Questions about Catholicism from a Non-Catholic

[needmorecats]

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn't really know first hand.

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

How does one get salvation?

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren't saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

What is prayer?

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren't aware of their own baptism?

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

Can someone who isn't Catholic go to mass?

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

What is limbo? Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?


It'd be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don't really need super long answers, but if you've got any biblical references for me to review, I'd really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

[TheRealJuliane]

All of these questions have been answered repeatedly. It's called "Search This Forum." Please avail yourself of it.

[clem456]

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

A link to the Catechism of the Catholic Church which addresses just about everything you ask.
Good luck and God Bless

[Aelred Minor]

After searching existing threads for answers, feel free to post individual questions as long as there isn't already an active thread on the topic. That would be easier, and probably produce more and better responses, than a whole questionnaire.

But welcome to the forums! I'd be glad to give my two cents on any individual topic, but I feel a little overwhelmed by a long list.

[sedonaman]

You can also try the Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen.

[Aelred Minor]

Originally Posted by sedonaman

You can also try the Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen.

Catholic Encyclopedia is an excellent resource and I second this recommendation, with two caveats.

First, the encyclopedia is about a century old, and so does not reflect recent scholarly or pastoral developments inside or outside the Catholic Church.

Second, the articles vary in terms of objectivity. In some cases, the author uses his article as a medium to advance his own private theories on a more open topic. The theory proposed is sometimes one which I myself agree with, in other times not so much, but in either case one must approach the articles realizing this fact.

Edit: Also, you don't have to go to New Advent to get this encyclopedia. Catholic Answers also has it. Just scroll up and click on the "Encyclopedia" tab you see at the top of your screen. I actually prefer Catholic Answer's web format for it to New Advent's.

[Neofight]

Originally Posted by needmorecats

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn't really know first hand.

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

How does one get salvation?

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren't saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

What is prayer?

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren't aware of their own baptism?

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

Can someone who isn't Catholic go to mass?

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

What is limbo? Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?


It'd be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don't really need super long answers, but if you've got any biblical references for me to review, I'd really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

This is NOT meant to be a smart alec comment. I offer it with all respect.

Every one of you questions, and the biblical references are contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which you can buy on line at Amazon for $7.50. I also recommend the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Don't be intimidated by the thickness of the CCC. Its an easy and compelling read.

Actually, save yourself the $7.50, if you wish, and google Catechism Catholic Church Vatican, and the vatican has it on line...you can search the topic, and it links the footnotes to the bible passages so you can read them as you go along.

I hope you find what you are looking for!

Peace and all good!

[michaelmas]

Welcome!

Such a nice reply from "therealJulian"


The Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and links from those pages.

Those links will give you more depth in understanding each and if you have further questions please post away.

[YoungTradCath]

Originally Posted by needmorecats

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn't really know first hand.

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

How does one get salvation?

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren't saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

What is prayer?

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren't aware of their own baptism?

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

Can someone who isn't Catholic go to mass?

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

What is limbo? Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?


It'd be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don't really need super long answers, but if you've got any biblical references for me to review, I'd really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

It is necessary to ensure forgiveness. That is, it is possible to receive forgiveness in another way, but this is the only "guaranteed" way, in which you know with absolute certainty.

Yes.

By dying in a state free from mortal sin.

No one has to pray to anyone, but having a principled objection to praying to Saints and Mary is very wrong. You have to broaden your understanding of what "praying to" someone means. "Praying" doesn't necessarily mean "asking God for stuff" as it does in Protestant circles. It can be that, but praying is not something that is categorically aimed directly at God. Praying, by itself, is simply having a conversation with someone, essentially. Praying can be aimed at asking God for things, which it often is. But praying can also be aimed at other things, like intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is, essentially, praying to a Saint to request that Saint to pray for you. It would be the same as asking your friend down the road to pray for you.

Saints are not "higher" beings. A Saint is simply a person in heaven. All persons in heaven are saints. They are humans. It is of course possible to anyone even if this person is not formally declared to be a Saint, but if this person has not been declared to be a Saint, then this person could well be in hell, in which case prayer would be futile. But of course, we have no way of knowing who is in hell.

