Some catechesis from The Anglo-Catholic

From Fr. William "Doc" Holiday:

Believing" is an ecclesial act. The Church's faith precedes, engenders, supports, and nourishes our faith. The Church is the mother of all believers. "No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother" (St. Cyprian, De unit. 6:PL 4, 519).

These words from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (181) speak volumes about a genuine Catholic faith. In particular, they teach us that what we believe is not a faith of our own making. The tenets in which we believe existed long before us, and we are called to embrace these pre-existing principles. We may never presume to parse them in accord with another belief system with which we happen to agree as individuals, because, as stated in the Catechism, "Believing is an ecclesial act." As soon as one is confronted with a theological argument that is prefaced with, "Well, I believe…" or, "_____ s have always [or never] believed _____ …" it can almost be guaranteed that the subsequent reference will deviate from what the Church teaches. Consequently, the position can not be truly Catholic.