Questions tagged [catholicism]
The Catholic Church and its teachings and views on specific subjects.
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Praying to people outside the Trinity
I understand that the Roman Catholic church direct some prayers to Mary, the mother of Jesus. For me it would be strange to address my prayers to anyone outside the Holy Trinity. Do Catholics pray to ...
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Do the Catholic Church ex cathedra pronouncements about necessity of Catholicism to be saved still apply?
I think the following was spoken Ex Cathedra:
“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches
that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only
pagans, but ...
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Does the Catholic Church officially recognize Protestants as Christians?
I have always thought that the Pope did not recognize the validity of the faith of those outside of the Catholic church, but in comments from a different post I am surprised to find out I may be ...
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When does the Pope speak ex cathedra?
The Catholic Church considers the Pope infallible, but only in limited circumstances. The Pope is a human being like the rest of us, and capable of sinning. However, when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, ...
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What is the biblical basis for the Immaculate Conception?
According to Catholic Doctrine, the Immaculate Conception refers to the teaching that Mary's own conception (not that of Jesus) was without the stain of original sin.
What is the biblical basis for ...
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Is there any good book on history of the heresy of Modernism?
Is there any good book on the history of the heresy of Modernism (=synthesis of all heresies)? I am interested in how modernism came to be and how it survived St. Pius X attack on it. It would be good ...
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What is the Catholic interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3?
The English translation of 2 Thes. 2:3 according to New American Bible, Revised Edition:
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, ...
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Is the Vulgate the official version of the bible for entire Catholic Church, or just the Latin Church?
The Latin Vulgate is considered to be the official version of the bible of the Roman Catholic church. I'm wondering if this means it is only the official version of the Roman Catholic Church, or does ...
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At what point is a new soul created according to the Catholic Church?
It seems clear that the Catholic Church rejected Origen's claim that souls were created and existed before conception and birth.
Does the Church pinpoint fertilization of the egg as the moment a soul ...
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Do Catholics believe that they are actually eating the body of Christ? Does this make them cannibals?
The Roman Catholic celebrates the Holy Eucharist in commemoration of the Last Supper in which during the celebration, Catholics believed that bread and wine are transformed into blood and body of ...
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Are Catholics required to accept every article of Aquinas's «Summa Theologica»?
Are all the articles of St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica to be accepted as the truth by every Catholic? Are there any criticisms of the Summa Theologica within the Catholic Church?
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What paths exist in the Catholic Church for a certain theological position to become recognized as dogma?
I'm trying to parse the words carefully to say "recognized as dogma" instead of "become dogma", but basically. How does a bill become a law, according to the Catholic Church.
If, for instance, a ...
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What is the Scriptural basis for Catholics praying to Mary and the various saints?
While researching for this answer, I came across this quesion. In its answer it stated:
Roman Catholics are taught to pray to Mary and various saints. Such
prayers are not scriptural and are, in ...
user13992
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What is the difference between icons and idols in churches that permit icons?
There are a number of Protestants that say the use of the images and statues in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is idolatry. I know that these churches call certain images "icons", but I ...
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According to Catholicism, did Moses believe in the Trinity?
According to Catholicism, did Moses, and especially the Jewish people during his time, know that God is triune?
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Catholic doctrine on spiritual vocation
I was reading Angelic Doctor about religious vocation (= a invation from God to life as dioceasn priest or in some kind of religous order (like Dominicans, Franciscans...)) and it seems that he did ...
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As a protestant, may I participate in the Eucharist (Communion) when visiting a Catholic church?
I think the title sums it up. I'm a protestant Christian, and have many Catholic friends. When I visit their churches, is it permissible for me to participate in the Eucharist/Communion ceremony by ...
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Why can't Catholicism just drop its Marian devotion?
Catholicism puts great emphasis on the importance on the Mary, the Mother of God. It honors her and insists upon her perpetual sinlessness and perpetual virginity. And in my observation, it seems as ...
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In Catholic doctrine, is limbo eternal?
The Catholic Church professes a belief in the existence of limbo. Although the doctrine on this subject has not yet been defined, does the Catholic Church believe that it is eternal?
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Did the Annunciation and Good Friday coincide?
As we know, Good Friday falls on March 25 (2016) this year. In Catholic and Orthodox Churches, March 25 is also the Feast of the Annunciation.
A priest friend of mine, told me there was once a ...
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For Catholics who object to Vatican II, what are the key issues?
From time to time I see references to Roman Catholics who object to (part? all?) of Vatican II. Most commonly I see ads in my local newspaper for traditional Latin masses, but I understand the ...
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What is the Biblical support for Purgatory?
Exactly as the title asks; where do Catholics get their Scriptural support for the idea of Purgatory? To be more specific, how I think of Purgatory (which may be incorrect) is that it's a temporary ...
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What is transubstantiation?
According to Wikipedia:
When at his Last Supper, Jesus said: "This is my body", what he held in his hands still had all the appearances of bread: these "accidents" remained unchanged. However, the ...
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List of papal teachings considered infallible
After reading When does the Pope speak ex cathedra? I became curious and searched for a list of statements, but couldn't find one.
Does such list exist and if not, why is this the case?
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Which is the "correct" bible for Catholics?
