Faith – What We Believe

We are Catholics. We believe (and try to follow) the teachings of Jesus Christ as expressed by the Bible and the Tradition of the Catholic Church passed on for two thousand years (almost). A detailed summary of the teaching of the Catholic Church may be found in the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” available in most bookstores. The term “detailed summary” may seem to be an oxymoron, but even a summary of Christian practice in a complicated world will be large. A short summary of it would be “Love God and neighbor.”

Some years ago, I was asked to write a summary of what Christians believe. It is not perfect, but may be of interest to anyone with little knowledge of Christianity. It is thoroughly orthodox (accepted by the majority of Christians at most times). I don’t think there is anything in it against any teaching of the Catholic Church. If any member of the Magisterium (the teaching body of the Catholic Church; Latin for “teacher”) finds error in it, a reply would be appreciated.

There is a song on the album WoW 1996 by Wes King called “Common Creed.” There is a lot to be said for what all Christians believe. The various denominations have been getting closer for a long time, but recent decisions by some may prevent communion. Any move away from the teaching of Jesus will cause disunity, even within a denomination. Please pray that all of the churches make better decisions. Until that happens, we will hold to what we believe and celebrate what we can with other denominations.

Related topics: Coping with being an active Catholic – Great especially if you work in ministry

Catechism of the Catholic Church – This is great stuff and most accurately states who we are to be

Catholic Resources on the Internet – A good starting point

The Jarskis – They have some really good links and local content, too.

Documents of the Church – A handy link. What did that Pope really say?

Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth – A very strong document for Catholics.