by Annette Maraist

Created on: December 04, 2008

I was brought up catholic. Recently I started attending a non-denominational christian church. I always liked the catholic traditions, but I thought that a non-deniminational church would be more tolerant of different religions. I have discovered that many of these "christians" are not tolerant of catholics.

Although I have made new friends thru this church, their attitude toward catholics upsets me. I always stand up for the catholic traditions, and tell them I am still a catholic. Catholics are christians, too.

It seems the main objections some people have toward catholics are the assertions that catholics worship Mary and the saints, and that the catholic priests and services do not fullfill their role in serving people.

What is right for one person may not be right for another person. I believe that there are different religions because different people are at different levels of needs. There is only one God. Jesus Christ IS the way.

Catholics are sometimes accused of worshipping Mary and the saints. Respect and admiration sometimes get misunderstood as worship. However, the admiration given to Mary and the saints, and the adoration of God and Jesus Christ, are very different things.

Along with other christians, catholics place God and Jesus above anyone else. It is God and Jesus we worship. In Latin the worship of God is called latria.

The esteem given Mary is called hyperdulia. This means we give Mary first honors after God because of her role in salvation history. Hyperdulia is honor given to an important person. Mary accepted the role of being mother of Jesus. This is why Mary has her titles and privileges. She is a champion and intercessor for christians.

Honor given to all other saints besides Mary is called dulia. This means the saints are recognized for living the quality of the Gospel to the fullest, and they are an example of how we can follow Jesus by the way in which we live our lives. We admire the saints because they are reflections of Christ. The saints are champions of the church, and when catholics pay respect to them we are simply remembering how they lived.

As for the catholic services, as I wrote earlier I believe people have different needs. I know that my father was devoted to his catholic faith, and attended services every Sunday until he became too sick to go. He certainly found it fullfilling. And my grandmother attended catholic services every day.

The priests are only human, and yes there are some priests who do not live up to their calling. But I personally know other priests who DO live the way they should, and are faithful friends. When my father was sick and could not attend services, his favorite priest came to the house and gave him communion. He was a comfort to my dad and my family.

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