What is the point of the roman catholic church?

Question

Did Luther and Calvin have a point, why are men in black neede to tell people what to believe? And why is an atheist considered to be a bad person?

Answer 1

The protestants and lutherans have just replaced the priests with their own pastors, who now in turn tell people what to believe.

An atheist is a person who simply recognizes that god most likely does not exist. This non-belief threatens the believers, because if it's true, then they are idiots....

Answer 2

Luther and Calvin did not have a point - they were impatient and jumped the gun. Sure, they wanted reform - and reform was on the books. The Council of Trent introduced a number of reforms that had an impact at the time.

There are no 'men in black' who tell people what to believe. This is a gross over-simplification of religious belief and Catholicism.

Atheists are not considered bad people - where you got this from I cannot even guess. I am a Catholic, but I have atheist friends who I would not consider bad in any way - mistaken about God perhaps, but bad - not at all.

Answer 3

The 'point' of the Church is, as Jesus said, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God, teaching them to observe all Jesus commanded (as in Matthew 28) and by so doing, restore fallen men and women to their full humanity ruined by the fall and allowing them a share in the very life of God. But I think you're also asking whether or not the main Protestant reformers had a valid beef with the Roman Church, and they did - there were many abuses (the sale of 'indulgences', for example), and medieval popes had intertwined political power with spiritual duty. Luther merely wanted to bring some reforms; Calvin further politicized Christian teaching by trying to establish his own utopia in Geneva instead of moving away from this problem. Theologically, Luther was right to call men and women to individual faith, and not rely simply on an institution (Lutherans and Catholics actually agree on this today) but his emphasis on 'justification by faith ALONE' went too far and precluded the possibility that a person who begins well may also shipwreck his faith by not acting on it and be lost, as Paul clearly taught. Calvin's emphasis on the absolute sovereignty of God was helpful, but again went too far by precluding any possibility that humans had a free will at all to choose good or evil. The will is marred and dimmed, to be sure - as Augustine said - but not entirely lost, as these Reformers taught. The Catholic position is the most reasonable - and the most faithful to the Scriptures and the historical teaching of the earliest Christian Fathers. So priests - the Men in Black you describe - don't 'tell people what to believe' so much as try to remain faithful to the 'deposit of faith' handed down from the apostles. Finally, atheists aren't considered to be 'bad persons'. They are fallen, like everyone else, and loved by the Heavenly Father they so desperately wish wasn't there.

Answer 4

The hierarchy of ordained ministers in the Catholic Church mirrors how Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church.

There are three levels of Holy Orders, Deacon, Priest, and Bishop.

Bishops are the Apostles of today. Each one leads a diocese. Special types of bishop are archbishop, cardinal, and pope (who leads the whole Church).

Priests are co-workers of the bishops and can lead a parish. A special title for a priest is monsignor. Priests are called presbyters in the Bible.

Deacons assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt3.htm#iii

+ Atheists +

I personally think Atheists are people of great faith.

They believe the entire wonderful universe came into being all by itself from the smallest subatomic particle to the most immense galaxy and from the amazing complexity of the human mind to the love between a mother and child.

I find it much easier to believe that an all powerful and all loving God is behind it all.

"To be an atheist requires an indefinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny." (Joseph Addison)

I do not have enough faith to be an Atheist.

Atheism is a sin against the First Commandment.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 2123-2126: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1.htm#2122

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Who said that atheists are bad people? This is an individual determination. However, they will never enter into the Kingdom of God and will be cast down eternally. As far as the Catholic Church goes, they should follow Christ much more closely, especially in today's world.

Answer 6

Actually, Martin Luther wasn't trying to break from the Catholic Church. He was trying to reform it. People after him took his ideas a step further and broke away.

And Catholicism doesn't say atheists are bad people at all. Maybe 'mistaken', but not 'bad'.

Answer 7

Luther and Calvin broke off from the Church because of what they believed.

There's nothing wrong with that....but there's also nothing wrong with the Catholic Church either.

Who said Atheists are bad people.

Where are you getting this information....it's all incorrect.

Answer 8

The catholic church is not perfect, and it takes a very blind Taig to claim that it is. However, it is the true church, and by its name, the main opposition, the protestants were set up in spite (Protest) of the RC church. We dont consider Atheists to be bad people, it is a very strong feeling to believe in a god and not one to be made overnight!

Answer 9

Ask Jesus what the point of the Roman Catholic Church is.

He Is the One Who Created the Catholic Church.

Answer 10

Well the Catholic church claims to be the Mother church of all "Protestant Sects" and the Pope being the leader is declared "Infallible" (Without sin or error) and serves as the "Vicar" or Official representative of God on earth.- Equivalent to Christ. Thats why they call him "His Holiness", The Roman Catholic Papacy was at one time the World leader, During the Dark Ages and the Inquisition.

Here are some doctrines that they hold; straight out of the Catholic Catecism:

ALL GRACE COMES THROUGH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

819 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

834 Particular Churches are fully catholic through their communion with one of them, the Church of Rome "which presides in charity." "For with this church, by reason of its pre-eminence, the whole Church, that is the faithful everywhere, must necessarily be in accord" (St. Irenaeus, Adv. Haeres, 3,3,2:PG 7/1,849; cf. Vatican Council I: DS 3057).

NO CHRISTIAN UNITY APART FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

820 Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose ... The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.

SUPREMACY OF THE POPE

882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful." "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."

891 The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful -- who confirms his brethren in the faith -- he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. ... The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. ... This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.

PENANCE NECESSARY FOR SALVATION

980 It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church: "Penance has rightly been called by the holy Fathers `a laborious kind of baptism.' This sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn" (Council of Trent (1551): DS 1672; cf. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 39, 17: PG 36,356).

THE CHURCH CAN FORGIVE SINS

982 There is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive. ... Christ who died for all men desires that in his Church the gates of forgiveness should always be open to anyone who turns away from sin.


If I'm not mistaken, claiming to have the authority to FORGIVE sin is BLASPHEMY - Isn't that the grounds that they used to crucify Jesus? Moreover the Catholic Church teaches that you can only be saved though the Catholic Church, and that you need to pay (pennance) for forgiveness of your sin.