10 Common Catholic Stereotypes, Myths, and Misconceptions
There are lots of wrong ideas about the Catholic Church out there. Are you guilty of believing any of these 10 very common Catholic stereotypes, myths, or misconceptions?
Two years ago, I read a book that would change my perspective on Christianity forever: Surprised by Truth* by Patrick Madrid.
While it (and all of the research I did afterward) wasn’t enough to fully convert me to Catholicism, it did poke some pretty big holes in everything I was taught growing up as a Protestant, and it exposed lots of stereotypes about Catholics that I’d heard.
Things I was so sure of before — basic tenets of my faith — were suddenly glaringly wrong.
It was a pretty tumultuous time, as I reevaluated everything I’d believed my whole life. It was the start of something big, and it was the start of the series you’re reading now.
(You can read the whole series here, if you’re interested.)
Now, two years later, I’m still not fully convinced that Catholic Christianity has it all right. But I’m not convinced they don’t either.
What I do know is that much of what people believe about Catholics and the Catholic church simply isn’t true. Lots of what people “know” aren’t facts — they are Catholic stereotypes that don’t hold up when we dig just a big deeper.
And today, I’d like to set the record straight.
Are you guilty of believing any of these Catholic stereotypes and myths?
*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure statement for additional information.
—————————-
A Few Things to Keep in Mind Before We Begin…
1. This post is about official Catholic belief — not what Catholics do in the privacy of their own homes.
What a religion officially teaches and how the people put it into practice are two entirely different things. In this post, I want to replace Catholic stereotypes with accurate information. This post is only meant to talk about what Catholicism actually officially teaches — not what people actually do in the privacy of their own homes or in their local churches.
(There will always be individual people messing things up in every religion)
2. This post is just an introduction to Catholic stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions.
This post is not meant to be an exhaustive guide to everything the Catholic Church teaches and misconceptions about it. That’d be waaaaay too long for a single blog post! It’s simply an overview of 10 of the most common stereotypes about Catholics and their beliefs.
Please see the links below each point to read about each issue more in depth. There are some really great posts in the rest of this series, and they explain these Catholic myths in ways a simple paragraph or two cannot adequately cover.
Want to Explore Catholic Stereotypes in More Depth?
I have a free guide that will help you do just that!
“10 Common Catholic Church Myths that Critics Believe” contains all the Catholic stereotypes from this article so you can print them out, refer back to them, and share them with others.
Plus – it even includes 5 bonus myths not included in this article!
If you are looking for information to help you share with non-Catholic family members OR if you’re thinking about becoming Catholic but you still have some questions about Catholic misconceptions — this is a fantastic resource to have on hand.
—————————-
Alright, let’s dive in!
10 Common Catholic Stereotypes, Myths, and Misconceptions
Myth #1: Catholics Aren’t Christians
Actually, Catholics consider themselves to be the original Christians, who are doing their best to hold to the same beliefs and traditions that the church held to in the first century.
According to Catholics, Catholics and Protestants are all Christians, and both Catholics and Protestants can go to Heaven. The Protestant denominations are simply off-shoots of Catholicism (or of other denominations) that branched off over various disagreements about what the Catholic Church was teaching.
Whether Catholics have held fast to the right teachings throughout the ages or whether they veered off and the Protestant denominations got us back on track — that’s something I’m still trying to discover.
This is a big Catholic myth to kick off this post: Even though Catholic stereotype #1 says that Catholics aren’t Christians, the truth is that Catholics are doing their best to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ (and isn’t that one of the things that makes a Christian a Christian?).
Myth #2: The Catholic Church Abandoned the Bible for Man-Made Traditions
While the Catholic Church does have many traditions that aren’t explicitly found in the Bible, so does every church (and so do you, in your home). Traditions themselves aren’t bad. It’s only when we prioritize them over God himself or when they take us farther away from God instead of drawing us near that they cause problems.
One reason that the Catholic Church has so many traditions is that the first century apostles didn’t write down absolutely every single thing they taught. In fact, John 21:25 tells us,
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
Catholics do their best to value and uphold both the written and oral teachings that were passed down from the apostles. Protestants look to the written teachings (the Bible) only.
The Catholic Church still highly prioritizes Scripture. It just isn’t their only source of information (and nowhere in the Scriptures does it tell us it should be).
