Introduction To The Church

[NyawehNyoh]

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FAQ: I'm considering joining the Catholic Church. Would it be a mistake?

REPLY: Catholicism is a beautiful religion, but it's not easy.

Once someone is fully committed by completing First Holy Communion and Confirmation and undergone Christian baptism; they will be expected to comply with everything Rome teaches and stands for, e.g. the Commandments, the Canon Law, the dogma, the rituals, the Traditions, the Councils, the Bulls, the Encyclicals, the rites, the holy days of obligation, and the entire Catechism; plus everything that Jesus and the apostles taught in the New Testament, i.e. all four gospels and all twenty-one epistles, plus Acts and Revelation.

That's a lot to remember, let alone put into practice.

And then there's the matter of mortal sin. When Catholics leave this life with just one mortal sin on the books awaiting absolution, just one, they go straight to Hell. It's a direct flight; no stopover in a Purgatory. Even if a Catholic managed to be a top performer in faith and practice for fifty years, none of that will be taken into consideration. They will leave this life as if they'd been a pagan the whole time. Mortal sins are that lethal.

The paragraph below from CCC 1782 acknowledges everyone's rights and freedoms in regard to selecting a religion of their own personal choice.

"Man has the right to act in conscience, and in freedom, so as personally to make moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."

However, be aware that once someone joins the Catholic Church, they will have to relinquish those rights and be no longer permitted to either interpret, or apply, the Holy Bible's teachings sans hierarchy oversight per CCC 85 which says:

"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome."

Bottom line is: Catholicism isn't a democratic structure-- it's more like the Big Brother society depicted in George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". I'm not saying that's necessarily disagreeable as some folks prefer being told what to believe rather than figuring things out for themselves; and they feel secure having a central authority to take the responsibility for mistakes. I'm only saying that it's a level of governance that some folks might find a bit too strict.
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