Catholicism Intro

What is Catholicism; Why Does it Matter?

St. Peter, the first Pope

Catholicism can basically be summarized as the worldview held by the Catholic Church as well as the cultural, philosophical, and religious impact that worldview has had on human history. Catholicism is as old as Christianity (2000 years and change). She traces her roots to the passing of moral and spiritual authority from and by Jesus Christ to his Apostles. He chose twelve apostles who carried on His ministry after His death and resurrection. Of the twelve He chose one to have a binding authority over the Church on earth. He chose Simon who He renamed Peter, which means Rock, and told him, "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:18,19). In other words, He gave him his absolute infallible authority to teach the truth about God and Morals. The Catholic Church traces the succession of Bishops and especially the Pope to the authority of Peter. There is a traceable line of Pope's dating all the way back to Peter (check it out on Wikipedia). This is the longest visible union of any institution or organization in all of human history... a strong indication that something special is going on.

Because of the longevity and enormous scope of the Catholic Church's activities over the past 2 millennia, it's almost impossible to read about any major historical event and not hear something about the role that the Catholic Church (or the Church) played in its plot. The Catholic Church's presence in western civilization has been so vital to shaping its history, that it has always garnered a lot of attention (negative and positive).

Playing a central role in history has generated curiosity from outsiders that has often led to speculation about the Church's activities. From the Protestant Reformation to modern writings like the Davinci Code, people have always wondered about the Church. Whether good or bad, She has always made for an interesting topic.

What does this have to do with The Point?

The Point provides a way to sort through all the speculation about authentic Christianity and the Catholic Church by offering a stripped down and relaxed environment where you can ask questions, hear compelling ideas, and meet others who are seeking something deeper in life. The Point is organized and funded by lay Catholic Christians (non-clergy) who wanted to build an environment of community, worship, relevance, and meaning. With all the experience and knowledge the Church has gained over the centuries, we felt we needed a way to share that knowledge with others. It's like we've discovered a roadmap to life and we wanted to give others a chance to have a peak and find out if they want to follow it with us to see where it leads.