World Religions: Catholicism as the Original Form of Christianity

When discussing the history of Christianity in relation to other world religions, one might find it is nearly impossible to avoid mention of the Catholic Church. This is because the Catholic Church represents the original Christian Church, established by Jesus Christ, and all other denominations of Christianity formed from the foundations of Catholicism (Bennett, 2009). Today, the Pope heads up the worldwide Catholic organization and serves as the topmost human figurehead of the Church, although most Catholic people recognize Jesus Christ as the true, ultimate authority and the Bible as the "word of God" (2).

Christianity's focus on Jesus Christ as a central figure and deity of the religion is its defining differentiation from other major, established belief systems around the world. The Catholic Church, from which all other Christian denominations gained their basic beliefs, continues to share the teachings that came directly from the Apostles of Jesus Christ themselves (Bennett, 2009). As adherents to the oldest form of the Christian religion, Catholic believers today follow many traditional rituals and practices that have been in place within the faith since its earliest inception. Thus, Christianity is not only different from other world religions, but Catholicism, in particular, is different even from other Christian denominations.

On Eighth Street South in Brookings, South Dakota, stands the St. Thomas More Parish. Inside the church, established in 1904 (St. Thomas More Parish, 2009), works Reverend Rodney Farke. The leader of the St. Thomas More Parish, Farke recognizes religion as always being a very important element of his life, and he acknowledges that the teachings of the Catholic Church have formed the basis of his "whole career" (Reverend Rodney Farke, personal correspondence, October 23, 2009). Of course, Catholicism is not just a job for Farke; Catholicism is so ingrained in his personal beliefs and sense of self that he had some difficulty identifying just a few aspects of the faith that appeal to him most, compared to other Christian denominations.

In fact, he finally described the very whole of the Catholic Church and its long history in the world to express the aspects that call to him. "[It appeals to me] because of my belief that it was the original Christian religion," he said, "and because of the worldwide organization of it, and the worldwide structure of it; it has the sacraments, and it has lots of symbols. It traces all the way back to the beginning, to the time of Christ. Those would be the reasons it appeals to me" (Reverend Rodney Farke, personal correspondence, October 23, 2009). Farke acknowledged that Catholicism does not come without its challenges, noting that Christians throughout history have experienced difficulty in holding to the 10 Commandments and obeying the laws of the Catholic Church. Another challenge for Catholics today, Farke said, includes "keeping religion in our society, which is becoming less religious and more secular as time goes on."

Although Catholicism challenges its followers, Farke said he believes Catholic people, in general, adhere to the traditional aspects of Christianity more fully than followers of other Christian denominations (Reverend Rodney Farke, personal correspondence, October 23, 2009). For instance, Farke said, the two major holidays for the Catholic Church-Easter and Christmas-both come preceded by periods of strict preparation on the parts of Catholic followers. Easter involves a preparation time of six weeks, called Lent, and Christmas involves a preparation time of four weeks, called Advent. "At Easter, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, so Lent is a season of fasting, doing penance, being sorry for our sins, trying to become more holy for the celebration of the Easter time," Farke explained. "Advent is a time of special prayer to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas." While many Christians are aware of the seasons of preparation, Catholics tend to adhere to their traditional practices more strictly.

In addition to holiday traditions, Catholic people tend to adhere regularly to daily observances and rituals in relation to their religion, according to Farke (Reverend Rodney Farke, personal correspondence, October 23, 2009). "We have Mass almost every day of the week," he said. "Many [Catholic people] pray other prayers in the morning and in the evening. We Catholics celebrate the Eucharist, or the re-enactment of the Last Supper. We celebrate that almost every time we gather for worship-not only on Sundays, but on weekdays."

Many Catholic belief rituals manifest through symbolism and signs, Farke said. For example, the sign of the cross and the sign of the crucifix, which is a cross with the image of Jesus Christ hanging from it, symbolizes "Jesus dying on the cross for us, which is the basis for our sins being forgiven," Farke said. Bread and wine are also important signs for followers of the Catholic Church because they symbolize the bread and wine taken by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, which, according to Christian belief, Jesus turned into his own body and blood. Receiving bread and wine during Mass, Farke said, symbolizes the Apostles' taking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Another important symbol of Catholicism involves water, which, Farke said, "is an important reminder of baptism for us. We bless ourselves with water when we come into the church and when we go out of the church."

In addition to its often-stricter rituals of observance, the Catholic Church also maintains some important differences from newer forms of Christianity. For example, the Catholic Church recognizes the "earthly head of our church, the Pope, whom we see as a successor to Saint Peter, the leader of the Apostles" (Reverend Rodney Farke, personal correspondence, October 23, 2009). The Protestant churches, according to Farke, generally do not recognize a worldwide leader on Earth.

