I believe in God, Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, Our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and of Mary, the Virgin, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried; on the third day He rose from the dead ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead; and in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Church; the remission of sins; and the resurrection of the dead. (Apostles Creed)

I am Catholic, and this prayer that is said at church every Sunday encompasses my beliefs as a Catholic. Before I get into what I believe in as a Catholic, I would like to give some background on the religion itself, because this has also shaped my beliefs.

Catholicism comes from Christianity. Of all the religions, Christianity is the most widespread and has the largest number of members. (Smith, p.317) Christianity is based on actual history, and they have historical facts to back up a lot of the ideas.

The word "Catholic" is generally taken to mean "universal", although the Greek roots of the word mean "according to (kata) the whole (holos). In the ancient Church, it was used to refer t

I think that one of the reasons that I no longer attend Church is because I find it very boring. I think that a lot of the religion is out of touch. I want to learn how to apply my beliefs to the here and now. In school I learned that God loves all, but the Church is unaccepting of homosexuals. I have a problem with that because I feel that it is not a choice, and they are entitled to live their lives the way that makes them happy. I hope that in the future, the Church will accept them for what they are: God's children. The Church is also opposed to the death penalty. The Church believes that anyone whose life is terminated in a gas chamber, by hanging, by lethal injection or by a firing squad is one of us-a human person, a brother or a sister, however cruel and inhumane his or her actions may appear. (web) That is probably the one thing that the Church has taken a firm stance on that I 100% agree with. The two things that I 100% disagree with is the Church's stance on birth control and premarital sex, or sex for procreation only. I know that the Church is taking a look at this stance with the overwhelming tragedy of AIDS. People should be able to express love, and it shouldn't' matter whether or not they're married or want to have children. People are dying of AIDS, and there are unwanted pregnancies that could be prevented by birth control. I am on the fence about abortion. As a woman, I believe in the right to choose, but as a Catholic, I'm not sure if it is taking a life or not. I definitely believe that women should be able to have the same opportunities as men do in the church. That is something that I see changing as the church evolves.

I plan on being Catholic forever, and I am proud of my religion and spirituality. My religious beliefs have made me a better, more compassionate, and stronger person. I believe in life after death, and look forward to the end of my faith-journey.

I haven't attended church regularly since then, but I still consider myself to be Catholic, just not a practicing one. I plan to get married in the Church, and to have a funeral there as well. It is a part of me, and who I am, and I am glad I have that faith to turn to. My relationship with God is private

Some common words found in the essay are:
Church Sundays, Church Pope, Holy Days, Creed Catholic, Cyril Jerusalem, Catholic I'm, Catholic Church, AIDS People, Church Church, Pontius Pilate, jesus christ, teachings church, death penalty, church expected, catholic church, church's stance, catholic school, live lives, religious beliefs, birth control,
Approximate Word count = 1500
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)