Essays on Catholic Church

In the many developments that are taking place in the religious world, ecumenism is one of the most significant of them all. Church leaders are coming together with common goals that enable them to best serve and worship God, among other many activities. The main goal of contemporary ecumenism has been for all the Christians in the world to be brought together into unity amidst diverse and pluralistic expressions of the faith. This interdenominational union is rooted in the belief that all Christians are bound together by Christ and His existence should not be the cause of division and

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Through the 1600 and 1700s, Europe served as a center of a large range of change. From evolution of science and philosophy to the development of new political and religious movements and ideologies, many central elements of European intellectual life underwent a transformation. Accordingly, the art and culture of the era adapted to reflect these developments. More importantly, the forms of art and architecture become a means of supporting changing ideologies in the areas of the most change. The evolution of Baroque art and architecture owed its existence to the cultural rebirth of

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Introduction

Homosexuality and gay relationships are some of the most controversial issues in the contemporary world. Proponents such as civil and human rights activists support homosexuality and gay unions while religious organizations oppose these issues. Almost all Christian
denominations are opposed to homosexuality and gay marriages with the Catholic Church being at the forefront (Songy, 239). Interestingly, numerous allegations of homosexuality and gay relationships among the leaders of the Catholic Church have surfaced over the last decade adding to the controversy of the issue. The general guideline according to the Catholic Church on marriage is, “a faithful lifelong and exclusive

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In “Advent is New Beginnings,” the topic revolves around Pope Francis, who exclaimed his famous remark with regard to homosexuality: Who am I to judge? Whereas said statement by Pope Francis has earned him critical acclaim from circles who perceive his progressiveness in finally changing the traditionally conservative direction of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, it is nevertheless an ambiguous one. Said statement did not include an express statement by Pope Francis stating a definite stand on homosexuality and at the same time, he did not place his leadership on an affirmative stance towards urging the entire Catholic Church

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During the Middle Ages from the 5th century to the 11th century, Christendom, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, reigned supreme and wielded almost unrivaled influence over the hearts and minds men. It was, in fact, a period in earth’s history where the Christian Church was at the apex of her power. Her power, however, started to wain during the Renaissance. At that time, there were important developments that, while not stripping the Catholic Church of her power, challenged her hold on power.
What is clear is that events that transpired during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance periods

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I believe that newly-elected Pope Francis will go down in history as one of the greatest Popes the Vatican has ever produced. He is intelligent, noble yet humble, and expresses love, compassion, and acceptance towards people within the Catholic faith, as well as those who practice other faiths. Even with these positive attributes, my feelings about Pope Francis are ambivalent, and I have some misgivings about his papacy.
He is a passionate man, and his views are as equally pronounced and passionate. I admire these qualities about Pope Francis. However, he has brought upon him, and the Catholic Church

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Prevalently, music forms an integral part of each and every religious ceremony. Evidently, almost all the dominations have espoused the imperativeness of music in various religious functions. A notable fact is that despite various denominations agree on the pivotal role of music, the nature and type of music each denomination play has a complete variation. The primary reason for the mentioned variation is the fact that each religious group has distinct principles that govern the usage of music. Similarly, a myriad number of the religious group has totally different perspective when it comes to religious music. As a result

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Historical events, particularly the very distant ones, can be viewed in different and contrasting perspectives. Interestingly, technological innovations of online games can be used to advance alternate perspectives on historical events. Online gaming has become so widespread that it has great power to influence one’s perceptions and can be a convenient route to provoke deeper thinking on alternate perspectives. Thus, the central focus of my thesis and argument is that video games like the Assassin’s Creed have the right to offer different interpretations of history, however absurd the notions advanced.
As an online game, the Assassin’s

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- Edict of Milan (313 AD)
The Edict of Milan was a document created in 313 AD, a letter penned from Roman Emperor Licinius to the governors of his Eastern imperial provinces, commanding them to treat the Christians more kindly. This edict was the result of a meeting between Licinius and Emperor Constantine I earlier that year, where they both agreed that it was time to treat the Christians well. The Edict also declared that the meeting places and property of Christians were to be restored to them: "the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or

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Modern day Christian church community

Christianity started in the early Israel and Palestine in what was previously known as Levant during the first century. It spread throughout the near east nations and later on spread further to Europe where it became popular in the middle ages and spread worldwide during Europe’s exploration age and became the biggest religion in the world. Statistics show that about a third of total global population are Christians. In the early years of the first millennium during the great schism the church split into two major groups, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic. Later on Protestants

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Introduction

Over the years, Catholic Church has undergone several changes, although the most significant being the changes brought by Vatican II. Arguably, Vatican II changes brought forth doctrines that the Catholic Church initially believed and taught its members. Worth noting, the changes brought forth “new Catholic Church”. This change is mostly attributed to the Vatican Council II that represented Vatican II, which was dogmatic as compared to other Vatican councils that were pastoral (Lopez & Julian, 2013). This changes not only affected Catholic Church members, but also the Protestants, and was led by Pope John XXIII.
First, the mode of mass

