Catholics

Matthew Piccolo 3rd Period Catholics  Christianity is the largest religion group in the world, with over 2 billion practicing Christians. Christianity is also divided into separate churches, in which groups of people have altered belief. One of these groups of people are Catholics. Catholics, however, are by some people not even viewed as being Christian – why is that? Many people who do not even have an understand of the Catholic faith easily make jokes about it like it’s some sort of cult. Catholicism is just like any other faith. It has its followers, and it has its non-followers. Sometimes it will seem as though the non-followers are a lot harsher than they would be toward other faiths. As a practicing Catholic, I can assure anyone that my faith is of my own and not forced upon me. Catholics are members of a faith just like any of religion and are not any different.  A huge stereotype of the Catholic faith is that of Catholics love shoving their religion down someone’s throat. If someone they are affiliated with or know in any way is not Catholic, they will constantly throw out scripture and bibles in his or her way to get attention. Catholics will also supposedly ignore anyone else’s view of religion in a very arrogant way. This is not the case whatsoever. Catholics have a certain view of life: to accept others the way they are. If a man would come up to me and offer up his faith, I would of course politely decline, but I wouldn’t try to get him to convert to what we are stereotyped to believe as the 100% correct religion. I even enjoy hearing about other people’s religious life, as I find it interesting. I love to see the ways other faiths work, but I absolutely will not criticize. I’m not going to force you to listen about my faith, nor would I try to get you to drop your own and come to mine.  Smaller stereotypes about Catholics would include that they do not read the bible, they believe the pope is a god on earth, and they worship Mary. I enjoy reading the bible. I try to do it daily, and in fact, it is one of my new year’s resolutions to read it more often. I love my faith, and I don’t know why I wouldn’t read the book that practically directs my faith! This thought actually originated from the late 1500s, when many couldn’t read nor write. Without these abilities, obviously Catholics found it hard to read the bible. Now, however, Catholics can easily read the bible whenever they please, and it is encouraged to do it often. As for seeing the pope as god on earth, this is wrong as the pope is simply the head of our church. If the pope were to be God, then he would not be able to sin, or do any wrong. Popes are very able to sin, and it is even known that they often go to reconciliation, or confession of sins, to ask for forgiveness from god! Catholics are known to pray to Mary and the saints, which is where the confusion that we worship Mary occurs. We Catholics worship God, but we pray through Mary and other saints, not directly to them.  With all of these stereotypes, now it is time for what I consider the most humorous misunderstanding of all. Apparently, Catholics hate sex. They avoid it, they shun it, and they can’t stand the idea of it. Supposedly. Sex, in the eyes of a Catholic, is a very special bond between a man and a woman who are married, and that is as simple as it can be put. There are some anomalies when the subject comes up, though. Sex out of the bond of marriage is considered a sin because the act is one of the most sacred in our eyes – it shows true love. The act of sex in the bond of marriage, however, is sometimes recognized as a reward for staying faithful. Sure, Catholics don’t approve of sex in any situation, but we certainly don’t have anything against it completely!  With all of this said, hopefully many commonplaces in your eyes are being withdrawn. Catholics simply want to practice their faith and be joyful in it like any other member of any religion. I myself am currently going through my confirmation in the Catholic faith, in which I accept it into my life and agree to be a practicing Catholic until the day I die…obviously this is a very strong commitment, but I am ready because I know my religion well. This is why such things as these stereotypes anger me because they are never true nor accurate. I am a faithful and proud Catholic, and I can assure many people that all I want to do is worship my God in my choosing, not make it my life goal to convert as many people as possible to my faith as well.