The word Catholic comes from the Greek kath-oh-lee-kos (καθολικός) meaning “universal” and it’s a reference to the universal expression and practice of Christianity that was known throughout the ancient world, as opposed to various sectarian groups at the time (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). “Catholic” was the ancient Greek way of saying “nondenominational.” We see the word first appear in ancient literature back in AD 110, written by St Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, in a letter he wrote to the Church in Smyrna just before his martyrdom by lions at the Coliseum in Rome. Ignatius was ordained a bishop by St John the Apostle, who wrote the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation.
The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest Christian body, tracing its origin to St Peter and St Paul who both planted the Church in Rome before being martyred there under the reign of Nero Caesar. The word Catholic was used in antiquity to describe all churches (throughout the known world) who held the common faith and practice of all Christians, in all nations, and were in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, who was the successor of St Peter.
Today, Christianity is divided between many denominations, sects, affiliations and independent congregations. Jesus Christ, however, calls us to unity, so that our witness may not be hindered in this world (John 17:20-21). For divisions among Christians is a scandal that causes nonbelievers to doubt our witness. The Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, and established by saints Peter and Paul in Rome, is the largest Christian body in the world (1.3 billion members) serving as a witness to Christian unity that, in spite of many trials and setbacks, has stood the test of time.
Still, here in North America, where denominations are plentiful beyond measure, there is much confusion concerning the Catholic Church. This website is designed to clear up much of that confusion. Welcome to RealClearCatholic.Com, the religion, culture and politics blog of Shane Schaetzel, an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church through Anglicanism. Shane is a trained catechist and apologist, whose columns have been featured on LifeSiteNews.Com, RemnantNewspaper.Com, as well as many other Catholic news and information websites.
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EMERGENCY HELP FOR CATHOLICS
- A Simple Strategy to Staying Catholic in these Dark Times <– very important!
- Where to find a Traditional Catholic Mass <– very important!
- Dealing with Church Scandals
- A Catholic Approach to American Politics
- Keeping Your Kids Catholic
- Stop Saying “Catholics AND Christians”
- A Proper Understanding of Vatican II
- How to Deal with Women Priests and Deacons
QUICK HELP APOLOGETICS
General Questions
- ARE CATHOLICS CHRISTIAN?
- Do Catholics believe in Jesus Christ?
- What do Catholics mean by the Holy Trinity?
- Is Catholicism a Cult?
- Do some Catholic practices have Pagan origin?
- Must a person understand Latin to be a Catholic?
- Is the Catholic Church opposed to modern science?
- Why is Catholic worship so organized and structured compared to most Protestant worship?
- Why is the Catholic Church so rich when so many of its members are poor?
- Many Christians believe all sins are equal, do Catholics believe this too?
- What is the Catholic Church’s position on sexual sin?
- What is the Catholic Church’s position on abortion?
- What is the Catholic Church’s position on artificial contraception?
- Are Catholics socialists?
- Are all Catholics the same?
Specific Questions
- Why do Catholics call priests “father” when the Bible says “call no man father”?
- Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest when they could go directly to God?
- Why can’t Catholic priests be married?
THE BASICS
- There is a God
- Jesus Christ is God
- Jesus Christ Founded the Catholic Church
- The Catholic Church is the Kingdom of Israel
- Are Catholics Christians?
- Science and Faith
- On the Conversion of Pagans to Christianity
- No Fate Except for What We Make
- The Early Church Was Catholic
AUTHORITY
- The Bible is Not Enough
- The Origin of the Bible
- Why Do Catholic Bibles Have More Books?
- What if the Pope Commits Heresy?
- Evangelical Questions About Pope Francis
- When Peter has Fallen
- Catholic, Papist and Popolatry: What’s the Difference?
- Pope Idolatry: It’s Not Really Catholic
SALVATION
SACRAMENTS
MARY & THE SAINTS
- Do Catholics Worship Mary?
- Mary’s Virginity and the Brothers of Jesus
- Mary — Conceived Without Sin
- Do Catholics Worship Statues?
- The Hail Mary Prayer & The Communion of Saints
CATHOLIC TRADITION
- Traditional Catholicism and Where to Find It
- Traditional Catholicism is the Future
- A Proper Understanding of Vatican II
- My Position on Vatican II
- On Veils for Christian Women
- The Truth About Married Priests
- Praying with Beads
- Different Ways of Using Rosary Beads
- Anglican Prayer Beads
ENGLISH PATRIMONY
- The English Patrimony is for All Catholics
- What is the Divine Worship Mass (DWM)?
- Can Regular Catholics Join Ordinariate Parishes?
- Why Do Regular Catholics Join Ordinariate Parishes?
- The English Patrimony is for Catholics of Methodist Heritage Too
HOLIDAYS
- Inculturation — What It Is and Isn’t
- Christians SHOULD Celebrate Halloween
- Reclaiming Christmas from Commercialism
- Against the Fundamentalist Attack on Christmas
- Is Easter a Pagan Celebration?
JEWISH RELATED
- Welcoming Hebrew Catholics
- The Catholic Church is Kingdom Israel
- Against the Antisemites
- Against the Modern Judaizers (guest post on Gab News)
SCANDALS
RENEWAL & RESTORATION
- KEEPING YOUR KIDS CATHOLIC
- The Benedict Option for Catholics
- Rise of The Antichurch
- Resisting The Antichurch
- The Long-Term Game Plan
- Why Christians Should Hate
POLITICS & ECONOMICS
- A Catholic Approach to American Politics
- The Social Kingship of Jesus Christ – In America
- The Only Good Catholic is a Bad Catholic
- Bring Back The Confessional State
- Globalism is Dead – Long Live Patriotism
- There are Only Two Types of Catholics: Practicing and Lapsed
- Against Communism, Socialism and Marxism
- In Defense of Distributism
- Catholic Integralism
- Distributed Capitalism: A Catholic Economic Proposal
- Building an Ownership Economy
- Roe v. Wade — America’s Holocaust
- Would Jesus Support Gun Control?
LAST THINGS
NON-CATHOLIC RELIGIONS
Evangelicalism…
- How to Evangelize the Evangelicals
- Understanding Terms: Christian, Catholic & Protestant
- Are Catholics Christian by Evangelical Standards?
- Catholics and Evangelicals Together in the 21st Century
- Forget Liberal Catholics — Convert the Evangelicals!
- Evangelical Questions About the Crisis in the Catholic Church
- The King James Version (KJV) Only?
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