What it means to be Catholic, and the meaning of Catholicism.
Being Catholic means living a totally Christian life and having a catholic perspective. To Catholics, all people are basically good, but sin is a spiritual disease that wounded humankind initially and can kill humankind spiritually if left unchecked. Divine grace is the only remedy for sin, and the best source of divine grace is from the sacraments, which are various rites that catholics believe have been created by jesus and entrusted by him to his church.
The bottom line from the catholic perspective is more than an intellectual assent to an idea, Catholicism involves a daily commitment to embrace the will of god- whatever it is and wherever it leads. Catholicism means cooperation with god on the part of the believer. God offers his divine grace, and the catholic must accept it and then cooperate with it. Free wil is sacred. God never forces you against your free will. Yet doing evil not only hurts you, it also hurts others, because a catholic is never alone. Catholics are always part of a spiritual family called the Church. More than a place to go on the weekend to worship, the church is a mother who feeds spiritually, shares doctrine, heals and comforts, and disciplines when needed.
The cut to the chase answer is that Catholicism is the practice of roman catholic Christianity. Catholics are members of the roman catholic church, and they share various beliefs and ways of worship, as well as a distinct outlook on life. Cartholics are first and foremost Christians. Like jews and muslims, catholics are monotheistic, which means that they believe in one god, but catholics, like all Christians, believe that jesus Christ is the son of god, which is unique. The bible is inspired, error-free, and revealted word of god. Baptism, the rite of becoming a...
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