Catholic stereotype #2 tells us that Catholics abandoned the Bible, but the truth is that Catholics use the Bible along with written and oral traditions.
For more on this topic, I’d highly recommend my post Who Has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura. You can also find the explanations for many common Catholic traditions in Why Do Catholics…? Honest Answers to Your Burning Questions.
Myth #3: Catholics Worship Mary / Saints / Statues
It’s easy to see how some Catholic stereotypes (like this one) got started, but again, it really is just another of many misconceptions about the Catholic Church.
Catholics do not worship Mary or statues; they worship God alone.
Instead, they “venerate” Mary, which, according to Google, is just a fancy word for “regard with great respect.” Similar to how we would show great honor or respect to a King or Queen, without actually worshiping them, Catholics hold Mary and other saints in high esteem as good examples of how to live a faithful life.
Yes, to Protestants, the practices definitely look like worship, and it’s easy to understand why this Catholic myth is still around. But since worship is an attitude of the heart, I don’t think you can “accidentally” worship someone and not know it. If Catholics’ hearts are in the right place — and they only want to show honor — then it’s not worship.
And it’s the same with statues as well. Catholics don’t worship statues. Instead, they are used as decorations to help Catholics remember people who have gone before, similar to how you might put pictures of your friends and family on your wall, or even a baseball card collection you may have had as a kid.
You look at them, you remember them, but you certainly don’t worship them.
They’re just decorations or teaching instruments meant to inspire faith.
Sure, Catholics might have statues and talk about saints who lived a long time ago. But contrary to Catholic stereotype #3, the truth is that Catholics honor Mary and other examples of faith (even with statues!) while saving their worship for God alone.
*For more information on this, don’t miss my post Do Catholics Worship Mary, Saints or Statues?
Myth #4: Catholics Believe People are Saved by Works
The Catholic Church does NOT teach that people are saved by their works. In fact, the catechism of the Catholic Church actually specifically forbids this notion.
Rather, the Catholic Churches basically teaches that, “If you call yourself a Christian, but you don’t act like it, maybe you’re not really a Christian after all.” Or, “Yes, God saves you through faith, but it’s a living faith that naturally produces good works.”
This Catholic teaching is actually 100% Biblical (here are plenty of Bible verses that support it), and is even taught by some highly respected Protestant/non-denominational pastors, including the most Godly man I’ve ever heard speak, Francis Chan.
This widespread Catholic stereotype #4 says that Catholics believe they can get to Heaven by earning it through good works. The truth is that Catholics see good works as the Spirit-inspired fruit of a heart saved by God’s grace alone.
*For a more in-depth look at this topic, please see my other posts Is Faith Alone Enough? and Are You a Christian? Are you Sure?
Myth #5: The Catholic Church Added Books to the Bible
The books that are currently in the Catholic Bible are the same books that the church has recognized as being in the Bible for centuries. It wasn’t until the 16th century that Martin Luther and the Reformers moved them to the appendix, before they were ultimately taken out.
(For the record, Martin Luther wanted to remove James, Hebrew, Jude and Revelations as well, but was unsuccessful. The books that he did remove are called Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, and Baruch.)
Whether or not the additional books should have been left in or taken out — I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Guess you have to ask yourself if the early church could have been wrong for 1700 years and the Reformers knew better than the earlier Christians did.
Either way, I’ve read through all these additional books, and there really isn’t much surprising in them. They read like pretty typical Old Testament books. There are a few verses about praying for the dead, but other than that, I don’t recall reading anything that stuck out as especially “Catholic.”
This Catholic stereotype #5 is a doozy because the truth is actually the opposite — one man decided to take out some books that had been in the Bible for over a thousand years.
*For more information, don’t miss my post on Martin Luther, the history of the Catholic Church, and the Bible books issue.
Myth #6: Catholic Priests Can’t Be Married
(Some) Priests are married! Some even have children and grandchildren. (This happens when a man is already married and a priest in a different denomination and then converts to Catholicism later.)
And of those who become priests the usual way and aren’t allowed to get married–not all of them even want to be. Priests know what they’re signing up for. No one is making them be a priest. They have a choice between God and a wife, and it is their choice to make. No one is forcing them to choose one or the other.
Catholic stereotype #6 is in fact the general rule — but the bigger truth is that the path of some Catholic priests does allow them to marry a woman. And those who don’t often consider themselves to be married to the church, the Bride of Christ.
*For more information, read my post on priests, the Pope and confession.
