FREE ESSAY ON CATHOLIC - I BELIEVE IN GOD

CATHOLIC - I BELIEVE IN GOD

Christy Sanchez
STILL CATHOLIC AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
I believe in God, Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, Our Lord,
who was born of the Holy Ghost and of Mary, the Virgin, who was crucified under Pontius
Pilate and buried; on the third day He rose from the dead ascended into heaven, and is
seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence He shall come to judge the quick and
the dead; and in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Church; the remission of sins; and the
resurrection of the dead. (Apostles Creed)
I am Catholic, and this prayer that is said at church every Sunday encompasses my beliefs
as a Catholic. Before I get into what I believe in as a Catholic, I would like to give
some background on the religion itself, because this has also shaped my beliefs.
Catholicism comes from Christianity. Of all the religions, Christianity is the most
widespread and has the largest number of members. (Smith, p.317) Christianity is based on
actual history, and they have historical facts to back up a lot of the ideas.
The word Catholic is generally taken to mean universal, although the Greek roots of the
word mean according to (kata) the whole (holos). In the ancient Church, it was used to
refer to a single, visible communion, separate from others, bonded together through faith
in Jesus Christ (web). As far back as the ninth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem stated:
The Church is called Catholic, because it teaches universally and infallibly each and
every doctrined which must come to the knowledge of men, concerning things visible and
invisible, heavenly and earthly, ...because it brings every race of men into subjection
to holiness, ...because it universally treats and heals every class of sins, and because
it possesses within itself every conceivable form of virtue, in deeds and in words and in
the spiritual gifts of every description. Catholics are followers of Jesus. Our journey
begins at baptism, and we continue on that journey towards eternal happiness.
There are two main ideas that separate Catholicism from Christianity. The first is that
Catholics believe in the Church as its teacher. This means that just as you might need a
math teacher to explain your textbook in a way that you understand, we need the leaders
of the Church (Pope, bishops, and priests) to interpret the Bible. We shouldn't take
everything the Bible says literally, and these leaders help us to apply its teachings to
our lives. The second main idea is that there are seven Sacraments (baptism, confession,
communion, confirmation, marriage, annointing of the sick, Holy Orders) that we need to
incorporate into our lives so that we may live the teachings of the Church. It is one
thing to hear how we should live our lives, but it is another to do. That is where the
Sacraments help. The Church has laws governing the reception of all the sacraments.
Members are expected to try and understand the meaning of the Church's rituals and to
develop a full sacramental lifestyle. (web) Catholicism has other teachings that are
integral to the religion. Followers are expected to live according to the Ten
Commandments of the Old Testament, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the laws and
moral teachings of the Church. The Church is officially against any racial or national
criteria for membership. It is a universal church, and everyone is welcome. (web) There
is also no age requirement to become Catholic, although there are age restrictions on
some of the Sacraments. Members of the Catholic Church are expected to offer Christian
services within the Church and the community, and to be especially generous with both
time and money to the poor. Church members are expected to support their church. However,
no one is excluded based on his or her lack of financial contributions. Baptism is
required for membership. The Catholic Church requires its members to attend Mass on
Sundays and Holy Days, and to participate in prayer services and celebration of the
sacraments. Those are the core beliefs that date back to it's earliest teachings. 
Some of the beliefs that are heard about in more recent times, are the church's stance on
abortion, the death penalty, birth control/premarital sex, women in high church
positions, and same sex relationships. The church is opposed to all of these.
I was baptized Catholic, and raised in a Catholic family. I went to Catholic school, and
made my first communion, reconciliation, and confirmation there. I enjoyed my time in
Catholic school, and am grateful to my parents for putting me there. However, it was
never my choice to be Catholic, that's just the way it always was. By the time I was in
high school, my parents let me decide if I wanted to continue going to Church on Sundays,
and I, being a teenager, decided that sleeping in on Sundays was a much better idea.
I haven't attended church regularly since then, but I still consider myself to be
Catholic, just not a practicing one. I plan to get married in the Church, and to have a
funeral there as well. It is a part of me, and who I am, and I am glad I have that faith
to turn to. My relationship with God is private, and I don't feel the need to go to
Church every Sunday to maintain that relationship. My mom always let me be exposed to
other religions, and taught me that I shouldn't judge anyone based on their religious
beliefs. This has proven to be hard for me, I sometimes tend to be elitist when it comes
to my religion. Now that I have taken this class and learned about other religions, I
realize that my religion is right for me, but it might not be right for everyone. I
appreciate the fact that my parents raised me with a spiritual background. I can't
imagine not being exposed to God. Although I sometimes take it for granted, I rely on my
faith to get me through rough times, and it has definitely helped.
I think that one of the reasons that I no longer attend Church is because I find it very
boring. I think that a lot of the religion is out of touch. I want to learn how to apply
my beliefs to the here and now. In school I learned that God loves all, but the Church is
unaccepting of homosexuals. I have a problem with that because I feel that it is not a
choice, and they are entitled to live their lives the way that makes them happy. I hope
that in the future, the Church will accept them for what they are: God's children. The
Church is also opposed to the death penalty. The Church believes that anyone whose life
is terminated in a gas chamber, by hanging, by lethal injection or by a firing squad is
one of us-a human person, a brother or a sister, however cruel and inhumane his or her
actions may appear. (web) That is probably the one thing that the Church has taken a firm
stance on that I 100% agree with. The two things that I 100% disagree with is the
Church's stance on birth control and premarital sex, or sex for procreation only. I know
that the Church is taking a look at this stance with the overwhelming tragedy of AIDS.
People should be able to express love, and it shouldn't' matter whether or not they're
married or want to have children. People are dying of AIDS, and there are unwanted
pregnancies that could be prevented by birth control. I am on the fence about abortion.
As a woman, I believe in the right to choose, but as a Catholic, I'm not sure if it is
taking a life or not. I definitely believe that women should be able to have the same
opportunities as men do in the church. That is something that I see changing as the
church evolves.
I plan on being Catholic forever, and I am proud of my religion and spirituality. My
religious beliefs have made me a better, more compassionate, and stronger person. I
believe in life after death, and look forward to the end of my faith-journey.
I am glad that I was exposed to many other religions in this class. It has taught me to
be more understanding of differences. The Perennial Philosophy taught me that we're not
all that different after all. Religion should be a choice, and although my parents gave
me a foundation in Catholicism, ultimately it is my choice. And I'm proud of my choice.