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Catholicism
Catholicism is the faith, doctrine, system, and practice of the Catholic church, especially the Roman Catholic Church. Ask questions about the history of Catholicism and the church, beliefs that include the Holy Trinity, Mother Mary, and Catholic Saints; practices, such as Sacraments and Rosary; church leadership, including the Pope who is regarded as the earthly spiritual leader, and more.
15,592 Questions
Why is Reconciliation important?
Reconciliation is very important because through the sacrament of reconciliation you are sure that your sins are forgiven. Unlike Christians who pray silently and are not sure if their sins are forgiven, we can be sure. We confess with the priest and say our penance; we know that if we die at that moment we would go to heaven and have no sins in our souls. There are two types of sins mortal and venial; someone who dies with a mortal sin in their soul has little chance of making heaven.
Does the Vatican verify the shroud of Turin?
The Shroud of Turin is viewed as a religious relic and therefore needs no verification although the Vatican declares it to be the authentic winding sheet of Christ. Several studies have been done, in the late 70's and then again in the 90's and the results, while initially being thought to be negative, are now viewed as inconclusive.
No one has been able to naturally explain the phenomenon of the '3 D' effect and the inconclusiveness was caused by contamination on the shroud.
also see related question on left
Improved Answer:
The Catholic Church has never declared the Shroud to be the genuine burial cloth of Christ nor does the Church claim it to be a fake. There is insufficient evidence to make any sort of proclamation. It is treated as a representation of the burial cloth of Christ - a work or art. However, since it 'could' be the actual burial cloth it is treated with the utmost respect and honor.
I attended Catholic schools for 12 years, and later taught public school, so I have a "both sides" viewpoint on this question. Catholic schools are more difficult than public schools largely because the expectations for the students are higher than they are in most public schools. On a grade-for-grade basis, the curriculum in Catholic schools is also more demanding, or perhaps more accurately, "farther along" for a given grade level. In both grade school and high school I had friends who left and went to public school, and later told me they were anywhere from a half a year to a full year ahead of the other kids in their grade in the public school. There are many variables, of course - some Catholic schools are better than others, and the best public schools I taught in were the equal of any Catholic school - those were public schools where the school and the parents had very high expectations for the students.
What is the significance of church activities?
Church activities play a significant role in fostering community, building spiritual connections, and providing opportunities for worship, service, and personal growth for individuals. They help strengthen relationships among members, offer support in times of need, and serve as a way to live out and practice one's faith.
What was the name of the encyclical written in 1937?
Pope Pius XI published four encyclicals in 1937. They here follow in descending chronological order:
1. "Ingravescentibus Malis" - September 29th treating on the Rosary, addressed to the Universal Church.
2. "Nos Es Muy Conocida" - March 28th treating on the religious situation in Mexico, specifically addressed to the Mexican hierarchy.
3. "Divini Redemptoris" - March 19th treating on Atheistic Communism, addressed to the Universal Church.
4. "Mit Brennender Sorge" -March 14th treating on the Church and the German Reich, specifically addressing the German hierarchy. Of these, "Divini Redemptoris" was the most controversial and lauded, for it condemned Communism and has been a point of contention ever since.
What Catholic social teachings are relevant about the issue of graft and corruption in society?
Basically, Catholic social teachings walk a fine line between several competing issues: modern financial and State practices, Catholic moral practices, and human rights in general. Underpinning all Catholic instruction is the importance of individual character and moral character traits. Without these, in a strong moral conscience, activities like graft and corruption can easily occur from individuals and groups. Graft and corruption begins with one person, which can then involve many individuals, agency, government department, and even the church itself. When moral ethicists ask if it is okay to take pencils, pens, and printing paper home from your job, it is a small example of "stealing". When we minimize our small wrong actions, it can quickly lead to larger scale graft and corruption in any setting that involves money and / or power. When a priest skims money from the collection plate every month for his own purposes (as has been known to occur), the moral fiber of the church itself is weakened. So each person must keep their own moral values high, or it can affect the micro (smaller) community (like a specific church) or the macro (larger) community, like government.
According to Oliver F. Williams, C.S.C.. Williams and Houck, eds., Catholic Social Thought and the New World Order (1993) 8-16:There are four features of Catholic social teaching which clearly embody a moderate communitarianism: 1) "Rights, while important, are not always viewed as absolute but are seen in the context of their role of promoting and protecting human dignity in community." 2) "The market has an important though limited function in society." 3) "The state has an important though limited function in society." 4) "Individuality is shaped by social institutions, and institutions that corrupt people's character need to be reformed while those engendering desirable character traits ought to be strengthened."
