This is the reverse of most “Ask a ___” threads in that I’m not a Catholic but want to ask somebody who is.
I grew up in a part of the country that raised corn, Protestants, and hell in some order, and I’ve actually known more Jews, Mormons, and Buddhists than I have members of the largest Christian sect on earth. There are some things I’m curious about, and if any questions come across as disrespectful please forgive them as it’s ignorance rather than intent.
Do most American Catholics believe:
1- that the last rites are necessary for a soul to enter heaven?
2- in transubstantiation?
3- in the infallibility of the Pope?
4- that contraception is a mortal sin?
Do devout Catholics believe that Protestants go to heaven? How about “good” non-Christians?
Why do some Catholic kids have so many names?
Do Catholics pray directly to God, or only to saints and the BVM?
When I’ve been to Catholic mass, one member of the congregation is always appointed to drink whatever wine is left in the glass. I understand the reason that it must be drunk (consecration), but is the person chosen randomly or is it a particular person?
What religious duties can be performed by a non-priest?
Is there resentment when an Episcopalian minister becomes a Catholic priest and is allowed to retain his wife and family as a priest?
BTW, I put this here instead of in “General Questions” because even though it’s not a debate, it deals with religion and will probably turn into one, so I’ll save the Mods the trouble of moving it later. (It’s weird- a thread entitled “Should I get an abortion?” may get a yes/no answer and die after three posts, while “what’d you have for lunch today?” might turn into a 400 post bloodbath debating God, the Universe, and Spam- if I haven’t mentioned it, I LOVE THE SDMB! It’s like family dinners when I was a kid all over again.)
1- Last rites are not necessary, often death occurs before this sacrament can be ministered. It is more important to confess sins regularly so that you are not in a state of mortal sin.
2- Absolutely. We believe Jesus meant what He said “Take this all of you and eat it. This IS my body…”
3- The pope rarely uses this. For doctrinal matters serious enough for him to use it, then yes he is correct.
4- Good question. I personally do not and if that makes me a “cafeteria Catholic” then so be it.
I believe both non-Catholic Christians and even some non-Christians can and will go to heaven.
I pray to God and rarely to Mary. We don’t worship Mary, she is the greatest of saints and an intermediary between us and Him.
I’ve never seen a member of the church drink the leftover blood of Christ. It is always the priest in my parish.
Deacons may not consecrate the Eucharist. I believe they can baptize and perform marriage but not hear confessions. Surely there are others more authoritative that will jump in with a definitive answer.
Don’t know about any resentment for converted married Episcopal priests. You’d have to ask a priest. My inclination is no.
I can tell you what my Catholic ex-fiance told me his understanding of the church’s position on birth control was. Since the Pope was not speaking ex cathedra when he banned it, it was not doctrinal, thus not only was birth control OK in my ex-fiance’s book, he even paid for me to get Norplant. This man had carefully examined his faith, it’s doctrines, and how they applied to him, so I sincerely believe he believed what he told me. On the other hand, I’m also interested in reading Tomndebb’s, Guinastasia’s and other Catholics’ responses.
In my experience, there is a lot of variation among what Catholics believe, mostly due to their level of education concerning Church teachings and also to what their consciences allow them.
I’ll answer for myself:
the last rites are necessary for a soul to enter heaven? Only necessary for souls in mortal sin. Highly recommended for everyone else.
** in transubstantiation?** Yes.
** in the infallibility of the Pope?** Only when he speaks ex cathedra, meaning, from a position of authority on dogmatic matters, which is very rare (like, a few times in the last few centuries).
that contraception is a mortal sin? First of all, I believe (and the Catechism agrees), that it’s not the case that X is a mortal sin, flat out. It’s a matter of your conscience – you have to know fully well that X is a bad thing and you have to fully want to do it. The degree of sin is mitigated by your internal struggle. But about contraception, I personally believe that anything that flushes out a fertilized egg or that prevents conception over a long period of time (IUDs, Depo Provera, etc.), aren’t acceptable. I’m torn over condoms, but as I’m not married and hence not sexually active (one of my other beliefs ), it’s not too salient an issue.
Who goes to Heaven? I don’t know how God judges, so I don’t have a firm answer. I do hope, though, that God would not reject anyone who tried their best to live a good life (being kind, compassionate, forgiving, etc.).
Names? I myself have only a first and last name. It might be because some people choose to include their Confirmation name (the name of their patron saint) in their full name, so you’d have first / middle / saint / last name.
Whom do we pray to? I rarely pray to God directly (though I used to as a child). I usually pray to Jesus. Occasionally, I’ll pray through a particular saint or to the BVM, but only in certain circumstances. (E.g., when I need help with a certain virtue or something.)
Communion wine? In my experience, the priest finishes the rest of the wine when he cleans up after the Eucharist.
