The Catholic Church and its views and teachings on specific subjects.
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1k views
May divorced men become Roman Catholic priests?
In reading through canon law ( I think around 1037 or so ), it says that unmarried men must be celibate and 25 years old, or married men must be at least 35 and have their wife's consent before being ...
6
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1answer
285 views
How does the Catholic Church identify and collect relics?
I have been told that all major Catholic Churches contain within the alter a relic of a saint. Given that saints are not declared until long after the person in questions death, and many saint die in ...
6
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250 views
What is the Catholic view of the rapture?
What is the Catholic view of the rapture? Does the Catholic church accept the idea that people will be caught up in the air to meet Christ? If not, how do they interpret 1 Thessalonians 4:17?
6
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124 views
What isn't spiritual communion?
Spiritual communion is a prayer one can pray if they can't receive communion at Mass and it's a good prayer to pray if you're making a visit to a tabernacle outside of Mass. Sacramental communion can ...
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236 views
Which doctrines are Catholics required to accept?
I only recently figured out that some Catholic doctrines are required for a Catholic to accept, while the denial of others doesn't prevent being a Catholic.
Examples of both cases:
Mark Trapp, in ...
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74 views
What is the origin of the account of Lucifer found in Milton's Paradise Lost?
In Paradise Lost, Milton describes how Lucifer rebelled against God and was cast into Hell as a result. I've always wondered about the origin of this account since as far as I know, it's not mentioned ...
6
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1answer
202 views
What did the Dominicans have against the immaculate conception?
I was readIng an ad for a movie about blessed Duns Scotus which said he was debated and won against the Dominicans in the 13th century about the special privilege given to Mary, her Immaculate ...
6
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1answer
42 views
How to identify a Catholic 'order' from initials that follow a nun or priest's name?
I am regularly cataloguing publications written by (or about) sisters and priests. I am unfamiliar with all of the different Catholic orders. Is there an online list or reference that identifies what ...
6
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2answers
212 views
What is the Biblical basis for the Catholic teaching that infant baptism cleanses from original sin?
The Catholic Church, possibly the Orthodox Churches, and even some Protestant churches practice Infant Baptism. However, I understand that Catholicism teaches that infant baptism cleanses the infant ...
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223 views
What is the Protestant argument against the doctrine of Purgatory?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches the idea of Purgatory, which is defined by Wikipedia as follows:
Purgatory is, according to Catholic teaching, the state or place of
purification or temporary ...
6
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1answer
70 views
Is there any evidence that Lent used to be a 3 day observance?
I was taught that Lent represents the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. However, in church on Ash Wednesday, my Priest stated that it used to be 3 days and was extended to 40. I can only assume that ...
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319 views
Why did priests begin to sacrifice?
I attended a class on the Sacraments last night and the presenter was talking about how Bishops, priests and deacons were specifically mentioned in the NT. It made me wonder, how did Christians get ...
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85 views
Was “love your enemies” ever included among the evangelical counsels?
In Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin accuses his scholastic opponents of considering the commandment "Love your enemies" to be optional. Specifically, he says that they call it an ...
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1answer
148 views
Under what circumstances is a priest supposed to deny forgiveness to a person?
As I understand it, in Roman Catholic practice, people regularly confess their sins to a priest, who then instructs them what they must do in order to be forgiven. However, it is apparently possible ...
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2answers
239 views
What is the sacramental principle at work with Anointing of the Sick?
Of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. I see how each of them are some form of Sacramentum, an oath between man and God.
Marriage has a marital vow
Holy orders is a vow to be a priest, ...
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1answer
136 views
What is the Biblical basis for the special mediatorial position of the Pope, Cardinals, etc in the Catholic church?
Following-up a previous question, what Biblical basis does the Catholic church claim for the special role of Priests, Cardinals, and Popes in the structure of the church?
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2answers
108 views
What is baptism by Desire?
Again, this is one I've never heard of. Inspired by Peter Turner's comment.
