Honest question about the Catholic church?

Question

I find myself in a new relationship where my girlfriend has a strong religious catholic background. I have been raised in a family where no religion was taught whatsoever and I have been doing honest/serious research on the church since she constantly asks me to attend services with her, and that she points to anything that happens in the relationship to God's will. I love her and I want to understand her, but I have my skepitcal side. I am trying to look for anwers

Being from a scientific background; the thing that I find hard to believe about religion is fully believing that THIS religion is the true one. Religion itself dates back over 2 million years ago. The events in Catholism date only 2 thousand years. So this religion is really just a new religion in the grand scheme of things. How does one justify that this is the true religion if it's existence has only been around about .001% of the time that we just know religion existed. Can one can make the point that it even is a fad

Answer 1

imacatholic2 is the best at answering these questions, but I'll give it a whirl. The Church was founded by Christ himself and the current Pope follows a line that is traced directly back to St. Peter himself. So, if Christ as a founder holds any water with you, then the Catholic Church is highly recommended (I think I just convinced myself to convert to Catholicism)

Answer 2

Human origins have been around that long. The genus homo has been around at least 2 million years and the homo erectus species were intelligent enough that there are surviving evidence of their existence and scientists have found religious type things from that time period.

So yes, even taking into account the Jewish religion before Christianity, that's still a huuuuuuuuuuge gap from first evidence of a type of religion. I don't know what to tell you cause honestly I have no clue, but it does seem to point to the fact that if you take in account all of human existence, then the Catholic Church seems like it just started up. Who knows; maybe in another two thousand years people will all be Scientologists!

Answer 3

Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket before?

If you have, then you did so knowing darn well the ticket(s) you hold are most likely losers. Still, there is the possibility you could purchase the winning ticket. As remote as that possibility is, it was still enough for you to justify the purchase of lottery tickets.

With that in mind, consider that there mere fact the world is full of false gods does not mean all of them are false. Just as there is that winning ticket, there is that One True God.

Quite frankly, finding that One True God is far easier than winning the lottery. Therefore, if one can justify the purchase of lottery tickets, one should easily be able to justify the existance of the One True God. All you have to do is find that One True God.

Now here's where it's going to get theological. . .
How can we know for sure the Catholic Church is the One True Church of the One True God? Because the Catholic Church is the ONLY Church that bears the Four Marks of the True Church:

FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH



If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.

His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).

Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8, CCC 823–829)
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).

But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10, CCC 830–856)
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).

For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).

Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2).

These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role, and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.

Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim.

Answer 4

It is certainly not the age of an idea that makes it true or false (although Catholicism builds on the insights of Judaism, pushing it back another couple thousand years). Einstein's general theory of relativity is much more recent, which counts nothing against its validity.

First, let me compliment you on your choice of women. Catholic girls are easily the sweetest, more loving, and most attractive girls around. I know, because I married one in 1975, my best decision aside from becoming a Christian.

The reason why Catholic girls are so attractive is that they are steeped in the religion of love and family. Only Catholicism takes the Holy Family seriously. Catholics meditate constantly on the character of Joseph and the faith and trust of Mary. It is fair to say that the Catholic Church invented Christmas, while only puritanical Protestants have ever mounted any serious resistance to Christmas.

The Catholic Church is the direct modern descendant of the Church Jesus organized under Peter about 30 AD. Early Catholics wrote and selected the scriptures of the New Testament, and Catholics have huge advantages in understanding issues like baptism and Holy Communion because they have all the testimony of the Fathers of the Church as well as the canonical writings. Catholics have all seven sacraments, not just two, and given Catholics' love of wine, women, song, and Christmas, we need every one of them.

Answer 5

Religion dates back 2 million years? If you are of a scientific background, may I suggest Emile Durkheim's book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life? I doubt 2 million years is that accurate. He's a brilliant man, but I disagree with his conclusions. I read the book years back in college.

So proof you want?

Might I suggest reviewing Lee Strobel's book A Case for Christ? And after that, a Case for Faith. These are not Catholic books, but Christian books. He's a former (?) legal reporter (atheist) who approached it from a perspective of 'reasonable doubt'. His wife converted to Christianity, and he wanted to figure out what she believed and if he could come close to belief. A very skeptical approach focusing in on the major intellectual arguments against Christ, God and faith. He traveled all over the country interviewing theological experts who were prominent in the given areas of his specific questions.

This book converted me from atheism (of 25 years) to Christianity. It took only a few months to Come Home to Rome and convert back to Catholicism.

While these books may not have the same effect on you, I think it will help you understand your girlfriend better.

Is Christianity a fad? While I doubt it, consider the specifics. 2000 years ago, a carpenter's son preached for 3 years and was executed. He was poor and came from Nazareth, a place of little importance even then.

From there, His words have spread over the Globe. He offered suffering, an impossibly high moral standard, and caused great scandal to the people of the day. His followers were martyred. He preached of a life beyond this. The Jews of His day were expecting a King like David to rescue them from the Romans. Even now - wouldn't we all prefer that? But yet many of us follow His Way. It could be that there really is something to it.

As others have mentioned, Christianity arose from Judaism, so it is older than 2000 years old. The Book of Isaiah is my book as well.

Answer 6

The catholic church was started when Jesus came. Before that the religion was there they just belived the same things as the jewish people. So catholocism dates back farther than that, as far as the Jews were around. The only thing different from the catholics and Jews are that Catholics belive in what Jesus said the Jews do not. So the catholic church has been there for a long time just in a different form.

Answer 7

Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism. We believe the Messiah has already come, and we are waiting for His return while Jews are waiting for Him to come the first time. And Catholicism is the oldest form of Christianity.

Catholicism is built off of the Old Testament, New Testament, and some practices of Jews.

I pray that you're relationship will be a very chaste and fruitful one.

Answer 8

Religion does not date back over 2 million years ago. Our SPECIES doesn't even date back that far.

In any case, you'll find that every religion regards itself as being the "one true faith"; so it's up to you to decide whether you believe and feel Catholicism to be that faith or not. Either way, your efforts to try to understand your girlfriend's background and faith are admirable--not many people would bother to care that much.

Answer 9

It took a long time for God to redeem humanity from the sin of Adam. The Bible is a history of God's saving acts to restore man, to the pre-fall status, which culminates in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus 2000 years ago.

Answer 10

i like the Catholic faith = ) that is my comprehensive life, and it makes me sense comprehensive. heavily, i could no longer stay my comprehensive life without recieving Jesus interior the Eucharist. different church homes could say that it only "represents" Jesus, and how he died for us, yet interior the Catholic Church, it truly is Jesus. I only sense so comprehensive with my faith. Like i do no longer pick the rest interior the international. "i'm the living bread that got here down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will stay consistently; and the bread that i will supply for the life of the international is my flesh." -John 6:fifty one