Beliefs

 

Religious belief is the belief in the reality of the supernatural and spiritual aspects of a religion. Religious belief is distinct from religious practice or religious behaviors. Religious beliefs, being derived from ideas that are exclusive to religion, often relate to the existence, characteristics and worship of God, Divine intervention in the universe and human life, the ontological explanations for the values and practices centered on the teachings of a spiritual leader or group. In contrast to other belief systems, religious beliefs are usually codified.

 

First used in the context of Early Christianity, orthodoxy is a term that refers to a religious belief that closely follows the edicts, apologies, and hermeneutics of a prevailing religious authority. In the case of Early Christianity, this authority was the communion of bishops, and is often referred to by the term Magisterium. The term orthodox was applied almost as an epithet to a group of Jewish believers who held to pre-Enlightenment understanding of Judaism and now known as Orthodox Judaism. The Eastern Orthodox Church of Christianity, as well as the Catholic Church, consider themselves to be the true heir to the Early Christian belief and practice. The antonym of orthodox is heterodox and those adhering to orthodoxy often accuse the heterodox of apostasy, schism, or heresy.

 

In the Old Roman Catholic Church our beliefs can be categorized into four basic groupings:  Doctrine, Discipline, Worship, and Polity.

 

In short, doctrinal beliefs prescribe and explain the basic teachings of the Church concerning God, His Church and His relaionship with His poeple; disciplinary beliefs prescribe the manner in which we live out the doctrinal teachings of our Faith and the customary practices we follow; beliefs of worship have to do with the manner in which the public worship of the Church is conducted and the customary prayer and meditative practices and devotional practices and attitudes of the faithful; beliefs of the Church concerning the proper governmental and ministerial structures of the Church are categorized under the heading of Polity.

 

 

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