Catholic Christianity is perhaps some what of a misnomer. For Catholicism, from the standpoint of the Catholic, "is" Christianity. The Church, with a capital "C," traces itself to the very beginnings of the Faith called "Christianity." It is not that Catholics believe other Christians are not Christian, they are. It is that they belive that the true Church, capitalized to denote Christ's Church on earth, is the Catholic Church. To the Catholic, Christ himself established his Church on earth when he said to Peter, who had just (at that moment) demonstrated his faith, "You are Rock and upon this rock I will build my Church."
Catholics are great biblical literalists. This is especially true with respect to the words of Christ himself. If Christ said it, Catholics believe it. For that reason, true Catholics believe whatever it is that they believe. Another important proof exists, proof that the Bible is true. To take the Bible to be literally true and therefore proof of Christ's life, origins, divinity, sacrifice and resurrection, you must convince people that the Bible is justified as a source. Historical research can do just that. The belief called Catholicism, the Catholic Church, is not based upon just that act of Jesus the Christ choosing a successor administrator. The core belief of Catholics is Christ's sacrifice on the cross and the Eucharistic Communion at the Last Supper with his closest followers, the 12 Apostles. The Catholic religious service, the mass, recreates that communion. It is a recreation that is both symbolic and real. It is real because Jesus said it is. The mass is like the historical reenactments done by historical enthusiasts on special historical anniversaries, except that the mass is real. And the mass has been celebrated pretty much the same since the early days, just after Christ's life. It was the original Christian service. Any statements below that is rust-red, rather than gray, has an article about it on The Truth page of this website. Simply CLICK on the red statement below, or go to The Truth page by clicking the link at the top right of each page, to see the article. Articles are brief, but to the left of the rust-red statements below are reading references. (see immediately below & right). Similarly, the appropriate reading references (titles & chapters) are found to the right of the articles on The Truth page. Book icons usually link to the author's website or where the book is available for purchase. { We gain nothing from any sales. } |
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Based Upon Scripture, We Believe: Readings:
Rust-red subjects have articles about them, click on the statement. Scripture References Here, Book Sources after Articles
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Rust-red subjects have articles about them, click on the statement. Scripture References Here, Book Sources after Articles
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1. Christ is in the Eucharist. ..............................................................
2. Peter was chosen by Christ. ............................................................. 3. Christ rose from the dead. .............................................................. 4. The Catholic Church traces its leadership to the Apostles of Christ through Apostolic succession, leading to teaching authority. ........... 5. Mary is our mother (both symbolic & true). ................................... 6. The Rosary prayer is based on scripture. ........................................ 7. The 12 apostles believed in Jesus after his death. ........................... 8. Suffering is Christian. .................................................................... 9. Saints are scriptural & Praying to Mary and the Saints is not worship. ......................................................................................... 10. Purgatory is Biblical. ..................................................................... 11. The Pope is infallible when it matters most. .................................. 12. Satan & Hell exist. ......................................................................... 13. The Old Testament is strongly connected to the New and the story of Christ. .............................................................................. 14. Mary is without sin & ever virgin. ................................................. 15. Scripture tells Christians to follow Church tradition as well as the Bible. ............................................................................................ |
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Based Upon history, science & logic, We Believe: Readings:
Rust-red subjects have articles about them, click on the statement. References Here, Book Sources after Articles
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Rust-red subjects have articles about them, click on the statement. References Here, Book Sources after Articles
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A. The Catholic mass is almost identical to the worship services of the early Christians. .................................................................... B. The Bible, particularly the New Testament, is a valid historical text, with a better pedigree than some other respected ancient texts. ............................................................................................. C. God can be a scientific reality. ....................................................... D. Science suggests an intelligent creator of the universe. ................ E. Christ is historical .......................................................................... F. Jesus was not crazy & believed what he claimed. .......................... G. Christ rose from the dead. ............................................................ H. Christian miracles have occurred. ................................................ I. The 12 apostles believed in Jesus after his death. .......................... J. Saints are Ordinary People & Associated with Miracles. ................ K. The apostles demonstrated behavior revealing the depth of their belief, after showing doubt. ........................................................... L. Events such as Pentecost reveal the influence of God & Christ after Christ's ascension. ................................................................. M. Catholics use the Bible (they are people of the Book). .................. N. The Catholic Church traces its leadership to the Apostles of Christ through Apostolic succession. ....................................................... |
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