Catholicism & African: What it means to be one
Thomas Warren Brow
16 February, 2014
ETH/125
Jennifer Teague
The Roman Catholic Church dates back to the year 33 A.D., and as of today it is the largest sect of Christianity in the world, while Africans date back well before this. In the annals of history both have been celebrated as well as hated for their practices, beliefs, and style of living. There are many things that can be said about each of these topics, but the focus of the following will be what it means to be one.
Catholicism is a denomination, and is a subset of Christianity. All Catholics are Christians, yet not every Christian is a Catholic. A Christian follows the teachings of Christ, and a Catholic follows the Catholic religion which has been transmitted through Popes. While there are many similarities between the two there are two fundamental differences that separate them and they are the Bible, and the Godhead. Catholics believe that the Godhead, or Holy Trinity, are three people (God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit) in one body whereas Christianity believes they are three in but in separate bodies. The Bible that Catholics read is called the Douay-Rheims or Knox Version, and Christians read from what is referred to as the King-James Version. While there are similarities in the books of each there are many precious parts that have been left out of each one.
Each side has its own set of values, and for that they have experienced a difference of opinion on issues throughout history. Most notably is that Catholics believe it is the fullest, and most complete revelation of God to man. They do believe that other Christian denominations have received genuine revelation from Him, but it is incomplete. There are also other Christians who believe God is so big that He has given them many ways to get back to Him. Throughout the churches long history it has been a major source of social services to include medical...