Confusion as to what Catholics believe goes back at least as far as the early Middle Ages, when we were accused by pagans of practicing cannibalism, on account of the doctrine of what is now known as “transubstantiation”: the belief that the consecrated species (bread and wine) become the actual body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord, as opposed to mere symbols thereof. Since many Catholics themselves have been so poorly catechized, most are ill-equipped to defend the faith. This only exacerbates the problem, as perhaps well-intentioned folks ask perfectly honest questions of the Catholic “man on the street” who, either unable to respond or responding badly, sets the other person on his way convinced that he was right all along about the Catholic Church.
Among our own, there is “dissent” about such unchangeable matters as:
and so forth. This is just scratching the surface. With the exception of married priests (which is a discipline, not a dogma), these are incontrovertible truths: they don’t change with political whim or the cultural winds or even a very large number of people holding picket signs. They are not the opinions of a cadre of old, repressed men, but the teachings of Our Lord.
To be Catholic means accepting all of the teachings of the Church, not just the ones that don’t make you feel uncomfortable, discarding the ones you don’t understand. For every dogma, there is a reason, and the aim of this website is to present that reason; to show that it is not out of whimsy, repression, or even a wish to control “hearts and minds” politically that these teachings have been handed down to us.
This website is devoted to clearing up any misconceptions people (including those who call themselves Catholic) may have about the Catholic Church, and is dedicated to the memory of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, whom I deeply admire.