A Sincere Honest Question To Non- Catholics.

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Gigglin4God

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I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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Is there a reason why you can’t say you are Christian? It would seem to me that if you like the term you could use it. Does it make you feel disloyal to Catholicism to say “Christian” instead of “Catholic?”

Most non-Catholics who say this are actually trying to focus on what believers have in common rather than the beliefs that separate them.

Does that help any?
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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i think this is a fair question. many hide behind Christianity but they question Christian teachings; they adhere to their private interpretations, and attest to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but close their eyes to the fact that the Holy Spirit does not contradict the truth, they reject and despise the magisterium, the teaching authority of the Catholic Church yet believe in the Bible as compiled by the Church w/ the leading of the Holy Spirit, and on and on . . Good luck to your thread.👍
God bless.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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Gigglin given that the word catholic simply means universal I don’t understand why RCs still refer to themselves as catholic. What does it mean to say I’m universal??

Be that as it may people say Christian because they prefer not to get caught up in a labelling game plus scripture tells us that the followers of Christ were called Christians. All throughout church history followers of Jesus were and are called Christians. Catholic was a word Ignatius used to describe the church. Saying wherever Jesus is there is the Katholicos/Universal church. We’re all part of the universal church of Christ but our religion is Christian. Roman Catholicism, Lutheran, Presbyterian etc are all denominations within Christianity. But the umbrella religion we fall under is Christian. Just like the Religion of Judaism has different sects within, the umbrella they fall under is still Judaism. When asking a Jewish person their religion they usually won’t respond with Orthodox or Hasidic. Although I’m sure some will but most I meet just say Jewish.

Catholics absolutely are Christian and I wouldn’t take it as a slap in the face as I don’t believe it’s meant this way. Try not being defensive about it or don’t take it personal. It seems you are assuming it to be a slap in the face.

PEACE
 
I’m with Non Serviam and NDfan on this one. I did put Christian in my profile, because that is what I am. And in saying Christian, I would never think to say that it would mean that someone else *isn’t * also Christian.

It simply depends on the level of specificity someone wants to know. Generally, I would say that I am Protestant (until I officially am Confirmed at Easter Vigil). It wouldn’t occur to me to give my specific denomination if someone asked my religion…that would come up if someone were specific enough to ask what denomination I was.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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Gigglin, (Love the handle, btw),
I’m really perplexed as to why you would feel this way. If you came to ask me what sport I like, and I said baseball, would you think that I am insulting you because you are an Astros fan, and I didn’t itentify myself as a Phillies fan?
If you ask me my religion, I will say Christian. If you ask me what church I attend or which denomination, I’ll say Lutheran. If you further ask me what synod, I’ll say LCMS. We are talking about growing specificity.
If you tell me you are Catholic, or I tell you I am Lutheran, we both know the other is Christian. If you are concerned about those who say Catholics are not Christian, they are a relative few, and full of donkey dust, at that. Don’t fret over them.

Now I will say that here on CAF, I appreciate it when posters identify themselves in their profile with greater specificity than Christian, because it helps in dialogue knowing what someone’s perspective is.

Jon
 
JonNC said:
Now I will say that here on CAF, I appreciate it when posters identify themselves in their profile with greater specificity than Christian, because it helps in dialogue knowing what someone’s perspective is.
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I may change it in the profile after I’m officially Catholic, but until then it’ll probably stay as it is. It’s just that otherwise, there are so many mistaken assumptions that can come up about what one’s perspective is.
 
Lizziebel said:
I may change it in the profile after I’m officially Catholic, but until then it’ll probably stay as it is. It’s just that otherwise, there are so many mistaken assumptions that can come up about what one’s perspective is.
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Lizziebel,
Hope you don’t think I was targeting you with the comment. I hadn’t even checked your profile. Sorry if you thought that. I wasn’t trying to specifically call anyone out. :o

Jon
 
Oh, I didn’t think that at all! 🙂

My point really was just that the greater level of specificity in the profile might not always help as much as one might want it to, and can lead to mistaken assumptions about what the other person’s perspective is.
 
JonNC said:
Gigglin, (Love the handle, btw),
I’m really perplexed as to why you would feel this way. If you came to ask me what sport I like, and I said baseball, would you think that I am insulting you because you are an Astros fan, and I didn’t itentify myself as a Phillies fan?
If you ask me my religion, I will say Christian. If you ask me what church I attend or which denomination, I’ll say Lutheran. If you further ask me what synod, I’ll say LCMS. We are talking about growing specificity.
If you tell me you are Catholic, or I tell you I am Lutheran, we both know the other is Christian. If you are concerned about those who say Catholics are not Christian, they are a relative few, and full of donkey dust, at that. Don’t fret over them.