Myth #7: Catholics Recrucify Jesus at Mass
I haven’t heard this Catholic misconception in real life, but apparently it’s popular. Catholics do not re-crucify Jesus at Mass.
Instead, they believe that Jesus and the crucifixion occur outside the limits of time (because God can do cool stuff like that), and so when they celebrate Mass, they are only making the sacrifice (which has already occurred) “present” on the altar.
While Catholic stereotype #7 imagines Catholics as recrucifying Jesus at Mass, the truth is that Catholics believe they are making the eternal reality present in our non-eternal timeline at Mass.
*For a very interesting and in-depth look at the Eucharist, be sure to check out my post Is the Eucharist Really Just a Symbol? 5 Convincing Proofs that Say that It’s Not.
Myth #8: Catholics Believe Only Catholics Can Go to Heaven
While Catholics do believe their religion is the one true religion and the ordinary (most common) means of bringing people to salvation, it is a common Catholic misconception that they believe this is the only way. Instead, they recognize that God can use any means He wants to to bring people to Himself, including those other than the Catholic church, especially if the person has never had the opportunity or knowledge to join the church.
They believe that Protestants who have no reason to suspect their beliefs are incorrect can go to Heaven, as well as Protestants who were planning to convert before death but hadn’t done so yet.
Furthermore, Catholics do not believe you can say with 100% certainty who will go to Heaven (though you can have a good idea) simply because God is judge and we are not — and who are we to presume to know His thoughts?
Even though Catholic stereotype #8 imagines Catholics as very close-minded about the salvation of others, the truth is that Catholic teaching leaves lots of room for God’s grace to work in every single person’s salvation.
Myth #9: Catholic Priests are Child Molesters
Yes, the Catholic church has had huge and horrible scandals in which some priests were molesting children. This was absolutely awful and shameful, and they will have to stand before Jesus for what they did. That part is not one of the myths about the Catholic Church.
But if you look at the statistics, only a very small minority of priests were involved, and it isn’t really fair to blame the entire Church or dismiss the Church’s core teachings for what a few did. Scandals like this happen in EVERY church and in every city. That doesn’t make everyone guilty of the crimes of a few, and it does NOT mean that innocent Catholic priests deserve negative treatment today because of this stereotype.
It is heartbreaking that Catholic stereotype #9 does have some truth to it — some Catholic priests have molested children. But the truth is that the vast number of priests are men who serve God humbly and who shepherd their flock instead of harming the sheep.
*For more information, be sure to check out my series post on priests, the pope and confession.
Myth #10: The Catholic Church is Anti-Women
The church isn’t anti-anyone. They do believe birth control is morally wrong — the same thing every denomination believed until 1930. But when pretty much every other denomination began to change its mind, the Catholic church held its ground on this teaching. They continue to teach the same thing today, even when this gets interpreted as an “anti-woman” Catholic misconception.
The Catholic church also doesn’t allow women to be priests, which has upset many. But if you look at their rate of women in non-priest leadership positions, it is WAY higher than average. The Catholic church may not do things the “feminist” way, but they do hold women in very high esteem, even referring to them as the “crown of creation.” That’s pretty special if you ask me 🙂
So while Catholic stereotype #10 paints the Catholic church as an “anti-woman” institution, the truth is that many women are in leadership positions in the Catholic church, and the Catholic church holds women in very high regard.
Like I said earlier, the intent of this post is ONLY to dispel a few stereotypes about Catholics so that, going forward, your thoughts and opinions aren’t swayed by misinformation. I’m not trying to convert or persuade, just to present you with some information about Protestant and Catholic beliefs so YOU can make an informed decision of your own. 🙂
Ready for more? You can read through the rest of the posts in this Catholic vs Protestant series here OR see what I ended up deciding in my latest Catholic update post here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on these Catholic stereotypes and myths, or others you’ve heard! Leave me a note (or a book 🙂 ) in the comments section below!
—————————-
Ready for More?
Honestly, these 10 stereotypes are just the start. Download the print version to get a handy guide you can refer to later or share with others AND get 5 bonus Catholic myths that aren’t included in this article!