I'll answer this question like this: can Protestants go to heaven? Yes. Can they also go to hell? Yes. Can Catholics go to heaven? Yes. Can they also go to hell? Yes. The Catholic Church views the Protestant question, really, as one of extreme sadness. Protestants are deprived of most of the sacraments, including the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist.

Please see above, about the Saints and Mary.

Yes, it "counts." It doesn't matter if you are aware of baptism or not. The ACT itself of pouring water and using the verbal trinitarian formula is what baptizes someone, not a request for "Jesus to be in my heart" or something.

Tradition is very important because the concept of tradition itself is what preserves the faith from generation to generation. Without a visible set of strongly followed practices, a religion has no identity. This is, in my opinion, why many Protestant groups divide endlessly; they essentially have no core identity. The answer to this is more anthropological than strictly religious.

Yes, a non-Catholic may go to Mass. But a non-Catholic may not receive Holy Communion.

You go to a Catholic parish of your choice and go through a program called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. This is an educational program, essentially, and lasts around a year or so of once-weekly meetings.

Limbo is a theory of where unbaptized children under the age of reason (reckoned to be seven years) go if they die. Christ said baptism was necessary for entrance to heaven. But what if an unbaptized child under seven dies? It would offend our sensibilities to say that they go to hell, so limbo was thought up as a possibility. It is NOT a doctrine, but only a theory. Limbo as a theory is actually the uppermost part of hell, not heaven. The Church does not actually teach where unbaptized babies go, and this is only a theory.

The Pope is the Successor of Saint Peter. His historic lineage can be traced right back to Peter, and our current Pontiff is Benedict XVI, number 256. Peter gave the Keys to the Kingdom to Peter, which is the nifty way the Pope today has authority, and which is why all Catholics must obey him.. He can be infallible when he speaks on faith and morals, ex cathedra (with the fullness of his office), and when he specifically states that he is speaking infallibly. However, this rarely happens. It has formally happened only twice ever.

I hope this helps.

[Catholic_Prime]

Just go thru RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, if after your training of Catholicism, you find that you don't like it, then you can leave, no hard feelings. Every Parish has one.

[choose to love]

. . . and the warm welcome of the day award goes to . . .

but seriously, needmore, that's a lot of questions for one post. Maybe break it down into one at a time? If a different person takes each one, you will be hard pressed to keep the repsonses straight.

Karl Keating's Catholicism and Fundamentalism is broken up into mostly independent chapters, so if you are interested in one topic, you can go right to that topic. It is written from a Catholic point of view, of course, but it explains the Catholic side of many of your questions. Scott Hahn has a number of books that explain the Catholic understanding of the things you are interested in.

ETA: http://www.scripturecatholic.com/scripture_alone.html for Scriptural bases for Catholic belief.

None of the sources I listed are particularly in depth, so won't give the whole picture, but should give a good start.

[SonCatcher]

It would be better to have one thread for each question or at least to limit a thread to a few closely-related questions.

Originally Posted by needmorecats

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn't really know first hand.

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

God forgives them. The usual way is through confession to a priest but there are exceptions.

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

Yes.

How does one get salvation?

God gives it.

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

No.

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Saints are ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives. If residents of Heaven can hear someone's prayer, it is only because God wills it.

I have heard that the most popular saint among Catholics and Protestants alike is "St. Mom"

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren't saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

The issues with theology do not inhibit God's ability to save Protestants.

What is prayer?

conversation and/or petition

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren't aware of their own baptism?

Infants are baptized on the faith professed by their parents. It is expected they will learn and eventually profess the same faith.

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

It is one source of revelation, equal to scripture (neither superior not inferior).

Can someone who isn't Catholic go to mass?

Yes. But the non-Catholic cannot receive Communion since he is not in fact in communion.

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

Usually, by taking the RCIA class

What is limbo?

A theological speculation.

Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

Take a look at the parable of the talents. Those servants who were rewarded received rewards in proportion to their labor. Contrast that with the parable of the landowner who hired people throughout the day and paid the last just as much as the first.

I hope that the answer is somewhere in there because I really don't know.

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?

The bishop of Rome, to whom all other bishops look for leadership. The Holy Spirit protects him so that when he teaches on matters of faith and morals, that teaching is infallible. Outside of those areas, he is just as prone to mistakes as any of us.