Why did the church oppose the practice of simony?
The early Christians understood that money could corrupt bible principles for some. To allow favors or money to establish people in positions of authority does not enhance spirituality but degrade it. We see this too many times today where money can influence judicial proceedings or influence political systems so to allow money to compromise our basic moral standards is or should be rejected by true Christians.
How did the Catholic Church become corrupt?
If there was one thing that made the Catholic Church corrupt to its core, for centuries to come, it was the creation of the document known as the Donation of Constantine. The Donation of Constantine was an eighth-century forgery purporting to be from Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, bestowing huge ecclesiastical and political authority upon Pope Sylvester and his successors. Pope Stephen II took his document to Pepin, king of the Franks, in 755, asking for help so that lands then held by the Lombards be "restored" to St. Peter himself, because four centuries earlier Constantine had granted them to Sylvester. In the grand scheme of things, this reflects on Stephen and his forger, probably a papal official called Christophorous, not on the Church as a whole, and there is no suggestion that subsequent popes actually knew the Donation to be a forgery.
The Donation of Constantine changed the papacy, making it a prize to be fought over or bought, and therefore changed the Church itself. The Papal States won by Stephen and subsequently consolidated and expanded, helped make the pope the richest man in Europe. During long periods of the Middle Ages, simony, murder and corruption became common currency at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. Popes who bought their way into office did not stop with living in incredible luxury, but openly kept concubines or mistresses, and provided for the 'nephews' who resulted from these unions, often promoting them to the positions of bishop or cardinal while still in their teens.
Is the Catholic Church as corrupt in real life as it in the Godfather?
The Catholic Church is not corrupt. However, as with any human institution, there are a number of corrupt individuals in the Church, especially in the Roman Curia. Some of the characters in the movie The God Father were based on actual persons. Pope Benedict tried hard to clean up the corruption but his age left him without the stamina to do the job. We all pray that Francis is up to the challenge. Satan has been trying to destroy the Church since it was founded and what better place to operate than in the Vatican itself.
What practice was corrupt in the Catholic church during the Renaissance?
There have always been individuals in the Church who have been corrupt as every single individual who ever lived, saving Our Blessed Lord, and His Mother, have been sinners. The Church, however, is the Body of Christ, and Our Blessed Lord promised the Holy Spirit to guide Her until the end of the world. The Catholic Church is incapable of being corrupt, although individuals within her, including Popes, may be. To say that the Church was corrupt is to say that Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, was corrupt, which is nonsense. The vast majority of corrupt individuals during the Renaissance was neither more nor less than at any other time in history, it has just gotten a lot more press because heretics used corrupt individuals as an excuse to leave the Church and start their own religions. The Catholic Church, however, was never corrupt, and could never be.
Is a monk's job to tell the Catholic Church if they are being corrupt?
Roman Catholic Answer
First of all, the Catholic Church cannot, in and of itself, be corrupt; people in the Church may be corrupt, but the Church, itself, is the Mystical Body of Our Blessed Lord, who promised to pray for it, and send the Holy Spirit to guide it into all truth until the end of the world. Second of all, a monk's job primarily is to pray the Divine Office, to intercede for people, and for the whole Church. A monk, normally, is not even ordained, so would have NO business, whatsoever outside of his monastery. So the short answer to your question is a resounding "no" from whichever angle you consider it.
Researchers have dated the oldest Neanderthal fossils to more than 200,000 years ago. But it is not just the Neanderthals that are changing the Church's position. Our own species, Homo sapiens has been dated to around 180,000 years ago, and this has now been confirmed by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis and by analysis of male-only DNA in the Y chromosome (genetic material with no equivalent in the X chromosome). And predecessor hominin fossils have now been discovered, back to more than 6 million years ago. The Catholic Church's evolving stance on these discoveries can be seen by the following: Pope Pius XII stated in his encyclical Humani Generis (1950) that there was no opposition between evolution and the doctrine of the faith and that he considered the doctrine of "evolutionism" a serious hypothesis, worthy of investigation and in-depth study equal to that of the opposing hypothesis; Pope John Paul II, in an address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1996), said that new knowledge has led to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis; Pope Benedict has refused to endorse "intelligent design" theories, instead backing "theistic evolution" which considers that God created life through evolution with no clash between religion and science.
Mysticism has been around since the dawn of time. However, if you're referring to Catholicism, it was started by Jesus Christ and established by St. Peter the Apostle shortly after Christ's Ascension.
Can you be a godparent if you are underage?