I am Catholic, and have enjoyed reading the information and conversations on your blog. Some have mentioned that there are Catholic beliefs that they don’t agree with. One thing that has always troubled me is the fact that non-Catholic Christians may not receive communion at a Catholic Mass. This seems to be especially offensive to some Christians I have known when they were present at a Catholic wedding. The reason for the position of the Church has been explained to me, but it still seems hurtful to me to refuse the host to a Christian who wishes to receive communion at a Catholic wedding or funeral. Any thoughts on this?
Hi, Linda! I DO have thoughts on this and I will be covering them in Wednesday’s post on the Eucharist! I really hope you’ll check back!
Hi, Linda! Just wanted to let you know that, as promised, my post on the Eucharist is finished. I hope it sheds some light on the issue. I purposely put a section on this issue in it, along with a few additional resources that will hopefully help. You can find it here: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/is-the-eucharist-really-just-a-symbol/
I was catholic for 18 years. After leaving the church because so much of what I thought the church believes was wrong I was told over and over that everything I believed was wrong. Well I was in church over 70 times per year trying to learn. I say all that just to say that the Catholic Church doctrine is pretty good (less everything concerning origins of holidays) but what they practice and display as an example to everyone is very very distorted and unbiblical. It’s like a parent that says be nice and love but physically and sexually abuses their child. The kid will be messed up. For that reason most Catholics are messed up and don’t know what they are supposed to believe. None of the 4 catholic parishes that I attended emphasized reading the bible for yourself as much as every nondenominational Christian church I have been a part of.
Could it be just a matter of finding the right church? There are TONS of messed up Protestant churches out there too. I think finding a church that preaches the right things AND practices what they preach is essential.
Georgia, I am sorry for the pain that you are suffering but the Catholic Church (CC) in the USA and Europe has been going through some really tough times; Modern Secularism and Consumerism has had its toll on the Church. Many priests are ‘more Protestant’ than many Protestant pastors, which is really sad because they made a Vow of Obedience to God and to the CC, and they are, in their arrogance and pride, breaking that vow left and right. I have witnessed this happen first hand for many years, since I have been actively involved in various ministries. This is a VERY scary thing for me when I see it, because I am very worried about their salvation. These priests really need our prayers.
Regarding reading the Bible. The CC has ALWAYS held the importance of being knowledgeable of scripture. Even St Jerome who translated the original manuscripts into the Vulgate in the 4th century stated: “Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ”.
Let’s take a look and see what REALLY happens in the daily life of the church.
In EVERY Sunday Mass, we listen to four (4) different readings from the Bible. The first is from the Old Testament (OT), and the second is from the Book of Psalms (OT); often sung. The third one is either from The Acts of the Apostles or one of the various letters in the New Testament (NT); St. Paul has preeminence here. Finally we stand up and listen to a fourth (4th) reading from the Bible which comes from the Gospels.
Then, in the Daily Mass (every day all over the world), which we are invited and should participate if possible, we can follow the readings at home, there are three readings from the Bible in every single Mass, with the reading from the Psalms being in the middle. So, when we see what is actually taking place in the life of the CC, there is an amazing amount of Bible reading every day. The question I pose is this. How many Protestant churches or services have you attended where they read so much from the Bible in their services? I have been to quite a few, and I can honestly say that it does not even come close. The sermons are very long, but the readings are not as extensive as in the CC.
The life of the Church is lived through the Liturgy; Liturgical Years A, B, C.
In one year the gospel reading comes from Mathew, another year from Luke, and the third year from Mark (the shortest gospel) and John. As Catholics, we read the Bible IN the Mass, and it takes three years to go through pretty much the whole Bible.
This is an area that is deeply misunderstood.
Non-Catholic/Orthodox Christians have the Bible, which was put together (the NT) and preserved for centuries by the Catholic Church. The Catholics and the Orthodox have the Mass, or the Divine Mysteries. The Mass is THE official communitarian prayer of the Church, and it is within this context that the family/community of God comes together to Listen to His Word, and to Worship God in the most tangible way possible. This was the way that it was done by the earliest Christians and continues to be. With Gutenberg’s printing press the written Word of God was made accessible to the poor, and every one can and should have a Bible nowadays.
So, Georgia, there is a big difference in looking at things. Catholics need to learn from their Christian brethren to fall in love with the written Word of God. The Catholic mindset has been more akin to:
1. Listen to the ‘spoken’ Word of God.
2. Internalize it and be transformed by it.
3. Enter into a ‘deep union’ through the Sacrament of the Eucharist with THE WORD of God made flesh, and allow HIM to control our lives.
