CATHOLIC

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Religious Doctrines

God: Trinitarian Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick

Salvation: Justified through Grace alone, Saved by Christ alone

Scriptures: 73 books, supernaturally inspired

Dogmatic Origins: Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition

Church: Baptized Christians united in the mystical body of Christ expressed through the Eucharist and unified as the church catholic under the pope, the successor of St. Peter.

Theological Beliefs

Creation: Man was created by God with a soul; Adam was the first man; the possible validity of the theory of evolution of man has not yet been discounted.

Man’s State: Fallen state due to original sin

Sin: Original sin is derived from Adam’s fall and creates human concupiscence; the tendency toward evil. Personal sin takes two forms: mortal sin, which destroys grace in a person’s soul and venial sin which weakens a person and increases temptation.

Grace: Sanctifying grace is brought through baptism, which purifies a person’s soul, forgives all sin and makes a person a child of God. Baptism is necessary to purge original sin. The sacrament of Reconciliation forgives mortal and venial personal sins and restores sanctifying grace lost through mortal sin. All other sacraments (especially Eucharist) increase redeeming grace.

Redemption and Salvation: redemption is a free gift available to all

Justification: Justification is wrought by the Holy Spirit through baptism’s saving grace. Faith, hope and charity justify and sanctify a baptized Christian.

Repentance: the Holy Spirit moves us to repentance and conversion

Sacraments

Baptism: Trinitarian baptism; the baptized person becomes a new creature in Christ and receives the free gift of sanctifying grace wrought by Christ’s sacrificial death.

Eucharist: the real presence of Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity under the guise of bread and wine, unites the Catholic Church in an intimate relationship with Christ and brings the grace needed to live as a faithful believer.

Confirmation: The confirmed person receives the Holy Spirit through the sacrament and is more perfectly united with Christ as a faithful believer and disciple of Christ.

Reconciliation: Sacrament instituted by Christ for the forgiveness of sin paid for by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.

Anointing of the Sick: Instituted by Christ to confer a special grace for the sick and aging.

Holy Orders: sacrament of apostolic ministry, which confers the special grace needed for the Christian ministerial priesthood.

Holy Matrimony: a sacrament between two baptized Christians, which unites a man and woman in one flesh. The grace of matrimony bring the spouses together to live a more unified Christian life and continue God’s call to bear children who are baptized into his family.