The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-22
BELIEF OF ROMAN CATHOLICS.
a hort Exposition OF Their Faith by a
Distinguished Priest.

The Rev p. A. Raarf Of Michigan. dis
tinguished among Roman Catholics as am
authority on canon law has published
short exposition ~ Roman Catholic doc
tr.ne OF which wo give below the essen
tial features.
All Catholics believe that there is
ono God On three divine persons-Father
Son and Holy Ghost. that God by His
Word only and OUT of nothing else Gre
ated heaven and earth and an things;
that angels and men are the chief Crea-
lures OF God that somo Of tho angels
siuned and were punished That Adam
and Eve the first man and woman. dis
oboved the command OF God and were
punished by the loss o. Justice and inno-
ccnce and by sickness and death. thar this
deprivation 0f justice is original sin and
aU mon are born with th.s defect or sim;
chat through tho merits ~ her DiNinc
Son and because she WAS 90 be HIS
Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary was
preserved free from this original sim.
which privilege ls called her Immaculate
Conception.
.~rhat God tho Son hv the power ~ the
Holy Ghost. assumed human nature of the
blessed Virgin Mary and is called the
God Man Jesus Christ. that for this rea-
son tho Blessed Virgin. Mary. although
a creature is called tho Mother ~ God.
and is deserving of very special but not
divine hon0r-diyne honor is paid 20 God
alone
..Thaf Icsuq christ. bv life suffering and
death. redeemed mon and obtained for
them grace or supernatural help whereby
they NAV be- saved. that the chief chan
nels of grace are tho sovon sacrdments,
an OF which were Instituted bv Christ
THAT Jesus Christ instituted cnurcn
or society and that 90 certain ones D. 60
the priesthood iu this Church lie ll-
trusted the administration of the sic'd-
meuts and the teaching of Dds zoe lIii'.
that the dlvluely appointed f-lple heid
OF the Church. the Pope of Rome the
Invisible head is Jesus Christi u.s. by the
aid of the Holy Ghost ana must ne il-
faIlibIe. f. O.. be cannot err When ONO ANY
teqctiug the whole Church "a doctrine
regarding faith or morals This does not
imply that the Pope cannot SID OF mdNe
a mistake in other matters.
"Trat an are bound 10 belong 10 the
church. and he who knows The Church
Z, Doc the true Church and wifuily re-
mains out of IL cannot boz saved. While
believing this in regard 90 the ChuIca'
they are not 70 be the judges OF their
fellow men in regard 20 salvation. when
finally depends on their interior dispose
ton known only by God and by them
selves
0That as Jesus Christ is GOD. He can
do am things. and particularly that iie
can forgive sins ard that lie can change
the substance OF bread and wine into me
substance Of His body and blood. that
Tie has given this power ~ certain mon,
viz. 20 the priesthood of the Church.
"That AN the doctrines OF the Church
are contained IN the revelation OF God.
that this revelation is found in the un-
written and the written Word Of God MP
On tradition and in Scripture: that tradi-
ton finds ts infallble expression In tho
teaching Church that both arc Of equal
value iu as FAR as they transmit the d.
vino rcve'ation-Scripture. because it con-
ta.ns and is the Word of God inspired by
the Holy Ghost 70 the sacred authors.
tradition. because IL is preserved from
error by the assistance Of the Holy
Ghost While. therefore. the members Of
the catholic Church revere and use the
Bible. still they believe that tho Scrip
lures alone do NOT contain all tho reveal
ton OF God.
That the marriage Of Christians is a
sacrament ard cannot he dissolved By any
court. but only by the death OF either the
husband or wife.
"They believe I'm heaven. state in
which the good arc rewarded eternally.
they believe I'm he'll. a state I'm which the
wicked arc condemned eternally, they
believe I'm purgatorv. a state In which
those suffer for n time who die guilty
- ven'al sins or without having satisfied
the temporal punishment duo 10 their
sins thew believe i1 a general rasur-
rect'on Of the dead followed by a general
Judgment after which nurgatory viii
cease and the souls Of the iust reunited
10 their bodies VIII be- rewarded forever.
'"' the e0''iF ~ fhe wicro1 also reunited
% their bodies will be punished forever
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