Catholic Beliefs: Religion & Theology Research Paper

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Catholic Beliefs
The Catholic Church has over the years been a subject of criticism due to its beliefs and practices. Controversies have always emerged in many areas, and especially on doctrines, that in the opinion of some people contradict scripture. Despite such opposition, the Catholic Church has made progress especially in advancing some of these doctrines. While there are various doctrines, the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility have distinguished the Catholic Church from other monotheistic religions.
The Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception implies a conception whereby an offspring is exempt from original sin. The original sin, also referred to as ancestral sin, means the state of sin in which humanity possesses since the fall of humankind due to the rebellion of both Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, which was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result of the original sin, humans have an automatic guilty and exist in a state of total depravity. In a normal case, a child comes into existence the moment the soul enters the body as a result of the parental generation. However, in the case of Mary, Immaculate Conception, the Catholic Dogma asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus was preserved from the implications of the original sin at the time of her conception. In other words, Mary was conceived without stain. As the mother of Jesus, the dogma indicates that God preserved her from the defects of the original sin by his grace. From her conception in her mother’s womb, Mary existed in a state of sanctifying grace that kept her free from the corrupt nature that comes along with the original sin.
The idea of Mary having been spared to all dispositions of the evil characteristic of the original sin came to be in the 12 century. At the time, a concern arose that the universal redemption of Jesus could be adversely affected by the biological aspects of conception. In particular, John Duns Scotus indicated that Christ applied his redemptive grace to Mary, which prevented sin from reaching her soul. This privilege, theologian Scotus argued, was due to the grace of God. Finally, on December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX made a solemn declaration that finally put to an end the long debate regarding the Immaculate Conception. Pope Pius IX held that Mary was conceived free from the ancestral sin. He further indicated that Mary received this privilege after God chose her as the mother of the Savior. Consequently, she received obtained the privileges of salvation from her conception. Such a wonderful gift was befitting Mary, since although an ordinary human being like the rest of the humankind, was destined to bear Jesus Christ. Pope Pius IX thus indicated that the doctrine of Immaculate Conception was revealed by God and hence was to be believed as such by all the Catholics throughout the world.
When discussing the doctrine, a reference is made from the manner of greeting angel Gabriel greeted Mary. In Luke 1:28, the angel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." The phrase "full of grace" is taken to imply the quality of that Mary possessed. This grace is unique and permanent and was obtained in the past. Catholics argue that this grace was not because of the angelic visit, rather something that Mary possessed right from her conception. The Protestants, however, object to the Immaculate Conception. Citing Romans 3:23, where the Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the grace of God,” Protestants argue that it is not possible that Mary, a human being like any other person, was without sin. Additionally, Protestants quote Luke 1:47 where Mary said that her "spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Since this salvation is from sin, then it follows that Mary must have acknowledged his sins. She, therefore, like any other person, needed a savior for her sins. In acknowledging such contradictions, Catholics acknowledge that Mary, like all the other descendants of Adam and Eve, was subject to the original sin. However, God knew that she would be the mother of the Savior, and hence a special grace was conferred to her from conception to enable her to carry the task. A perfect savior needed to be conceived by one that was not subject to the necessity of contradicting ancestral sin. While Mary called Jesus her savior, The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that her salvation was more gloriously. According to CCC 492, Mary was "redeemed in a more exalted fashion, because of the merits of her Son."
Papal infallibility
The doctrine of papal infallibility indicates that the pope while executing his mandate as the supreme teacher, and under particular conditions, cannot err when t...