, we attain Heaven through grace through faith, but mortal sin represents a rejection of that grace. Councils have condemned the idea that people are justified by works, and the idea that anyone could actually “earn” Heaven.

 

[phoenix3212]

Mary did? She wanted to be hailed?

Mary wants to pray for us. If you were in a position to pray for people who asked you to pray for them, wouldn’t you want them to know?

Isn’t it a “vain repetition”?

Repetition is only vain when it’s done insincerely. Admittedly, many Catholics pray the rosary insincerely, especially teens like myself.

Also, how does one become a Catholic?

They register at a Catholic Parish for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes.

 

[TristanCross]

Umm…they register where?

 

[phoenix3212]

Umm…they register where?

Alright, local Catholic Churches (the buildings) are called “Parishes.” Most Parishes have a small office with a secretary or something, so I’d begin by inquiring there. If that parish doesn’t, then you might need to speak to the Priest directly.

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Thanks

I’m concerned about works. Isn’t it wrong to work your way into heaven? Can you even do that?

No need to concern yourself. Catholics do not believe in a works based salvation. Salvation is through Grace alone. However salvation is not a one time event and Grace is something that we must respond to. As St. Paul tells us in Philippians " work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"(Phil 2:12).

What I know of the rosary: It’s a bunch of prayers, including the hail mary, that Catholics recite everyday.

The Rosary is a beautiful prayer but it is not a prayer that you have to do to be Catholic. You are not any more or any less of a Catholic because you chose to pray the Rosary or chose not to. If you do not feel comfortable about it right away pray to God for discernment and read up on the prayer. You will find that the prayer is quite Scriptural.

Also, what about the dark period of the Church? Like, the Dark Ages, medieval. I feel like Catholics are in denial of it.

No we are not in denial of it. There is no justification to offer for the evil deeds done by people who claimed to be Catholic. It is proof that the Church contains sinners, and since we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God we should not be surprised by this fact. However, sinners in the Church does not disprove the Church anymore than Judas disproves Christ. Or Peter who, you will remember, denied our Lord three times. Or Paul, who we are told persecuted the Church prior to his conversion.

God bless you

 

[excelsus]

Well…I’m thinking about it, but I’m kinda scared. I always believed Catholicism was a horrible cult headed for hell.

It’s sad…this is one of the most common misconceptions so many other Christians have. Cults are small - we’ve got 1.1 billion And also, the Catholic Church was the only one established by Jesus. The others were established by men.

Anyway, there are many ways for you to gain information about it. You should go to mass although don’t receive communion. For the Bible part, I would recommend a Douay-Rheims (shameless traditionalist plug) because it captures the grandeur of the verses in “sacred” English. But, you may not like that, so it’s just my opinion. Actually, if you really want grandeur, get a Clementine Vulgate, but you may not understand Latin, so…

Traditionalist plug 2: Check out the Tridentine mass. I say this to every Catholic I see. It can’t hurt to try it!

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Mary did? She wanted to be hailed?

Hail Mary is nothing more than the greeting the Angel Gabriel gave Mary in Luke; *"And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace…” LK 1:28. * And Mary did say all generations would call her blessed: “henceforth all generations will call me blessed…” LK 1:48

Isn’t it a “vain repetition”?

No more vain and repetitious than the creatures who never cease singing “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty…” Rev 4:8.

Also, how does one become a Catholic?

I recommend you find your nearest parish and speak with a Priest.

God bless you

 

[Louie1983]

This is incorrect. It’s impossible to “earn” or “work” your way to Heaven according to Catholic doctrine. Rather, we attain Heaven through grace through faith, but mortal sin represents a rejection of that grace. Councils have condemned the idea that people are justified by works, and the idea that anyone could actually “earn” Heaven.

You said it so much better than me. Thanks!

It’s what i meant to say but obviously stuffed it up.

 

[Hesychios]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hello Tristan,

Thanks

I’m concerned about works. Isn’t it wrong to work your way into heaven? Can you even do that?

The argument about faith vs works is really about nothing.

We need to live out our faith, if it does not influence our behavior and our life’s decisions our faith is really dead. Substitute the word “deeds” for works and you should see.

What I know of the rosary: It’s a bunch of prayers, including the hail mary, that Catholics recite everyday.

Actually it is a private devotion. Most people do not recite a daily rosary, I would be surprised if 5% did, certainly no more than 10%.

You need never pray one rosary in your entire life and you could still be a good Catholic (or in my case Orthodox). It is not a pre-requisite to becoming a Catholic, but if you choose to study you will have a chance to learn how it is done.

The most popular Orthodox prayer is the ‘Jesus Prayer’ (or Prayer of the Heart) and it is also prayed by many Catholics. It is very old, some say 1,700 years or more. I think most eastern Christians do not say this particular prayer all of the time either, but prayer is good for you, it connects you with God, it helps you reflect upon yourself.

Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, Υιέ του Θεού, ελέησόν με τον αμαρτωλόν.

Perhaps extemporaneous prayer suits you better.

Also, what about the dark period of the Church? Like, the Dark Ages, medieval. I feel like Catholics are in denial of it. I learned in school that the Popes of that time were having kids, Catholics blamed the Jews for the bubonic (Dark) plague, and other stuff

It was a dark period in European history. The economy was in the outhouse, the roads were bad and people were starving and scared. In the midst of that a cold spell hit northern Europe and they had a series of long brutal winters. Then there were plagues…

In some places the bishops were not well trained, many were actually illiterate. Kings and Princes dominated the church when they could, because they were actually afraid of the power of unfettered Christianity. Today in the free world you do not see things like that, the church is free to be what it was meant to be. We are all a bit more civilized and sober now.

