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FAQ: I'm considering joining the Catholic Church. Would it be a mistake?
REPLY: Roman Catholicism is a very beautiful religion; but it isn't easy.
Once someone is fully committed by completing First Holy Communion and
Confirmation and undergone Christian baptism --God will be holding them accountable
to comply with everything Rome teaches and stands for, e.g. the Commandments, the
Canon Law, the dogma, the rituals, the Traditions, the Councils, the Bulls, the
Encyclicals, the rites, the holy days of obligation, and the entire Catechism; plus
everything that Jesus and the apostles taught in the New Testament, i.e. all four
gospels and all twenty-one epistles, plus Acts and Revelation.
That's a lot to remember, let alone put into practice.
And then there's the matter of mortal sin. When Catholics leave this life with just one
mortal sin on the books awaiting absolution, just one, they go straight to Hell. It's a
direct flight; no stopover in a Purgatory. Even if a Catholic managed to be a top
performer in faith and practice for fifty years, none of that will be taken into
consideration. They will leave this life as if they'd been a pagan the whole time. Mortal
sins are that lethal.
The paragraph below from CCC 1782 of the catechism of the Catholic Church;
acknowledges everyone's rights and freedoms in regard to selecting a religion of their
own personal choice.
"Man has the right to act in conscience, and in freedom, so as personally to make moral
decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be
prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."
However, be aware that once someone joins the Catholic Church, they will have to
relinquish those rights and no longer be permitted to either interpret, or apply, the Holy
Bible's teachings sans hierarchy oversight per CCC 85 which says:
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written
form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the
Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This
means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion
with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome."
Bottom line: Catholicism isn't a democratic structure-- it's more like Big Brother in
George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad
thing; only saying that it's a level of governance that some folks find a mite too
controlling.
NOTE: The Almighty isn't a political appointee like members of the US Supreme Court,
viz: He isn't biased towards the left or to the right, i.e. the justice of God is fair across
the board regardless of age, race, gender, and/or religious preference; so that joining
The Church grants no one a certain amount of special consideration. I grew up in
Catholicism, and for many years was under the impression that my affiliation with The
Church would give me an advantage, but I was wrong. (cf. Luke 12:47-48, Rom 2:6-11,
and 1Pet 1:17)
And the irony of it all; the supreme irony, is that Catholicism's hierarchy-- its priests,
nuns, Popes, and Cardinals, etc. --are in just as much danger of failing to make the cut
as John Que and Jane Doe rank and file pew warmers; in point of fact: according to
Luke 12:47-48, and Jas 3:1, they may be in greater danger because their responsibility
is greater.
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