Because the Church says so...

I've often found myself in discussions with friends, family, and random people who refuse to accept "because the Church says so" as an acceptable response, equating it with a lack of education and inability to think for oneself. To that point, this article by Ms. Emily Stimpson gives a beautiful response. 

“Because the Church says so” is indeed reason enough to believe something when you have thought long and hard about what the Church is, by what authority she teaches, and what duty you owe her.

Since Day One, the Church has professed to being Christ’s Bride, Christ’s Body, and the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. She has likewise professed that she is the guardian of both Sacred Revelation and Sacred Tradition, guided by the Holy Spirit in her interpretation of both and protected by him from teaching error on matters of faith and morals (See: Acts 15 and 1 Clement).

If you believe the Church is all that, if you believe she is what she claims to be, trusting her teachings—even when you struggle with them—is the only sensible response. If you don’t believe the Church is what she claims to be, not trusting her teachings is equally sensible. But calling yourself a Catholic is not.

The full article is worth the read and can be found at the CatholicVote.org blog HERE.