Why do Catholics believe what they believe?

Let me start to help you:

-Catholics sin and still receive the body and blood of Christ (thru bread and wine) The only way we cannot take the body and blood at mass is if we have a MORTAL sin on our hands (such as murder) When a venial sin is on our soul (such as lying, gossiping, cheating, etc) we can still receive the body and blood at Church, and we believe that consuming Jesus Christ's sacrificial offering cleanses us and helps our bodies turn into a more holy place where we might learn to stay away from sin

-Jesus is God. God has not sinned. Methodists believe that too. All Christians believe Jesus was both human and divine. He chose not to sin and He had the power to do so.

-The pope is only human. He is not divine. Therefore, Catholics do not worship him, and we know he sins. The pope goes to confession just like us. We look up to him as a role model and an authoritative figure who guides us on our faith journey. The only thing he CANNOT be wrong about are the teachings of the Catholic Church.

-Mary was conceived without original sin so that she could be pure enough to bear the Son of God. (Immaculate Conception) God gave her the freedom to sin, but she chose not to. This is why we regard her as the highest of all saints. We honor her because without her saying "yes" to God's call, Jesus wouldn't have come. We do not worship her, but we look up to her as the greatest fully human role model of the Catholic faith.

-Catholics believe Mary was a virgin her whole life. (Dogma, Ever Virgin) There is no where in the bible that it says she was most definitely not a virgin. There is a very controversial verse which Catholics believe Jesus' brothers and sisters were his friends and other relatives, not actual siblings.

I'm so glad you asked these questions. They are some of the hardest to accept, and some of the biggest misconceptions of the Catholic faith.

I'm sure you have many other questions, and I'm here to help you without judgement and with just pure facts about my faith.

I love it, I truly do...

So if you need any more questions answered, click on my avatar and email me.

-Audrey

First off your beliefs are totally wrong about Catholics. we do not worship but God only and we do not believe the Pope has never sinned and do not Worship Mary in any way shape or form but honor her as she says in the Gospel of Luke Henceforth all Generations shall call me Blessed. And yes Mary was a Virgin and the Brothers and sisters of Jesus were Josephs Children not Mary's. Look instead of reading my and others who might explain some thing not to clearly just go to this web site........http://www.catholicscomehome.org/index.phtml..And only a unrepentant Mortal sin will keep us from receiving the Body and Blood of jesus Christ(wine and Bread in your thinking).

Whoa, slow down there. You're all mixed up.

Catholics believe that if they have sinned, they need to *make it right with God* by confessing and repenting of that sin before they receive the Holy Eucharist. This is because that's what Jesus said to do -- He said that if you are bringing something to the altar but your heart isn't right, to leave your offering and go fix the situation or your offering won't be worthy.

Also, Catholics aren't worried about only bread and wine. We are talking about the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Communion, which Paul tells us in Scripture *must* be consumed worthily, or we "eat and drink judgement upon ourselves."

We do NOT believe that the pope has never sinned. In fact, he goes to confession weekly, and he wouldn't have to do that if he never sinned. You're mixing up a doctrine that we call 'papal infallibility,' which has NOTHING to do with whether or not the pope is a sinner. Papal infallibility is a special provision of the Holy Spirit that enables a pope to speak specifically about a specific doctrine without error. It is very rarely invoked -- I think it's happened like twice, and only after YEARS of prayer and Bible study have proven that the statement is correct.

We believe that Mary was saved from all sin by Jesus, which I am sure you agree He is perfectly capable of doing. We believe that Mary was saved at the beginning of her life instead of at the end of it (like the rest of us) in order for her to be able to bear the Christ Child. Imagine if she had been a sinner -- the pride, the laziness, etc. that she would have suffered if Jesus hadn't saved her in advance.

We do NOT believe that saints never sinned. Some of our saints (Augustine comes to mind) were downright awful sinners. But they were saved by Jesus.

We don't worship Mary. We just respect her as the mother of our Lord and Savior. Our main worship service is the Mass, and if you ever drop in and visit Mass sometime, you'll see that it's all about Jesus. Mary is hardly mentioned.

The Bible does NOT say that Mary lost her virginity. It only says she was a virgin when she conceived and bore Christ. It does not say another word about her virginity after that. It never says she lay with Joseph. It never says she had any child other than Jesus.

