Roman Catholic Church

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

The fundamental teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are as follows (for a comprehensive and authorized version, visit the Vatican online at http://www.vatican.va/ ):

Faith AND Charity : - "By their fruit you shall know them". To Catholics, Faith without Works (Charity in all of its forms) does not salvation make. That is to say that the fruits of Faith is Charity. One cannot find examples of faithful who do not as a matter of course produce charitable works. Faith without the presence of charitable works is akin to the presence of fire without the presence of heat. This is not such a small point of contention among the schismatic offshoots of Catholicism, most of whom contend that Faith alone is enough.

Salvation: - Roman Catholics believe that it is dangerous to presume God's judgement by assuming one has secured eternal salvation by the popularly known phenomenon of being "born again". There are really two arguments here that Catholics would profess readily:

1) to assume you are saved is to take the Lord's name in vain. That is to say, it is unwise in that it is an act of self-exultation. This is a dangerous state of being, in that it is this exact self-exultation that inevitably leads to Pride and subsequent fall from Grace. If you ask a Catholic if he is "saved", he will likely tell you this is up to God.

2) Baptism = being "Born again". This is very important, but Catholics are confident there are many who were Baptised into the Catholic Faith who are at present burning on "lakes of fire" somewhere between here & China.

The Holy Trinity : - according to the Roman Catholic Rite, the Holy Trinity is one of the greater "Mysteries of Faith". He is One Supreme Being that Catholics believe is comprised of distinct, yet wholly unified & complimentary, thirds.

God the Father - the Creator "...of all that is seen and unseen". To understand God the Father, it helps to picture the image of God, as portrayed in the Old Testament. And, in fact, Catholic Apologists imagine Him thusly, but with one HUGE difference... that of His decision to become flesh and walk among men as a man (albeit one with an extraordinary pedigree & divine abilities). In the Catholic tradition, this is the demarcation between the God of the Old Testament/Old Covenant (the jealous God of wrath that destroys cities) and the same God: that of the New Testament/New Covenant (who comes among us as flesh to heal the sick & to sacrifice Himself for our sins as the Redeemer... or, rather, the God of ultimate love). In order to establish this New Covenant, God was born unto the Virgin Mary as...

God the Son - Otherwise known as the "Word Incarnate". A.K.A. He who is without Sin. Catholics believe that God so loved the world that He made Himself flesh so that man might know Him & so that He might establish the New Covenant with His people through His sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus, as he was known while He lived in physical form among us, is for the Catholic the sole Redeemer of Mankind. Catholics believe Jesus, who became the Christ upon his death AND Resurrection, was entirely man AND entirely God. He spread His message of love in what is the collection of parables and affiliated texts as put forth in the New Testament. In this sense, Jesus was really the Word of God Incarnated in the teachings of the Man/God known as Jesus. However, in order for us to fully appreciate His message, Catholics believe that we need illumination of the mind & soul (A.K.A. wisdom). This can only be achieved through the mysterious workings of...

God the Holy Spirit - often portrayed as a Dove in rays of light. The Holy Spirit is what enables us, as mere mortals, to truly understand the Word of God. Enlightmnment, for instance, in the Catholic tradition cannot be had without the blessings of the Holy Spirit: chief among these is Wisdom.

So Catholics profess that to truly know and serve God, you must understand scripture. Scripture includes the Old and the New Testaments. In order to understand grasp the scripture and its meaning beyond the text, you must receive the Holy Spirit, thus achieving Wisdom/Enlightenment to God's Will & Plan.

Mary, The Blessed Virgin: - To Catholics, The Virgin Mary is more than the vessel by which God delivered Himself as Man into the physical world. Rather, she is THE perfect Christian. She followed God's Will to the letter & without questioning or worrying about her own person or what others might think or do when she was found to be pregnant. In addition, to the Catholic, the Virgin Mother (Santa Maria) acts as intercessor whom may be asked to heap her prayers upon God ontop of (NOT in place of) one's own prayers to God. Please note: Catholics DO NOT pray to Mary for Salvation, but rather pray for her intercession on their behalf. IN ADDITION: Though Catholics hold Mary as "Blessed... amongst women..." , they DO NOT fancy her as the co-redeemer. She is, rather, the perfect Christian & a Catholic's Mother in Heaven. When the Catholic accepts that she is the only virgin to become impregnated while remaining a virgin, as well as the only woman to ascend into heaven in the same manner as the Christ, it is no wonder he holds her to the esteemed position he does.