Non-priests’ duties? Not sure – I know baptism can be performed by anyone in an emergency, if that helps. You can go to anyone for counsel, also.
Resentment of priests with families? None that I’m aware of. I myself have never met a priest in such a circumstance.
OK, lemme take a stab at some of these. I’m a practicing Catholic, my mother was a nun, and I went to a Catholic university, but thats about it for my qualifications. Think of me as an everyday garden variety Catholic.
No, at least I don’t believe that. In my experience, the only real requirements most Catholics believe in for entrance to heaven that you basically led a good life. This also answers you first unnumbered question. Doesn’t matter what you believe in on Earth; as long as you lead a good life, you get to go to heaven.
Yes. This is one of the few and most important sticking points between Catholicsm and many protestant religions. It does not “represent” the body and blood of Christ, it IS.
The Pope is only considered infallible when speaking on certain points of church doctricne and under very specific circumstances. There is a latin name for this, something like “Ex Cathetra” or something. His infallibility does not extend to all aspects of his life or everything he says.
This is one of the most controversial aspects of Catholic doctrine as far as most Catholics are concerned. I would bet that most US Catholics do not agree with the idea that contraception is a sin. (Hence the term “Cafeteria Catholics” who pick and choose what they believe, I bet 90% of Catholics fall under that heading, myself included)
A Catholic child is going to have at least 3 names. Their first name that they are babtised with, their family name, and their Confirmation name, which is the name of a saint they choose to identify themselves with when they are confirmed. Most parents usually give their child a middle name at baptism as well. In practice, most US Catholics these days don’t ever use their confirmation name, or pick one that is the same as their middle name (assuming they can find a saint with that name)
Catholics pray directly to God, and also sometimes pray to saints, Mary, etc. to intercede with God on their behalf. Remember: one Catholic saint is more powerful than any protestant God
In the Catholic mass, there are often “Lay ministers” (I am one) who are not ordained in any way, but go to a retreat to learn the nuts and bolts of assisting in the distribution of communion as well as to reflect on the responsibility, etc. You get a little certificate authorizing you as a lay minister and allowing you to help out with communion. Ususally it’s one of these people, or the priest, who finishes off the wine. Also, there is a special drain in a room off the alter where you can pour unsused wine, but generally you just drink it because it’s easier.
Lay ministers can help w/ communion as I mentioned. This also sometimes entails bringing communion outside the church to people who can’t attend (invalids, what have you). There is also another category of people called Deacons, who are ordained, but are not able to perform several sacraments, such as Eucharist, and Absolution.
Speaking as as parishoner, not at all. Then again, I am much in favor of opening the priesthood to women, so am relatively liberal as far as Catholics go
Some of these were addressed (sometimes at length) in the old Ask the Catholic Guy thread.
1- Last Rites (now called Sacrament of the Sick) are not necessary to get into heaven.
2- Most (not all) Catholics believe in the physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (although that is certainly the teaching of the Church). There are not that many people who even understand the philosophical underpinnings of the word transubstantiation to actually agree with the word.
3- Who knows? There are probably a lot of Catholics who accept papal infallibility (as long as the pope does not make any really weird pronouncements ex cathedra) without really “believing” in it. (There a re a few who mistakenly believe that every pronouncement the pope makes is infallible, but they are a minority.)
4- Contraception is not, in and of itself, a mortal sin and the opinions on the subject vary widely in the population.
The Catholic church teaches that God saves all who do not reject him and Protestants are certainly in that group. The same is true of any other religious group. (The Church teaches that those folks have more errors and less truth in their beliefs, but makes no claim that they are damned.)
Some Catholic kids have many names because they come from cultures that bestow many names. The standard practice is to give the kid a first and (usually a) middle name (just as among the rest of American culture). The person then takes one more name of a patron saint (that they never use) at Confirmation. If you encounter someone who has four or more names in use, that is the result of their ethnic background, not their religion.
Catholics pray directly to God. Catholics also ask the saints to intercede for us by their prayers and, in English, the same verb, “pray,” is used, but when directed to saints, it is used in the sense of “petition” not in the sense of “offer worship” which is reserved only to God.
There is no special office for finishing the communion wine. It is worked out by the Eucharistic ministers at each parish–often at each mass.
People who are not priests may lead prayers, teach, distribute the Eucharist at mass, bring the Eucharist to shut ins, and a number of other taks. Couples who marry administer the Sacrament of Matrimony to each other (the priest or deacon is simply a witness). In an emergency, a lay person may baptize.
I don’t know any resentment directed toward Episcopalian priests who join the Catholics, but they are not that common.
Yes. We believe in the Real Presence - that Christ meant what He said, and was instituting a sacrament that would enable his disciples to complete his command over and over.
