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Catholics FAQ
Featured FAQ
Q: If we die in mortal sin, are we guaranteed Hell?
A: Provided that the sin was subjective, meaning the person committing the sin had knowledge of it and had done it freely then the person would be separated from God for all eternity and be in Hell.
Q: Why did other Churches split off from the first Catholic Church?
A: The reasons for the splits are many but one of the biggest split was that of the Protestant Reformation that started with Martin Luther.
The Protestant Reformation was not principally about theology, about the faith - although theological differences came later - but about morals. There was an Augustinian priest, Martin Luther, who went down to Rome just after the papacy of the most notorious pope in history, Pope Alexander VI. This pope never taught anything against the faith - the Holy Spirit prevented that - but he was simply a wicked man. Martin Luther visited Rome just after Alexander VI's papacy and wondered how God could allow such a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. He went back to Germany and saw all types of moral problems. He was scandalized, as anyone who loved God might have been, by such rampant abuse. So he founded his own Church.
Many people, like Martin Luther, lack the understanding of the authority of the Church. They don't understand that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and her teachings can not contain any error. However it's only the teachings of the Church that are guarded by the Holy Spirit and not the personal holiness of its members. Even Judas, who was chosen by Christ, betrayed God. So when we see wrong things being done in the Church the answer is not leaving the Church but enduring patiently as we do our best to correct the mistakes as best as we can.
Talking to people of his time who were troubled by the scandals in the Church, a great saint of our Church, St. Francis de Sales said, "Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder," destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible example. But then he warned his listeners, "But I'm here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal - who allow scandals to destroy their faith - are guilty of spiritual suicide." They're guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ, abandoning the source of life in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
The Protestant Reformation was not principally about theology, about the faith - although theological differences came later - but about morals. There was an Augustinian priest, Martin Luther, who went down to Rome just after the papacy of the most notorious pope in history, Pope Alexander VI. This pope never taught anything against the faith - the Holy Spirit prevented that - but he was simply a wicked man. Martin Luther visited Rome just after Alexander VI's papacy and wondered how God could allow such a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. He went back to Germany and saw all types of moral problems. He was scandalized, as anyone who loved God might have been, by such rampant abuse. So he founded his own Church.
Many people, like Martin Luther, lack the understanding of the authority of the Church. They don't understand that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and her teachings can not contain any error. However it's only the teachings of the Church that are guarded by the Holy Spirit and not the personal holiness of its members. Even Judas, who was chosen by Christ, betrayed God. So when we see wrong things being done in the Church the answer is not leaving the Church but enduring patiently as we do our best to correct the mistakes as best as we can.
Talking to people of his time who were troubled by the scandals in the Church, a great saint of our Church, St. Francis de Sales said, "Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder," destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible example. But then he warned his listeners, "But I'm here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal - who allow scandals to destroy their faith - are guilty of spiritual suicide." They're guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ, abandoning the source of life in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
Q: How did the Catholic Religion start?
A: Jesus Christ is the source and founder of the Catholic Church. When we read the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 16:17-19) we see Jesus establishing the Church and designating Peter as the head (pope). He gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and promises that no force will prevail against His Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the same Church that Jesus established 2000+ years ago. Through a succession of popes the Church has carried her mission until today, handing down the faith that was entrusted to the Apostles. That's why we say that the Catholic faith is apostolic.
Q: In the beginning if everything was perfect why was there a tree that could create evil?
A: It's not the tree that created evil but Eve, through her own free-will, chose to disobey God. Anytime we choose something over God that act is evil but the subject of the act is not necessarily evil. If I kill someone, that's an evil act but the person I kill is not necessarily an evil person.
Q: Why did they choose the symbol of a cross?
A: That was the custom in the Roman Empire to hang people on a cross. This way the person crucified was in no way able to provide any strength to lift himself up to breathe. The cause of death was affixation by the lungs of the person getting filled with liquids. A horrible and painful death.