If you had a plane full of people's consent to be baptized if they
miraculously survived the flight but they died ...
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67 views
What is the “General Magisterium” in Roman Catholicism?
I understand that there are three magisterium in Roman Catholicism.
What is the General Magisterium according to Roman Catholic belief?
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2answers
118 views
Why do Catholics believe that it is a priest's blessing that transforms the elements into the body and blood of Christ?
I understand that Catholicism teaches the doctrine of transubstantiation, that is, that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ. This apparently ...
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348 views
Orthodox churches recognized by Catholic Church
Which Orthodox churches are recognized by the Catholic church? Are there any churches older than the split that are not recognized by the Catholic Church and that are still active?
Edit: "recognize" ...
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1answer
64 views
Is life imprisonment in accord with Catholic social doctrine?
I recall hearing an old religious sister talking on Relevant Radio a few years ago about her experience in Mexican prison ministry. She said that life imprisonment is just as bad as the death penalty ...
6
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2answers
156 views
What's wrong with the Summa Theologica?
I've heard that there were two points of Catholic doctrine in Aquinas' Summa Theologica that were later successfully defended to the contrary. One, I think is the Immaculate Conception of Mary ...
6
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1answer
58 views
What is a “Pentecostal Catholic”?
One of my new neighbors is a "Pentecostal Catholic" from India. I have heard of this denomination before, during an Evangelical Missiological Society conference, but didn't have a reason to ...
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4answers
162 views
Catholic view of Biblical saints
Saints are present throughout the Bible. In my understanding, Protestant use of this word applies to all believers, which I understand is the New Testament (and OT?) meaning of the word.
In my ...
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2answers
142 views
Why was eating meat on Fridays forbidden in the Catholic Church for so many years?
I understand that the Catholic Church forbade people from eating meat on Fridays for many years. It seems that it is no longer every Friday, but just during Lent. Also, it is not all meat, but all ...
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2answers
273 views
Is swearing (making an oath) considered bad in Christianity?
My Catholic friend and I were chatting once and I said something along the lines of "I swear I'm not lying". She asked me to promise to her and not to swear since it's discouraged in her religion. I ...
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3answers
494 views
Do they use icons in the Roman Catholic Church?
Do they use icons in the Roman Catholic Church like they do in the East Orthodox Church? In my limited experience, I've only seen statues in the Roman Catholic Church, but not icons. I don't just mean ...
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3answers
347 views
Did Jesus need to die, or would mere shedding of blood have been sufficient?
Originally: St. Thomas Aquinas on salvation by a drop of Christ's Blood
I heard on Relevant Radio a year or so ago something perplexing, I think it was a priest saying it, but it may have been a ...
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2answers
327 views
Should one avoid fasting during Easter?
Tomorrow is the first Friday in Easter and in the Catholic Church Fridays are days of penance. If a person usually does something small, like not continuously munch on things while at his desk, in ...
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89 views
To which Saints may a Catholic pray, and when can this begin?
The Catholic Church teaches, as I understand it, that a person may pray to a Saint, and this Saint will then intercede along with that person to God concerning the request (or something like that). ...
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2answers
195 views
Does the Catholic Church oppose universalism?
I've been reading George MacDonald as of late and have heard in a few places that he argues for universalism. I though that had something to do with unitarianism, but in looking it up a tad more, I ...
5
votes
2answers
211 views
Mary's painless birth
Where does the Catholic tradition that Mary's birth was painless come from?
My wife just got home from a non-denominational study about Mary and she said she thought everybody knew this, but ...
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1answer
229 views
What non-Catholic Christian groups existed in Western Europe during the Middle Ages?
Between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Reformation, were there any Christian groups outside the Roman Catholic Church? Who were they?
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277 views
What is the Little Office of Our Lady in connection to the Scapular Devotion?
This is particularly confusing and the wikipedia entry is not helpful. I've worn a scapular since going to World Youth Day in 2005, but I've never asked a priest to consecrate my devotion. The ...
