Welcome to Catholicism: The Facts

This blog has been created to facilitate the polite discussion of the Roman Catholic faith -- both for Roman Catholics and for those who think they know what Roman Catholics believe and why. I ask that you keep some simple ground rules in effect as you post comments here.

1. Civility is job one.
2. State what you believe.
3. Don't tell others what they believe.
4. Please punctuate your entries. I ask you to capitalize all references to God, including pronouns referring to Him.
   

Before you post, start with these basic facts about what I believe --

• I (and I don't pretend to speak for all Catholics) believe that all God's people have the opportunity for Salvation. I believe non-Christians can obtain Salvation, as well. Salvation is a gift from God -- and no one is worthy of that gift. Since it is a gift, I try not to dictate to God with regards to whom He can and cannot give His gift. Christ came for all mankind.
• Catholics do not worship saints (or the Blessed Virgin Mary [BVM]). We worship only God. We honor and revere the saints and the BVM. They are living examples of how we might imitate Christ more perfectly.
• Catholics do not pray to statues. We pray to God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The statues allow us to focus ouir prayer and thoughts. Just as song helps others focus their praise of God, the visual image of the saints help us focus our prayer.
• Catholics do pray to saints (including the BVM) to ask for their intercession in behalf of our petitions. This means we ask them to add their prayers to ours in our behalf. Yes, there is one mediator between God and man, and that mediator is Jesus Christ. But we believe praying that the saints intercede for us is no different than asking a neighbor to pray for us when we experience troubling times.
• Catholics believe that in the holy sacrifice of the Catholic Mass that we receive Jesus' real (yet mystical) Body and His real (yet mystical) Blood. Catholics are not cannibals. Jesus, Himself, stated that His flesh was real food and His blood real drink.
• I will not argue Scripture verse for verse. Scripture can be translated and analyzed to the user's advantage. I rarely quote Scriture verse for verse and when I do I reference it properly and place it in context.
• I use the Catholic Bible for reference. I don't make judgments about other versions -- I simply use the Catholic Bible.
• When in doubt I defer to Mark 12:29-31, which I paraphrase as "The greatest commandment(s): The first is this; the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this; you must love your neighbour as yourself."
• The Pope (Peter's successor) is the Head of Christ's Church on Earth only. Christ is the Head of the Church and the BVM its mother.
• The Pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals only, and then only when speaking ex cathedra; that is, from the Chair of Peter. The Pope can sin. So can we.

Welcome! May God bless us all!