"In the process of salvation by co-operating with grace through faith in Jesus Christ, as sustained

"In the process of salvation by co-operating with grace through faith in Jesus Christ, as sustained by the sacraments and by works of love, because faith without works is dead."

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Table of Contents

 

✝

Why I Am Catholic

Complete Table of Contents

Scripture • Sacred Tradition • Church History • Catholic Apologetics • Theology • The Papacy • Mary & the Saints • Common Objections

Updated November 4, 2026

Welcome to the Why I Am Catholic Table of Contents. This page organizes my articles by subject so that Catholics, non-Catholics, converts, returning Catholics, and anyone curious about Christianity can explore the teachings, history, and traditions of the Catholic Church.

My purpose is to share the Catholic Gospel, answer misconceptions, examine historical evidence, and explain why I believe that the Catholic Church is the visible, historical, apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ.

🔗 Quick Navigation

New Articles Start Here Why Catholic? Scripture & Tradition Papacy Core Beliefs Mary & Saints Objections Paganism Church Origins Other Religions Resources Public Life Feasts Fiction Behind the Scenes

1. ✦ Start Here

New to the blog or interested in learning about Catholicism? Begin with these introductory resources.

  1. About This Blog
  2. Catholic Q & A
  3. Joining or Returning to the Catholic Church
  4. Living the Catholic Faith: The Precepts of the Church
  5. Basic Catholic Prayers
  6. Catholic Groups I Am a Member Of

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2. ♥ Why I Am Catholic

My personal journey, Catholic identity, the Gospel, and the reasons I believe in the Catholic Church.

  1. The True Name of the Church and Why I Am Catholic
  2. Overcoming Distrust of Organized Religion and Protestant Misconceptions
  3. The Roman Catholic Church Is the Temporal Kingdom of God on Earth
  4. A History of Religion: From Early Humans to the Catholic Church
  5. If Jesus and the Apostles Were Jews, Why Aren't Catholic Christians Jewish?
  6. The Catholic Church and the Gospel: Keeping It Simple but True
  7. Are Catholics Saved? The Catholic Teaching on Salvation
  8. The Catholic Church Teaches the Full Gospel of Salvation
  9. The Catholic Gospel
  10. Christ Is King!
  11. Why Do Catholics Try to Convert People to Their Church Instead of to Christ?
  12. Ancestry and Tradition: Italian Catholicism
  13. Why You Should Come Home to the Catholic Church

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3. 📖 Scripture, Tradition & Authority

  1. Bible Verses That Prove the Catholic Church
  2. Why I Cannot Agree With Sola Scriptura
  3. Which Came First: The Church or the Bible?
  4. Is the Church or the Bible the Pillar and Foundation of Truth?
  5. Scripture
  6. The Bible: Sacred Scripture
  7. Apostolic Tradition
  8. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
  9. The Teaching Authority: The Magisterium
  10. The Catholic Church's Leadership Structure: Jewish and Roman Influences

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4. 🗝 The Church, Papacy & Apostolic Succession

  1. The Church
  2. The Church as Mother and Teacher
  3. The Papacy
  4. The Word "Pope" Is Not in the Bible!
  5. Was Peter in Rome?
  6. Apostolic Succession
  7. The Bad Popes: How Can I Be Catholic When Some Popes Were So Terrible?
  8. The Catholic Church Is Led by Sinners!
  9. Did Gregory the Great Start the Catholic Church in A.D. 590?
  10. The Pope Is the Antichrist

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5. ✝ Core Catholic Beliefs & Salvation

  1. What the Catholic Church Teaches About Jesus
  2. Salvation
  3. The Catholic Gospel
  4. The Sacraments
  5. What the Church Teaches About Baptism
  6. The Eucharist: The Lord's Supper
  7. History and Theology of the Catholic Mass
  8. Confessing Sins to a Priest
  9. Purgatory and Indulgences
  10. The Nicene Creed
  11. The Apostles' Creed
  12. The End Times

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6. 👑 Mary, Saints & the Communion of Saints

  1. The Communion of Saints
  2. Praying to the Saints
  3. Do Catholics Pray to Dead Saints?
  4. What the Catholic Church Teaches About Mary
  5. Mary: Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, and the Pagan Connection
  6. The Bible Never Calls Mary a Queen! The Catholic Response
  7. Mary and the Saints Are Pagan!
  8. Are Catholic Saints Renamed Pagan Gods?
  9. The Divine Council, the Communion of Saints, and the Gospel

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7. ❓ Common Objections & Anti-Catholic Claims

  1. Call No Man "Father"?
  2. There Is No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church!
  3. Did the Catholic Church Forbid the Laity From Reading Scripture?
  4. The Evil Catholic Church Hid the Name of God!
  5. The National Sunday Law and the Mark of the Beast
  6. The Whore of Babylon and the Beast in Revelation
  7. The Catholic Church Is the Whore of Babylon and the Pope Is the Antichrist
  8. The Pope Is the Antichrist
  9. Who Really Founded the Catholic Church?
  10. The Bible Never Calls Mary a Queen!
  11. The Anti-Catholic Conversion Industry
  12. How Can Anyone Remain Catholic Despite Scandals and Bad Popes?

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8. 🏛 Paganism & Conspiracy Theory Claims

Examining allegations that Catholic doctrines, saints, ceremonies, and holidays originated in pagan religion.

