Everyone ultimately places faith in something, even if the object is self, as is the case of atheists. The following are ten (10) of the most basic fundamental faith-tenets of Catholicism. Without a long explanation of why, share which numbers diverge from your own personal faith:

• 1. God exists, as Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
  2. God is an eternal Trinity of divine Persons sharing one infinite being or essence. He chose to share His infinite goodness by and with creation.
  3. This God reveals Himself to mankind through Scripture and Tradition – first to the people of Israel (Old Covenant) and then to the entire world (New Covenant).
  4. God wills a never-ending covenant with mankind created in His image, to fill everyone with the divine life for which they are made. Whether God’s creation of man in Gn 2:7 took an instant, or millions of earth years in an evolutionary process (it doesn’t matter), this divine covenant proposal must be freely accepted.
  5. Man rejected God’s offer in paradise and took on the consequences, which include internal disorder, suffering, and death.
  6. The second divine Person of the Trinity took on a human nature through the Virgin Mary to save people from the fatal consequences of their sins. Jesus is fully God and fully man.
  7. Jesus sacrificed Himself and sent His Spirit to form and animate His Church, through which He continues to save people who accept His divine Truth (word) and divine Life (sacraments). By the power of the Holy Spirit, this “Noah’s Ark of the New Covenant” continues its mission of salvation, and will until Christ returns on judgment day.
  8. Fallen human nature needs God’s assistance in understanding His word so that the saving truth communicated may be understood properly. “God wants all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Tm 2:4). Hence, Christ established a Magisterium on His apostles to authoritatively interpret God’s word when there are important disagreements. Through apostolic succession and the power of the Spirit, the pope and bishops in union with him are the successors of Peter and the apostles. The Holy Spirit protects the Church in its Magisterium from error when officially and definitively teaching matters essential to salvation, i.e. matters of faith and morals. By rejecting this gift, men are uncertain of what is necessary for salvation, unsure if they’re still grafted into the eternal covenant, and end up breaking off into thousands of denominations, which is contrary to Christ’s will (John 17:1-26).
  9. The Magisterium not only has the last word on interpretation of divine truth, but also possesses Christ’s authority to promulgate rules and practices good for the Church. Although these are changeable by nature, when in force they are obligatory to the faithful (such as Sunday Mass attendance, rules for fasting, minimal obligations to receive Christ in the sacraments of Penance and Communion, etc.).
  10. Salvation from the deadly effects of sin begins with baptism and faith, and is a lifelong process. It includes cooperating with God and His moral will found in Scripture and taught authoritatively by the Church. For those who die in the state of grace but with residual attachment to sins forgiven, purgatory is a necessary purgation from temporal punishment. Those who persevere in faith and virtue attain complete fulfillment in their eternal reward, while those who feely reject God and His will with mortal sin, and chose not to repent, descend into Hell for all eternity. This state of being continues on forever beyond the resurrection and transformation of creation.