Yes, there are many followers of Christ who are not Catholics…world wide the numbers of non-Catholic Christians (Protestant or Orthodox) are pretty close to those of the Catholic Church. If you are not currently attending a church, I would urge you strongly to do so be it Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox. It is important to fellowship and worship together with other Christians.
Indeed. The church is not a shrine for saints, it is a hospital for sinners. A lot of known sinners hang out in Catholic churches - where else should I go?
The word “Christian” doesn’t have a defined meaning set in stone. You could say that Christians are all people describing themselves as such, maybe qualify that with “sncerely describing themsleves as such”. Or you could say it is all those who follow Jesus, which would leave us wondering how to exclude Muslims, or all those who accept the divinity of Jesus, which would exclude Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and so on. You could say it is all thsoe with abtism recognised by the Catholic church, which would ahve the technical effect of excluding Baptists, since they do not baptise in “the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost”, also some very liberal Protestants who do not sue water at all. Some evangelical groups with no big denomination to belong to say that Christians are all evanagelicals with similar beliefs to theirs, thus excluding Catholics, Orthodox, and mainstream Protestants.
Of course you are a christain.
I won’t mention names, but the holiness denomination that I converted from doesn’t have any sinners, whatsoever, they’re all sanctified and living perfect sinless lives!
But there is a difference between sinners who follow Christ and sinners who don’t know Christ. It’s just plain inexcusable how many of the latter there are in the Catholic Church.
…I could go on and on. Not enough stars in the sky to describle what I feel in my heart.This is one way to look at it.
Ah, our resident relativistThis is one way to look at it.
Damo 73, not everyone, including our Catholic friends, are as strident as Caesar here. Well, we’ll just render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.
As affirmed by everyone else in this thread, if you are baptised, profess Christ crucified and follow him as the risen Lord, you are one of his disciples. It sounds like you are on the right path. If you haven’t already, find yourself a good Church, Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox, and continue your walk with God.
So if someone was to find a Bible and reads it ,and they accepted Christ as Lord ,and they repent of there sins and there is no Roman Catholic priest to enable them to become a part of the Roman church and this person dies they are then a heretic and go to hell?Ah, our resident relativist
Doesnt matter what you believe, it’s all good…
Thats a nice thing to believe, but intellectual bliss is often ignorance. The Church has always held that relativism is contrary to the teachings of Christ. It is not “all good”. There is but one Truth, and the fullness of that Truth is the Catholic Faith. Anything less is heretical Christianity.
Not really. A person baptized with a valid Trinitarian baptism is a Christian, plain and simple. He’s a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, having been baptized into Christ.
Following Christ and being a Christian are two different things. Those Christians who don’t follow Christ are dead, as opposed ot the living Christians who do live their faith.
This does happen alot…
I may be wrong, but I believe there was a touch of sarcasm in McKevin’s statement “it is possible to be a Roman Catholic (by name & association) and not be a Christian”.Not really. A person baptized with a valid Trinitarian baptism is a Christian, plain and simple. He’s a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, having been baptized into Christ.
Following Christ and being a Christian are two different things. Those Christians who don’t follow Christ are dead, as opposed ot the living Christians who do live their faith.
Just a minor nuance, but an important one
Jeremy
That’s the Catholic way to look at it.This is one way to look at it.
They should be. What separates us from our fellow Christians is either schism (in the case of the Orthodox) or heresy (in the case of Protestants). What Caesar said is entirely Catholic and accurate; what you’ve said isn’t.
“Everyone else”? Did you bother to read what Caesar wrote? He said, “The fullness of the Christian faith is to be found only in Christ’s Church, under His Holiness the Pope. There is but one true faith- and then there is heresy.” Even he did not deny your claim here. Your claim, though true, is lacking: you fail to distinguish between disciples who are effectively the blind following the blind, and disciples who are led by the Bride and Body of Christ. That’s an important distinction to make.
Maybe he should flip a coin, since truth doesn’t matter, apparently.
Of course not. It’s only those people who’ve culpably rejected the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church that will go to hell for their mortal sin.
No, what Ceasar was saying is that you might be a Christian, but you won’t be the best Christian you can be until in full communion with the Catholic Church. You won’t be an answer to Christ’s prayer “that they all be one, as You and I are one,” until you’re received into the Catholic Church.
If you think ofI won’t mention names, but the holiness denomination that I converted from doesn’t have any sinners, whatsoever, they’re all sanctified and living perfect sinless lives!
1st Timothy Chapter 1, Verse 15 “This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.”
Thank GOD for His Grace and his Church
Peace!
Mick
Cincinnati, Ohio, instead of
George Bernard Shaw when someone says “GBS”, you may be a
former holiness church memebr!!Nope, I’m not a relativist. Personally, I think the fullness of Christianity is to be found outside of the Catholic Church. Recognizing that I’m posting at Catholic Answers, I didn’t want to just come out and say that. Moreover, I recognize that Catholics are Christian and therefore I’d rather have someone attend a Catholic Church than no church. I’ve told people that in person as well. Relativism is not the issue, Caesar.Ah, our resident relativist
Doesnt matter what you believe, it’s all good…
Thats a nice thing to believe, but intellectual bliss is often ignorance. The Church has always held that relativism is contrary to the teachings of Christ. It is not “all good”. There is but one Truth, and the fullness of that Truth is the Catholic Faith. Anything less is heretical Christianity.