4. Go into the world as Christ-like by having the risen Lord Jesus’ Spirit dwelling within us and guiding us.
So Catholics are people of The Eucharist; The Word made Flesh in HIS entirety.
I hope this helps in clarifying misunderstandings about Catholics reading Scripture.
Wow!! Congratulations!! It is a wonderful post! I suggest you to read about the two branches of the Catholic Church regarding priests who don’t marry – Eastern Catholic Church and Latin Catholic Church.
I also suggest you to read the joint declaration on the doctrine of justification.
I wish you the best. My family and I are catholic missioneries, who will be glad to keep any dialogue you wish or solve any doubts.
May God bless you and may the Virgin walk next to you every day of your life. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words Isabel! Where are you currently a missionary at?
Hi! I am a catholic since birth. I was baptized in the catholic church, studied in a catholic shool from preschool to high school and now working as s teacher in a catholic school. I would like to thank you for this post. I enjoy reading comments as well. The people here have a lot of real-life experiences which I could relate to. I think what matters in our religious diversity is RESPECT to one’s faith. I was so inspired by Pope Francis who just recently visited my country, Philippines. He is a man of God. He is a humble being who shows good works and humility.
Hi, Candy! I’m glad you enjoyed this post so much! The next one is publishing tomorrow morning 🙂
IF THEY WERE RIGHT WHY DID A MONK BY THE NAME OF MARTIN LUTHER LEAVE AND START CONSTRUCTING WHAT WE REFER AS THE AUHTHORIZED KING JAMES BIBLE. ALSO IF THEY DO NOT WORSHIP MARY WHY DO THEY ASK FOR HER TO PRAY FOR THEM NOW AND AT THERE DEATH. THEY BELEIVE IN PURGATORY WHERE IS IT IN THE KING JAMES BIBLE. THATS JUST FOR STARTERS…….
Hi, Bill. Those are great questions. I’ll do my best to answer them.
1. Why did Martin Luther leave: There is a difference between what the church officially teaches and what the church actually does in practice in real life. I agree (and pretty much everyone does) that certain Catholic priests were messing things up big time. BUT just because the priests were behaving in a sinful manner does not mean that the teachings of the church were wrong. Just that they were not following them correctly.
Also–just because one or several people have a problem with a doctrine does not mean that it is wrong–just because the people don’t agree. Take Protestant denominations for example. People leave and start new churches ALL the time. Obviously they can’t all be right, when their teachings contradict. Yes, he had some very legitimate complaints, BUT to the best of my knowledge they were (at least initially) against the way things were being practiced, not the official church doctrines. And the doctrines that were changed–how after 16 centuries–could one person decide they didn’t like a doctrine anymore and then just up and do away with it? That’s the part I had the biggest problem with. Not the church reform (which was necessary), but the changing of long-standing doctrine.
2. Why ask Mary to Pray for Them: Have you ever asked a friend or family member to pray for you when you were going through a rough time? Catholics see this as the same thing. They aren’t asking Mary to do anything under her own power–just asking her to pray for them. I have a whole post on this coming up March 4th. I hope you will check back for a more detailed answer!
3. Purgatory: I have a whole post on the BIBLICAL basis for purgatory coming up March 18th! I know that is quite a ways away, but we’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this series! I hope you will stick around 🙂
“Why ask Mary to Pray for Them: Have you ever asked a friend or family member to pray for you when you were going through a rough time? Catholics see this as the same thing. ”
Yup!
It’s also the logical conclusion of believing in Eternal Life, too: a saint in Heaven is more alive than we are here on earth, and they are with us in Christ. The Church, after all, isn’t just those of us here on Earth. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, exists across time and space to include all Saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant), all Holy Souls in Purgatory (the Church Suffering), and the rest of us on Earth who are still working out our salvation in fear and trembling while fighting the battle for our souls (the Church Militant).
As a Catholic I’d like to explain how we feel (or at least how I feel) about Mary.
We do not worship her, or the saints. It’s a very clear teaching that Mary is not God and that only God should be worshiped.
However, we feel very close to Mary because she is the mother of Jesus, and he calls us all his brothers and sisters, so we love her like a mother, and look up to her.
Jesus came to the earth through her, so in a way she is the connection between heaven and earth that God himself chose. In one of the comments you talked about the rosary and said: that’s a lot of Hail Mary’s.
