who do roman catholics worship?

Question

hey if u can help that would be gr8!i need this 4 my bible report due on monday!!!!(1/22/07)

Answer 1

God.

Answer 2

Roman Catholics worship the same God as the rest of Christendom. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ... i.e. the Trinity, the Triune God.

They don't worship saints or Mary or anyone else. They respect and honor these, but this is not the same thing as worship.

Hope this helps,

-- Dee

Answer 3

The Roman Catholics worship God. They recognize God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

They have their beliefs summaries in the Apostles Creed:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

Answer 4

Roman Catholics are Christians. They worship God in the form of the Holy Trinity--Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

They do NOT worship the pope.

Answer 5

Catholics worship God, in the Holy Trinity.

A summary of Catholic beliefs is contained in the Nicene Creed (from the year 325):

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

For a complete description of what Catholics believe, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

This is a good question b/c there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about Catholics! The answer is that Roman Catholics worship ONLY God (in the three persons of the Trinity: God, the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit--considered to be the same but different, like the three leaves on one single clover, or three members of one family). The confusion is whether Catholics "worship" Mary or their Saints, which, because of their prominence in the Catholic faith (books, prayers, etc.), a lot of people mistakenly think they do.

When it comes to Mary and the Saints, Catholics hold them up as examples of what ordinary humans, who aren't God or God's son, can do when they choose to follow God's will. (There are Saints who are former prostitutes, murderers, mixed in with the monks, nuns, and priests--it was how they lived their life in total, not just during one part.) Though they are formally recognized as codified good examples (there is a long process to certify a saint) and their lives are focused on and reflected on a LOT, it is against the Catholic faith to WORSHIP any human, living or dead, only God.

This gets into the key confusion: prayers. Many faiths say you can only pray "to" God, and by praying to Mary or Saints you are worshiping them. The Catholic idea of praying "to" Mary (the most famous example being the prayer beginning "Hail Mary...") and any of the Saints can best be described as the kind of conversation you might have with your dead grandfather ("Grandpa, I miss you...please watch over me today as I get married! or "Grandma, this decision is so hard, I wish I knew what you would do..."), reflecting with them and on their example as a way of informing your Christian life. Never are they placed above God (even Mary, who is known as the "Queen of Saints" clearly labeling her in the "Saint" category, not "God" category), or do you pray in a worshipful fashion towards them. (the Mass does not focus on Mary...we do NOT say the Hail Mary as a part of the standard Mass (only during special Masses which focus on Mary and the example she set for us).


One more thing to clear up (courtesty of my Southern Baptist ex-girlfriend who viewed going to Mass with me through the eyes of someone who was not--and never became--Catholic): The Pope is a human leader of the Church as a human body, and is responsible, if you will, for administrative leadership and setting policies and interpretations for the world's Catholics. There are no prayers "to" the Pope and he is not automatically a Saint...in fact, as a living person, he is a leader and can be popular (or not) and followed, but is never worshipped or even held as a formal example of a life worth leading.

Basically, like any traditionally Christian religion (and as one of, if not the, world's oldest Christian denominations, Catholicism certainly must qualifiy!), Roman Catholics worship God, primarily focused on Jesus of the New Testament, as well as God, the father, as known primarily through the Old Testament, and place a special emphasis on the workings and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Roman Catholics worship the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Mary, the mother of God, is revered for her devotion and for her selfless submission to the Father's will.
The Saints are also revered and their aid is invoked for strength, wisdom, and guidance.
We are all called to be in the Communion of Saints and when we pass on to God's kingdom we will be one with the Saints. Very, very few people are condemned to Hell - have faith, love your neighbor, and look forward to eternal life.

Answer 8

Jesus. All Catholics worship only God the Father thru His only Son Jesus, who proceeds from the Father by the power of His Holy Spirit. These 3 things are of once essence. All other personalities in Catholocism function as examples of ideal Christians. Roman Catholics follow the Roman rite of THE Catholic Church. Irish Cathoilcs follow the Irish rite, German Catholics follow the German rite, Greek Orthodox follow the...well, hopefully you see the pattern by now

Answer 9

Officially they worship the Trinity, that is, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
Unofficially, they worship Mary, Jesus' Mother, some also call her "Mother of God" which is to place her above God, thus it is idle worship. They have mostly abandoned the worship of Saints, some of whom never actually existed.

Answer 10

Roman catholics worship many different symbols besides just Christ. See you have to understand that the catholics have their own Bible with extra books that the standard Bible does not have. Catholics believe that you can not talk to God personally but you have to pray to "the saints" to have them pray for you. That is why they pray to the virgin Mary for example, to have her pray for them. they also believe in purgatory, meaning that when you die you go to a "waiting room" until you have been prayed into heaven. This differs from Christianity because as Christians we believe that we can pray to God directly, as it says in the Bible. All you have to do is accept Him into your heart to go to heaven and you have a personal relationship with Christ. Catholics have a middle man by going to confession and confessing their sins to the priest and ect. They basically have rituals vs. reality.

Answer 11

The three that make up "god" (god, jesus, holy spirit), plus mary, joseph, and about 2 million other saints. It's very confusing :)

Doesn't matter anyway, since there's no evidence of any kind that there is such a thing as god, jesus, the holy spirit, or any of the rest of it.
Please join the rest of us in the 21st century, and leave ancient superstition and myth behind!

Peace.