Hi kjbreil,
I'm not Catholic (yet), but I have a good understanding of their beliefs. Before I address anything, I just thought I'd share a few things: It seems you're part of AoG! Good news: some Catholics are Charismatic too =P
What basically led me to the Church is partially Church doctrines, but ultimately as Neal pointed out: It's the Holy Spirit's work. I've been a protestant for 2 and a half years and I used to have some silly idea that Catholics were the bane of Christianity. I wasn't very fond of Catholics, mostly because of the lack of fruit I've seen in them (and even now that's still true) but I guess I haven't been really exposed to any god-fearing Catholics (with a few exceptions). I'm referring to my immediate environment =P
As far as their teachings go, Catholics and protestants all have the essentials in common (i.e. like the statements in the Apostle's Creed for example). But there's distinctly 'Catholic' doctrines like 'praying' to the saints (I know that sounds strange...I think I should word that a bit better). The foundation for this doctrine has to do with the body of Christ being one (Eph 4:4-5) in heaven and on earth (Eph 3:15). This is crucial because if one part of the body of Christ suffers, then the rest suffers to (1 Cor 12:25-27). 'Praying' to the saints is basically asking those in heaven to pray for us, or to join in our prayers as one body in Christ. I know this may sound strange but protestants have very very low theology when it comes to the 'body of Christ' (or at least I think so).
Catholics also believe that Jesus is fully present in the Lord's supper (i.e. the presence of God is revealed when they partake in the bread and wine), unlike protestants who (for the most part) look at the Lord's supper as a mere symbolic act. Apparently, some people died while partaking the Lord's supper because they didn't discern the Lord's body (1 Cor 11:27-29).
Catholics also don't agree with scripture as the pillar and foundation of truth, but rather they believe the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim 3:15) since the Church is responsible for putting the bible together. I know this may sound strange but basically, Catholics do not believe in 'sola scriptura' (scripture alone), since the bible doesn't say that the bible is the final authority. They look at sola scriptura as a non-biblical doctrine. Kinda ironic isn't it?
They also don't agree with the idea of being saved by 'faith alone' since faith without works is dead (James 2:14,24). Catholics believe that faith is necessary for salvation. But to not walk with God, or to not remain in Him as Christ commanded means he or she will be cut off (John 15:1-6). The issue (I think) really comes down to two things: justification and sanctification.
Luther basically separated the two. But Catholics have always kept the two intact. Basically what Catholics teach is that if Christians refuse to continue to be sanctified (thus ultimately bear fruit), then they're not justified (again John 15:1-6, James 2:24). So salvation is viewed as a process, not a one-time believe in Jesus and you go to heaven type of deal. That's why salvation is a
1) A past event (Eph 2:8)
2) Present reality (1 Cor 1:18)
3) And a future hope (Phil 1:28, Titus 3:7, Matt 24:13)
Christ demands lordship over our lives. And this sounds a lot like the Calvinist understanding of 'perseverance of the saints':
the believer will walk with God and remain faithful.
The Catholic version of that:
the believer must walk with God and remain faithful.
They look the same to me
Other things that Catholics believe is baptismal regeneration (but this isn't a Catholic-only teaching). Basically they teach that the sinner must be baptized to become a Christian (that almost sounds like a type of 'works') doesn't it? But several scriptures point out that to be buried in baptism is to partake in the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:3-5). Other verses reiterate this idea (John 3:5, 1 Pet 3:21). One might argue that salvation is by grace, not by works (Eph 2:8-9). But it's by God's grace that we receive baptism, not that we do some sort of act to achieve baptism. Another argument is the typical what-if scenario: What if a new believer isn't baptized? Thankfully, the Church teaches that he or she will go to heaven if he or she were to live the Christian life as if she were already baptized. But, refusal to receive baptism says volumes about the heart condition of the 'believer' (that's if he or she even wants to walk with God). For a better understanding of baptism, check out this
link
There's tons of other doctrines and teachings but I don't know if I want to go any further since this post is getting really long.. lol
But I thought I'd share about Catholic teaching on morals (particularly the issue with life issues like contraception). This really played a major role in my desire to become Catholic. I once thought that contraception is such a silly issue, when in the Catholic worldview, it's a HUGE issue. The implications of what Catholics teach on contraception absolutely blew me away. But maybe it won't do the same for you =P And if you're not aware already: Catholics believe that contraception is sin, just as much as abortion is sin. Their reason?
The Church teaches that procreation and sexual intimacy cannot be separated. Abortion gives way to separating these two. So the world says, "Here's a quick solution: contracept!" But that ultimately leads to more problems: more people having sex, and since contraception isn't 100% foolproof, more unwanted babies are being born (since there's a greater frequency is sex due to contraception)! So naturally that leads to more abortions. So you might ask, "What's the big deal with contraception if you're not planning to abort?"
The quick answer is that it's also a way of separating sexual intimacy from procreation which is contrary to God's plan. Here's an account from the bible:
Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his sperm on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.
What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also. (Gen 38:8-10)
One might argue that Onan was committing adultery, which can be a valid interpretation. But the fact that the passage mentions this form of contraception in detail would imply that God considers it wicked. So the underlying principle behind it all is this: Onan separated sexual intimacy with procreation.
This is precisely why masturbation is also a sin in the eyes of the Catholic Church (separation between procreation and sexual intimacy). I get the feeling some people might feel a bit uncomfortable talk'n about purity issues and such, but what the Church teaches on all this is absolutely incredible in my opinion.
It saddens me to know that there was once a time when all Christians were firmly against both abortion and contraception, until 1930s..or whenever protestant denominations became liberalized....
Well, I think that's enough information for now lol
God bless!
-Jason
Good post, Jason!
