Catholicism, Very Mystical Indeed!

Remember this is my take on the subject. But, to a lot of people they see Catholics like a big mystery. And, it is! Still learning after all these years. Judaism is not far behind. The prayers, robes, symbols and more. Why we see the "occult" as being so much from left field is something I still don't understand. The bread and blood of Christ is wafers and wine we must take internally. A symbol. Candles for novenas. To insure your prayers will work and a blessing for you. Confessionals, to relieve ourselves of our sins. Incense, for cleansing. Special medals, a material ones like scapulars made of different colors. And, to have them blessed by a priest. Carry cards with prayers on them for luck.
But, there are some oddball beliefs in this too. Like, you would see statues of the Virgin Mary in front of houses. Even with a light on them. To some people this is because when a prayer of theirs worked. They promised to but the statue outside for everyone to see. Some people, if a prayer didn't work. Might bury the statue of St. Anthony upside down in their front yard. Others have to make the sign of the cross every time they pass a church or cemetery. Some women still wear a hat or lace to church. At one time we had to all do this before entering. And, still others eat fish on Friday's. This is another thing we no longer have to do. But, we have Lent. The fasting. We celebrate Christ rising from the dead every Easter. So, why do we see the paranormal or occult with all the rituals and beliefs so very odd? I don't, to me they are all the same. From all the religions that are out there. Yup, their all the same to me.