Yes - but make sure you know that you and I are using the same language. The Pope’s every word is not infallible. If John Paul II tells you the Redskins are going to make the playoffs this year, refrain from calling your bookie. The Pope speaks infallibly when he exercises, with the bishops, the Church’s teachings on matters of doctrine, faith, and morals. The Pope may aslo infallibly proclaim a doctrine - it happens exceedingly rarely. The last was over 100 years ago, in declaring that Mary was Assumed bodily into Heaven.
Contraception is not automatically considered to be a mortal sin. There are conditions under which a sin becomes mortal: briefly, that it involve a gravely serious matter, and that the act be done with full advertance of the will. I suppose the use of contraception could be a mortal sin, were those conditions met.
It’s generally considered a usurption of God’s baliwick to go about declaring that a particular person did not go to Heaven. There is nothing in Catholic doctrine that declares it impossible for a non-Christian to be in heaven. On the other hand, we believe that following, as best you can, the commandments of God and the precepts of the Church are the best way to go. But not definitively the only way.
It’s traditional to take a saint’s name when you are confirmed. That may be what you’re thinking of.
Of course Catholic pray directly to God. He is, after all, God.
So what are the saints doing in the picture?
It’s common in many Protestant Christian communities to ask others to pray for you. “My mother is sick.” “Oh, I’ll keep her in my prayers.” Few reject this practice – it would be unseemly indeed to have someone say, “No, no - my prayers, directly to God, are all that’s required; your prayers are completely without efficacy as regards my mother’s health, thankyouverymuch.”
Catholics do this as well - but we also believe that there is value in asking those already in Heaven to pray for us as well as garnering the prayers of those still on Earth.
The principal celebrant - the priest - should always be the one to finish whatever of the Blood of Christ is unconsumed after communion.
A deacon may baptize and witness a wedding. A deacon, or a layperson by special grant, may distribute communion. In a grave situation, anyone with the requisite intention may baptize.
I’m not sure what other “religious duties” you might have in mind.
I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve never seen nor heard the slightest evidence of it.
Was this before or after you were born? (If it was “when” you were born, I’m guessing she got a ‘write-up’
Are nuns who leave their order and marry generally accepted into the congregation? Can divorcees become nuns?
Really stupid question, but since nuns are the brides of Christ, is there a “divorce” or “anullment” ceremony if they leave the order?
A question about divorce: I know of at least one Catholic who divorced a husband with whom she had children, then remarried in the church. Under what circumstances is this allowed? (IIRC, Ted Kennedy also remarried in the church, though many Catholics were very upset over this.)
Wait, it’s not? Is this a post-VII thing or has it always been this way? (Maybe I’m just shaken from reading a pre-VII book on Purgatory. Dang, it was frightening.)
One odd but true anecdote: my favorite teacher in high-school (English & Lit) was born a Baptist. In college, she fell in love with a Catholic, converted, and married him.
Her husband was military and was sent to Vietnam; he returned, shall we say, “messed up”- not uncommon. He became an abusive drug addict, he womanized, etc., and add to this the fact that they were told they would not have children which added more stress to the marriage. Eventually, she left him and obtained a civil divorce.
She remarried twice (she divorced number 2 and number 3 died suddenly of a heart attack), but never had children.
Through an odd series of events she met her first husband again when she was a 40something widow. He had also remarried and divorced, but his personal demons had been exorcised through time and therapy; he no longer did drugs, he was no longer abusive, and basically he was the man she fell in love with again except middle aged. They began dating again and, a total surprise to all, at the age of 47 she became pregnant for the first time.
In spite of all that can go wrong with a first-time mother of her age, the baby was a totally healthy boy. He’s now about 10 years old and she and the father still live together, but never officially remarried.
The really odd thing: since she and her husband never divorced in the church, the baby is technically legitimate in the eyes of the church but illegitimate in the eyes of the state. In most Catholic remarriages, I understand the opposite is true.
Okay, I’m a pretty lapsed Catholic, and my beliefs are more Unitarian Universalist (I’ll probably join, someday!), but I still consider myself a Catholic-at least by culture. (At best, I’m a Cafeteria Catholic)
1-No, it’s not necessary, but it’s held to be that a person may have unresolved sins to confess, and thus, could avoid Purgatory. Also, it’s a comfort, of sorts-a way to tie up loose ends, and prepare oneself for what’s to come.
2-American Catholics do indeed believe this. I haven’t always understood it, and I still don’t-the only way I can get it is to say that the wine and wafer contain Jesus’s spirit-, and they are the vessel which carry him-but that isn’t what the Church teaches either. But yes, they do believe in it.
3-No, they do not, and shouldn’t either. The Pope is NOT infallible. There is a doctrine called ex cathedra, which is when the Pope has to STATE that he is making this declaration to be infallible-a statement essential to the Catholic faith. It has only been used a few times, to my knowledge.
