The Contemporary View of Catholicism - Essay Example

Catholicism The term Catholicism has been used along the Christian circles to describe the universal nature, the continuity of the Catholic Church and the beliefs thereof. According to the Free Online Dictionary, it refers to ‘the faith, doctrine, system, and practice of a catholic church, especially the Roman Catholic Church’. The Catholic Church is believed to be one of the ancient beliefs among the early people, especially among the Romans. The belief is based on the doctrines of the bible but it also goes beyond to incorporate spirituality, theology, and liturgy. Catholicism is characterized the strict adherence of the Catholic Church to the traditions, the See of Rome, communion, sacraments and meditation. The rise of Catholicism began gaining roots especially in the 16th Century when the protestant reformation started contravening the spirit and the beliefs of the common Christian doctrine that was in existence. Catholicism remains a strong force in the world today but its influence has been tremendously reduced. The history of Catholicism relates with the influential Roman Empire. During this time, the system of leadership was one that integrated both secular and church leadership together; the Pope was seen as a very important political and religious figure. Through his research Dr Paul Coulter established that the Roman emperor leadership was influenced by the conversion of its leaders, for example Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, he went ahead to legalize Christianity in the empire. Around 590, Gregory the Great became Pope at a time when the Roman Empire had collapsed and the clergy were very active in leadership all across Western Europe. Gregory emphasized on the role of Pope as a universal leader by using biblical interpretations, by then the bible was exclusively in the hands of the Pope. The spirit of Catholicism grew by far and wide and spread across Europe. Martin Luther who was an Augustinian monk around 1517 read the scripture and presented his interpretations to a door of Wittenberg cathedral thereby sparking a revolution that resulted to the Protestant Reformation (Coulter 4). The doctrine behind Catholicism is founded on the Bible, a holy book that is revered for its historical as well as current view. Historically, the Catholic Pope the only person who had a chance to interact with the Bible and deliver its teachings to the masses, this made the church very influential to the daily lives of people at that time. The Pope was able to challenge every authority but he could not be challenged by anybody himself. Galileo Galilei had to persuade the church authorities that the heliocentrism theory he had developed was not against the bible, this was after the Pope disputed the theory claiming it was unbiblical. To date the Bible remains a supreme doctrine among the Catholics, however its interpretation has brought some contention especially among scholars. Because of the interpretation, various factions of the Catholic Church have come up with divergent beliefs (Boettner 25). Recently, the issue of celibacy has been refuted by some catholic clergy who have gone ahead to marry despite the regulation by the church not to do so. It has emerged that celibacy has been based on the church traditions and not actually the teachings in the bible (Jones 14). The core teachings of the Catholic Church are diversified but remains to be the same; this is characterized by the conservatism that the church has tried to adopt over the ages. They believe in one universal true church, a conviction that is constantly recited in the apostle’s creed that is part of the belief in the church. The Pope is a very supreme authority according to Catholicism; he represents the church as the ‘Vicar of Christ’, a continuation of the leadership of Peter, the apostle in the early church. The decisions by the church leadership are highly regarded and are used as a benchmark for ethics and spirituality. The tradition of the church outstands and is used as the truth that the Catholics follow. The belief that the intermediary between God and the people are the priests is quite dominant in Catholicism. The sacrament is a very important aspect that is used by the priests to administer grace to the Catholics (Coulter 5-6). This was the view that the conservative Catholics hold to the modern day. However, with the rise of Protestant reformation and the subsequent liberalization of Christianity, Catholicism has received opposition not only from the Protestants but also internally within the church. The view of salvation among the Catholics is one that has received criticism from the modern Christian denominations. The Roman Catholics believe that salvation is obtained through the church and its sacraments, a proposition that has been flawed by others based on incoherence with biblical teachings. The issue of baptism as part of the salvation process is usually done by the sprinkling of water on the foreheads of young children, contrary to the biblical view that mentions of immersion in water as the way of baptism. The aspect of confirmation as it stands in the Roman Catholic traditions has no biblical foundations and has been criticized by scholars and religious leaders. Absolution is to be offered to the Pope by all Catholics at regular basis, this is a tradition that been criticized in that it lacks reverence to God giving credit to an individual. Holy orders that is taken by monks and nuns allows them to commit to the service of the church while neglecting some of their human needs such as sexual needs and giving to marriage (Jones 4-9). The beliefs that accompany Catholicism are based on the scripture and the church traditions. They believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ as the son of God, this is provided in the Nicene Creed that was adopted by the church after the First Council of Nicaea approved it. They also appreciate the foundation of the church as from Peter who was designated by Jesus as its foundation. The same trend that was adopted at the time of Peter should continue to be experienced in the church hence affirming the church tradition. Eucharistic adoration is an aspect of worship that is accorded to Jesus because of his presence in the sacrament. Upon ordination, all ministers are required to be under the Bishops who are required to lay hands on them. The church is also believed to be the conserver of doctrine and the true teachings of Jesus Christ. The Catholicism has a special reverence to Mary, the mother of Jesus since they consider her as the bearer of God. In addition, the saints are also venerated on the account of their contribution to the advancement of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Other beliefs that are held by Catholics include the acceptance of canonizations, the sacrament, the use of sacred things and images in worship among others (Boettner 6-8). The contemporary view of Catholicism has been characterized by the changing times. It is apparent that there are individuals who continue to uphold the traditional view of Catholicism as it were. This effort has been faced with a myriad of challenges because the community has developed resistance to ideologies that brainwash their minds. Catholicism was not only viewed as a strict belief that required adherence but it also presented itself as kind of dictatorial religion that left people with no alternative during the early days. However, the Protestant reformation brought a revolution that has seen the Catholic Church evolve to incorporate the ideas of others as well as advance its systems to suit the prevailing circumstance. Contrary to the times of Roman Empire, Catholicism ahs very little influence on the political systems, its influence in localized to a small region in Rome and this is mainly because of its historic significance. Some ministers and priests have cut off links with the church because of what has been termed as non-biblical traditions that are based purely on the desire to maintain order in the church as well as the need to control others. In conclusion, Catholicism has played a critical role in the advancement of religion to the modern day. Its political and religious input shaped the early Roman Empire that happened to be one of the early centres of civilization. Catholicism determined the destiny of the people by providing guidance and leadership up to the recent modern times. Today, the Pope remains a respected authority but his influence has greatly reduced especially with the rise of strong governments in the 18th and 19th centuries. The rise of protestant movements has also eroded the supremacy of Catholicism in a great way. However, the Catholic Church is still a force to reckon with due to its universal nature and the great following it has all across the world. Works Cited Boettner, Lorraine. Roman Catholicism. 2000. Web 12 Dec, 2013. http://www.tlchrist.info/keithgreen/boettner_romancatholocism.pdf Coulter, Paul. Roman Catholicism. 2013. Web 12 Dec, 2013. http://www.paulcoulter.net/Writing/Roman%20Catholicism.pdf Jones, Rick. Understanding Roman Catholicism. 1995. Web 12 Dec, 2013. http://www.watchmenfaithministries.com/images/UnderstandingRomanCatholicism.pdf Read More