The first part of Hail Mary is a quote from the Bible (which I’m sure you know). God chose her to be His mother. If he thought so high of her, how can we not?
And in the second part we say: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death.
We ask her to pray FOR us, we don’t pray TO her as if she were God. To put it simply, we ask her to put in a good word for us with her son.
I see how it can be hard to understand for non-Catholics, or even seem like heresy, but a lot of it comes from misconceptions, so I’m really glad you wrote this post. I’ll continue to read your blog 🙂
Thanks Sara! That’s a great clarification. Personally, I don’t see it as sinful–I’m just still questioning the necessity of it.
Brittany,
One day it will hit you, you’ll start thinking about this “whole Mary mess” and it will flat knock you down. For me it was just thinking that in all time, b/c God can wait forever, Mary was chosen out of all humanity – God could have made men bare children (but in his unfaltering wisdom he did not), and b/c God is a gentleman he asked her permission and she said “let it be done to me according to your word” You can see her as the Queen or Queen-mother – the mother of the Lord, our King (and the Churches Mother-through Christ’s matrimony)-She’s amazing, but she will only lead you to her Son, and never hold or lead you away from him. Even when she interceded for the couple at Canna, her instructions to the servants and to us are the same.
That’s what they keep telling me! lol
My personal feeling is that it is incorrect to call her the mother of God. She was the mortal vessel that God used to incarnate. The way that Jesus could be TRULY HUMAN, and because His Father was our Creator, He was truly GOD. It does NOT follow through that Mary was the mother of God. She was the mother of a very human baby boy. Nothing about her made Him God. I honor this wonderful lady, but I cringe when I hear someone name her as the mother of God, and if she, as a departed soul, is actually aware of what is happening on earth, I would bet SHE cringes too, as she was a truly humble lady.
The Bible says the presence of the Lord is a place where there is no suffering or pain for the believer. If, however, the dead in heaven could see what their loved ones are doing on earth, they certainly would be in pain. They would see many of their loved ones on a course to eternal separation from God. This is certainly inconsistent with what the Bible says about heaven.
SO, Do the dead believers know what the living are doing? There are verses that can support the idea while there are other verses that seemingly contradict it. IF Mary is aware of our goings on, I also feel sorry for her. She must be exhausted with the literally hundreds of thousands of prayers she is constantly without ceasing, being asked to offer for all these earthlings who have been invited to petition their Father directly.
I don’t think people say “the mother of God” as those she gave him or was responsible for his divinity. At least for me personally, I think it means he was fully human and fully God, so since she was his mother, she was the mother of God. The same way as if I adopted a baby from another country. I would still be the baby’s mother, even if the baby wasn’t fully mine.
And lol about Mary being exhausted! I do believe that they know what is going on here to an extent, but there is a big difference between being sad that someone is making life choices and being in suffering up in Heaven. Their perspective is surely different than ours, and things that would cause us to suffer here may not have quite the same impact to them up there. We aren’t married in Heaven, so I would assume maybe we don’t have quite the same family ties either? That we are all one big body of Christ? I don’t know, but someday we will!
As a Protestant I found this interesting. I grew up in a fairly conservative church with a strong ana-baptist tradition. And, there was definitely an attitude that wasn’t out & out taught as much as it was something I sensed – and that was the thought that Catholics weren’t true Christians. But, as I went into adulthood I met enough Catholics (and even have a friend who, like you, converted to Catholicism when she married her husband) to know that just like in any denomination there are those who truly have faith in Jesus and those who don’t.
There was a rather long thread here in the comments discussing Mary. I didn’t have time to read through the entire thread, so perhaps this was already addressed. But, in that discussion there were numerous comments made about Catholics believing that Mary lived a sinless life. This concerns me deeply. The only man who ever lived a sinless life was Jesus! And He is God. The fact that ALL of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) is paramount to our need for a Savior. That verse doesn’t say that all except Mary have sinned.
2 Corinthians 5 :21 says “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus was THE perfect sacrifice. The ONLY lamb worthy of the sacrifice…”For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (I Peter 1: 18, 19).
Mary was a young woman just like any other. Do I believe her heart must have been open to all that God had for her? Yes. The angel Gabriel called her ‘highly favored’. But, she was just a woman. In Mary’s song she declares, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God MY Savior.” (emphasis mine. Not ‘a’ Savior or ‘the’ Savior. She said ‘my’ Savior. Does a sinless person need a Savior?) “for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.” Luke 1:46-48.
