Catholicism
Research Papers on Catholicism for religion courses can be custom written to include whatever information a student needs. As one of the founding Christian faiths, Catholicism is frequently studied but not well understood in today's world. Have Paper Masters write your research paper today and learn what it means to be Catholic.
Defining Catholicism for Research Purposes
Your research paper on Catholicism will want to define Catholicism and flush out exactly what it means to be a Catholic. Theologian Jaroslav Pelikan has catalogued the spiritual claims made by the fathers of the early church on exactly what Catholicism is. Those claims were as follows:
- The church was seen as one; that is, it asserted that it possessed the one true doctrine
- The church was holy-for Christ was seen as being present in it
- The church was universal; i.e. it contained many individual churches, but all were seen as making up only one church
- The church was apostolic; it claimed that Christ had transmitted truth to the apostles and that they, in turn, had transmitted the truth to the church
These are parlous times for the American Catholic Church. Mistakes have been made-very serious mistakes-by American prelates with respect to shielding pedophile priests. This issue has seized the headlines of late, but other grave issues confront the church as well, e.g. clerical celibacy, the exclusion of women from the priesthood, and abortion. These problems will not be easily resolved because the question of how to resolve them, as well as the question of who will resolve them, is politically complex. On the one hand, since Vatican II regional churches have enjoyed-even on some doctrinal matters-a certain limited, but real, autonomy from Rome. This has given American Bishops great latitude in attempting to meet at least some of the specific needs of the American laity. On the other hand, the church, taken as a whole, has been perceived as, in the words of Peter Seewald, "a threatening, ossified tribuna."
Catholicism and The Pope
The Holy Father, John Paul II, while greatly admired for his personal qualities by American Catholics, is also considered by many of them to be too conservative on issues important to the American laity.Rev. John O'Grady notes, "Some American Catholics feel deceived or deserted by their church. Others think that Pope John Paul II has reversed the positions of the Vatican Council (Vatican II) and returned to a church similar to that which existed prior to 1962." In such an atmosphere Rome has come to be seen by many as "part of the problem."
What it Means to Be Catholic
To be a Catholic is to be part of something that makes grand claims that embody high aspirations. There is a distinction to be made between the church as a bureaucratic and earthly institution, and the Church as spiritual entity. For a believing Catholic the latter is far, far more important than the former, the former being merely a tool of the latter.This is not to denigrate the bureaucratic and organizational aspects of the church.The church's early emphasis on hierarchy and organization played an important role in its survival.St. Paul was a person with an uncanny ability to organize and much of the subject matter of his letters had to do with organization, hierarchy, and the need to present a united front to the surrounding world.
But bureaucracy is the church in the world; there is, so Catholics believe, another aspect of the church which utterly transcends its organizational modus operendum. In the City of God, St. Augustine catalogued the Pauline claims that the church constituted the body of Christ.
These were enormous, far reaching claims.The doctrine that the church is the body of Christ is a particularly cosmic claim.It takes the church out of history and makes it something eternal. The other four claims, likewise, represent the conceptualization of the church's meaning and role that, if accepted, make the church one of the central facts of all human life.
Related Research Paper Topic Suggestions
A Modern Priest Looks At His Outdated Church - A Modern Priest Looks At His Outdated Church Research Papers look at a book that examines the human impact of the legalism of the Catholic Church.
Catholic - Catholic research papers overview the Catholic Church, Catholicism and the Catholic Religion. Custom religion research papers can be ordered from Paper Masters on being Catholic.
Catholic Family - Research papers on the Catholic family tell what it is like to live in a Catholic family and grow up being Catholic. Paper Masters gives suggestions for topics on the Catholic family in the 21st Century, in light of Church Scandal, or the Catholic family of the past versus today.
Catholicity - Catholicity research papers report what custom written research papers call the Catholic Church's claim as the Universal Church.
Catholic Sacraments - Research papers on Catholic sacraments look into the Catholic Church's theology that believes that Jesus instituted seven different sacraments and it is the responsibility of the Catholic Church to protect those sacraments.
Celibacy and The Catholic Church - Celibacy and the Catholic Church research papers overview the history of celibacy and the priesthood in catholicism. Paper Masters suggests that students explore celibacy for priests and determine if the practice is out of date and if the Catholic Church needs to change its policy for priests.
Celibacy and The Priesthood - Celibacy and the Priesthood research papers overview the policy of the Catholic Church on Priests and marriage and sexuality.
Council of Trent - Council of Trent research papers examine the Catholic Church's reaction to the Reformation and the Renaissance.
Guibert of Nogent - This research paper will look into Guibert of Nogent, a French monk in the Benedictine order who authored several books during the Middle Ages.
Ignatius of Antioch - Ignatius of Antioch research papers examine one of the Apostolic Fathers that declared that the Christian Church, taken as a whole, was to be a communal entity.
Jesuit - Jesuits research papers discuss the members of the Society of Jesus, a religious organization within the Catholic Church that was formed in Spain in the 1500s.
Martin Luther and Faith - Martin Luther and Faith research papers focus on Martin Luther and faith, which is essential in understanding his character.
Newman and Luther - Newman and Luther research papers write about the battle between Cardinal Newman and Martin Luther.
Orthodox Churches - Orthodox Churches research papers discuss the origin of the the Orthodox Churches and look into the groups that label themselves as Orthodox Christians.
Pierre Teilhard De Chardin - Pierre Teilhard De Chardin began to teach his own ideas on the original sin and evolution to his Catholic Institute classes after the Roman Catholic Church refused to publish his scientific and theological work.
Priest Pedophile - Priest Pedophile Research Papers go into a difficult issue of pedophilia in the Roman Catholic Church.
Roman Catholicism - Roman Catholicism essays discuss the largest Christian sect in the world practiced by one billion people.
St. Cecilia Catholic Church - St. Cecilia Catholic Church Research Papers examine the physical characteristics of the church, and what happens during a Catholic mass.
Televangelism - Televangelism Research Papers look at different types of religions that use it, and also the history of this technological media.
The Catholic Church - Catholic Church research papers on religions around the world explore the Catholic Church and its influence on world history and religion.
The Catholic Restoration - The Roman Catholic Church is the movement in the Catholic Church that followed the Protestant Reformation and therefore is often called the Counter Reformation.
The Pope and Condoms - The Catholic Church has always maintained a strict position against the use of condoms and contraception until the pope recognized their use for special cases.
The Story of Guadalupe - The Story of Guadalupe Research Papers discuss Mexican Culture and their ties to Catholic Church.
Women Clergy - Research papers on Women Clergy look at the differing perspectives on the ordination of women in different religions.