We don't believe what you think we believe; perhaps that's where your confusion comes from.

We don't believe that the pope hasn't sinned. That's not what "papal infallibility" means, at all. John Paul II went to confession weekly, and I believe Benedict XVI does as well. In order to receive that sacrament they must have actual sins to confess! Meaning, of course, that they are far from perfect. Just like us.

We do believe that Mary did not sin, by God's grace, because that's what "full of grace" means. But we don't worship her. We worship God alone -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Catholics honor Mary for her unique role in bringing Jesus into the world, and also because we believe she intercedes for us as do the saints in heaven.

As for perpetual virginity, the Bible does not say otherwise. People have interpreted certain verses, particularly as translated into English, to mean that; doesn't mean they're correct. If you're truly interested in breaking this down, there are sources that explain it in detail.

Grace!!! Grace!!! I am not surprised by your question as most Protestants will asked the same questions!!! If one is in a state of sin, one should not receive the communion. Yap! You are right to say that God/Jesus has not sinned. To a Catholic, the Pope is still a human. As to whether he sinned or not, I am not to judged but he is a human, just like you and me!!! Mother Mary remained sinless till her death. She is the new Ark of the Covenant that carries the Word of God in her womb!!! Do you reckon that God allowed His Word/Son to be encased in a sinned/defiled vessel??? We Catholics do not worship Mary. do not listen to Chris/CJ!!! Mary is the perpetual virgin as I have explained about the Ark of the Covenant!!! God Bless!!!

1. We cannot recieve the Eucharist with mortal sin on our soul because we, being unclean, are unworthy.

2. We do not believe that the pope is sinless. He goes to confession just like the rest of us.

3. The belief that Mary is sinless comes from parelleling her to the ark in the old testament. The ark of the covenant (not Noah's ark) was made of the purest material and only allowed to be touched by pure people. Only then could it be a container for God. Mary, since she carried Jesus who is God, parallels the ark, and so must be pure as well.

4. We do not, nor ever have, worshiped anyone but God. Worshiping Mary will get you kicked out of the Catholic Church.

5. We do not believe that the bible says different. Sure, on the surface, it might look like it. It does mention brothers of Jesus. But when one truly digs into the bible and studies it, one learns so much more. For example - the word translated into English as "brother" more accurately means "male relative or very close friend".

6. Thank you for being nice about this. Most people are less than sincere in their desire to learn when asking these questions.

"if they have sinned the can't do the feeding of wine and bread but they do do it."

St. Paul gave instructions for receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord. He said we must recognise that it is the real Body and Blood. We must be in a state of grace and free of unrepentent sin. If we receive it unworthyly we bring condemnation on ourselves.

"And Jesus and God are the only people who haven't sinned yet they believe the pope hasn't sinned Mary hasn't sinned and saints."

Wrong! The Pope is a sinner and th esaints are all sanctified sinners excepth the blessed mother of God whom the bible says was without sin and which is taught by the Church.

"Also why do they worship Mary."

Catholic Christians are forbidden to worship anyone or anything but God. We do not worship the blessed mother!

"why do they think Mary was a virgin her whole life but in the bible it says differently."

No, the Bible supports the fact that the blessed mother was forever virgin. Some misinterpret Scriptures to say differently but just show their ignorance of hermeneutics, theology and biblical languages by doing so. I appreciate the opportunity to clear up your misconceptions. My blog can help you further:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYya...

God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

We don't worship Mary. We believe she gave birth to the son of God. That warrants a little respect. And no she was not a virgin her whole life. That would be ridiculous.

Catholics were the 1st Christians. Martin Luther broke away from the RCC cuz he THOUGHT the Bible was wack. I have proof that the Catholic Church is NOT wrong. Luther's break away being one. We do NOT worship Mary. when we say the "Hail Mary" we say PRAY for us sinners. Now let's see where in the Holy Bible does it say praying for a friend is a sin? Now as for the Saints. WE DO believe Saints and the Pope have sinned. Mary has NOT! Now who are you going to follow?? Jesus Christ or Luther and his men? "Faith without works is dead"-Book of James.

It's my understanding Catholics respect Mary, but do not worship her.

I'm not a Catholic, this is just my understanding, I could be wrong.