Very good food for thought, Karen! The whole Mary thing is still a big issue I’m working through, and as I understand, a very common “stumbling block” for many Protestants. I am writing a post on Mary and the Saints March 4th–so I hope you’ll check back then!
Hi Karen,
I just wanted to, hopefully, clarify something for you about Mary’s sinlessness.
Catholics believe she was without sin, but she still needed Jesus as her Savior to be without sin. God is outside of time and space, Jesus’ sacrifice saves us in the same way it saved Mary- she was just preserved from sin from conception so that she could be The New Ark of the New Covenant. Think of the reverence Israel had for the Ark in the OT because of what it carried. How much more reverence should we have for the vessel that brings us The Living Word?
I don’t have much time for this (too much work waiting), but there is a CRITICAL passage from the Old Testament that has to make us ponder, as Mary did, on the Word of God.
Gen 3:15 – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he/she shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his/her heel.”
Note: I left both forms because there is a lot of dispute over which is the proper translation, and I have done a ton of reading on this.
Two item need our attention here. (1) ‘enmity’ and (2) ‘her seed’.
‘Her seed’ is an expression that was use in the OT exclusively for the man’s seed, with this lonely exception in Genesis. Jesus was the ONLY person ever to become a human solely from the woman’s seed, and God says that He will put ‘enmity’ between her and the seed against Satan.
The CRITICAL word is ‘enmity’. When God say he is going to do something it BECOMES a reality.
Enmity means full enemies and we know the Eve was not this ‘woman’ because her seed was both good and most evil. Cain and Abel destroys any argument for her. Eve was kicked out of the Garden for the sin and her life from there on we can only assume to be fully human sinner, as we are for the most part.
Then, this passage can only be properly understood in the light of Jesus, who was in perfect enmity with the dragon, and the woman can only be Mary (wedding in Cana helps a bit more, the usage of ‘woman’ by Jesus). Therefore, if God says something and it ‘becomes’ a reality, than we must try to understand how this takes place, and the only means for it to become reality was in Mary, whose ‘seed’ is The sinless Jesus.
The huge misconception in this topic is that Mary is a sinner and therefore must be equal to all of us. This is a really foolish minimization of the sovereignty of God and what He wills to do. He chose her from all the billions of humans that have ever lived and will live. She is unique.
He also said that HE (not her) will make this enmity exist. If this enmity existed, it was a God provided thing, not Mary’s worthiness or not (totally irrelevant). If God’s Word goes forth and what it says becomes (everything about creation is this), then this enmity became a reality that had to be ALWAYS between the ‘woman’ and the dragon, not a spotted pattern.
In conclusion, if we ponder on these passages from scripture and their implications we cannot but honestly arrive at the position to accept her being ‘kept’ from all sin BY God. She had total free will, but, unlike Eve, she chose to be faithful to God in all things, because she was endowed with a unique grace. A thorough analysis of the Greek in the greeting of the angel to Mary really opens the doors to this and provides much more ‘meat’ for one to ponder on.
Here is a great short explanation (there are much longer ones) on the term ‘kecharitomene’, which the angle uses. This is the reason that St Jerome (c. 400AD) translated it, long before the Immaculate Conception dogma was defined, as “Hail, full of grace”. The use of “highly favored”, as it is commonly usde in many translations, or some other similar variant, are generally correct translations, but leave too much room for miss interpretations and misunderstandings. Here is why.
In Luke 1:28 we see a special conjugated form of “charitoo.” It uses “kecharitomene,” which is a perfect passive participle (ppp). The uniqueness of the ppp is that it shows a completeness with a permanent result. Kecharitomene denotes continuance of a completed action (H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar [Harvard Univ Press, 1968], p. 108-109, sec 1852:b; also Blass and DeBrunner, p. 175).
Hope this helps.
WOOPS. Miss typed a couple of words. Here is the corrected paragraph: Words ‘angel’ and ‘used’.
Here is a great short explanation (there are much longer ones) on the term ‘kecharitomene’, which the “ANGEL” uses (when greeting Mary). This is the reason that St Jerome (c. 400AD) translated it, long before the Immaculate Conception dogma was defined, as “Hail, full of grace”. The use of “highly favored”, as it is commonly “USED” in many translations, or some other similar variant, are generally correct translations, but leave too much room for miss interpretations and misunderstandings. Here is why.
