There are many different belief systems, some are religions and some not. All cultures develop a collection of beliefs and values that are used to meet its society's needs. A belief system is a way of perceiving and interacting in a society guided by a set of established moral rules. Our beliefs are an essential part of who we are and how we behave. A culture with a strong belief system is shaped by it. This report will contain information about the Catholic religion. The report will compare the Catholic religion with Islamic religion.I chose to interview Stevie Mathis. She is a 39-year-old catholic and attends St. Philip the Apostle Roman Catholic Church located at 1897 W. Main Stre ...view middle of the document...
To her it was just repeating the same dialogue repeatedly. There was no life application that she could see. Stevie was raised in the Catholic Church and feels that the greatest strength is the tradition that still exists within the Catholic Church. When asked if there are any principles of her religion that she did not agree with, Stevie said that she does not agree with the rules surround birth control and divorce. Her first marriage was very abusive and when she went to the church for guidance and direction, she was told that she needed to stay in the marriage and try to work it out. She stayed until it was no longer safe for her or her children to remain in the marriage. It was several months after her divorce was final that she was accepted back into the church congregation. I asked Stevie her opinion on how has the Catholic Church evolved since its inception. She said, the church is criticized publicly in the news too often. When asked if it is difficult to be a devout Catholic in the 21st century she said yes. There are so many cultural differences and the Catholic Church is not as forgiving as other denominations. Stevie has considered changing to a different religion but she feels a sense of loyalty to the Catholic Church and fears that there will be a heavy punishment if she does. The important holidays and traditions of Catholics are Easter, Christmas, confession, confirmation, and communion. Stevie says the challenges to practicing Catholicism are the strict rules and traditions that come along with being a member of this faith. She feels torn between remaining a faithful member in her current denomination and changing to a different church that may be more of a progressive catholic church. She says that her daughter is attending a non-denominational church and loves it. Stevie would like to have that same feeling but doubts she will ever have that if she stays in her current religion (S. Mathis, personal interview, September 15, 2007).The Catholic religion begins sometime shortly after the death of Christ. Everyone who believed in Christ was considered a Christian and it was a universal religion. "Catholic in Webster dictionary means universal. It is believed that the Apostle Peter was the rock and Jesus Christ said he was going to build his church on the rock found in Mathew 16:18-19 (American Catholic, 2007)." After Christ was crucified, it was believed that Apostle Peter built the church and that Peter was the first Catholic Bishop of Rome known as the pope today.The comparison between Catholicism and Islam seems initially promising. Both traditions are monotheistic, with bases in sacred texts. Both have strong traditions of missionary activity and evangelization, and both are prominent political actors in a variety of national and regional contexts. The differences may also be illuminating; Catholicism represents the interests of an organization with relatively precise boundaries, as opposed to the more diffuse nature...
