This whole cacophony now of protestants, everybody’s saying “Oh, I know the truth!”. The Church has withstood numerous heresies and schisms, along with fierce persecutions stretching from the days of Nero and Diocletian down to our own bloody twentieth century. A story about a small town’s efforts to create an ecumenical outdoor nativity scene illustrates this point. Catholicism—unlike many Protestant denominations—has never ceased doing so. As a follow-up to Patrick’s speech on “WHY BE CATHOLIC” (broadcast on IMRadio 5/20/16) I ask the following questions: In his book and speech, why does Patrick emphasize as proof of the Catholic church’s authenticity and its decendence from Jesus Christ Himself using the statements that the Roman Catholic Church was the ONLY church around in the 1800s and in the 1500s? We hear stories of persons who were born Catholic and who remained fiercely loyal to the Church throughout their lives. I can kind of understand the reasoning behind the answer “because he made is” but… We never chose to exist or come into this world. You can’t just go out and start your own Church. Thus, the Protestant New Testament ultimately rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church.). Ritual refers to human customs and behaviors designed to facilitate social interactions and celebrations. The only parallel in history is that of the Jewish people—a people often singled out for persecution, scorned, oppressed, and exiled, yet miraculously preserved over thousands of years. Second, the Church is universal. Why do we need a Church, and why must it be Catholic? Other than questioning the apostles on what they and other people believed regarding his identity (cf. 24:16). 1.The Mass has become way to Protestant. Catholicism has weathered false prophets and antipopes, wars, civil disturbances, plagues, natural disasters, barbarian invasions, and societal collapse. 2:2; 2 Pet. First, Catholics are reasonable people, and the most reasonable position on abortion is to outlaw it. 2.The last Pope Kissing the Quran as a former Muslim this makes me sick and is a slap in the face of Jesus Christ in my view. Father chuckled appreciatively and then invited the young man to consider joining the Church for real. About the Director Catholic Answers is one of the nation s largest lay-run apostolates of Catholic … Because the Jews are God’s chosen people, divine providence has worked in powerful ways in their behalf. They radically simplified worship and church architecture. Using an entertaining speaking style, backed up by logic and science, Tim leaves his audience with answers to our most fundamental questions. Catholicism’s missionary outreach has covered the entire earth. God, as our Creator, is fully aware of our human limitations. There are probably almost as many different reasons for being Catholic as there are members of the Church, including varying degrees of chance, choice, and conviction. Moreover, only Catholic and non-Catholic Eastern priests—because of their ordinations—have the sacramental power to consecrate the Eucharist. Because what I find in the New Testament is: the Church established by Jesus Christ has infallible authority. We believe that’s what Jesus is talking about there, and it’s very clear when you look at the context that he’s talking about being born of water and spirit, that it’s referring to baptism, which is the instrument whereby we are brought into Christ. Only this fact explains their miraculous ongoing existence. And so I really had to scrutinize: “Okay, why am I?” And then I had to say “Well, why am I, why am I, why am I?”. And that was a big problem to me, because if you can’t speak in the name of Jesus—that means speak infallibly— well then you’re not the Church that Jesus established. Didn’t Paul say that there is neither Jew nor Greek, servant nor free, male nor female, since we are all … Most Christians agree on the essential requirement of water for baptism, but Protestants are not consistent in treating as sacraments the other sacred actions Jesus gave to the Church. Even most non-Christian religions recognize and respond to this basic human need. These churches can trace their roots back to Christ only through the Catholic Church. Like the soldier in the story at the beginning of this article, it seems that many Catholics have gotten used to “sleeping in” and not taking their faith seriously. No doubt, people have asked you this very same question. We believe the same ideals that the Apostles passed on. The four marks of the true Church are that it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Sacraments, by God’s promise and power, are effective in and of themselves, whereas sacramentals depend on the disposition of the believer. He has been hard at work ever since producing materials to help Catholics and non-Catholics alike understand the meaning and the biblical foundation of the Catholic faith. Members of the Church are sinful and holy, earthly and heavenly, and imperfect and incomplete—yet undergoing the process of sanctification. As the “new Israel” (cf. As the great bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch noted, “Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world.” Anti-Catholicism has arguably had a stronger role in human history than any other prejudice save anti-Semitism, even in the United States. I later became a minister in an Assembly of God community, loved Jesus, became a good old Pentecostal preacher. These, then, are ten important reasons not to settle merely for being Christian, but to seek the fullness of God’s revelation through the Catholic Church, the only true Church of Christ. Catholic is Not a Denomination. Tim Staples: Adam, great question. Catholicism is only one of many different Christian religions. Disbelief