It'd be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don't really need super long answers, but if you've got any biblical references for me to review, I'd really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

YW

[Convert95]

Howdy needmorecats, you've got a lot of questions, obviously you've put a lot of thought into this. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, may I offer a suggestion? Take each question one at a time, don't plow through them....the answers you'll find in the catechism will really be worth thinking about. Good luck!

[sw85]

Hello needmorecats,

Well, I'm bored at work, so I'll happily answer your questions. As many have said these have all been answered at various places and times on these forums... nonetheless I understand the pain of trying to search it.

Originally Posted by needmorecats

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

Well, yes and no. This gets into the theological problems Protestants have with the Church.

Let's try a really reductive take on things. Protestants say "faith alone saves." Everything else, they suggest, is unnecessary -- therefore needless.

Catholics also understand that "faith alone saves" (though they never put it in those terms for reasons I will shortly explain) but they understand everything else not as an unnecessary departure from faith but as a logical fulfillment or development of faith.

The nearest example I can give you is this. It is not necessary for me to have legs in order to be a man. If I lost my legs, I'd still be a man. So in a sense legs are unnecessary for man-ness. But it doesn't follow that legs are irrelevant to me, such that, when I'm standing by the bookshelf at a party, my girlfriend will say, "Oh, that's my boyfriend, standing over there on top of that pair of legs." It certainly doesn't follow that I should cut my legs off! So while it's true that I don't legs to be a man, having legs is not a thing which is somehow external or irrelevant to man-ness. Having legs is a fulfillment of my nature as a man, not an extraneous thing tacked on to it.

A Protestant friend of mine once said that all you need is faith, and everything else is spiritual crutches. Well, I'm OK with that. I need spiritual crutches. I'm a spiritual cripple.

Now, on to the meat of the issue. Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is the kind which produces works out of love. I go to confession not because the rules say I have to (well, exclusively) but because I genuinely understand that my sins offend God and I desire sincerely to make amends for them. And I also go to confession because I understand that an interior disposition towards penance is insufficient: that disposition needs to be actualized in some way.

Suppose I run over your dog with my car. Is it enough that I'm sorry? Or is it enough for you to know that I'm sorry? Probably not, at least not normally. I need to say "I'm sorry," and maybe to make amends in some way, for instance, buying you a new dog. It's not just for my internal state of mind, either. I recognize that I owe you reparation out of simple justice.

All this said, here's your answer: mortal sins are forgiven whenever a person is sincerely, perfectly contrite for them. What I mean by "sincerely, perfectly contrite" needs a little unpacking. First, it is "sincere": that is, true, real, and not a show. And it is "perfectly contrite." That means, first, that what is true and real is that I am sorry for my sins ("contrite"). And second that I am sorry for my sins because I understand that they have offended God ("perfect") and not merely because the rules say I have to or because I don't want to go to Hell ("imperfect"). Such contrition, when it is genuine, will always be paired with a resolution to actualize that penitential disposition by means of the sacrament of confession. Perfect contrition, if it is in fact perfect, will always produce that resolution out of love of God: a recognition that one has done wrong and needs to make amends.

However, that contrition suffices to erase the debt of mortal sin. If I sin mortally, express perfect contrition to God, and then am hit by a bus on my way to Church to receive confession, my soul will be saved. If, on the other hand, I sin mortally, ask God for forgiveness, then blow off going to confession that day and am hit by a bus... well, the issue's not so clear, at best.

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

I don't see what other kind of relationship one could expect to have with God. We tend to operationalize it as "holiness" rather than a "personal relationship." Calling it a "personal relationship" sounds too subjective and therapeutic, while "holiness" refers to an objective state of being.

How does one get salvation?

In Catholic soteriology, the conditions are simple. Baptism and freedom from mortal sin normatively suffice. Mortal sin is impossible until one reaches the age of reason or so, so for infants, baptism alone suffices. For adults, freedom from mortal sin may be achieved by innocence (i.e., never committing mortal sin) or by repentance (i.e., by seeking absolution through the sacrament of confession and performing penance after committing mortal sins).

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

I don't think you "have" to. That doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Mary and the saints have real power. They are in Heaven, with God, and He listens to them. There are some prayers that may be used in mass, such as the Litany of Saints on Easter Vigil, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule, and you could always just go to Mass on Easter Sunday instead.

