What do Roman Catholics believe and what are some of their practices?

Answer 1

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 2

Catholics believe in the written word of the new testiment & also still practice rituals / church tradition that were practiced during the 200 or so years following Christs murder & and when the books of the Bible were written. The Catholic church is the richest of the Christian denominations as far as church history and ancient rituals - most of which have been discontinued following vatican II. You can still practice in the ancient Catholic church tradition - they are known as Pope Pius the 10th group - or simply "traditional Cathoilics". The source of friction between the protestants and the Cathoilcs has been over the fact that the Cathoilcs practice rituals from the early days of the church - prior to the Bible - and are hence not Biblical. Cathoilcs believe in a triune God comprising the Father of the Old testiment, the Son of the New Testiment & the holy spirit - but their is no path to heaven except through Jesus. They also give reverence to the Mother of Jesus & saints as intercessors in Prayer to Jesus. IE Cathoilcs pray that they will interceed on their behalf. The Cathoilics with all there so called problems do more for humanity than any other denomination. Also, the Catholic missionaries are credited for extending the life of humantiy by teaching the great "unwashed" masses proper life skills such as sanitation & diet. The Cathoilc Church is also responsible for the Italian Renniassance - an explosion of art, music, literature, engineering and philosophy that is the foundational basis for western society. Its a great community of people - post vatican II church has many Jewish members as Cardinals, Jesuits and Bishops.-

Answer 3

One is called “The Holy Communion”. During the last supper, Jesus held up a cup and said “This is my blood, as much of it as you can take also can you take of me”. Then he broke bread and said, “This is my flesh, as much of this as you can take also can you take of me”.
The Catholics still practice this as a way of welcoming Jesus into their lives.
Some people think that the Catholics actually believe that they are drinking the blood. These people are know as Phuktards!!!

Answer 4

We believe:

Jesus is the savior. We believe he died on the cross for our sins.

That Jesus is coming again in glory.

God created heaven and earth.

That man was created in the image of God and that man chose to sin against God.

Mary, the mother of God, was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus and remained a virgin forever.

That we can ask the Blessed Mother and all the saints to pray for us.

That Satan prowls the world seeking the ruin of souls.

That Jesus gave us the Eucharist to feed our souls.

The real presence of Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist.

That it's necessary to go to the sacrament of confession.

That marriage is a sacrament and is between a man and a woman. The purpose of marriage is to bring children into the world.

That contraception and abortion is wrong. We believe that euthanasia and suicide are wrong.

That you must attend mass every week in order to receive the Body of Christ.

If you read the Nicene creed it will give you a summary of what we believe.

That's just what I can think of right now.

We have many practices involving the above stated beliefs.

The sacrifice of the mass is the central part of our worship. It is sacred and awesome. It is a miracle.

Answer 5

Apostles' Creed



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

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

1l. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

Answer 6

The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.



While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.



In regards to the question “Are Catholics saved?”, this is a more difficult question to answer. It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11). Catholic Christians remain in the Catholic Church out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church truly stands for, out of family tradition and peer pressure, or out of a desire to reach other Catholics for Christ.



At the same time, the Catholic Church also leads many people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church have often given the enemies of Christ opportunity to blaspheme. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church that Jesus Christ established. It is not a church that is based on the teachings of the Apostles (as described in the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles). While Jesus’ words in Mark 7:9 were directed towards the Pharisees, they accurately describe the Roman Catholic Church, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”

Answer 7

They believe you can mix the Bible with non-biblical beliefs and still call it Christianity, go figure,

excellent response Kait, there is the crux to what is the main difference between Catholicism and Christianity.

Answer 8

If you follow the commandments of men, your worship is void because God don't accept worship based on lies.

Answer 9

Traditions.

MK 7:8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

MK 7:9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

Answer 10

A summary of Catholic beliefs are contained in the Mother Goose Tales. They pray to Mother Teresa, Zorro, dead popes, and a lot of dead men's bones. Sometimes I wonder is they are also cannibalistic, creating the dead men's bones.

With love in Christ