By Joseph T. Evans

My religion is Christianity just like the Baptist, Presperterians, Lutherans, Greek Orthodox, and Angelicans. My denomination is the Roman and Apostolic Catholic Church. I am a practicing Catholic and proud to be a Christian Soldier for Christ through the Catholic Church. I was raised Catholic and in addition to going to Catholic schools, as a child, I was also exposed to Protestant schools and the different Protestant denominations. What I always found in the Protestant schools was that, Catholics were taught to be almost like witches who worshipped golden idols and chanted spells before an alter; additionally, Protestants had a real need to prove their religious practices of the Christian faith to be right while the Catholics teachings were all wrong. Of the three main branches of the Christian faith, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Greek Orthodox, the Protestants are the only branch of the Christian faith that seem to do this; furthermore, they only do it to the Catholics, not the Greek Orthodox or even the Angelicans of which both virtually have the same system and views as the Catholics.

First off the bible warns of divisions in the Christian faith and not only do Protestants create a division between themselves and their Catholic Brethren, they also have many divisions amongst their own group of Protestants with Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist, and the list goes on. Catholics don’t teach in any way or form to have a division between themselves and the Protestants; in fact, Protestants are simply seen as the flock the left the church, just like the Angelicans and Greek Orthodox. I have to add though that the only division that the Catholic church makes against the Protestants has to do with what the Catholic church calls “sects”. The Catholic church sees the Jehovah’s Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormons as sects in the Protestant denomination, basically not true Protestants or even true Christians. They have developed their own belief structure that moves away from the teachings of the bible.

Second, the Catholic churches aim has always been to try and keep Christians together as one whole united Faith without any divisions. The word “Catholic” was first used around the year 110 c.e.. It is from the Greek word Katholikos, which means whole. The word Catholic was from its inception to mean the “Church” should be one body or membership, just as it was when Jesus was alive and his followers were one. This segues into the purpose and function of the Pope and the Bishops.

In Roman Catholic teachings, revelation is summed up in Christ the Lord, who commanded his Apostles to preach the gospel. The Apostles did this by “preaching” and by “example” through the institutions they established, and by spreading the teachings of the New Testament, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To preserve the full and living gospel, the Apostles left Bishops as their successors, and the Pope, the head of the “Church” is simply a vicar for Christ; he is simply holding a position until Christ’s return; in fact, the apostle Peter was the first Pope of the church.

I must also say it is hard to sum up a denomination that has been around for some two thousand years, but I also have to say that Catholics, a denomination of the Christian religion, don’t see a distinction between other Christians. In fact, the term “CHURCH” which I will refer to throughout this explanation, as used by Catholics includes all Christians, not just those who practice the Catholic faith. Catholics and Protestants simple have different ways of praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While Protestants worship more in an extroverted manner by singing and dancing, Catholics take on a faith more introverted by worshiping through prayer and meditation. Catholics also firmly believe that during mass, God, through the Holy Spirit, is actually present; hence, the genuflection of bowing to one knee and lowering our head before being seated. It’s a sign of respect acknowledging that God is present and bow before the King of kings.

At one time in Catholic history, Catholics were cautioned against private interpretations of the Bible and instead were directed toward the Catechism, a book of Catholic teachings. This caused a very definite lack of biblical familiarity among Catholics and we, Catholics, had to bow to the expertise of the Protestants when it came to quoting Bible chapter and verse, but after the reformation of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960’s, Catholic education began to focus more on scripture rather than memorizing the Catechism and an assortment of prayers.

Let me also add that it is not easy to define Catholicism because it’s more of a culture or a tribe rather than just a gathering of people to worship on the Sabbath. Sacraments are the heart and soul of what it means to be Catholic. To be Catholic is to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the presence of God. For Catholics this experience happens through the sacraments which most distinguish Catholicism from other religions and other Christian denominations. Catholics have a tradition of prayers, statues, medals, candles, incense, Holy water, and rosaries as a part of their everyday lives. As the Catholic faith has evolved over the centuries, this rich collection of sacraments has been accumulating in a history of some two thousand years and comes from many different cultures.

Catholics also believe that the “CHURCH” as I said before is all of Christianity, is the continuation of Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit and it is also said that the Church is Christ’ bride.

More about Catholic beliefs: Catholics believe in the Ten Commandments: 1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 3. Keep holy the Sabbath. 4. Honor your father and your mother. 5. You shall not kill. 6. You shall not commit adultery. 7. You shall not steal. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Catholics believe in six precepts: 1. Attend Mass on Sunday and on the six other established holy days of obligation. 2. Observe the fast days as established by the Church. 3. Confess any grave sins at least once a year. 4. Receive Communion at least once a year, preferably during the Easter season. 5. Contribute to the support of the “CHURCH” 6. Observe the Church’s laws concerning marriage.

Catholics also believe in The Beatitudes which I must say lie at the heart of the Catholic teachings: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Catholics believe in three key virtues: 1. By faith we intuitively understand that there is a God and actively seek to know and do God’s will. 2. Trough hope we desire God regardless of the circumstances of our life at any given moment. 3. Charity allows us to experience God’s love, love ourselves, and love our neighbors. And to be a “practicing” Catholic means following these principles to the best of one’s ability. The emphasis is on "practice"! The priest, bishops, Franciscans, sisters, brothers, Jesuits, and Pope all lead by "example" in "practicing" these values just like Jesus and the Apostles before them. And those who exemplify these beliefs throughout their lives we, Catholics, call Saints like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. These values can also be called traditions and Catholics believe that both the revelations within tradition as well as the Bible must be taken into account as faith directives, where as for many Protestants, the focus must be on the Scripture alone.

Catholics also sum up and proclaim their faith via the Apostle’s Creed: I believe in God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in His only Son, Jesus Christ, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born unto the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell and on the third day He arose again from thence He has been seated at the right hand of the Father where he shall judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Roman and Apostolic Catholic Church, in the communion of saints, and in life after death. Amen.

Lastly, one of the biggest problems and misconceptions that Protestants have with Catholics is that Catholics are said to pray to Mary. Yes, Catholics pray the rosary which does consist of several Hail Mary‘s, but it also consist of several Our Father’s, Several Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and several Blessed Jesus prayers. No, Catholics do not worship Mary. Catholics are devoted to her, they venerate her, and they honor her as the mother of Jesus, but they do not worship her. Catholics only worship God in the three persons of the Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Mary is revered because of her relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Catholics do not even consider her divine, and so she is not worshipped.

It is my hope that whoever reads this essay comes away with a better, less altered understanding of Catholics and can understand that Catholics don’t want to be separate but apart of the whole Christian community with the same views as Protestants with just a different way of worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ.

Soldier for Christ / In His service,

Joseph T. Evans