in the teaching authority of the Church is also disbelief in our Lord’s command to teach and baptize all nations, and in his promise to remain with the Church always (Matt. There was no Protestantism. Eventually a Catholic priest was assigned to the base, and when he began meeting individually with all his parishioners, the soldier-in-training admitted his reason for claiming to be Catholic. “What must we do?” they said to Peter in Acts 2:37. . Catholic Questions and Answers – One of the best ways to learn is to ask questions. Catholicism is biblical. At the Last Supper he gave the apostles and their successors, the bishops (and through them, validly ordained priests), the power and authority to continue his sacrifice when he said, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Catholic Answers Why Be Catholic? The Catholic Church offers the saints as models worthy of imitation. Christ told his followers to expect the world’s enmity, since they were not of the world (John 15:18–19), and he warned them that some people would even claim to serve God by persecuting them (John 16:2). It is not enough to ask, as many Evangelical Protestants do, “Have you been saved?” This suggests that if we’ve been “born again,” and have “accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior,” salvation is guaranteed, and little if anything further is required of us. 28:19–20). And so I asked basically the same question you’re asking me, I asked of a young marine about 34 years ago. . Why go to confesssion if you can easily confess straight to God? 9:27; Phil.2:12–13, 3:10–12), but also human nature. Catholicism is well suited to be “behind the times” and counter-cultural. It’s hard to believe an answer if you don’t understand the question it is addressing. 1:23), so his Church is a lightning rod for hatred, calumny, misunderstanding, suspicion, and opposition. Why be baptized if desire is enough? What is it the Catholic Church offers to its almost one billion members that cannot be obtained anywhere else? The Catholic Church is virtually unique in obeying and fulfilling this scriptural prophecy. Jimmy Akin: So the Church hasn’t issued a magisterial statement on this, but it has in the past—and Catholic moral theologians have, you know, assessed this issue, have assessed the principles that go into evaluating particular vaccines. Why I Am Catholic serves as a compelling reproposal of the Church for former Catholics, a persuasive argument for truth and beauty to those who have become jaded and disenchanted with religion, and at the same time offers practicing Catholics a much-needed dose of confidence and clarity to affirm their faith against an increasingly skeptical culture. Moreover, Mary herself stated that “all ages will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). I’ll tell you, Adam, I was asked the question: why was I Assembly of God? There are many similarities and differences between the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. At the same time, all are equal in the sense of fully sharing in the Beatific Vision (the joyous, all-encompassing contemplation of God) and in being perfectly happy. When Luther and then Calvin and then Knox and then Zwingli, and now we have thousands of different men and women, have started their own churches, that is outside of the will of God. There was only one. It is our duty not only to belong to and believe in the Church but to defend and promote it. Kindly note that this site is maintained by a small group of enthusiastic Catholics and this is not from any Church or any Religious Organization. Now that I found to be fascinating. Catholic Answers is a media company dedicated to sharing what the Church really teaches, and we are the world’s largest source for reliable information about the … This is something all Protestant denominations lack, and the results are a matter of historical record. Thirdly, the noun “sacramental” refers to a blessed item or gesture that, for those who have faith, can be an experience or source of God’s grace. And it was the Church that decided which of the many early Christian writings were canonical, or worthy of acceptance as scriptural. Just as Jesus was a sign of contradiction and a stumbling block (1 Cor. Is baptism of sacrament is marriage is sacrament—we could talk about every doctrine from the trinity to the hypostatic union, every doctrine, and you have disagreements among Christians today, those who who name the name of Jesus Christ. UNIT 6 – The Real Presence of Christ. “Why should I be Catholic?” is a question we hear all the time at Catholic Answers. Each resident of heaven is completely absorbed in the contemplation of God, perfectly united with all the angels and saints in worshiping and praising the divine Majesty, while at the same time more fully alive and unique than ever before. Why go to mass if you can merely ask for a spiritual communion? The Catholic Church has been obeying Christ’s command for almost two thousand years, and whereas many Christian denominations see the Eucharist mainly in symbolic terms, the Church has consistently taught that it is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. That’s so contrary to everything in the New Testament. Drawing heavily on poignant anecdotes from his own experience as a life-long Catholic born in 1960s, Madrid offers readers a way of looking at the Church--its members, teachings, customs, and history--from perspectives many may have never considered. And basically the answer is: I became Catholic, first and foremost, to save my soul. Every bishop in the world that is Catholic is a successor of an apostle. Reconciliation here refers to the fact that we are sinners in need of redemption, and that this process is an ongoing one. First of all, the Church