4-No, and I don’t think the Church believes it is a moral SIN, per se, but that it is a sin, or that it is going against the will of God and the purpose of sex-to come together, and to be open to the possibility of creation of a new life. I don’t believe this AT ALL.
Catholics are not taught that non-Catholics go to Hell-nor necessarily non-Christians. The Catholic belief is that while the Catholic Church IS the true church, and thus has the best authority on Christianity, we, as mere human beings, cannot presume to judge another’s salvation. At least, that is what I was taught. I was told to concentrate on my own actions and thoughts-and leave the salvation of others to God. So no, it is NOT Church doctrine that non-Catholics go to Hell, or non-Christians necessarily. However, we are taught that Catholicism is the right way.
Many names-well, most parents-non-Catholics and even non-Christians-give their children a first name and a middle name. If you mean a THIRD name, that would be a confirmation name. When a Catholic makes Confirmation, he or she chooses the name of a saint-or a variation of a saint’s name-to be “bathed in the Holy Spirit” or whatever. Many choose to take their confirmation name as a 2nd middle name-I do that sometimes-on official documents like my high school diploma! (My parents made fun of me, but I think it’s fun to have two middle names!) So, it says, “Kathleen Mary Brenda Sutter” on my diploma!
We pray to God, and we ask the saints to pray for us as well-to speak to God on our behalf. It’s like asking a friend or a loved one to pray for you. We believe praying to saints just gets more people praying for us!
I haven’t really seen any resentment of the Anglican Rite priests-although there could be, I don’t know.
As for sacrements-well, I don’t think you HAVE to have a priest to perform last rites-if there is no priest around. But I could be wrong on that.
As a former Protestant and current agnostic, the rituals and ceremony of Catholicism were, pardon the phrase, just incredibly cool. (I can understand converting to Catholicism or Judaism, but I’m at a loss as to why people become, say, Presbyterian.)
Do you feel that the ceremony and ritual is a cohesive force in the religion? Do you think it is what you would miss most if you, for whatever reason, joined another faith?
In most (all?) Catholic “callings” (priests, monks, nuns…) There are multiple levels of attachment that the person moves through, almost like ranks. A nun might start off as a “Novice” and move up over the years. At each level there is a cermony, and a higher level of commitment. A good reason for this, as I can attest, is to allow people time to fully embrace their calling and be absolutely sure about it.
In my mother’s time and town (suburbs of Pittsburgh, circa mid 50’s) a girl became a nurse, a teacher, a secretary, or a nun. Not surprisingly, she and both her sisters entered the convent after HS; all 3 later left and ended up as 2 teachers and a nurse.
So basically, she was sort of herded into the convent, never made her final vows, and so was allowed to leave of her own choice.
She didn’t meet my father until years later, smartasses
The Church has never held that last rites (called “Extreme Unction” prior to VII and “Annointing of the Sick” these days) was a necessary component to salvation.
The existence of the Sacrament of Matrimony is generally considered an impediment to the taking of a nun’s religious vows.
A nun who leaves her order with permission and is released from her vows may marry. There is generally no “divorce” or “annulment” - merely a release from the promises she made; presumably there could be an annulment - a formal church legal proceeding to decalre that the vows were not valid or binding due to some hidden defect.
A divorcee probably would not be permitted to take vows, unless her civil divorce was accompanied by a decree of nullity.
When a decree of nullity as to a marriage is issued, it merely says that, despite appearances to the contrary, there was never a valid sacramental marriage to begin with. An extreme example: suppose the bride’s father is standing at the back of the church with a shotgun. The marriage appears to be valid, but the groom’s consent was not freely given. So later, after the threat of the shotgun-wielding dad is removed, the groom may seek an annulment.
There are any number of grounds upon with annulment may be granted, but they all require a finding that there was a defect in the marriage. The existence of children from the marriage doesn’t mean that it’s automatically valid, although it does eliminate the easy-out grounds of non-consummation. The burden is on the party seeking the annulment to show why the marriage was not valid; the Church has a “prosecutor,” called the Defender of the Bond, to argue for the marriage’s validity. There’s a trial, with judges, and if the finding is that the marriage was invalid, a decree of nullity is issued.
An annulment. This is usually under very odd circumstances and essentially states that there was some reason that one of the two previously wedded could rationally give their honest vow. Should there be evidence that one was, for example, simply marrying for money and misled the other as the the nature of his or her intent, that might count. Insanity may be used, though rarely, as few people mad in this way would convince another that he or she had legitimate interest.
My sister’s ex remarried in the church, and got an annullment based on his own self-described “emotional immaturity” at the time of the first wedding. I’m sure there areprecedents for all manner of reasons for annullment.
), it’s not too salient an issue.