So yes, there were dark times, but that has long since passed.
*
*Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner

 

[phoenix3212]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Glory to Him forever!

Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, Υιέ του Θεού, ελέησόν με τον αμαρτωλόν.

*Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner

So the Eastern prayer I’m familiar with (and pray occasionally) a variant of this? It’s “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner?”

 

[Hesychios]

Glory to Him forever!

So the Eastern prayer I’m familiar with (and pray occasionally) a variant of this? It’s “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner?”

Yes, I often pray it as you do.

 

[TristanCross]

I think I’m going to go ahead and get the Bible

What do Catholics believe about non-Catholics?

Also, what about purgatory and hell? Are non-Catholics spending a good amount of time in either, according to Catholic dogma? Or are they equally Christian?

I have more questions, sorry

Are cultural Catholics going to heaven? My grandma was a practicing Catholic. Is she in heaven? How do we know who is in purgatory or in heaven (so we can ask one to pray, like my grandma)?

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

I think I’m going to go ahead and get the Bible

The best Catholic book one can buy That comment is sure to stir the hornets nest.

What do Catholics believe about non-Catholics?

Depends on the Catholic. I, for one, love Protestants. I even married one (though she is no longer Protestant). My faith has been impacted greatly (for the better) from reading the works of men such as C.S. Lewis and other Protestants. There is, though, a great deal of animosity on both side. There is no denying that.

Also, what about purgatory and hell?

I recommend that you search the Catholic Answers Library on these subjects. There are great articles that have been written on them. If you have specific questions you can post them in the Apologetics forum of this site.

Are non-Catholics spending a good amount of time in either, according to Catholic dogma?

Well there is no good amount of time to be spent in Hell. Hell is eternal and those who do not die in a state of Grace, be them Protestant or Catholic, are there for all eternity. Now all those souls in Purgatory are assured of their salvation. It is not a middle ground between heaven and hell where souls not bad enough to go to hell or good enough to go heaven go and stay. It is also not a second chance for those souls.

Or are they equally Christian?

non-Catholic Christians are Christian. Equal? I, myself, am not equal to a great many of Catholics in a great number of areas. I guess I don’t know what you mean by equal?

I have more questions, sorry

No need to be sorry. Truth is worth striving for.

God bless

 

[Josh_Elzner]

Thanks

I’m concerned about works. Isn’t it wrong to work your way into heaven? Can you even do that?

Hello Tristan!

I’m glad to hear that you are considering the Catholic Church. You sure do have a lot of misconceptions on Catholic teaching but it’s great that you are looking for the truth.

First, as people have already told you, we don’t believe that you work your way into heaven, but it is true that “faith without works is dead”(James 2:20). We are justified (made right with God) by grace alone so salvation cannot be attributed to us but only to Him, yet grace leads to faith and baptism. Also our salvation, or sanctification, is a continual practice throughout our whole lives.

The Lutheran (and mostly Protestant. I don’t know if all Protestants believe this.) belief is that God covers us in the garment of Christ’s righteousness, like a dung hill covered with a white sheet. Catholic teaching is very beautiful. God wants to totally transform us into His own image, to be “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and to become “perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), for real, not just having our sins covered up, but truly washed away and placed with true goodness and virtue. Therefore, if our faith does not work, we are truly not believing Christ’s words and obeying His command to truly live according to God’s will, and therefore our faith is dead.

Hope this helps. You could read this,

catholic.com/thisrock/1998/9804conv.asp

or just search “faith and works” under the faith section on this site.

 

[Josh_Elzner]

I think I’m going to go ahead and get the Bible

What do Catholics believe about non-Catholics?

Also, what about purgatory and hell? Are non-Catholics spending a good amount of time in either, according to Catholic dogma? Or are they equally Christian?

I have more questions, sorry

Are cultural Catholics going to heaven? My grandma was a practicing Catholic. Is she in heaven? How do we know who is in purgatory or in heaven (so we can ask one to pray, like my grandma)?

Okay. Now for these. As Roman_Catholic said, hell is a place of eternal separation with God, for those who have rejected God and lived in mortal (grave and deadly sin, like murder) up until their deaths. It’s their fault, not God’s.

Purgatory is a place that is just temporary through which souls pass who are not yet holy or pure enough to enter heaven and yet were free of mortal sin and possessed sanctifying grace (which enables us to enter heaven, God’s free gift.)

Catholics believe that non-Catholics can go to heaven for sure and that their is much good in their religions. The Catholic Church, however, possesses the fulness of the belief, teachings, practices and sacraments that Christ willed His Church to have. Non-Catholic churches have parts of what Christ willed but the Catholic Church possesses the totality because she is the Church which Christ founded.

If you want to see this is Scripture, see: Matthew 16:18; (Peter was the first Pope); Ephesians 5:23, 25; 1 Timothy 3:15; John 21:15-17; John 20:22-23; Luke 10:16.

 

[TristanCross]

What is mortal sin?

Do we have to buy indulgences?

If I go to confession…well, I have sins I am really embarrassed about. Do I have to confess? Will some sins get me kicked out of the Church?