What are the major points of Catholicism?

Question

What is Catholicism? How does it differ from Christianity, and how did saints come to be recognized and prayed to? Why is that considered the right thing to do in the Catholic religion?

I just want to clear up, that I know it is a Christian faith, but that it differs in that people ask for saints to intercede instead of speaking directly to God and Christ - I believe. That's why I'm asking!

Answer 1

The Catholic faith is the original faith of the apostles, as it was given to them by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, and faithfully handed down to us.

The Catholic Church has been eternally blessed by God the Father, constantly illuminated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it has always been nourished by the real and substantial body and blood of Jesus Christ.

A universal church, and an eternal church, those who belong to the church remain so forever, and death is not a barrier.

Catholics consider those who have gone before us to be alive, perfected in God's grace, and supernaturally engaged in Christ's ongoing work of saving souls ... just as we here on earth should always be.

Catholics offer true worship and perfect sacrifice to God for the forgiveness of sins in the very person of Jesus Christ ... who IS the one time, once for all, eternal sacrifice of Calvary.

The Catholic church is a church full of priests.

Some of those priests perform ministerial duties, some teach, some govern, and all share in the royal priesthood of all believers ... and this especially includes all those who are now in heaven with God.

Ans since every faithful Catholic ... alive or dead ... is a member of God's own household, a citizen of heaven, and a co-heir with Jesus Christ, what would prevent us from treating each other like one big, happy family?

Jesus said it best:

Mat 22:29 And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven.
Mat 22:31 And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you:
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more for they are equal to the angels and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Luk 20:37 Now that the dead rise again, Moses also shewed at the bush, when he called the Lord: The God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
Luk 20:38 For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live to him.

If all the faithful are alive to God, and all remain members of the church, than what is there to keep us apart from them ... especially when you consider that ALL prayer is empowered and facilitated by the Holy Spirit?

Answer 2

Catholicism is a Christian church...

Saints are canonized, it's a long process...but there is a committee that looks into the persons life. The Great John Paul II changed the law, but I think Benedict changed it back...

The right thing to do is the same as any other Christian church and the focal points are the same. Virgin birth, life and death, Resurrection....

They have 2 extra book, Deuteronomy and the aporcypha. They pray the rosary....you should really just go ask a priest and read up on the 95 things martin luther wanted changed in the church.

Answer 3

Catholicism isn't different from Christianity. It is different from Protestantism. Catholicism IS Christianity, in its fullest and purest form. And, in the only form Jesus Christ ever intended to exist.

Saints did not "come to" be recognized and prayed to. This has been the practice of the Christian Church from the beginning. Christ said that those who follow Him "will never die". This is why the early Church referred to biological death as "falling asleep". Since the early Church believed that such Christians were still very much alive after "passing on", they saw no reason to stop asking them for prayers of intercession, just as they had asked them while they were still on earth. This is why the Apostles' Creed speaks of "the communion of saints", meaning the relationship and interaction between the earthly saints and the heavenly saints.

Answer 4

Catholicism was the first Christian Church to be founded. It's core beliefs are The Holy Trinity, The Ressurection, The Second Coming, and the Holy Eucharist. Some protestant religions accuse us of praying to saints when we don't pray to them. We ask the to pray for us to Jesus who in turns goes to God. It is like when a protestant asks his/her pastor to pray for them. And you no where in the Catholic teaching does it say you have to pray to a Saint, a saint is just someone you know that went to heaven.

Answer 5

Most Roman emperors (and citizens) were henotheists. A henotheist is one who believes in the existence of many gods, but focuses primary on one particular god, or considers one particular god supreme over the other gods. For example, the Roman god Jupiter was supreme over the Roman pantheon of gods. Roman sailors were often worshippers of Neptune, the god of the oceans. When the Catholic Church absorbed Roman paganism, it simply replaced the pantheon of gods with the saints. Just as the Roman pantheon of gods had a god of love, a god of peace, a god of war, a god of strength, a god of wisdom, etc., so the Catholic Church has a saint who is “in charge” over each of these, and many other categories. Just as many Roman cities had a god specific to the city, so the Catholic Church provided “patron saints” for the cities.

Answer 6

Catholics are Christians. Catholics were the first Christians.. Catholics pray to saints to honor or recognize them for the life they lived like we honor and recognize the loved ones in our family or society, who have died. Catholics also ask saints to pray for them, to intercede for them to God like one asks a friend for help when help is needed.

Answer 7

Catholics are Christians...Catholicism does not differ from Christianity, it is Christian.

There are many major points of Catholicism. The main one being the Eucharist, which is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord under the appearance of bread and wine. This is a true miracle.

We honor Mary, the mother of God. You will hear that we worship her...but you will never hear that from a true Catholic because we do not. We only worship God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Saints are holy men and women who have died and are with Christ. As Christians we know that there is life after death because Christ conquered death. We know that these very holy people are in heaven with Christ...they are not dead. We ask them to intercede for us, much as you might ask a friend to pray for you.

If you read the life story of any of the saints, you will come to understand that they are different. Many of them died horrible deaths for their faith. Others had miraculous events surrounding their life such as the stigmata. We know that these people are examples of true followers of Christ and we look to them for support and prayers.

Do the saints pray in heaven? The book of Revelation tells us:

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the PRAYERS OF SAINTS.

Revelation 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with THE PRAYERS OF ALL SAINTS upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

There are many scriptures which support intercessory prayer and the knowledge that the saints in heaven pray.

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/saints.html
http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/saints.html

If you are truly interested in Catholicism you'd be doing yourself a favor by visiting some apologetic websites.

http://www.catholic.com
http://www.ewtn.com
http://www.chnetwork.org
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/index2.htm

Answer 8

Roman Catholicism is a Christian faith. You are reffering to how it differs from Protestant Christianity. THe Catholic Faith is built upon Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture (Bible), and the Sacred Magesterium (Pope and Bishops) which are needed to interpret and teach faith and morals. Only Catholics have apostolic succession or the ability to trace their origins to the apostles themselves. I'd highly recommend you read and study about the Apostolic and early church fathers which believed in praying to the sains, purgatory, Marian devotion, etc. God bless.

Answer 9

they put tradition over the Word of God. Their false teachings include infant baptism, purgatory and praying to dead people.

Acts 8:36-37 "What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Why then baptize the unconscious and ask Mary to pray for you if it contradicts God's Word? Jesus had an answer for the religious hypocrite:

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

Answer 10

the point is to be the most irrational as possible, and to never seek out truth, mainly steering clear of all science...wouldn't want to ask the wrong questions and have the priests have to go out of their way AGAIN to make something up