There are many versions of the Bible, such as the:
King James Bible
NIV
NRSV
But which is the "correct" bible for Catholics to read?
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What are the stipulations for a mixed marriage to be valid in the Catholic Church?
If a devout Catholic woman wants to marry a Baptist man, what what must be made to make the marriage valid to the Catholic Church if they have both gone though the Catholic wedding preparation but ...
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If God could make Mary sinless, why not anybody else?
In this thread one of the answers states that Catholic tradition has Mary as sinless from conception (if I read it correctly). I don't want to sound flippant here but this begs the question: if God ...
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Can a person be forgiven outside of confession? (Catholic)
As a follow up to this question I'd like to ask if a person, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, can obtain God's forgiveness outside of the sacrament of confession.
I would imagine Protestants would ...
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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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Why does only the priest receive Communion under both kinds at a Catholic Mass?
In a Catholic Mass, why does only the priest receive Communion under both kinds (under the species of bread and wine)?
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Is Catholicism a "works" denomination?
Catholicism venerates people's works as that is the only way to become a saint - you actually have to DO something.
I understand that there has been a strong debate regarding faith or works (or ...
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When did a "formal act of correction" of a pope's statement happen in the past?
In this article Cardinal Raymond Burke has now indicated the cardinals are contemplating a “formal correction” should the pope fail to address their concerns.
Also, he states:
Historically, in the ...
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Was the dogma of the Immaculate Conception formulated in response to someone challenging Mary's ability to bear a perfect Son?
I read that dogma is the church's way of explaining supernatural events in scripture
Since I have been doing research on the question of how a perfect Jesus could be born of a descendant of Adam, it ...
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What are the positions relative to each other in the Catholic church's clerical hierarchy?
I sometimes find myself lost in my own church's different levels of clergy and the Catholic church's seems even more complex? What different positions in the clergy exist within the Roman Catholic ...
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Looking for a website providing HTML formatted works of Joseph Pohle's 12 volume Dogmatic Theology
There are plenty of websites presenting multi-volume works of St. Thomas Aquinas in HTML formatted chunks such as New Advent's Summa Theologiae.
I'm looking for a website containing similarly HTML ...
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Why doesn't the Catholic Church support female priests?
Understanding that the Catholic Church has its foundation in Judaism, which is a male based religion, how does she justify the fact that women cannot administer religious rites?
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What is truly meant when it is said that Holy Scripture is 'inerrant' according to the Catholic Church?
Granted that further research has been made in collecting a greater amount of old manuscripts of Scripture, certain realizations have been made about the bible that we currently use; there are some ...
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Who may receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church?
Who in the following groups may receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church?
Among Catholics. (cf. the current debate on communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics).
Among non-Catholic Christians....
user13992
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When did the prohibition of marriage for priests in the Catholic church originate?
The Bible mentions that one of the miracles Jesus performed was the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. This makes it quite clear that Peter himself was married, and Peter is the considered the first ...
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What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?
In Matthew 23:9, Jesus says:
Matthew 23:9 (NIV)
And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
What is the Roman Catholic view on this? In the Roman Catholic ...
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What is the scriptural basis for clerical celibacy?
In the Catholic Church, priests are required to stay celibate. (As far as I know, protestant priests that convert to Catholicism are allowed an exception -- they can become Catholic priests even if ...
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How is offering X Hail Marys not considered vain repetition?
So if the Hail Mary is a prayer and saying the prayer multiple times is encouraged in Catholicism, what established reason does the Catholic church give to justify it not being a vain repetition.
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What exactly is a "Hail Mary"?
The practice of a saying a "Hail Mary" is often referred to in colloquial speech, sometimes as a way to caricaturize Catholics. References to the practice instantly conjure up images of Catholicism, ...
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How does the Catholic Church reconcile evolution with original sin?
According to Catholic doctrine:
all men inherit ancestral sin from Adam;
God descended upon Earth as the Son in order to free mankind from this sin, was crucified, died etc.
From the Catechism of ...
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When did the split in crufix/empty-cross sybolism occur and why did it happen?
Today, we have Catholic and Orthodox churches (and a few others) using the crucifix, whereas most Protestant denominations use an empty cross in their symbolism. Did this difference in symbolism arise ...
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Do Catholics tithe?
This might seem like a silly question, but I am not a Catholic, and so I do not know the answer!
Do Catholics tithe?
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At what point did the Roman See start self-identifying as the Catholic Church?
The Great (East-West) Schism was a massive trainwreck centuries in the making and centuries in its outworking. At what point in the process did the Roman see start identifying itself as the Catholic ...
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How does a Roman Catholic reconcile a preference for purely procreative sex with the Song of Solomon?
Premise #1: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that sex is for procreation
Peter Turner has an excellent answer to the question on Onan. In it, he suggests that Onan really was misusing sex, and that ...
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What are the requirements for joining the Catholic church as an adult?
What are the requirements for joining the Catholic church as an adult?
I'm interested in all the requirements, including whether a previously baptized Protestant would be required to (or forbidden ...
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What is the origin of the term Prima Scriptura and the background against which it was defined?
Prima Scriptura is the doctrine that
canonized scripture is "first" or "above all" other sources of divine revelation. Implicitly, this view acknowledges that, besides canonical scripture, there ...
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