Perspective on Catholic Beliefs

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Perspective on Catholic Beliefs

• Principles which guide the Catholic Church in
  recognizing Christian truth and in formulating
  these truths in its doctrinal statements

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Principle I The Incarnational Principle

• The Incarnation, God becoming man in Jesus
  Christ.
• Man is an embodied spirit, and God stoops down to
  our level because he knows that we need to relate
  to him through what is physical, visible and
  tangible.
• God uses material, physical and human dimension
  of life to direct our attention and love to him
  and to his work.
• Example Sacraments.

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Principle II God Reveals Christian Truth through
the Holy Spirit

• Catholic Christians believe that the Bible is the
  inspired word of God, and a norm for judging
  the truth of all Christian beliefs. That is, no
  Christian belief can out rightly contradict the
  teaching of the Bible. (cf. 2 Timothy 3,16-17)
• The Bible is a primary work of Gods revelation
  to mankind, but not the only work.
• The Holy Spirit has also been sent by Jesus to be
  the churchs continual guide. The Spirit expands
  and deepens the churchs understanding of Gods
  truth and will over the course of history.
• Catholics believe that the Bible is the book of
  Christianity but not that Christianity is a
  religion of the book (like Judaism).
  Christianity is not a religion of the written
  word alone, but of the Holy Spirit.

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Principle III The Hierarchy of Truths

• God reveals the fullness of truth to Christians
  through the Bible and through the ongoing
  guidance of the Holy Spirit. There are wide
  ranges of truth that are revealed by God.
• Divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and Jesus
  intention to establish a church.
• Other truths are accepted by Catholics, but not
  by other Christians.
• The importance of Mary in Gods plan of
  salvation, the intercessory role of the saints,
  and the existence of purgatory.
• Christian truths and Catholics truths
• Not all revealed truths are equally central to
  the basic gospel message or are equally important
  for salvation.

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Faith and the Creed

• The church has always summarized the object of
  faith in her creeds, especially the first and
  most basic one, the Apostles Creed. They are
  called creeds because they begin with I
  believe, which in Latin is credo.
• Manisia ak ed Pangasinan.
• We shall find the chief truths which the Catholic
  Church teaches in the Apostles' Creed