Roman Catholic

Website:

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s817512.htm

http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism

http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism/Beliefs/Afterlife-and-Salvation

• Roman Catholic Church believe that they are the New Testament era w/ the Bishops of Rome 
• The Pope is considered the first leader of the apostles the successor of St. Peter 
• Considered " Western" rather than " Eastern" 
• Orthodox 
• The churches form a undivided Christian church for over a thousand years 
• Roman Catholic Churches are found is Australia 
• Catholic Churches were found in Western Europe 
• Catholicism created a new Christian churches outside the Popes jurisdiction 
• Catholic celebrate a festival called Saints Day 
• Sacred Text: The Bible 
• Origin: Roman- Latin Empire 
• 1.1 billion followers
• Follows the history of Jesus of Nazareth in a period of Roman occupation 
• Sacred Texts: The Roman Catholic Church includes in the Old Testament several deuterocanoncial books that Protestants rejected. The New Testament is the same as that used by Christians everywhere

Key Beliefs:

• There are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, penance, communion, holy orders, marriage and the sacrament of the sick.


• The Mass is the centre of the sacramental system, and Catholics are obliged to attend Mass every week.


• In the sacrament of communion at the Mass, bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation).


• Catholics affirm that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus was conceived miraculously through the power of the Holy Spirit, and not through sexual relations with her husband Joseph. They also teach that Mary remained a virgin "before, during and after" the birth of Jesus, and that he remained her only child. The church also teaches that at her own conception, Mary herself, by virtue of being the "mother of God" was conceived without original sin. This is referred to as her "Immaculate conception. They also believe in Mary’s “bodily assumption” – that she was taken directly to heaven at the end of her life and enthroned as Queen of Heaven.


• Catholics place great emphasis on the tradition of church interpretation of the Bible, as distinct from either individual or literal scriptural interpretation.


• Catholics believe that saints, created through the process of canonisation, can intercede with God on behalf of people who are alive today and petition for their memory.


• Catholics acknowledge the primacy and the authority of the Bishop of Rome, called the Pope, traditionally regarded as Christ’s representative on Earth.

Afterlife and Salvation: 

• Catholics believe in Corporate Salvation 
• God grants salvation through all that participates in church 
• Those who do not receive communion can not be saved 
• God have forgiven human sins through Jesus Christ 
• Traditionally Catholics believe that they have individuality beyond death 
• They experience 3 states: Heaven, purgatory and hell 
• Heaven is a place of peace and joy - they join the angels and have direct knowledge of God praising him
• Believe that most souls are not clean enough of sins; instead these souls will enter a place called Purgatory 
• Through the death of Christ humans receive salvation and enter the gates of Heaven ( their souls remain of sins they have committed) 
• In order to be pure and rid of sins they endure severe punishment and be cleanse of sins 
• Spending some time in purgatorial fire 
• Souls that are too full of sin , disobedient and hatred toward God until death cant be cleanse - they will go to hell 
• Hell is said to be a place of torment and suffering: instead Hell is a state of being remove of Gods presence 
• The soul is in endless sorrow for eternity