Also, there are "holy days of obligation" besides Sunday. Six of them or so in the United States, I believe. These are Masses instituted specifically to honor either a person or a major event in the life of Christ. These include the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Jan. 1); the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15); All Saints Day, said in honor of all saints everywhere (Nov. 1); and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary [note, that's the conception of Mary by Anne, not the conception of Christ by Mary] (Dec. 8).

Catholics are required to attend all feast days if it is possible for them to do so. Negligent failure or refusal to do so is a mortal sin.

[sw85]

(continued from above)

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Someone else will have to handle that one, I'm still working on the Bible.

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren't saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

My response to your first question above should answer the major issue we have with Protestant theology, which is to say that it amputates much of what is necessary for salvation. Protestant ecclesiology is a major issue, as well. They deny the idea that Christ instituted a Church to act as minister of the redemption and steward of the treasury of satisfactions won by Christ and the saints, and to act as the teacher and custodian of His truths. This has obvious problems for Protestants, namely, "sola scriptura" has not in fact revealed the one true Biblical exegesis by dozens, if not hundreds, of competing ones. You'd have to believe God was a God of chaos, disorder, and uncertainty to think this arrangement was desired. Incidentally, Martin Luther actually DID believe that.

As a general rule, there is no salvation outside the Church. This does not mean that non-Catholics cannot be saved. It means that God saves them despite their faith, not because of it. The Catholic Church alone possesses the fullness of salvific truth, having been entrusted with it by Christ, and so remaining outside of it is spiritually dangerous and no sure path to salvation.

What is prayer?

From the Catechism: "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." In short it is simply talking to God. One can also pray to those who are with God, i.e., to Mary, the angels, and the saints.

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren't aware of their own baptism?

Yes. Note that consciousness of one's baptism has never historically been held as necessary for a valid baptism.

Moreover, since baptism is all that's necessary for salvation for infants, a baptized baby goes immediately to Heaven if it dies before the age of reason.

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

One reason is that Tradition provides both community and communal understanding. The loss of tradition has plunged Protestants into radical doubt and uncertainty about even basic doctrinal issues, with the result that you get Protestants ordaining cohabiting lesbian bishopesses who, in older times, would've been stoned to death -- on God's orders. Another consequence is that Protestants have no clear exegetical strategies. Basically any illiterate can read the Bible and come up with his cockneyed interpretation of it, and there's no reason to believe it's any more or less valid than that of Martin Luther or Thomas Cranmer or any other more sophisticated Protestant.

Can someone who isn't Catholic go to mass?

Yes, it's open to the public. Please refrain from receiving communion though, as the Catholic Church practices closed communion. If you do go, keep an open mind about it... it was a few masses before I was really able to start keeping up with it and comprehending it.

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

For adults, through a process called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for adults). This is a long period of catechesis, generally around 7-12 months, in which potential converts are instructed in the essentials of their faith. It ends on Easter Vigil. Unbaptised persons receive baptism then, unconfirmed persons receive confirmation then, and everyone who has completed the process may receive First Communion there.

What is limbo? Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

Limbo is a theological hypothesis concerning the state of sinless but unbaptized souls after death. It is not endorsed by the Church but neither is it formally suppressed.

Basically, the idea is that souls in Hell receive punishment proportionate to their sins. Infants who die are, obviously, sinless. If they're not baptized, they cannot enter Heaven, but being sinless, they are not subject to punishment in Hell. "Limbo" then was a hypothesized state in which those infants who die sinless but unbaptized go. They enjoy every possible natural happiness but none of the supernatural happiness which accrues to souls in Heaven.

Again, it's a theological hypothesis and it's far from clear that it is true. The Church presently teaches that the souls of unbaptized infants are entrusted to God's mercy. It is very possible that He saves them despite their lack of baptismal grace.

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?

The pope is the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. His word is infallible when he is making dogmatic or doctrinal pronouncements; in other contexts he is not necessarily infallible. He is infallible by necessary virtue of his role as head of the Church's teaching mission, entrusted to it by Christ. I recommend you check out Pastor Aeternus, a dogmatic constitution of the First Vatican Council, wherein papal infallibility was decreed. It's a relatively short read; chapter 4 is of relevant interest. You can find it here: http://www.fisheaters.com/pastoraeternus.html.

Hope this helps.