Catholic answers
Answers
Short, sourced answers to real questions about the Catholic faith, organized by topic and by tradition.
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Do Catholics Believe They Can Earn Salvation?
Do Catholics believe they can earn salvation? No. What the Catechism says about grace and merit, and how Ephesians 2:8-10 and Romans 2:6-7 fit together.
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Where Is the Assumption of Mary in the Bible?
Where is the Assumption of Mary in the Bible? No verse narrates it, but 1 Corinthians 15, Genesis 3:15, and the Ark in Revelation 11–12 point straight to it.
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Should Infants Be Baptized?
Should infants be baptized? What the Bible says about household baptisms, circumcision, and Acts 2:39, plus the early Church's witness and objections.
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Is the Immaculate Conception Biblical?
Is the Immaculate Conception biblical? Luke 1:28, Genesis 3:15, the Ark of the Covenant, and answers to Romans 3:23 and Luke 1:47.
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Is the Rosary Vain Repetition?
Is the Rosary vain repetition? No. Jesus condemned babbling, not repetition. He prayed the same words three times, and heaven repeats "Holy, holy, holy."
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Is John 6 Just Symbolic?
Is John 6 just symbolic? A close reading of John 6:51–69, the "flesh is of no avail" objection, and why Catholics see the Eucharist in it.
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Do Catholics Worship Mary?
Do Catholics worship Mary? No. Worship (latria) belongs to God alone; Mary receives honor. The biblical difference, with objections answered.
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Is Mary the Mother of God?
Is Mary the Mother of God? Yes, because Jesus is God. What the title means, what it doesn't, and the Bible verses behind it, from Luke 1:43 to John 1:14.
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Does 2 Timothy 3:16 Teach Sola Scriptura?
Does 2 Timothy 3:16 teach sola scriptura? The verse in context, what Catholics believe about Scripture, and the strongest objections answered.
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Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?
Can a Christian lose their salvation? Paul tells believers "you have fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4), yet the way back stays open. The Bible case.
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Who Decided Which Books Are in the Bible?
Who decided which books are in the Bible? The history of the canon, from the Muratorian fragment and Athanasius to Hippo, Carthage, and Trent.
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Does James 2 Contradict Paul?
Does James 2 contradict Paul? No. Paul rejects "works of the law"; James rejects dead faith. Both teach faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).
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What Is Sacred Tradition, and Is It Biblical?
What is Sacred Tradition, and is it biblical? What Scripture says about apostolic tradition and how it differs from the human traditions Jesus condemned.
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Can Every Christian Interpret the Bible for Himself?
Can every Christian interpret the Bible for himself? Read it daily, yes. Be its final judge, no (2 Peter 1:20). The Bible case, with objections answered.
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What Are the Oriental Orthodox Churches?
What are the Oriental Orthodox Churches? Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Malankara churches, Chalcedon, and Catholic dialogue.
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What Is the Difference Between Catholic and Orthodox?
What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox? What we share, and the real differences: the papacy, the filioque, purgatory, and councils.
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Who Founded Your Church? A Timeline of Major Christian Traditions
Who founded your church? A fair timeline of major Christian traditions, from Christ and the apostles to Luther, Wesley, and Joseph Smith, with dates.
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Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Is baptism necessary for salvation? Jesus says we must be born of water and Spirit (John 3:5). What the Bible and the Church teach, objections answered.
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Must You Be Baptized "in Jesus' Name Only"?
Must you be baptized in Jesus' name only? Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:19, and what "in the name of" means. A Catholic answer to the Oneness Pentecostal view.
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Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
Did Jesus really rise from the dead? The early creed, the empty tomb, the appearances, Paul and James, and the hallucination and stolen-body theories.