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Damo73
Guest
I believe that Jesus Died on the cross for my sins and i have been baptized and try to follow his word,however since i am not a Roman catholic am i still a christian?
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Dale_M
Guest
Of course you are Christian! 
You are just missing out on the fullness of the truth. But so far, so good.
You are just missing out on the fullness of the truth. But so far, so good.
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forthright
Guest
Even in Mark 9:38-41 we see that in Jesus’ own time there were “Christians” who where not fully connected to Jesus and his Apostles. Being outside of the Catholic Church does not make you a non-Christian. But it does prevent you from being as close to Christ as you could be.
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havemercy
Guest
And it would be risky to be missing out on the graces one receives in the sacraments, the Church itself being the sacrament of salvation.
Why wouldn’t you want to be Catholic?, is what I’d like to ask every non-Catholic Christian?
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Trelow
Guest
That’s like saying " Can I get a Chevelle, but not with the SS package?"
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Mommyof02green
Guest
Cathecism of the Catholic Church paragraph 818:
It’s just just our opinion! We are taught by the Church that you are a Christian! God Bless.
web-link to Cathecism of the Catholic Church: usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p3.htm
It’s just just our opinion! We are taught by the Church that you are a Christian! God Bless.
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MrS
Guest
And just what do you think Jesus would have driven?? if He could afFORD it??
Damo 73:
Jesus did tell all of those who believe in Him, that He would send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to lead us into all truth.
However, that promise was given to The Apostles alone, and through their successors, we will and have been led to Truth over the last 2000 years.
The responsibility and that authority was never recinded, and never shared or delegated to anyone outside the Church He founded.
Thus the Fullness of the Faith is only found in the Catholic Church… and I would pray that all Christians would have the goal to share in that fullness of the faith.
God will bless you for your acceptance of His Son… and He will bless you even more for submission to the authoritative Church He graced us with.
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VociMike
Guest
Indeed!
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McKevin
Guest
Hi Damo73,
I’m not a preacher and I’m not a teacher and all I can tell is what happened to me…
I was first a Christian, and then joined the Roman Catholic Church in 2002 (thanks in a big way to Catholic Answers!). A parish program called RCIA did a good job of answering questions like this (and many more) for me and then led me into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. I recommend that you should contact a local parish and ask them about RCIA.
It’s great to be part of the church that Christ founded! There is so much more to being a Christian then I could have ever imagined. I’m learning new things about the faith every day.
The hardest adjustment for me has been a realization that it is possible to be a Roman Catholic (by name & association) and not be a Christian…I go to a big parish and I’m telling you that all of the members are not following Christ. So, study the Church, the Catechism, and keep your eyes on Christ - but don’t let any of the habits or sins of the parishioners play a factor in your decision…
Peace!
Mick
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MrS
Guest
excellant observation… many thanks for saying it so directly.
“… not everyone who says Lord, Lord…”
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EBSSTF4
Guest
On Pentecost the Apostles founded only one church. Over the last two thousand years many people have left the Catholic Church because they found something more “convenient”.
The hope of salvation for a non-catholic relies on a combination of ignorance, and the grace of God. The more you know about the church the harder it is to find that salvation from the outside. The fact you asked the question tells me that you know joining the church is the best way to gain entrance into heaven.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.” The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.
I may be a little off topic but eternity is a long time.
The hope of salvation for a non-catholic relies on a combination of ignorance, and the grace of God. The more you know about the church the harder it is to find that salvation from the outside. The fact you asked the question tells me that you know joining the church is the best way to gain entrance into heaven.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.” The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.
I may be a little off topic but eternity is a long time.
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LittleRose
Guest
Yes, this is (sadly) often true, not only of Catholic parishes, but in other denominations as well.
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McKevin
Guest
I like how my German friends identify with being a Christian…they say “Ich bin Kristlich”, which literally translated means “I am Christ-like”. How cool is that?
So, tell me Damo73 (or anyone) - what does it mean to “be a Christian”?
Mick
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scylla
Guest
I invite you to become Catholic,
even though it might sound crazy to you.
Catholicism looks pretty bad from the outside, it is like an old Church all faded and crusty outside.
Come and take a peek inside and it is more beautiful than you can imagine.
Follow Jesus and make a commitment to follow Him anywhere and you will find Catholicism. Follow Jesus and love Him and recieve Him every time you come to Church as a Catholic.
Love Jesus and witness your faith and you can do that as a Catholic.
It might even be repulsive to think of it as Catholicism is foreign to many non-catholics until they open their hearts and realize it is home.
Pray about it and open your heart, and investigate. You have only to gain by investigating, and so much to lose if you never investigate and it is true.
God Bless
Scylla
even though it might sound crazy to you.
Catholicism looks pretty bad from the outside, it is like an old Church all faded and crusty outside.
Come and take a peek inside and it is more beautiful than you can imagine.
Follow Jesus and make a commitment to follow Him anywhere and you will find Catholicism. Follow Jesus and love Him and recieve Him every time you come to Church as a Catholic.
Love Jesus and witness your faith and you can do that as a Catholic.
It might even be repulsive to think of it as Catholicism is foreign to many non-catholics until they open their hearts and realize it is home.
Pray about it and open your heart, and investigate. You have only to gain by investigating, and so much to lose if you never investigate and it is true.
God Bless
Scylla
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irishmac
Guest
Thank you for providing such a timely segway.
I had this thought the other day. I know most people on this forum have heard that Catholics have the Crucifix hanging in their church because Christ is dead, but Protestants simply have a cross hanging because Christ has already risen. Well, I have another way to look at it.
Imagine you were in Jerusalem on that most important of days in 33 A.D., standing outside the gates, looking towards Golgotha. What would you see? The cross! Now imagine, same time period, that you followed this teacher around Galilee, going almost everywhere he was. And imagine that you followed this teacher through the torment and agony during the march to Golgotha, only to watch Him nailed to a cross, the Crucifix!
This is the way I see it. Catholics have the Crucifix because we have the fullness of the Faith. All Christians can see the cross, from whatever distance they choose to remain, but the Catholic Church because we’ve been there from the beginning.
I beg your pardon and pray for your forgiveness for the slight highjacking of this thread.
I just thought I’d share my perspective.
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MrS
Guest
Kind of like the stained glass windows in the Catholic Churches … so much more beautiful from the inside.
The non-Catholic churches styled after those Catholic churches are also beautiful from the inside… but they could never rise to the theology found in the pictures depicted on those windows.
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mrs_abbott
Guest
A Christian is a follower of Christ.
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MrS
Guest
And a Catholic Christian should accept all that He taught and did even when we can’t fully understand… the strongest faith in a person is that faith that begs for more faith.A Christian is a follower of Christ.
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