Roman Catholic Universe

REALITY OF SIN The very concept of sin presupposes seven other ideas that  are historically derived from God’s revelation to Abraham and  the three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that stem  from that; seven ideas are denied by alternative religions  and philosophies. 1) Atheism (“no-God”) denies that there is a God to sin  against. 2) Polytheism (“many-gods”) denies that there is only one  God, who is all-good and deserves to be obeyed. 3) Pantheism (“everything is God”) denies that God has a  will that discriminates between good and evil. 4) Deism (a God, but an absent God) denies that God has  intervened in history to make his will known by  establishing a covenant and giving commandments 5) Skepticism denies that we can know God’s law, God’s will,  or God’s character. 6) Determinism denies that we have free will and are  therefore personally responsible for our good or evil choices . 7) And naive optimism denies tha...

  SINNERS When Ezra the priest led his people in a confession of the sins as a nation, the resulting list of wrongdoing was extensive: idolatry, rebellion, disobedience, pride, ingratitude, stubbornness, murder, injustice, and more. Again and again, God extended them mercy; again and again, they slid back into sin. If God hadn't been longsuffering, the people would have perished many times over (see Neh 9:1-37)   Today, God's people receive bountiful graces through our Lord Jesus Christ that weren't available in Ezra's time. Most importantly, we have the sacraments of the Church to make us holy. Yet even though such sacraments as Baptism and Reconciliation cleanse us of sin, so that the road to holiness is a continual struggle (see also "What is original sin?" ) Consequently, Scripture confirms that the Church is composed of saints in the making and sinners. We see this reality most indisputably in certain parables of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven (the Chu...

 MORTAL SIN VS VENIAL SIN To avoid being judgmental, some Christians insist that all sins are alike in God's eyes that no particular sin is worse than another, But the bible clearly teaches otherwise Many of God's laws for the ancient Israelites, along with the punishments prescribed for breaking those laws, are found in Leviticus. The sanctions various sins they punished. For example, if someone tried to defraud another person, the punishment was the restitution of what had been stolen or unjustly held, plus a portion of the object's value (see 5:20-24). But if someone committed a grave sin such as incest, adultery, or idolatry the death penalty was prescribed  No doubt Christians are not subject to all of the old Testament laws. Nevertheless, these and other biblical passages demonstrate that the degree of guilt incurred through sin can vary -that some sins are indeed more serious than others. Of course, our modern legal system and even common sense assume the same realit...

 ORIGINAL SIN Much of the language in Genesis opening chapters is figurative. Nevertheless, the Catholic Church affirms that we find there a reference to a real event in the time that took place at the very beginning of the human race -a tragedy unequaled in history, known as the Fall. We know few details, but the basic realities surrounding that fateful development are clear from the teaching of Scripture and Tradition: God created our first human parents in a state of holiness, an original justice (righteousness), without sin, and thus without shame (see Gn 2:25) . They enjoyed a right and harmonious relationship with God, themselves, each other, and the world around them  Through their own free choice, however, they disobeyed God, breaking fellowship with him (see Sir 15:14) Their disobedience -a turning away from the source of all life and order necessarily brought death and disorder into the world, and above all within themselves. So they 'fell ' from their previous condi...