  1. Pagan Holidays: Main Resource Page
  2. Anti-Catholic Conspiracy Theories
  3. Pagans!
  4. The Catholic Church Is Pagan!
  5. The Papacy Is Pagan!
  6. The Vatican Is Pagan!
  7. The Trinity Is Pagan!
  8. God's Holy Days or Pagan Holy Days?
  9. Sunday Worship Is Pagan!
  10. Valentine's Day Is Pagan!
  11. Mardi Gras Is Pagan!
  12. Lent Is Pagan!
  13. Lent and Christian Holidays Are Man-Made Traditions!
  14. Palm Sunday: History, Meaning, and Misconceptions
  15. Easter Is Pagan!
  16. Reclaiming Halloween: Its Christian Roots
  17. Halloween Is All Hallows' Eve
  18. Was Halloween Originally Samhain?
  19. Halloween Is Not Pagan: What the History Channel Gets Wrong
  20. Advent Is Pagan!
  21. Christmas Is Pagan!
  22. New Year's Is Pagan!
  23. The Mass Is Pagan!
  24. Did Catholic Christianity Copy Mithraism?
  25. Is Catholicism a Continuation of Babylonian Paganism?
  26. Did Simon Magus Found the Catholic Church?
  27. Christianity Is the Worship of Serapis Rebranded

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9. 🗝 Who Really Founded the Catholic Church?

  1. Did Constantine Found the Catholic Church?
  2. Was Constantine Good or Bad for Christianity?
  3. How Jerusalem Was Paganized by Hadrian and Reclaimed by Constantine
  4. The Nazarenes, the Desposyni, and the Lost Jewish-Christian Church
  5. Simon Magus Founded the Catholic Church?
  6. Did Pope Gregory the Great Start the Catholic Church?
  7. Was Peter in Rome?
  8. Apostolic Succession
  9. The Papacy
The Catholic claim is simple: Jesus Christ founded His Church. He commissioned the apostles, made Simon Peter the Rock, gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom, and promised that the gates of Hades would not prevail against His Church. Peter and Paul later gave the Church at Rome its apostolic foundation, and that ministry continued through apostolic succession.

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10. 🌎 Catholicism & Other Religions

  1. Introduction: Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue
  2. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches
  3. The Catholic Church and Lutherans
  4. The Catholic Church and Evangelicals
  5. The Catholic Church's View on Mormonism
  6. The Catholic Perspective on Jehovah's Witnesses
  7. The Catholic Church and Seventh-Day Adventists
  8. The Catholic Church's View on the Jewish People and Religion
  9. The Catholic Church and Islam
  10. Why I'd Probably Be Bahá'í If I Weren't So Deeply Catholic
  11. The Catholic Church and Hinduism
  12. The Catholic Church and Buddhism

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11. 🎥 Catholic Apologetics & Recommended Resources

  1. 30 YouTube Channels Catholics Should Know
  2. Female and Black Catholic YouTubers Worth Discovering
  3. The Anti-Catholic Conversion Industry
  4. Bible Verses That Prove the Catholic Church
  5. Catholic Q & A

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12. 📰 Catholicism & Public Life

Articles examining Catholic teaching, history, contemporary issues, national holidays, and public affairs.

  1. Pope Leo XIV: The First American Pope
  2. President Trump, Pope Leo, and the Catholic Way to Disagree
  3. A Catholic Reflection on American Independence Day and America's 250th Birthday
  4. Why I Can Be Catholic—and Still Support ICE
  5. You Can't Support ICE and Be Catholic!
  6. The Genocide of Christians in Nigeria
  7. A Catholic Perspective on the Israel–Palestine Conflict
  8. Catholics and Palestine: The Cry of the Innocent
  9. Antisemitism, Holocaust Denial, and the Demands of Catholic Truth
  10. The Church Fathers and Antisemitism
  11. The Catholic Church and Native Americans
  12. The Catholic Faith and Veterans Day: Patriotism, Peace, and Christian Duty
  13. Thanksgiving in the United States: A Catholic Perspective

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13. 🕯 Saints, Feasts & Catholic Tradition

  1. Saint Feast Days
  2. Ancient Churches and Christian Sites
  3. Saint Anthony of Padua: Faith, Bread, Lilies, and Italian Devotion
  4. All Saints Day and All Souls Day: Italian-American Traditions
  5. My Reflection on All Souls Day
  6. Halloween Is All Hallows' Eve
  7. Thanksgiving in the United States: A Catholic Perspective

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14. 📚 Historical Fiction & Creative Catholic Writing

  1. The Last Shepherds of Zion
  2. The Rock in the Tiber: A Historical Novel of the Early Church in Rome
  3. The Last Judgment

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15. ⚙ Behind the Scenes & Blog Updates

  1. Using AI Like ChatGPT Ethically: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at My Creative Process
  2. Growing Our Audience: Over 114,000 Page Views and Counting!
  3. Pope Leo XIV to Undergo Lung Surgery

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Why I Am Catholic

Thank you for visiting my Catholic blog. Whether you are a lifelong Catholic, a convert, someone considering returning to the Church, a Protestant interested in Catholic teaching, or simply curious about Christianity, I hope these articles will help you discover the beauty, history, and truth of the Catholic faith.

I believe that Jesus Christ founded a visible, apostolic, sacramental Church and entrusted it with the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and guiding humanity toward salvation.

My goal is to defend that faith honestly, using Scripture, Sacred Tradition, historical evidence, reason, and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

This Table of Contents will continue to grow as new articles are published.

✝ Christ Is King!

"Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope."

— 1 Peter 3:15

Chris M. Forte
Why I Am Catholic

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