What's the best way to explain the Catholic faith?

Question

I'm studying the Catholic Church more since I am older and was raised Catholic. What is the best way to explain the Catholic faith to someone who is not Catholic but would like to know about the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

There is no such a thing as a Catholic faith, Baptist faith, etc. There is only faith in Christ. I am ex Catholic for a number of reasons most of which center on the fact that the Catholic church is loaded with false teachings, idolatry, and pagan rituals that have no basis in the bible.

Answer 2

Mass is a great start. It erases a lot of preconceived notions - the non-Catholic friends I've taken quickly wonder why there's so little mention of Mary, the Saints, or the Pope, and realize that the debate has taken these doctrines out of proportion.

The Nicene Creed, the Our Father, the Commandments and the Beatitudes are all excellent illustrations of the fundamentals of Catholic faith.

The Catechism might be a little much unless you have a very deep question, because it takes Scriptural exegesis to the point of philosophy and can be quite an undertaking. Still, it's a sure way to determine what the Church believes on a point.

Answer 3

There is not particular catholic , orthodox, or protestant faith in the christianism..There are just 3 dogmes as we call them or rito cattolico, according to the Roman Catholic Church.
So, in this case speaking about the christian belief, it is not different from any other religion, bearing in mind that all the rules and th principles of every religion are the same(concerning the 3 monotheistics, christianism,islam, jewish).
The differences concern the administration of the churches,which had been divided after the Big Schisme.So, protestant church has been concentrated to the Bible,not having any connection with the Pope, catholic to the Pope, and orthodox to Byzance.
There have been conflicts between the 2 big churches, or dogmes.Catholics and Orthodoxes, crusades, or some byzantines who left Byzance due to the religious fanatism of those times, and they entered into the Roman catholic church.
Nowdays, the catholic religion, is very much integrated into the life of its believers, having played a role negative unfortunately during the Middle Age(Inquisition),but it is contributing so well to desasters, and to the needs of the people.The difference from the orthodox church,is the baptise, they just pour water on the head of the baby, the ostia, means the holy comunion ,and the first communion which is taken at the age of 12, after cathechism..
The catholic church also during Middle age was not giving divorce, but i m not sure if it is still the same right now.
Personally, i m not a believer, but i like more catholic than orthodox(i am greek)i mean i prefere the catholic dogme..

Answer 4

Just live it.

By giving an example, one can make it more clear to others what you believe than by explaining it in so many words.

Anyway, believing has so much to do with gut feeling and intuition and trust that it can hardly be explained in reasonable words.

I cherish this quote by I don't know whom:
"If you preach love to children, they will learn how to preach, not how to love"

and I think that just hits the nail on the head

Good luck to you
Anna

PS I once helped a young German study her adult catechism for an exam. It was incredibly hard to understand since the Church used very precise language and a lot of difficult terminology and re-definitions, so I would advise you against that method.

If they want to know about the Church, they can probably find out a lot on the internet, even on wikipedia, or on the Vatican's homepage. There are probably also brochures in almost every language of the world.

But if they are interested in what you believe, there is just no better way, in my opinion, than see you live your faith.

Answer 5

The Catholic faith is different from the Catholic church. The foundation of the faith comes from Peter, one of Jesus' disciples , carrying on the teachings and spreading the message that he perceived and was in a sense, commissioned, for Jesus said to him, you will be my rock, or foundation. The Catholic church is a political institution that has been established to preserve artifacts of religious value, which would include ceremonies that represent the celebration of Christ. As with any organization, some one has to be a leader or figure head. The pope, is a "symbolic" figure of Peter.The "faith" is supposed to be the continued teachings of Jesus, in which He is our Savior, with God being the only Supreme Being, for lack of a better descriptive word. If you are studying the Catholic religion, you know more than me, I was raised going to the Catholic church, and setting politics aside, I feel the celebration that the church offers is a beautiful expression of faith in the One. Keep the faith, regardless of any negativity you may encounter, for it is in any organization that involves people's thoughts and opinions.

Answer 6

I would advise that person to buy a Catechism of the Catholic Church book that explains everything.

Answer 7

Start with the Nicene Creed as a summary of Catholic beliefs.

Then talk about the seven sacraments.

Then talk about the Ten Commandments.

Then talk about prayer.

This is the outline of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/

You can delve into each topic as deeply as you wish.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

I'm a so-called "cradle Catholic". You could recite the Nicene or Apostle's Creed! The Catholic Church is the True Church established by Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His authority to teach in His name to the Apostles. Jesus gave this authority via the Holy Spirit and tongues of fire on Pentecost.

I strongly encourage one to check out "Journey Home" on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) on cable TV or online. The host is a convert to Catholicism; he is a former Methodist minister. Each week the host (can't remember his name--sorry!) has a guest or guests who were former Catholics or who are converts to Catholicism. I think it's an AWESOME show, which airs on Mon, at 8pm.

Another source is Father Corapi and the Cathechism. His personal story is something to hear! Fr. Corapi's program is on Sun at 8pm.

Answer 9

I read iamcatholic2's answer and what he said is a great start. Also, solarius' suggestion about taking them to mass is perfect. There's nothing better to show someone the Faith than to let them experience it. Naturally, you'll get questions. This means you'll need to educate yourself on the catholic faith. If you don't have a catechism, get one. There are also online catechisms; here's a link:http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Catholic encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html

Catholic bible: http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/

also, Catholic apolegetics for defending the faith: www.catholic.com, and www.scripturecatholic.com.

God bless.

Answer 10

I presume you mean the Roman catholic faith. You should be able to start with the core beliefs that Christ is God, born of the virgin Mary and resurrected from the dead. If not you have a problem.

Answer 11

One of the best ways is to simply take someone to Mass with you, and let them know if they have any questions as the service progresses, you'd be glad to answer them. Another thing is to anticipate the common questions, concerns and objections that non-Catholics often express. Be prepared to explain that we don't worship the Virgin Mary, we don't worship statues, we don't worship the Pope, and that sort of thing. I know it seems absurd, but these are very commonly held anti-Catholic statements, and ones that I've had to answer many times. Be prepared to discuss the current scandals within the Church, because people are going to ask. Explain why we believe in the communion of saints, the true presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and anything else you think might be brought up.