Yes, if you are referring to the secular "legal" ages of 18 and/or 21 years old. What determines your readiness to assume the role of God Parent depends on your own baptism, spiritual maturity, and faith commitment.
What are ways the church can aid in building the community?
There are numerous good works that a congregation, denomination, or body of believers can perform in a community. Habitat for Humanity is one organization that involves volunteers from the community; often a local church will sponsor a Habitat home. Churches and individuals can help out in local soup kitchens, missions for the homeless and needy, and much more. Perhaps the biggest way a church can aid in building up a community, though, is to practice what God teaches, living it out in a way that can be attractive to others.
In Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακάριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead person's accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name (intercession of saints). As far as the word "beatification" is concerned, its use probably does not antedate the fourth century, when it was introduced in the church at Carthage, but the fact is certainly older. In the earlier ages this honor was entirely local and passed from one diocese to another with the permission of their bishops. This is clear from the fact that early Christian cemeteries contain paintings only of local martyrs. The history of the process is more closely examined in the article on canonization.
What is the French grace before meals prayer?
Laissez-nous prier! Bénis-nous, ô Seigneur, et ceux-ci, ton / tes dons, que nous nous apprêtons à recevoir de ton / votre générosité. Par le Christ, notre Seigneur. Amen.
Did Anne Frank convert to catholicism?
No, she didn't. Anne was Jewish by birth, Humanist by outlook, and in her diary, showed signs of becoming Deist in thought, but she was never Catholic.
Choices 4# 8:
A. The shogunal court was hostile, but certain regional lords were receptive.
B. The shogunal court was receptive, but certain regional lords were hostile.
C. Both the shogunal court and the regional lords were hostile.
D. Both the shogunal court and the regional lords were receptive.
E. Only the downtrodden peasants found it appealing.
Choices 4# 9:
A. Model philosopher-kings.
B. Bloody tyrants.
C. Foolish children.
D. Religious demagogues.
E. Worrisome competitors.
Choices 4# 10:
A. A combination of xenophobia and religious concerns
B. A combination of tax protectionism and piracy
C. A combination of piracy and xenophobia
D. A combination of religious concerns and fear of invasion
E. A combination of tax protectionism and inflation control
Did C S Lewis join the Mormon church?
No. C S Lewis was an atheist for much of his life, and then, through systematic study of scripture and being influenced by the Holy Spirit, accepted Jesus as Lord, and became a Christian and a very active member of the Church of England (part of the worldwide Anglican Church, which includes the US Episcopalian Church).
St Paul was a pharisee and persecutor of Christians who went on to become a Christian and from then became the author of some of the most authoritative and inspirational writings in his letters in the New Testament. In a similar way C S Lewis, although previously an author, became, after his conversion, one of the world's great Christian authors, not only writing the Narnia series for children (that have a profound Christian overtone and allegory) but also many Christian works for adults including his famous 'Mere Chriistianity' and 'Screwtape Letters'.
As a prominent Christian and Oxford don, C S Lewis spoke out for Christianity and Christian principles and regarded Mormons, and Jehovahs Witnesses, as heretics, and spoke out against them. During my wife's training for ministry she spend a year in a parish whose lay preacher was a friend of Lewis at Oxford, and he testified to Lewis's profound and informed Christian beliefs and his rejection of Mormonism, the JWs and other unorthodox sects.
The above answer suffers from the kind of smug Tribalism that C.S. Lewis absolutely loathed. Lewis never would have referred to any Christian denomination as "Heretics". C.S. Lewis wasn't the sort of man who spread hate and divisiveness. It's true that Lewis never joined any Church other than the COE, but it's also true that he was a Christian in the truest sense, in that he valued Christian Behavior over juvenile attacks on other Denominations, or even other Religions.
What seven deadly sin does Colonel Killigrew have in Dr Heidegger's Experiment?
Colonel Killigrew represents the sin of gluttony in "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Throughout the story, he indulges in drinking and revelry, displaying his excessive appetite for pleasure and enjoyment.
In what short story would you read 'Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary'?
Those words are found in the short story "Portrait of a Lady" by Khushwant Singh.
Can quote be death in the story?
A quote can symbolize death in a story by foreshadowing impending danger or the end of a character's journey. It can also serve as a reminder of mortality and the transient nature of life. Additionally, a quote about death may evoke themes of loss, grief, or the passage of time within the narrative.
Who was the fictional detective priest created by G. K. Chesterton?
G. K. Chesterton wrote 52 short stories featuring the sleuthing Father Brown, a character he based on Father John O'Connor (1870 - 1952) who was instrumental in his own conversion to the Church.