You might check out the following books:
YOUCAT -a question and answer catechism
BALTIMORE CATECHISM TWO – a question and answer catechism
ROME SWEET HOME – Our Journey To Catholicism by Dr. Scott & Kimberly Hahn
WHAT CATHOLICS REALLY BELIEVE – 52 answers to common misconceptions about the Catholic faith by Karl Keating
God bless you in you journey!
Sometimes when I am having a hard time being a mother to 4, I think of Mary. I know that Mary said yes to everything and I know it may seem like it was an easy choice. However, her suffering and uncertainty were so great and that caused much confusion for her. As time went on things became more clear. However, I always meditate on her strife when she realized she would have to tell Joseph her news, I meditate on her journey 9 months pregnant on a mule all the way to Bethlehem not knowing where she would deliver her baby. I meditate on her being a part from her parents with a new baby while waiting to return to Nazareth only to have to go to Egypt. Losing Jesus for 3 days when he was an adolescent and the strife and suffering from that. Also lastly I just meditate on her saying yes because I myself had a surprise pregnancy with my 4th and it caused us much stress and strife which I am embarrassed to say now, as he is the loves of our lives. At the time my veneration and love of Mary and her saying Yes, helped me get through the time during December 2010. I named my son Gabriel as a result. Catholicism is a beautiful religion. There is so much in regards to suffering and the subsequent joy received that we can tap into. Good luck in your faith journey. I will pray for you in my intentions. Here is a link to info on Consecration to Mary: http://www.rosary-center.org/consecrt.htm She is so very helpful to us mother’s especially.
I’m glad that you are able to find peace and comfort that way, Whitney. Being a mom is hard!
How can other people can go to Heaven if you claim they are wrong anyway? Surely believing in Jesus is the one thing relative to all Christians, Catholic or otherwise and saying the other denominations aren’t really Christian makes you look like you are being elitist and discriminative against others who worship the same deity as you. And scoffing at feminism does you no favours, without that, you wouldn’t be enjoying the quality of life you have now
…? I’m not Catholic and I’m not claiming anyone is wrong. As the post says in #1, Catholics DON’T believe that only Catholics can go to Heaven or that the other denominations aren’t Christian.
“saying the other denominations aren’t really Christian makes you look like you are being elitist and discriminative against others who worship the same deity as you.”
We might consider, then, how non-Catholic Christians and unbelievers say the same sorts of things about Catholics all the time. Surely you all protest too much? I would think that the likes of “Catholics aren’t really Christians” and “Catholics worship Mary” and “religious people are stupid” fall into that category, no? Moreover, Catholics don’t understand God to be a “deity.” What Catholics understand by God is ip sum esse subsistens– the sheer act of To Be itself.
The Catholic Church claims to have been given the fullness of the Truth. That isn’t the same thing, however, as saying that everybody else is completely, totally, and utterly wrong. It simply means that other faith traditions have some of the Truth, but not all of it.
Moreover, the Catholic Church recognizes that feminists have raised legitimate concerns. See for example St. John Paul II’s writings on women. That does not mean, however, that the Church has to agree with the solutions that feminists pose, and in fact, she has good philosophical and not just theological reason not to, and lays out those reasons. What the Church argues is that secular feminism’s solutions are too limited, because they do not see or treat human beings holistically. It is up to Catholics to think through what the Church teaches, and to humbly consider the possibility that whenever we struggle or “don’t like something,” that it’s our understanding that is likely faulty, and to therefore pray for that understanding while also investigating any impediments, like sins, that are hampering our understanding.
At the heart of all Catholic teaching is unconditional love, which is what God sending His only Son, and the Eucharist, are all about. Put the Eucharist at the center, and what seems difficult to understand about the Catholic faith and Catholic teaching falls into place.
“The Catholic Church claims to have been given the fullness of the Truth. That isn’t the same thing, however, as saying that everybody else is completely, totally, and utterly wrong. It simply means that other faith traditions have some of the Truth, but not all of it. ”
Addendum: all truth is God’s truth. The ability to recognize truth in other traditions comes from having the fullness of the Truth in the first place. It’s why Catholicism can certainly learn from others and does, but Catholicism must remain truly itself.
Catholicism is always that “yes, but…,” therefore. It realizes that we’re all journeying toward the Truth, that we’re all on the road to conversion, and we’re all in this together.