Catholics believe in the forgiveness of sins. In fact, they depend on it, as delivered from the only legitimate source the Catholic church. God creates us with the taint of Adam's original sin. To have a shot at salvation at the time of death one must first be baptized. Then, after baptism, one has to adhere to a minimum level of conformity to avoid excommunication. A Catholic is required to make a good confession and receive the Eucharist at least once a year at Easter time. They call this the Easter duty. The real trick to getting into heaven, though, is to be in a state of grace at the time of death. So, depending on how scared a Catholic is of eternal damnation, they will make an effort to stay in a state of grace as much as possible. According to Catholics there are two types of sin; venial and mortal. Mortal sins are serious sins while venial sins are less serious. If a Catholic commits a mortal sin like murder then the soul is marked as impure and God will cast the soul into hell for eternity but only if the person dies before going to confession. Confession is called a sacrament. A Catholic priest will listen to parishioners confession of sins in secrecy. If the penitent (the person seeking forgiveness) has made a good act of contrition, that is, if the sinner has vowed not to commit the sin again then the priest can forgive the sinner and restore the soul to a pure state by wiping the soul clean with absolution and thereby remove the black mark of sin, and return the person to a state of grace so that God will find him worthy of entering heaven at the time of death. So, Catholics are taught it is possible to play the odds a bit. If you are young and healthy and you are a bit of a gambler you could theoretically get away with murder and still go to heaven if you get to confession in a timely manner after committing mortal sins. Although, this is highly discouraged, priest admit it is quite possible that a thoroughly evil person could at the last moments of life repent his sins and make it into heaven. It is little wonder that the Catholic church has such strong appeal to its followers.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Depending on Grace
Catholics believe in the forgiveness of sins. In fact, they depend on it, as delivered from the only legitimate source the Catholic church. God creates us with the taint of Adam's original sin. To have a shot at salvation at the time of death one must first be baptized. Then, after baptism, one has to adhere to a minimum level of conformity to avoid excommunication. A Catholic is required to make a good confession and receive the Eucharist at least once a year at Easter time. They call this the Easter duty. The real trick to getting into heaven, though, is to be in a state of grace at the time of death. So, depending on how scared a Catholic is of eternal damnation, they will make an effort to stay in a state of grace as much as possible. According to Catholics there are two types of sin; venial and mortal. Mortal sins are serious sins while venial sins are less serious. If a Catholic commits a mortal sin like murder then the soul is marked as impure and God will cast the soul into hell for eternity but only if the person dies before going to confession. Confession is called a sacrament. A Catholic priest will listen to parishioners confession of sins in secrecy. If the penitent (the person seeking forgiveness) has made a good act of contrition, that is, if the sinner has vowed not to commit the sin again then the priest can forgive the sinner and restore the soul to a pure state by wiping the soul clean with absolution and thereby remove the black mark of sin, and return the person to a state of grace so that God will find him worthy of entering heaven at the time of death. So, Catholics are taught it is possible to play the odds a bit. If you are young and healthy and you are a bit of a gambler you could theoretically get away with murder and still go to heaven if you get to confession in a timely manner after committing mortal sins. Although, this is highly discouraged, priest admit it is quite possible that a thoroughly evil person could at the last moments of life repent his sins and make it into heaven. It is little wonder that the Catholic church has such strong appeal to its followers.
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