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40 views
Do Catholics have an “Apocrypha” or just a “Bible”?
Pardon my ignorance here, but I am just wondering if the Apocrypha is labeled as such by Catholics?
To clarify, a Protestant would refer to the 66 books of Protestant Scripture as "the Bible", and to ...
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2answers
65 views
What is the difference between a dogma, a doctrine, an infallible statement, an ex cathedra statement, etc.?
There are a variety of terms used in the Catholic Church to refer to particular statements or beliefs. Here are a number of some such terms:
Dogma
Doctrine
Infallible statement
Infallible papal ...
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1answer
108 views
Why do Evangelicals like a spirituality book by a 16th century Catholic monk?
I recall in my early days as a Christian I remember reading a book called ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’ by a Monk called Brother Lawrence in France. It always baffles me a bit that this book ...
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1answer
96 views
When do catechumens go to confession?
I thought I'd answer a question asked here about non-Catholics receiving the sacrament of reconciliation by using the RCIA book, but in skimming all the steps, there doesn't seem to be much said about ...
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1answer
68 views
Why does the Litany of Saint Joseph call him “terror of demons”?
A litany for Joseph, the husband of Mary, was approved by Pope St Pius X in 1909 (*). Most of the invocations are straightforward to understand, referring to his life (eg. "husband of the Mother of ...
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75 views
If Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholics, what is the basis of the original sin?
According to this answer, Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholic church due to the scientific evidence contradicting it. In this view, what is the basis of the original sin?
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104 views
Apostolic Succession in the Catholic church
Wikipedia says:
In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint
Peter, the Apostle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope
As someone who isn't Catholic I don't want to ...
5
votes
1answer
59 views
Gregorian Chant - Is it merely a form of music, like Hymns, or is there a deeper meaning?
The title says it all. Is Gregorian Chant merely a style of music, or is there some deeper meaning behind it? Does it serve some special purpose, or have a usage beyond being a form of worshiping ...
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1answer
212 views
Why did the authors of the London Baptist Confession of 1689 callout the pope as being the antichrist?
In chapter 26 paragraph 4 of the 1689 LBC, the authors called the pope the antichrist:
neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son ...
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2answers
94 views
Has there been any explanation given on the murder of Joan of Arc?
Joan of Arc was burned as a heretic. Now she is a saint. How does the Roman Catholic Church explain this? It turned out that the Roman Catholic Church has murdered its own saint? Has any logical ...
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1answer
132 views
How are the 12 Anathema's of St. Cyril against Nestorius supposed to be read?
I'd never seen this before today when I was trying to answer a question on the natures of God, but St. Cyril's 12 Anathema's against Nestorius is pretty interesting, and as a piece of literature, I ...
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1answer
119 views
Biblical basis for Catholic blessings
What is the Biblical basis for the catholic blessings? And what are those blessings?
Being a evangelical, I do not understand from the Bible, the reason for papal, priestly, or other blessings. How ...
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1answer
50 views
What exactly is the meaning of the text of Doxology in the concluding part of Catholic Eucharistic prayer?
With these solemn words, the priest ends the Eucharistic prayer at the centre of which is the event of the consecration.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in ...
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2answers
135 views
Expectation of salvation for the poorly catechized
The Catholic Church teaches in the Catechism on Baptism that there are several types of Baptism, one of which is for those fellow eternal-soul-endowed humans who have never heard of Christ.
But, ...
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2answers
606 views
How many kinds of Catholics are there?
Until recently I was under the impression that Catholics are unanimous in their beliefs and don't have the kind of fragmentation that Protestants have.
But I’ve learned that there are several small ...
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1answer
201 views
Has the notion of “legitimacy” been abandoned in the Catholic Church?
This isn't a question about pastoral advice, but it is being asked on behalf of a friend who is worried that her children will become illegitimate if her marriage is annulled and all I can find to ...