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The Catholic Church and Her Magisterium define sacred music in Ecclesial Documents. In Catholicism there are specifics in the liturgy that describe the requirements for sacred music. Sacred music is not for ordinary usage and not for use by anyone outside the church. Sacred music is blessed and unique. The Catholic Church and Her Sacred Liturgies are the only ones who should use sacred music.   Music plays an important role in the liturgy and the most beautiful music of Holy Week is the Gregorian chant. Gregorian chant is beautiful in both senses as prescribed by Catholic scholars; it is

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Baroque Art Period (1600-1750)

The term Baroque originates from the Spanish word of baroco, which means one big pearl of irregular shape. It defines the art period from 1600 to 1750. This period was turbulent in Europe since the religious conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic Church’s Reformations were at their peak; the Catholic Church, for years prominent within the spiritual European population, now had to restructure their customs due to the intense criticism expressed by Martin Luther. This religious conflict was not bloodless; the Peasant’s revolution in Germany and the Thirty Year War are indicative of the disastrous results of

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General outline of lessons:

Lesson 1: introduction of the general concept of sacraments. What they entail, and the general belief attributed to them.

Lesson 2: the sacrament of baptism and its relevance in the church

Lesson 3: the sacrament of Eucharist. The general concept of this sacrament and its associated ceremonial practices and its relevance
Lesson 4: the sacrament of reconciliation. The meaning of this sacrament. The understanding of its symbolism and its relevance
Lesson 5: the sacrament of confirmation. The relevance of this sacrament to the church, its associated ceremonial practices and its general meaning and value to the church
Lesson 6: the sacrament of marriage. The implications of this sacrament both social and

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The period of the 15th century is known as Reformation period in Western and Central Europe. It was represented by a broad public-governmental movement with an anti feudal character. In fact, it was the struggle against Catholic Church, due to the fact that it was the main pillar of feudal regime.
It all began in Germany, however it spread quickly to Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, England and Italy. The Reformation was followed by the Peasant War - the largest social movement of the Middle Ages. One of the most prominent and influential person of this period was Martin Luther.

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Introduction

Reformation was a powerful religious movement aimed at reforming the teaching and the organization of the Christian Church, which originated in Germany in the beginning of the XVI century. It spread rapidly across Europe and led to the separation of Roman Catholic Church and the formation of a new form of Christianity - Protestantism. Reformation movement was of great importance for the history of Europe, and for the history of the world as a whole. In the Middle Ages, the whole society was strictly subordinated to the Church, which had a strong influence on the social structure of European

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Introduction

All through my life, I was born and lived in a Muslim family and neighborhood. I had never thought of associating with people from other religions, especially the Christians, who I had heard many misconceptions about them. I attended a Muslim-sponsored school, where all my peers shared the same religion. Our teachers were also from the Islamic religion, with an exception of one female teacher, whom I realized had a difficult time with her colleagues.
After my parents moved to the United States, the new neighborhood was full of people of different religions: Mormons, Christians, Protestants, Hindus, Buddhists, and

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Pope Francis Assisi was an Australian Cardinal who was known for his effort in uplifting the life in the slums in Australia; his real name is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Pope John Paul 11 appointed him as a Cardinal of San Roberto in 2001. He was then appointed as a pope on 13th March 2013 after pope Benedict xvi resigned from office (Benson 10); Benedict xvi made history by resigning from office because; a pope is required to serve the people until his death. When cardinals were gathered in the Vatican City to search for the successor of Benedict

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Introduction

In the early 1500’s, a young German university teacher and monk known as Martin Luther began feeling that major reforms were required in the most famous church at that time, The Roman Catholic Church. There was one particular practice in the Roman Catholic Church that Martin Luther hated and this was indulgences selling. Indulgence selling involved the exclusion or release of individuals from punishment for sin in exchange for money. The individuals were given what was referred to as “letters of pardon”.
In 1957, Martin Luther made a conclusive list of personal objections to the practices of the

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The Trial of Galileo by Doug Linder (2002)
This book talks about how a cosmic conflict arises between two worlds. Catholic Church world of absolutism and scholasticism that holds power in Europe is in collision with Galileo’s world that deals with humanism and science.
It starts with Galileo backing Nicolaus Copernicus theory on the celestial orbits revolution called the Copernicus Theory. Nicolaus published a book called Revolutions off the Celestial Orbs that outlined clearly brought the idea that the earth rotates around a sun that is at the middle of the whole universe.
Galileo concludes this theory right

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Introduction

The word Catholic Church was established in the year 110. However, opinions differ on the exact time that the church came to be established. The church was established on the doctrine of serving one God unlike other religious societies that had a number of gods such as the Greeks. It was organized under five patriarchs including the bishops of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The Bishop in Rome was usually consulted in times of disputes. There were claims in Rome that Rome had connections with Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The Catholic Church at the time came to

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Christianity, despite its humble root and in the beginning only a handful of followers has grown to over “1,870,000,000 adherents in the world” (Neusner, 151). Representing over a third of the world’s population. These followers all follow the teachings of Christ, but they differ in some core beliefs and also the interpretation of Christ’s teaching. While the center of any Christian religion will always remains the same—Christ and his teachings—the way this is followed and practiced has often led to changes within a religion or a split in denominations. One famous change

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