Another differentiating factor between Catholic believers and other Christian followers involves the honoring of the saints, an important element of Catholicism. "Our honoring of the saints would be a difference because we see them as heroes or heroines and great models for us," Farke said. Catholic people study the lives of the saints and honor them on particular days throughout the year. In addition to their positions as role models, the saints represent heavenly bodies with whom Catholic believers can converse. "We honor each of the saints, and we believe that they, from their position in Heaven, can pray for us," Farke explained. "So we ask for their prayers-their intercession, we call it. We see the saints, basically, as models for us and, secondly, as intercessors for us. [They are] people who are in Heaven, who can pray to God for us. Even though we can certainly pray to God directly, ourselves, we also see the saints as praying for us, just as we might ask somebody here on Earth to pray for us."

Beyond Catholicism's differences from other Christian denominations exist Christianity's differences from other world religions. From its earliest foundation, Christianity has existed as a monotheistic religion with one important addendum: while there is only one true God, the Christian God has a son, Jesus Christ, who embodies the spirit of God (Fisher, 2005). Although Jesus Christ historically represents a human deity separate from God, Christians view him to be God in the flesh, linking the one true God to an earthly figure who spread the teachings of God to humankind (Fisher, 2005).

Like many monotheistic religions, Christianity has seen a long struggle in its attempts to establish a single, recognized God. Emerging from a largely pagan era marked by hundreds of spiritual deities, the Christian movement left warfare and bloodshed in its wake as its proponents carried out what Kirsch (2004) called "the bitter struggle within early Christianity over the name and nature of the Only True God" (p. 167). According to Fisher (2005), early Christians faced persecution and suspicion due to their rejection of polytheistic deities and rituals. The tides began to turn during the mid-300s, according to Kirsch (2004), when Roman rulers began the official persecution of paganism, outlawing sacrificial rituals and deeming "the pagan gods and goddesses as not merely false but demonic" (p. 200). However, Christianity-and other monotheistic religions-failed in eradicating polytheistic beliefs from all world religions. Modern Christianity still differs dramatically from some other current world religions such as Hinduism, which permits the worship of and devotion to millions of different deities (Fisher, 2005).

Unlike Christianity, Hinduism contains no true, central belief system (such as Christianity's teachings of Jesus Christ) and relies more upon related or similar attitudes and ways of life among its believers (Fisher, 2005). In general, Hindu people worship various deities and recognize an "Unseen Reality" (p. 72) comprised of all the forces of the cosmos, or the powers of the universe. Hindu people believe that one must undergo multiple reincarnations, or rebirths, through several lifetimes to achieve purity and union with the Unseen Reality. According to Hindu beliefs, one determines one's ascent toward that ultimate union, in part, by consciously balancing the forces of karma.

Christian people, in contrast, do not traditionally recognize the concepts of reincarnation or karma; Christians believe that one must live a good, spiritual life on Earth, according to the example of Jesus Christ, to obtain the reward of everlasting life in Heaven. Hinduism centers on a belief that all earthly miseries are a result of human beings' actions and deeds, while Christianity teaches that acceptance of and submission to the one true God provides salvation from such self-inflicted miseries. Some Hindu rituals revolve around reverential care for statues that represent the religion's deities, while Christianity expressly forbids the worship of representations of God or lesser deities. Hinduism focuses on bettering and disciplining the self for purification and release from the earthly body, while Christianity focuses on striving for total submission to the wishes of the one true God to gain favor and salvation from one's earthly sins. Where Hinduism involves an infinite process of trial and error in seeking to eradicate sin from one's life, Christianity involves recognition of one's inherent, sinful nature and submission to the one God who can forgive sin in exchange for heavenly rewards.

Like all world religions, Christianity bears its unique, defining elements, such as its belief in Jesus Christ, along with central similarities to other global belief systems, such as its concentration on cultivating love for all fellow humankind. Christianity is also not alone in its gradual fragmentation into newer belief systems, witnessed in the development of multiple Christian denominations over time. Unique to Christianity is the prominence of the traditionalist Catholic Church and its long-standing adherence to the original religion put in place by its founder and central deity, Jesus Christ. No other world religion but Christianity views its founders or prophets as descendants of God himself, and no other Christian denomination but Catholicism has maintained the original doctrines of the Church with such discipline.

Exemplified by spiritual leaders like Reverend Rodney Farke of the St. Thomas More Parish, Christianity, like many other world religions, calls upon its followers to place their love of God above all earthly desires and obligations. Like all other world religions, Christianity has yet to achieve either full acceptance among the peoples of the world or success in eradicating the sins of human nature from the earth.

References

Bennett, D. (2009). Basic Catholic beliefs and practices. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://www.ancient-future.net/basics.html

Fisher, M.P. (2005). Living Religions (6th ed.). Prentice-Hall.

Kirsch, J. (2004). God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

St. Thomas More Parish. (2009). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.stthomasbrookings.parishesonline.com