what does it really mean to be catholic?

Question

ok so i am currently baptist christian..and after attennding a few catholic services,and looking at some catolic ppls lives. i am thinking about converting to catholisism bc it seems to me that there bond with god is stronger and fuller than in any other form of christianity. and i was wondering wat makes a makes a person catholic...like wat r there special view that are different from baptist??pls help :) thx in advance

Answer 1

DONT!!!!! you would be living the biggest lie in the history of Christianity. all you need is within you. you do not need an organized religion to lie to you and keep you in fear (the Catholics most powerful weapon)

Answer 2

As you can see, the Catholics give you good, valid examples of what Catholics do - while the protestants and atheists tell you we are homophobic, hate-filled people, but few have told you what it means to be Catholic.

I don't know that I can do any better, but to me, being Catholic is what I am, it is what I do, and it is how I live my life. I am bound by God to follow the Gospel of His Son, Jesus. I do this to the best of my ability. I often fail - I often get led astray, but I try and when I can't I can always find someone to talk to about it. . . I can pray for guidance and I can ask for forgiveness.

I do the best that I can to show my love for God and humanity and pray that I am granted the Grace to get to heaven as my final reward - I know that I am not guaranteed Heaven, no one is - and with His Grace it will happen.

I spent several years searching for the Truth and believe, 100%, that I have found it in the Catholic Church.

We all fall short of the Grace of God, Catholics are no exception. There are good and bad here, just as there are in the Baptist church.

I hope I helped, if you want more, email me.

Answer 3

I was raised as a baptist and I have a lot of catholic relatives and friends so I'm pretty familiar with both of their belief systems. Major differences include: confession of sins (you get to tell the priest about everything you've done wrong since your last confession), purgatory (the place in between heaven and hell where morally neutral souls are purged of their sins), a few extra books in the bible (protestant bibles are a bit shorter), a special reverence for Mary (Jesus' mommy), a belief in saints and people who intercede between you and God (I just can't decide which saint is my favorite), and a church hierarchy (popes, bishops, cardinals, priests...all that stuff). Baptists share a lot of beliefs with other protestant groups so you may learn more by exploring the differences between catholics and protestants in general. Baptists historically reject the idea of church hierarchy (they believe that biblical interpretation is not best decided by only a few select individuals like the pope...in other words all mature christians are capable of interpreting what the word means). Baptists dislike confession (nobody needs to talk to God and ask for forgiveness on your behalf) Baptists also place a special emphasis on the sacremant of baptism. They believe that people should only be baptised after they willingly decided to follow Jesus and accept God into their lives. (In other words, catholics baptise infants, baptists don't...at least not most baptists)

Answer 4

There is an excellent website: www.catholic.com

Catholic Answers seeks to instruct both Catholics and non-Catholics in every facet of Catholic beliefs. On Catholic Answers home page's left column are a series of Catholic Tracts, over one hundred, that explain Catholic beliefs and practices in a nutshell. There are thousands of articles that go into these topics at much greater detail.

There is even a book store, with many excellent books of Catholicm, Bible.

The site offers message boards, where you can converse with Catholics, non-Catholics thinking of converting, discuss, debate, whatever.

I am a regular visitor to this website and I am always learning new things. I hope you find all the answers you're looking for, and find the Catholic Church spiritually fulfilling.

Answer 5

First of all, I want to thank you for asking this question. I have recently been in a few conversations about the different religions. I think the major bond that you are noticing is that the mass is always the same. It never strays or varies. It is based on the the sacrament, the body of christ and how Jesus dies for our sins. He asked "Do this in memory of me"? and Catholics do this every week. The other main and vital part of being a Catholic is that Catholicism is the only direct descendant that is linked back to the original apostles. People can say what they want on this answer board, but think of all the sins you've done... Now forget them, he already has... And only because he died for us... Now that is Love!!

Answer 6

I was raised Catholic (but no longer practice), and I've also been through a baptist-based bible study. Here are some of the differences:

- Catholicism is a more strict, straight-laced, no-nonsense this-is-the-way-its-done faith

- Catholics are baptized at birth. At around age 7 they go through Holy Communion, where they recieve the holy spirit (wafer) for the first time. At around age 13 the go through Confirmation, which is where they are considered an adult in the church - it is their committment to follow the faith, and it is the choice of the individual. (I went through all of these things)

- Catholics have different prayers, like the Hail Mary for example. Some are lengthy and just require practice for memorization. They sometimes pray with a rosary, or in front of a candle-lit vigil. They also pray to others besides solely Jesus, like the Virgin Mary and the Saints.

- Catholics believe in the holy trinity - the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit

- Catholics practice tithing (tax) and confession of sins

- Catholics have a lot more holidays, like Ash Wednesday, All Saints Day, Palm Sunday, etc. Tradional holidays are also different - like on Easter and Christmas there is often the burning of incense.

- Catholic churches have mass every day of the week if you choose to go

You should really go to mass with friends for awhile to understand the differences, and if this is right for you.

Answer 7

Catholics believe many things that other Christians might not. Like that Mary, Jesus' mother was a virgin until death. Another thing is that when you recieve the Body and Blood of Christ at the Eucharist, it is the actual transformed Body and Blood of Christ, not a symbol. Another I will list is that our religion is the only Christian religion that was founded by Jesus Christ himself. Others broke off from the Catholic Church, some merely because the founders found that it didn't conform to something they wanted to do (i.e. divorce and re-marry). There are many other things, too many to list here. People of any religion are very bonded with God, in their own way. Catholicism is right for me, but may not be for everyone. It should not be what you get out of a religion, but what you put in for your own personal spirituality. Good luck with the decision.

Answer 8

People's beliefs and how strong their faith is varies from each individual to the next. I've been catholic my entire life and my belief is very strong and deep, but I know plenty within my own church that can't say the same.
One of the differences (an easy one) between a baptist and a catholic is that we believe in honoring Mary-Mother of Jesus. We do not worship her-that is for the Holy Trinity alone, but we do feel that she is,without a doubt, due special recognition due to her blessing and the fact that she was conceived w/o sin.

Answer 9

Being a Catholic means living a Sacramental life in the Church, to live a life of grace inherent in the Mystical Body of Christ, and being in communion with the Bishop of Rome and thus connected to the Apostles and the Historic Church established by Christ.

Answer 10

I'm catholic, and yes there are a lot of rules and regulations, but the foundations of the church are strong, you have to believe in the Holy family, God, Jesus, the holy spirit, also belive that Mary is the mother of Jesus with out demoralizing her. You have to have a deep and profund belief that Jesus did die for your sins and will come back for you. We believe that you can look to the Saints lives for encouragement in our quest. We belive in the communion of saints, the forgivness of sins and the ressurection of the body.

We belive in family and repecting the Holy Family, we belive that no sin is unforgivable. Most importantly the Nicene Creed which is:

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 men and for our salvation

he come 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 worshipped 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.

Answer 11

We are in receivership of the fullness of truth. It is not something we make up as we go along

The word "catholic" means "universal," in the sense of "according to the totality" or "in keeping with the whole." The Church is catholic in a double sense:
First, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church." In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation" which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession. The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the day of the Parousia
Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race:

All men are called to belong to the new People of God. This People, therefore, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one. . . . The character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit.