Can someone explain the Catholic religion to me?

It is really impossible to answer all the questions you have posted in the limitations of this forum.

Most of what you think are misconceptions of Catholic teaching and practice. It would be better if you asked one question at a time to get more complete answers. That is if you really want to know the answers and the truth about Catholic teaching.

You can answer many of your questions by referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is available online. This is the official teaching of the Church from the teaching authority of Christ the Magisterium.

I have answered most of these questions in my blog. I am a convert to Catholic Christianity after 25 years as a Protestant minister. I have graduated from two of the best Protestant seminaries and my writings are from one who was formerly Protestant like yourself. You can access my blog here:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYyaa9ESBoW5DF...

God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

Note:

"If you're confessing "straight to God" then why do you need a stranger to witness it?!!? Why does he ask how long since your last confession . . . .WHO CARES!?!!?!?"

The only way that Jesus taught to confess our sins is to the priest in apostolic succession. He never taught to go directly to Him with your confession. Such teaching is the doctrines of men and false teaching. In confession the priest acts in persona Christi being the hands and mouth of our Lord. The priest simply exercises the power and authority from Christ to His Church. The reason it matters about the length of time from the last confession is to give the priest some idea of how long one may have been living with unrepentent sin. Sin, especially mortal sin causes the soul to die to Christ and separates one from their eternal promise.

If you do not care to know the answers or why the Church teaches as it does, why ask the questions?

Why aren't Priests, Popes, or any type of Catholic spiritual leader allowed to ge married? This is a tradition. Many early christian leaders were not married...Jesus, Paul, Jerome, Augustine, etc. It is not that a priest isn't married, they are married to the church.

Why do Catholics worship the pope as though he were God....catholics do NOT worship the Pope....they respect him....and look to him for leadership and advice....where did you get this idea?

Why do most Catholics pray to the virgin mary or saints so much when they should ONLY be praying to Jesus Christ....ever asked a loved one to pray for you? Same thing is happening here. When a Catholic "venerates" a saint, they are asking for them to pray for them....ex: Hail Mary....."pray for us sinners." The bible does encourage praying for one another several times...this is what is happening here.

Why do Catholics get on their knees for so many saints, virgin mary, pope, priest, etc (see above explanations).

Also, it is stated so many time that God wants us to praise and worship him. Why isn't that done during "mass" and if it is done why does it look so boring? Mass felt more like a lecture rather than a worship.....have you ever actually "listened" to what is being said at Mass....it is quite beautiful and moving.....the entire service is one big adoration to Christ....try paying attention more in mass....you will have to put forth some effort here...unlike most "fundy feel-good" services, the church marketing is not that big in catholicism.

I have soooooo many other questions but I'll ask one more because this one kills me the most. Why do Catholics confess their sins to people they barely know or make mistake behind closed doors because they can't have a wife. NO ONE else can forgive you for your sins. Why not have a close relationship with our lord and savior, get baptised, and know in your heart that you are forgiven instead of doing a confession...here is a common misconception. The priest is not the one doing the forgiving. it is the one whom they are an embassdor for (Christ) that is doing the forgiving. Do you beleive that when someone lays hands on a person and they are healed, that THEY are ones healing them. Just as healing is a ministry of the church (that typically requires the participation of someone in the church, the forgiveness of sins is a ministry of the church, that requires participation of the "body of Christ"

John 20:23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Well, first of all, the Catholics and protestants I knew when I was growing up Mormon didn't think we were Christians - even though we believe in Christ. (I'm no longer Mormon, but I know how you feel) That's because they feel that only religions that believe in the trinity are Christians - Mormons believe in 3 seperate entities - God the father, Christ the son, and the Holy Ghost. Not a combination of all 3 that work together like the trinity. Personally the trinity never made much sense to me. Anyway, first of all, you need to talk to her alone - just tell her that whatever she believes is her right to believe but you didn't like the way she singled you out in class, and made a target out of you for the other kids. You are sorry you lost your cool, but you really would like it if she would just keep her opinions general and not target you specifically. By the way, is she teaching a religion class or a history/english class? If she is not teaching religion, your parents need to have a talk with the school administrators too - she is overstepping her bounds. Anyway, my final bit of advice is this: Don't try to convince her of anything. She will not change, she has been this way for years and will continue to be this way. Your beliefs are your beliefs, not someone elses, and you don't need to worry what others think of them. Having faith means that sometimes you go through trials for believing what you do. That's part of being a member of any religion. Just hold your head high, and don't give into the temptation to argue about it. If someone asks you about your beliefs, just tell them what you believe, but don't let people bait you into arguments or fights. Everyone believes different things. That's what makes us all unique. Accept it and move on. Don't let some overzealous teacher make you upset. Have the calm and composure to not care what she says.

Hi there, you have some good questions. I'll try and answer them as best I can:

1. Priests, Popes, etc. aren't allowed to get married because the carnal pleasures experienced during marriage would "get in the way" of having a truly pure relationship with Divinity. I'm not saying sex is dirty or wrong, it's just not the kind of pleasure that can be lived by someone who strives to live in purity, simplicity, etc. Also, I think it's about giving "complete" love to the Father; you offer all of your love to only Him.

2. Catholics praise the Pope because he is the representation of God. He is supposed to have God in him. In other words, he's like the "instrument" to bring us closer to God.

3. Why *should* we pray only to Jesus Christ? The Virgin Mary and saints all have their own important roles. Why should a mother not be as important as a father and son?

4. This is kind of related to question three; all figures have their own importance. If you're actually wondering why get on our knees, it's to demonstrate, or express, our total devotion, humility and submission.

5. It may depend on the mass. Some who are spiritually immature don't experience/say the mass as it should be.

6. Confession is done by a priest who is supposed to have a very close and profound relationship, therefore, when you confess to the priest, it's like confessing to God. In relation to my second answer, a priest is an instrument to become closer to God. Also, the priest you confess to can be one you're well acquainted with.

This is all that I can give you, from my own personal beliefs and knowledge. If you have other questions, just edit your question and feel free to ask! Hope this helped.

<<Why aren't Priests, Popes, or any type of Catholic spiritual leader allowed to ge married? Also, where in the bible does it say that?>>

Men in the priesthood are not allowed to get married for a few reasons. These are some of the most important reasons:

1. The priest is supposed to be the father of all his congregation. That is what his entire focus is supposed to be on, what he has dedicated his life to serve. By having a family of his own, much of that attention must be put on the family, so less goes to the community. Also, the business of a priest would put strain on the marriage, and the reliance on the congregation for many things wouldn't be helpful either.

2. This prevents inheriting positions, instead giving them to those who are worthy rather than born.

Since the Episcopalians and Anglicans are so close to the Catholic Church, if their priests want to convert to Catholicism as priests, they are allowed to stay married.

Also, Paul never got married.

<<Why do Catholics worship the pope as though he were God.>> No Catholic in their right mind worships the Pope. We merely recognize his closeness to God and him being the Bridge between us and God. We Honor, not Worship, him.

<<Why do most Catholics pray to the virgin mary or saints so much when they should ONLY be praying to Jesus Christ.>>

We do not pray to them in the sense of worship. We ask them to pray for us, since they are already in heaven. No Catholic worships anyone but Jesus. If they do, they are excommunicated. Remember: Prayer =/= worship

<<Also, it is stated so many time that God wants us to praise and worship him. Why isn't that done during "mass" and if it is done why does it look so boring? Mass felt more like a lecture rather than a worship.>> The entire Mass is a worship service where we receive the Eucharist. Worship isn't always fun and good-feeling. Mass is worship and learning. We read from the Bible, usually a reading from the Old Testament, the Epistles, and the Gospels. Then the priest explains them, and how they fit into our lives. If you actually know what is going on, you would find the service beautiful, not boring.

<<Why do Catholics confess their sins to people they barely know or make mistake behind closed doors because they can't have a wife.>>

First of all, your question makes no sense, so I'll answer as I understand it:

Confession has been around since Jesus said to confess your sins to one another. In the beginning of Christianity, people who rejected their Christianity to save their lives during the persecutions were dubbed "apostates" and were excommunicated from the Christian community. The only way to be reinstated was to publicly confess their sins and then go through a rigorous public penance. This is because sins don't only hurt the relationship between you and God, but with you and others as well. Fast forward into 13th century Ireland. The priests there started private confessions to encourage people to go to confessions. Here, the priest acted on behalf of God and the community, and God forgave sins through the priest.

we do have a close relationship with Jesus. However, we don't know if we are not forgiven unless we acknowledge that we have sinned and want to change, and ask for it. Plus, are you really sorry if you keep it to yourself?

Most of your questions have been answered many times in this Forum, and you could do a Google search for more details that we're able to give in this short space. I'll give the best information I can in the limited room that I've got:

1) Ask any married Protestant minister how hard it is to juggle the responsibilities of wife, children, and a congregation/parish. The Church doesn't forbid anyone to marry, but if a man chooses to be a priest, then he has also chosen to remain unmarried.

2) Short answer: we don't. We love and respect him for the tough job he has of leading the Church, but worship is only for God.

3) We ask Mary and the saints to pray for us, the same way that you ask a friend or family member to pray for you. Jesus is our only Mediator in the matter of salvation, but He is NOT our only intercessor. If He was, then Paul was wrong when he asked others to pray for him.

4) We kneel to show respect to God. Go to Mass sometime and see when we kneel. It's always during a point at which we are to focus our minds and hearts on God, such as the Consecration. We bow to show our love and honor for Mary and the Saints, just as other people bow to the Queen of England or the Emperor of Japan.

If it's all right to show respect to a mere human being, then there's nothing wrong with showing respect to the Mother of our Savior and the men and women who dedicated their lives to His service.

5) For those of us who love Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, Mass is a banquet given by the One we love, and we are anything BUT bored. Those who *are* bored obviously don't understand what Mass is all about. . .or else they don't value spending time with Jesus.

6) We go to Confession because Christ established the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance when He told the disciples that they had the power to retain or remit a person's sins, based on their sincere repentance. They are transmitting God's forgiveness in a way that we can understand and benefit from.

And unlike Protestants who are frequently tormented by guilt even after asking God's forgiveness, I KNOW I am forgiven of my sins when they are confessed and absolved. When the Devil -- that old slyboots -- comes around and starts in with the "Are you *sure* God forgave you that sin?", I can say, "You bet I'm sure. It was forgiven on such and such a date when I confessed it."

I hope this helps you to understand our Catholic Faith a little better. I love my Church, and I respect Her for Her fidelity to God, Scripture, and Her love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Oh, and one more thing. The Church cannot teach or practice anything that contradicts the correct understanding of Scripture: if a proposed doctrine doesn't line up with the Bible, it will never be approved by the the Church. Simple as that.

OK - I'm a Fundamentalist Christian who has read the entire Roman Catholic Catechism, so I might be able to explain things to you....

1a) Why aren't Priests, Popes, or any type of Catholic spiritual leader allowed to ge married?

Because a former pope made this an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. There are also religious and moral reasons (Scripturally supported), but the bottom line is that the pope said so and essentially "signed it into law".

1b) Also, where in the bible does it say that?

It doesn't. The bible is NOT the sole source of Christian doctrine. Remember, there *was* no bible for the first 300 or so years of Christianity, and during that period Christianity spread like wildfire. Also realize that ALL modern Christians believe in doctrines that the bible never describes Christians believing. For example: do you celebrate Christmas on Dec 25th? Where in the bible does it say that? Do you worship in a church? Where in the bible does any Christian do that? There's literally dozens more examples....

2a) Why do Catholics worship the pope as though he were God.

They don't. In fact, they are expressly prohibited from doing so. They are very plainly and explicitly instructed that only God can be worshiped.

2b) They yearn to touch the pope to be healed,

I've never heard of this, but people did the same with Paul and Peter in Acts - so clearly that is not contrary to Scripture. I've never known any Roman Catholic to believe that the pope had miraculous healing power, though.

2c) he's just a person who sins all the time just like the rest of us.

Roman Catholic doctrine agrees with this.

3) Why do most Catholics pray to the virgin mary or saints so much when they should ONLY be praying to Jesus Christ.

OK - here's a perfect example. **Where does it say this in Scripture?**

In fact, Roman Catholics pray (ask) for the intercession of the saints. To them, it's exactly the same as if you or I asked a fellow Christian to pray for us. The difference is that Roman Catholics believe that the prayers of a saint for your sake are more effective than the prayers of, say, Joe Christian. See James 5:16 about the effective prayer of someone righteous. The Roman Catholics believe that the saints are the "most righteous" and, therefore, when seeking "prayer partners", they seek those who they believe are most effective.

4) Why do Catholics get on their knees for so many saints, virgin mary, pope, priest, etc

Just one of the practices they use when praying. People in the bible got on their knees before such people as David, and also before the Ark of the Covenant or (in the case of Daniel) when facing Jerusalem to pray. This is just a show of respect that is a part of prayer. It is really very similar in intent to putting your palms together while praying or interlacing your fingers while praying.

5a) Also, it is stated so many time that God wants us to praise and worship him. Why isn't that done during "mass"

It is. I have been to Roman Catholic religious services, and God is most definitely praised and worshiped. The Apostles' Creed, the prayer spoken before the Lord's Supper ("Hosanna in the Highest"), etc. are all plain and obvious worship activities - and the one they worship is undeniably God.

5b) and if it is done why does it look so boring?

Well, I feel that repetition has led to boredom. However, boredom is an *individual* perception. I doubt that it is boring to someone who believes strongly in the words that they are speaking.

5c) Mass felt more like a lecture rather than a worship.

Roman Catholics are not the only religion that has such an "atmosphere", and Roman Catholics are also not *limited* to such. There are, for example, "charismatic Roman Catholics" in most large cities - what you might call Pentecostal Roman Catholics. Just because one or more of their churches bored the bejesus out of you doesn't mean that they are all like that or that they are all required to be like that.

6a) Why do Catholics confess their sins to people they barely know

The bible commands us to "confess our sins one to another". I think that the Roman Catholics have a real advantage here - the only one, in my opinion. They have someone trained to hear confessions of sin, experienced at hearing such confessions, and who has vowed solemnly to never reveal the matters confessed. *Given* that we are commanded to confess our sins to fellow Christians, isn't that a great advantage, to have someone like that available to hear your sins?

6b) or make mistake behind closed doors because they can't have a wife.

This is a ridiculous and thoughtless statement. No one "makes a mistake" because "they can't have a wife".

6c) NO ONE else can forgive you for your sins.

God can.

6d) Why not have a close relationship with our lord and savior, get baptised, and know in your heart that you are forgiven instead of doing a confession . . . .

You are confusing several issues here. Roman Catholics can and do do the first two things. The last, of course, depends on the individual, but I would think that confession to a priest goes a long way to helping Roman Catholics "know in their heart" that they are forgiven. What makes you think that they don't know this?

7a) If you're confessing "straight to God" then why do you need a stranger to witness it?

You don't, of course - but you still need to obey that commandment, "confess your sins one to another".

7b) Why does he ask how long since your last confession . . . .WHO CARES!?!!?!?

I guess that it gives the priest an idea up front of how long a session he's in for...

Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/selector_rc.html

I'm just going to answer the ones I have the answers too.

From what I understand (dont take me word on this) Catholic Priests cannot marry because they are completely devoting their lives to God. The idea is that they cannot be distracted with having a family, a wife, etc. because God needs them to be 100% devoted to him in every way.

Catholics don't worship the Pope, but the Pope is believed to be God's representative on Earth. They believe he is infallible and he is sort of speaking for God. He is a holy man who is highly respected.

They don't worship the saints or Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus, so she was obviously a very Holy woman. The saints too led very righteous lives. Catholics often pray through them, its sort of like "asking for support" in their prayers.

When Catholics get on their knees, its simply a sign of great respect. Its not worship in any way.

Catholic mass does involve a lot of praise and worship, its just different from some other churches I suppose. The Catholic mass is very reverent and meant to show complete respect and submission to God. But there is lots of singing (hymns) that are considered praise, and prayers. The Homily is the Priest's chance to talk to the parish about current issues and sort of give a lecture on relevant issues relating to the Gospel.

The sacrament of confession is not confessing your sins to a Priest. The Priest listens, but the idea is that he is there to support you in your confession. You are confessing to God, and since Priests are considered to be men of God, they are there to help you in your confession. Its really just tradition, but the point is that you aren't confessing to the Priest, you are confessing to God.

Anyway, I'm certainly not trying to defend the church. I was raised Catholic but I am now an atheist. This is just what I have learned from 18 years in a Catholic home, 14 years in Catholic school! If you want to get some really in depth answers, I would recommend visiting a Catholic church and ask a Priest yourself. Most priests are very very nice and will be more than willing to help answer your questions.

Okay, well, I'm not the mose knowledgeable Catholic, but as a Catholic woman I first have to say that I don't believe everything in the Bible. It was written by men, and though God inspired it, men may have twisted His words. No man is perfect, and the Bible cannot be perfect as it isn't God's exact words.

Priests are not allowed to marry because Paul says that marriage brings you farther away from God. The ideal is to think of God as often as one can, and with marriage, one needs to think of the other person as well.

Catholics most certainly do not worship the Pope. We just feel that he is very connected to God. Of course he isn't perfect, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that he sins all the time. The Pope works hard to spread God's love. People may touch him because they believe that God will bless them through him. The don't believe that the Pope has the powers himself. Or, they may just find him a holy man and see it as an honor to touch him.

When should people only pray to Jesus Christ? I pray to the Holy Spirit and God as well. We Catholics pray the Hail Mary to honor the woman that gave birth to Jesus, and hope that God will keep our prayers in mind. We also believe that if we pray to saints God will know the prayers we pray. Also, we can pray for, or maybe to, our dead relatives.

Catholics kneal to honor holy people. Just as I would curtsy if an important person came into my presence.

We Catholics praise God through prayer, hymn, and readings. In fact, we usually sing a phrase having to do with the praise of God at my church. I'm not sure where you go, but I don't believe my church is boring.

Catholics confess our sins because we believe that the priest is very close to God and can interpret what he would want us to do in pennance. Of course we know that God will always forgive us when we ask, but through reconciliation, we can have a priest interpret what God wants us to do.

1. Priests aren't allowed to marry because their main duty is the parish, not family. It would be a very lonely life for the family of a priest. If you don't like it, then don't become a priest. They CHOSE that. They are essentially married to a life devoted to Jesus Christ and His Church.

2. Addressing your "where is that in the Bible" - a lot of it isn't. But Catholicism is also based a lot on common sense and Tradition, which is usually just as reliable, as our religion was established by Jesus Christ Himself.

3. We do not worship the Pope. He is a spiritual leader, like the Dalai Lama, I guess.

4. The reveration of saints and the Holy Blessed Mother, Mary, is part of the catechism. These are holy men and women of God that we try to be like, since they have earned His Grace. Thus earning our respect.

5. Mass is a lovely service for me, and we praise Him all throughout the day, including Mass.

6. We confess our sins to a priest, but in reality, it's more confessing straight to God Himself.

I am having a hard time believing you were once a true Catholic, because you would know these things if you did.

"... you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church ... I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:18-19

Confession of sins to a priest gives us the assurance that our sins are forgiven, even though we may not be perfectly penitent. For that is what God requires outside the bounds of sacramental confession: a man who goes directly to God for forgiveness of sin can be forgiven, but only if he is perfectly contrite and resolved to sin no more. Those who are outside the Church by birth and circumstance can still be saved and forgiven of sins, but only if they are perfectly penitent and are unaware of the divine institution of the Church. A Catholic who will not consent to a sacramental confession, is the man the Church grieves for the most. He has all the instruments of salvation laid out at his feet, but he will not lay his pride down at the foot of the Cross to pick them up.