Quick & Easy Catholic Apologetics
This section is for those who want a brief, direct, and Scriptural answer
to common questions about the Catholic faith (see essays in other sections for
more detailed answers).
Bible Alone (Sola
Scriptura)? - Is the Bible the sole authority and foundation of truth
for Christianity? No, the Church is the "pillar and bulwark of
truth" (1 Timothy 3:15)
and the final authority (Matthew 18:17).
Furthermore, there are traditions to be observed which are on equal footing
with Scripture for not everything the Apostles taught or Jesus said, was
written down (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6; John
21:25).
Calling Priests
"Father" - Isn't calling a priest "Father" in
violation of Matthew 23:9? No, in this passage Jesus is using a
hyperbole (exaggerated literary expression) to make a point. Otherwise,
St. Stephen the first martyr (Acts 7:2) and St.
Paul would be in violation of this command (Romans
4:1, 12, 16; 9:10;
1 Corinthians 4:15;
10:1).
Divorce & Remarriage
- Is divorce and remarriage permitted in Christianity? No, Jesus Christ
and St. Paul both forbade a
divorced person to get remarried while their spouse was still alive (Matthew
5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2-3; 1
Corinthians 7:10-11,
39).
The Eucharist - Are
we to eat the literal Body of Christ and drink His Blood? Yes, Jesus
Christ meant for us to literally eat His Flesh and drink His Blood as He
Himself repeated and emphasized the literality of this teaching by using the
words "verily, verily" and "indeed" in describing it.
If He did not mean this teaching literally, He surely would not have allowed disciples
to stop following Him over this (John 6:51-71).
In addition, why would St. Paul
state that anyone who accepted the Eucharist unworthily is guilty of the blood
of Christ if it were only symbolic? (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Faith Alone? -
Is the only thing we need to do to be saved is believe in Jesus Christ as our
Savior and the Son of God? It would seem not, as Jesus condemned as
"evildoers" those who believed in Him ( Matthew 7:21-23).
The people mentioned in these passages obviously believed Christ to be the Lord
as they address Him as such. They also perform miracles and cast out
demons in His Name yet Jesus says "Away from me, you
evildoers." That is because one cannot just believe in Christ to be
saved, one has to stop/avoid doing evil (sin) and to do the "will of the
Father" as in good works (feed the hungry, care for the sick, etc.)
Mary - Is Mary the
mother of God? Yes, for St. Elizabeth herself calls her "the mother
of my Lord" in Scripture (Luke 1:43).
Jesus Christ is God (Hebrews 1:8) and Mary is His mother, therefore,
Mary is the mother of God (the Son) for Christ was both God and human in the
womb of Mary. Did Mary remain a virgin her whole life? Yes, for the
"gate" in which the Lord passed is closed to all others (Ezekiel
44:2). The brothers of the Lord spoken of in the Gospels are most
likely St. Joseph's children from a
previous marriage or Jesus's cousins as there is no word for "cousin"
in the Aramaic language. In addition, Jesus is mentioned as
"the" son of Mary, not "a" son of Mary in Scripture (Mark
6:3).
The Papacy - Was St.
Peter the first "pope" as the Catholic Church claims? Yes, for
Jesus Christ said it was upon St. Peter that He would build His Church and
Christ gave him authority over His whole "flock" (Matthew 16:18-19;
John 21:14-17).
Purgatory - Does a
cleansing state of the soul exist before entering Heaven for those who need
it? Yes, for Scripture says nothing unclean or impure will enter into the
kingdom of Heaven
(Revelations 21:27).
St. Paul mentions the saving of a
person's soul, but through fire (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). In addition, Jesus
mentions being forgiven for sins in the next world (Matthew 12:32) and that we shall not be
released until we have paid for all our sins (Luke 12:59).
Repetitious Prayer -
Is reciting the same prayer over and over again a sin? While repeating a
prayer in vain is useless, repeating a prayer in faith is not, for Jesus Christ
Himself repeated prayer (Matthew 26:44) and the angels in Heaven
continually repeat "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and
is, and is to come" (Revelations 4:8).
Sin: Deadly Or Not?
- Is there no degree of seriousness when it comes to committing a sin?
Yes, there are sins that are more serious in nature that deprive the soul of
communion with God. These are called "mortal" (deadly) sins (1
John 5:16-17).
Even Jesus Christ distinguished between lesser and greater sins (John 19:11).
Statues - Isn't
having statues of Jesus, Mary and the saints in violation of Exodus 20:4-5?
This passage is in reference to pagan idols and graven images which the
Israelites would have been prone to worship at the time. For if it were
in reference to all graven images, God would not have commanded angelic
cherubim of gold be put on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-19).
Nor would Moses have made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole (Numbers
21:8-9). In addition, the temple had several graven images
decorating it (1 Kings 6:23-29;
7:25-45).
CHURCH
BELIEFS & ISSUES
WHAT THE
EARLY CHURCH BELIEVED
Biblical quotations on this web site are either
from the King James Version or the Douay-Rheims Version of the Bible.
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