Catholic Rebuttals | Christian Answers

Objection:
catholics do not know what to believe!

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Rebuttal: Poor representation of The Church does not result from incorrect doctrine.

What it means to be Catholic
The Word Catholic means "Universal"
In 200 A.D., St Irenaeus said, "The Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although disseminated throughout the whole world, yet guarded it, as if she occupied one house." Almost two hundred years later in 392 AD, St Augustine said "The Catholic Church is the work of Divine Providence, achieved through the prophecies of the prophets, through the Incarnation and the teaching of Christ, through the journeys of the Apostles, possessing the crown of teaching authority."
 
What the Church Teaches
CCC 460:  The word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”.  “For this why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.”
CCC 461: Taking up St John’s expression, “The Word became flesh,” the Church calls “Incarnation “the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. 
What the Bible Says
  • Jn 17:20 ­– “I pray that they may all be one.” - one universal Church
  • Jn 17:22 ­– "And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one..."
    • Here, Jesus hardly means that he is simply a covering over us; he wants much more than a personal, intimate relationship with us. He wants us to be part of both him and the Father, in the truest way. This is precisely what happens when we receive him in the Eucharist (Holy Communion), we become one with him, through Him and in Him. To Catholics, it is much more than ‘me and Jesus.’ Our faith is our relationship with Jesus, but more profoundly, our community with Jesus, uniquely united to other members of his body, the Church which He is the head.
  • 1 Cor 3:16 ­– "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 
    • For God’s temple is holy, and we are that temple.  That’s not to say we should not have a personal relationship with Jesus, of course we do, it just goes much deeper than that. So intimately and infinitely deep that some apostles turned away from Jesus when he described it (Jn 6:66).
  • Genesis 1:27 - The stunning record of God creating man, male and female, in his own image, representing the soul in union with God.
    • God is not really described as 'love' in any other religion throughout the world, other than Christianity, because in order for there to be love, there must be a beloved. From all eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have poured themselves out into each other in an infinite act of love, which we, as Christians, are called to experience through our faith and through the sacraments. The sacraments are the means by which we are lifted up into that very love of God (Romans 5:1-5). This is not to say that God does not love all of his creation. It is his creation; of course he loves all of it.

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Catholic Rebuttals is maintained by proud Catholics, but is written for anyone interested in exploring the Catholic Faith.

  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Blog
  • Jesus, Founder & President
  • Are we a Cult?
  • Is Religion Evil?
  • Why did Jesus Die?
  • What it Means to be Catholic
    • Salvation (Part 1)
    • Salvation (Part 2)
    • Salvation (Part 3)
  • Papacy
  • Priests
  • Mass
  • Sacraments
  • Eucharist
  • Purgatory
  • Lent
  • Catholic Resources
  • Blog