has a hierarchical structure; so does heaven. Our families need to be built on a strong foundation of faith and we need to live in community with … We’ve talked about historical sources that support the claims and beliefs of … Why We’re Catholic assembles the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers that Trent learned to give to all these people and more. In 1930, the Anglican Church allowed certain “exceptions,” setting in motion a process in which all Protestant denominations have come to regard contraception as morally acceptable. Caller: I became a born-again Christian three years ago—I’m 47 years old, so it’s quite late on in life, I was 44—with an evangelical church. And actually the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a very good statement on their website. The cult of the saints began when early Christians celebrated the anniversaries of martyrs’ dates of death as their “birthday” into eternal life. There was no Orthodox. Catholicism, with its sacramental emphasis, has carried this truth through to its logical conclusion. Catholics are privileged to be able to receive the treasure beyond all price—Jesus himself—each time they attend Mass. Mark 8:27–29), Jesus never conducted a vote or an opinion poll, or said to his followers, “This is what I personally think, but you decide for yourselves what to believe.” Rather, he came to proclaim God’s truth (John 18:37), and he entrusted this same teaching authority, or magisterium, to his Church (Luke 10:16). The angel Gabriel declared Mary to be “full of grace” (Luke 1:28), making her worthy of our highest respect. We have the actual writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch referring to the Church as the "Catholic" Church. Popular blogger and apologist Patrick Madrid offers 10 key reasons why he loves being Catholic (and you should too). I have been studying the Catholic Church and their is some things thats keeping from the Church. This article is my attempt to describe ten of the unique characteristics of the Catholic Church that set it apart from other Christian denominations. Other Christian religions have made significant changes in their moral and religious teachings—for example, ending their prohibition of artificial contraception. We are imperfect human beings, never completely free of sin. UNIT 5 – The Intercession of The Saints. A major point to consider is that the Church Doctrine (Dogma) cannot be changed. By continuing to use this site you agree to our Terms and that you have read our Privacy Policy. (Ironically, Protestant Bibles contain the same twenty-seven New Testament books as Catholics Bibles—a list decided upon by the Council of Rome in 382. The recruit thought about it and agreed; he took instructions, was received into the Church, and became a firmly committed Catholic. Many Protestants are very good at quoting the Bible, but, in terms of its entire message, it is the Catholic Church that lives by it. It may be true that many Protestant and Evangelical congregations at times seem to offer a greater sense of fellowship and community, more dynamic preaching, and various activities and programs than the average Catholic parish. 11:21; Eph. As Jesus noted, much is expected of those to whom much is given (Luke 12:48). I would humbly and unofficially suggest a “fifth” mark: the true Church is also opposed. And when I looked around at all the protestant communities, what I saw is a bunch of men giving you their opinion of what they think the Bible says. A further weakness of the Protestant position lies in the idea of sola scriptura itself. The process of continually reinterpreting Scripture has reached the point where now, according to Oxford’s World Christian Encyclopedia, there are well over 20,000 Protestant denominations with their own—often contradictory—interpretations of the Gospel, each claiming to possess the true understanding of divine revelation. Jesus, my brother, is the only one who has the authority to start a Church, and he did that two thousand years ago. A Protestant minister said to the local Catholic priest, “We can include all the characters mentioned in the Bible, except we should leave Mary out. It is only right that we honor her (not worship her), for one of the Commandments says, “Honor your father and mother” (Ex. If Jesus was willing to humble himself by becoming human (Phil. I know Jesus, I know I’m saved, why be a Catholic? The second sense of “sacramental” (used here as an adjective) refers to the Eucharist and the other six sacraments, which are visible signs and sources of God’s grace active in the world. Because see, I believe, Adam, that you can be as born-again as you want to be born-again, and we believe you’re born again in John 3:5 through baptism —of course, faith and baptism. Because see, I believe, Adam, that you can be as born-again as you want to be born-again, and we believe you’re born again in John 3:5 through baptism—of course, faith and baptism. First we have the incarnational sense, which means that God can be known and experienced in and through what he has created. These rituals include such everyday actions as shaking hands, saying “God bless you” when someone sneezes, and blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. The protastent churches all believe that if you believe in and desire Christ it is enough. I’m a (probably future ex-) Protestant pastor, and if you want to know what our denomination has to offer has a way to survive a crisis without access to … Second, Catholics are guided by faith, and our faith clearly teaches that abortion is a serious evil that must be stopped. But I still had the problem, Adam: I disagreed with a lot of the doctrines of this crazy Catholic Church. 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