Catholicism question ... what do you think?

Question

I am not a devout Catholic. And there are probably a lot of things within the Catholic faith/tradition that I don't agree with. But I still get a sense of peace in the presence of God (there I said it!) and Mary and company. Why are non-Catholics so adamant about finding the holes and flaws within that religion??

Answer 1

It is easier to find flaws in others than ourselves.

"The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but ourselves."

Answer 2

Human faults and certain types of corruption, which are substantial and serious, exist within the Catholic church, just as they exist in every organization, but there are no flaws in Catholic dogma.

Jesus Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would always guide the church to the truth, and always protect it from doctrinal error.

I'm not basing this merely on the Bible, although the biblical evidence is clear.

Jesus said as much to the apostles. We Catholics knew this to be a fact long before anyone ever thought to write it down.

I refuse to call Jesus Christ a liar, and I refuse to put limits on the power of the Holy Spirit. I challenge anyone else who would try.

More than 2,000 years later, in spite of rampant corruption and sin, Catholic dogma is still pure and true, and God's one, true church is still holy.

It will always be so, because God wants it that way, because God's word is true, and because God's power is irresistable.

Futhermore, he promised to be with us until the end of the age, and that day has yet to come.

I am a devout Catholic ... by choice. I've extensively studied all the other belief systems, including those of all the other Christian groups.

I can personally testify that there is no more complete faith, and no more holy, authentic church, than the church which is called Catholic.

It's no wonder then, that you experience the peace of God there.

That's why Jesus came and died for us, so there could finally be peace between God and sinners.

The angels who attended Christ's birth foretold as much:

Luk 2:11 For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
Luk 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying:
Luk 2:14 Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will.

O yeah ... I almost forgot ... Mary helped out quite a bit, too.

Peace!

Answer 3

well 4 1 u can still sense peace n the presence of God without being catholic and u can still love and respect Mary without being catholic. there r holes and flaws n all religions . and u no need 2 defend your devoutness 2 any 1 if u r truly happy n your belief.

Answer 4

I am a convert to Catholicism so I have a protestant background. I truly think that is boils down to the evil one. Satan knows the Truth and since protestantism is based on "sola scriptura" aka personal interpretation of Scripture....basically anything goes with protestant churches. If you don't agree with your Methodist pastor, you can start your own church. Or so goes the numerous protestant branches that have developed over time.

With Catholicism we have only One Authority. Jesus gave us the Church and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (despite all human flaws and sins), He governs the faithful. We have, thus, only one interpretation of Scripture rather than anyone telling us how to read the Bible or what it means.

I recommend to non-Catholics this site (and also to Catholics) to learn the basics of the Faith. This priest put together a Q&A board which is easy to read and wonderful in presentation:

http://www.scborromeo.org/glad/glad.htm

And it is interesting you commented about the Presence of God. When I left the protestant church (I was 16 years old at the time), I remember going back to take one last look at the church I had attended as a kid. But when I went back I felt it was so EMPTY. It was a few years later that I realized the reason why. Jesus is not present in the tabernacle, as He is in the Catholic church. In every Catholic parish, all over the world, Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. When you enter a Catholic church, you are in a special way, in the Presence of God Himself. And when we attend Holy Mass, we are witnessing the spiritual Passion and Presence of our Lord too.

Many saints would come to the church and were given the grace to see Jesus standing there, as is in physical form. When we go to church, we should remind ourselves of that. That is why we genuflect at church. We are kneeling to show our honor to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament :)

Answer 5

People fear what they don't understand. Or perhaps a better explanation is they "don't approve" of what they don't understand.

People don't understand why Mary is held in such high esteem (in some Catholic cultures even higher than Christ), or how powerful a church can become, or how some rituals can be taken seriously. To them, its offensive that beliefs they don't understand are being associated into Christianity.

Its funny, I'm reading answers about the disapproval of the Catholic church's power vs offering to the poor. The ironic thing about the Catholic church vs other religions is they DO live very poorly...until you reach higher on the God-chain. I grew up Catholic, and was offended when I heard of a nearby Christian church buying a loaded Suburban to haul members to their gym. But then again...the pope has a personal taylor, cobbler, etc.

Answer 6

You can do a lot of things and feel "inspired" or "peaceful", but catholics claim to be a bible based religion and the reason people pick it apart is that a lot of the teachings are not bible based. Finding truth is what is important and when you go looking for holes in things that means you are seeking truth which is a good thing. Just feeling peaceful because of a certain religion does not mean you are serving God or doing what you need to do to achieve everlasting life on a paradise earth (which is scriptual and bible based).

Answer 7

The Catholic Church was ordained by Christ while their churches were started by men who didn't agree with the Catholic Church. They took one part of the Bible and built their church on that small bit to make themselves different from the other denominations. But, they are still churches begun by man. There is a lot of mininformation taught in protestant denominations about the Catholic Church and a lot of sermons about why they should hate and fear Catholics. It is truly sad because I have never heard a priest say anything negative about a protestant denomination.

Answer 8

What most the critics believe about the Catholic Church is simply not the Roman Catholic Faith in reality.

Anti Catholic myth flourishes abundantly.

Answer 9

god is where the heart is. Sense of peace that you get in presence of God and Mary and company should be enough for you to get going. And do not bother what others say. In this world everyone criticizes everyone else.

Answer 10

You gotta believe. Of course it seems every faith has its own problems. Some folks forget what the reformation was all about. Nothing went wrong with the Roman Catholic Church, the faith....It was church leadership, greed, etc. Flaws exist in all faiths to this day. Jesus said "Upon this rock".

Answer 11

I've been raised to Honor God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Mary wasn't IN the Trinity, er not MINE! Revelation 19:13,

1John 5:7-10
7For there are three that testify: 8the [a]Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.