Why do you have to be Catholic?

Answer 1

I assume you want this answer from a Catholic perspective.

The answer in short is: BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU GET TO HEAVEN.

Jesus founded the Catholic Church. He told Peter "You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church". Peter then became the first Pope and the other apostles the first bishops. From there the papacy was passed down from pope to pope until today.

Jesus also said right after that "and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it". Jesus promised that the Catholic Church would be protected by him from Hell. This means that the official teachings of the Catholic Church will always be true because Jesus will protect it from lies.

If you are Catholic and struggling with your faith, I recommend you consult with a priest and ask him for help.

Roman Catholic AnswerBecause God loves you, and because He created you out of nothing, and, in His gracious mercy will hold you in existence forever. When He created you, He created you for Himself, for His own greater glory, and He wants you to be happy with Him for eternity. The above answerer has it correct, because that is how you get to heaven, and heaven is what we were created for. Anytime we try to find an answer for our lives in anything less than God, we end up frustrated and unhappy. The only difference when you die, is that there is no more possibility to change, there is no more "time", literally, as time is only a means to measure change. So if you are unhappy, or unfulfilled, here on earth, you are already in hell, you just don't realize it yet. Death removes any blinders that we have imposed on ourselves.

We have to do God's will, and He has manifested His will to us only through the Catholic Church. Jesus, Himself, said, that this was His church, that It would be One and free from all error until the end of time. To try to find His answers anywhere outside of the Church that He established and guards and loves, is to frustrate His design and frustrate His intentions for your eternal happiness.