Now I will say that here on CAF, I appreciate it when posters identify themselves in their profile with greater specificity than Christian, because it helps in dialogue knowing what someone’s perspective is.

Jon
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Hey Jon. Thank you. I think I finally understand. You ought to swat me in the face with a pillow for being such a silly nilly. I understand now. So in the future I will ask what denomination they belong to since we are all Christians. Jane Understand. Tarzan good teacher. LOLOL Thank you for clearing this up and for the comment on my handle.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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I honestly don’t think (at least I hope not) that most people who answer like that means to say that RCs aren’t Christians.
Maybe they’re so ecumenical that they don’t want to have one particular label stuck to them. Or some might indeed think of themselves as “non-denominationalists”, and use the all-encompassing “Christian” about themselves.

Although there ARE jerks outthere (Jack Chick-types) who’d say that RCs aren’t Christians, I would think, and hope, that it is the vast minority.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too?
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Of course, they can be and are.👍

Now I have to ask, why do Catholics usually refer to me (for example) as a non-Catholic, rather than bothering to learn my denomination and enunciate it. I don’t refer to them as non-Episcopalians (usually).
 
When someone asks me what is my faith tradition…or what “religion” I belong to…I tell them I am a “Friend” or “Quaker”…or “member of the Religious Society of Friends”…rarely do I say “Christian”…because I understand them to be asking more about what tradition I belong to than if I am a “Christian”…I like to think that is apparant already and that understanding is what is spurring the question being asked.

I have asked a similar question and get the answers “Christian”…upon further clarification they will finally tell me what tradition they belong to…not meaning to be divisive…but I usually get the answer “Christian” from those who have more conservative or fundamentalist leanings…even though they may attend a Baptist or Pentacostal church fellowship…usually when the answer given is “Christian” I am immediately “clued in” as to their particular persuasion and conservative leanings.
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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I too would respond I am a Christian.

It would have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you are Catholic.

But to me the order is Christian first, the group I hang around with second.

If I were to move to another community, I might not necessarily remain with the denomination I am now. However, I certainly would not become Muslim.
 
Gigglin4God said:
Hey Jon. Thank you. I think I finally understand. You ought to swat me in the face with a pillow for being such a silly nilly. I understand now. So in the future I will ask what denomination they belong to since we are all Christians. Jane Understand. Tarzan good teacher. LOLOL Thank you for clearing this up and for the comment on my handle.
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Tarzan happy to help Jane. 😃

No swatting with a pillow, though. I personally don’t know what your experiences have been. It is possible you have run into the “Catholics aren’t Christian” kooks, and therefore bring away a soured perspective of noncatholics. My hope would be to sweeten your view of us to a degree. 🙂

Jon
 
Gigglin4God said:
I have a question for you out there who are Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church Of Christ and other Denominations. Please dont think of me attacking you all or singling you out because that is the last thing I would want to do. I respect all denominations of faith. I want to ask you a very respectful question. When I go up to someone of a different denomination of faith and ask them what religion they are, they say that they are Christians. I am a Catholic and feel like those who answer that way, is almost slapping me in the face because I am a Catholic. It is almost like Catholics to them arent Christians. Why dont you all just say that you are either Baptists, Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly Of God, Church of Christ, Penecostal, Presbyterian and all of the other denominations? I mean to you, Cant Catholics be Christians too? Please I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest here. I just would like a simple answer. Thank you for your time. Peace and Love. Gigglin.
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ON THIS FROUM I THINK THEY JUST SAY CHRISTIAN BECAUSE THET WILL GET QUESTIONS THEY CAN NOT ANSWER.
 
NDfan said:
Gigglin given that the word catholic simply means universal I don’t understand why RCs still refer to themselves as catholic.
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Historically “Catholic” has always implied a claim to be the true, universal Church as opposed to false versions of Christianity (such as the Gnostics) or to ultra-strict groups that split away and established their own churches because they thought the mainstream church was corrupt (such as the Montanists). It has never just meant “anyone calling themselves Christian.”

But if what you say were true, the question could be turned round on you: why don’t you go around claiming to be Catholic? (We Anglicans do, and Roman Catholics hate it.)

Edwin
 
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