Catholics! I could use a little advice =)?

Latenight/earlymorning catholics-As a pagan, I'm doing a report on the methods and beliefs of the catholic religion. I'm former roman catholic myself, so my knowledge is.. fairly decent. I'd really like your perspectives, though. What would you cover? What do you suggest I research? Websites are excellent. Long answers are loved. Thanks so much.Catholics! I could use a little advice =)?
This branch of Christianity goes back a long way. How far back? To the time Peter and Jesus are standing up on a mountain. Jesus says, ';Peter, I'm going to build my church on you buddy. Here's the keys, let's get to work.'; This is a paraphrase. Want the real words? Check out Matthew 16:19. And from there, the first sermon preached by a disciple was by Peter, check Acts 2. People came to know the Lord, and the church was born. From this point, a lot of Catholic beliefs are about Peter and his authority. Peter was the first pope, and he ruled and organized the first church. When he died, the authority of the pope was passed on to another man, a guy named Linus, and then to another guy, and then another. In all there were four popes in the Catholic church before before the end of the first century A.D. This formed something called an Apostolic Succession. While the pope today isn't Peter himself, he's like Peter because he's a direct descendant, via Apostolic Succession, of Peter. Since the very beginning, the Catholic church has been highly accepted and has remained part of the fabric of many cultures. It's hugely influential in the lives of its members. Often, people will say ';I'm Catholic before they'll say, ';I'm Christian.'; Kinda shows you the force that the Catholic church is in the world today.





Catholics believe the basic Christian things, like Jesus was God's son and he was God. He came to save us from our sins. God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit: Catholics in the same God, Son, and the Holy Spirit that other Christian churches do. The next three beliefs are found only in Catholic church: Catholics pray to God, but they also request that Saints pray for them too. Sometimes people see the way the revere saints and think Catholics actually worship the saints. That's not true. But, they believe that Saints are in the presence of God and pray for people on earth. Jesus' mom gets a place of reverence and devotion. She's just a little lower than Jesus and just a little higher than the saints. Immaculate conception: It's the belief that Jesus' mother was sinless at her conception, because Jesus couldn't be born from a sinful women. How do you become a Catholic? You convert. It's a lot like becoming a member in any church. There are membership classes at attend and all that. Sacred text: The Bible, New American Version. About one billion worldwide and sixty-two million in the United Sates of America are Catholic. How to practice? There are seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. Baptism: Catholics baptize infants before they experience a spiritual conversion. Infants are welcomed into the church community through baptism. Confirmation: Once a person has been baptized, they go through confirmation as an adult. The purpose is to offer the adult believer a chance to make a personal choice for the Christian faith. The Bishop prays that the person will receive the Holy Ghost, then makes the sign of the cross on their foreheads with Chrism, a mixture of olive oil and balsam, and asks that the peace of God be with them. Then, then person is blessed. Holy Eucharist, or Communion: The Eucharist has distinct effects in the life of the Catholic. It signifies union with Christ. When we take the Eucharist, we're becoming a part of Christ and the church, there's both a spiritual and mystical union that happens. Penance: After confessing your sins to the priest, you are told to do a penance. This is how you are forgiven of your sins. The sacrament of anointing the sick: This is the sacrament in the Catholic church that used to be called Extreme Unction. It's dedicating a sick or dying person to God. Catholics do it, but they're not the only ones. Many Christians do this. Holy orders: This is when someone dedicates their life to the ministry of the church as a deacon, priest, or bishop. Matrimony: Marriage. Two baptized people becoming partners for life.Catholics! I could use a little advice =)?
Okay two links with lots of information for your research, the Vatican's website http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm and the Catholic encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ The Catholic catechism would be a good start, I have also starred this for you for fellow Catholics.
Christianity…the belief that some cosmic Jewish zombie will grant you immortality, if you ‘symbolically’ eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can rid an evil imbedded in mans soul because some rib woman was tricked into eating a magic apple by a talking snake…yeah makes perfect sense
Church traditions - www.catholicanswers.com


Faith and Reason - written by Pope John Paul II


church traditions before and after the 2nd council - google it


the 7 Blessed Sacraments - www.catholicanswers.com, www.newadvent.com
Buy a copy of the Catechism.
Want some advice? Come back to the Church.