Roman Catholicism is the oldest of the Christian faiths. It is a direct descendent of the institutions put in place by the disciples of Jesus. The first leaders of what later became Catholicism were the twelve apostles. Originally, these men set-up organizations in various towns and cities across the Roman Empire to spread the word of their God, and in so doing, became the first bishops and saints. Roman Catholic bishops, cardinals, and popes of today can still trace their succession back to the apostles.
Christianity itself grew out of the Jewish faith. "Christianity was one form of the faith of the Jews, and not only in its first years. Jesus was a Jew." (Chadwick 10). The God of the Jews also the God of the Christians but the interpretations of the nature of the Lord, and most particularly, the divinity of Christ are where these two religions first split.
The first Christians were persecuted by Roman Emperors. For hundreds of years the religion was outlawed and thousands died as martyrs in the Roman gaming arenas. In 324 A.D. Constantine became the first Christian Emperor. Soon after, "The Emperor Theododius I banned paganism, made Christian heretics liable to penalties, and forbade sacrifices." (Chadwick 58). The bishops were given status, and the Christian church became a formalized institution with power throughout the empire. Thus, the Holy Roman Empire was born, and the Christian faith became dominated by Roman Catholicism.
The most basic world view held by Roman Catholics consists of three general beliefs: "The Universe has not always existed, and will not exist forever in its present form"; "The universe has not come into being by chance; it was created by a personal God and in continually held in being by him"; and, "People have much in common with animals, but are unique because they have been created to...
" And even though the "Nazi actions became increasingly brutal, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian," Pius XII "failed to raise his voice against the German invasion of Poland" (Coppa, p. 9). Pius expressed "no public outrage against [Nazi acts of] mass extermination" nor did he speak out publicly to "elimination of the Jews" even after the horror of the Holocaust had been known for some time. Coppa wondered on page 9 if Pius
Location: "ROMAN Catholic Church" in Manchester, NH The Catholic Church that I visited was Ste. Marie Parish. This is a colorful church that was built in the olden days. The building is ancient, and built in a beautiful design which presents the olden architectural beauty. It is a stone building and represents Rome in its structure. The structures are similar to those used by the Roman Emperors. Outside the building,
The Roman Catholic Church took advantage of the fact that it received criticism and went on to produce new and better interpretations of the Bible, without damaging the image of Roman Catholicism. Throughout time, those who came against Roman Catholic theological interpretations of the Bible received little support from influential members of society and rarely represented a worthy adversary for the church. In contrast, Roman Catholic theologians were provided with
piety in the Roman Catholic faith and the Protestant faith. The writer examines the meaning of piety in both spiritual faiths and contrasts their differences. There were four sources used to complete this paper. Throughout the history of religion there have been many differences and similarities. Many of the popular faiths of the western world believe in a higher power named God and they believe that Jesus Christ was the
Piety Although Catholics and Protestants share a fundamental belief system, their theologies as well as their forms of worship differ greatly. Roman Catholic piety is generally expressed through the intermediary bodies of the Church, its hierarchy, and the various sacraments. Moreover, Catholic prayers are directed to intercessors such as the saints or the Virgin Mary. On the contrary, Protestants generally ascribe to an individualistic piety, one that is removed or independent
J.W (1996) Reported that the Roman Catholics and Orthodox, continued to ban priestesses as they have for almost 2,000 years, the fate of many evangelical congregations continue to shift back and forth. "Scripture does not support the ordination of women, God created men and women [morally] equal but with different roles" (W, 1996). The practical argument for opening the priesthood to women and to married men is that there are not
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