Catholics - Are They Christians?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MGEISING
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
40.png
MGEISING:
I know so many catholic’s that don’t recognize that they are Christians. Have you ever experienced this with anyone. I remember My old hair dresser made the comment, or I grew up Catholic, but now I am a Christian. :eek: :eek: :eek:

I helped her understand where she went wrong in her sentence! 👍

Why not define what you mean by “Catholic” & by “Christian” ?​

 
Catholicism=Orthodox Christianity

Any faith other than Catholicism is heterodox Christianity.
 
40.png
ServusChristi:
Catholicism=Orthodox Christianity

Any faith other than Catholicism is heterodox Christianity.
👍 Have you said that to a Fundamentalist Independant Baptist?

Would love to know how they reacted … I only could imagine!

Thanks!
 
No I haven’t. Saying the truth so plainly makes it difficult to get off on the right foot. People have to be eased into realizing their errors.
 
Psalm45:9:
I remember at College while attending a party, we got into a religious discussion. Somebody told me that Catholics weren’t Christians, I said “yes they are, Christianity is divided into three groups: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.” She would not accept my answer, it was frustrating. However I sometimes place Catholics and Orthodox Christians on the same level because they still have the sacraments and doctrines that we can agree on. I looked up the definition of Christian in the dictonary, it said that a Christian is a disciple of Christ, hence the name.
So many labels. This reply seems to state the problem most clearly (even if that wasn’t the intention.)

“Christianity is divided into three groups” That right there is a great scandal. One that has polluted all of us to one extent or another. Jesus I am certain never wished for division among those who believe in him. Any time we hear any labels distinguishing between those who believe in Jesus we should remember the words stated by John XXIII and echoed by JPII "That which seperates us as believers in Christ is far less than what unites us.

Pope John Paul II wrote a chapter in his book on lost Christian unity that I think is worth reading for anyone interested in this thread.

Anyone with real faith in Jesus is part of the one true church. I think those raised in the Catholic tradition have an advantage in forming that faith but that advantage can be lost if details of tradition become more important than the real faith.

peace

-Jim
 
<<>>

Our Holy Father was so right…It is important for us to remember to focus on that which binds us, and pray that those things that divide us will someday no longer do so.
Someone on this thread has said that all Protestants are heretics…I take offense at that. The Protestants of today are not heretics, because, for the great part, they have not turned away from the teachings of the Catholic Church…They have simply been born into their faith, as we all have, and have never known the “fullness of faith” that “subsists” within the Catholic Church (Lumen Gentium). One cannot deny a truth one has never known. (see CCC 2089)


**I know many Protestants…mostly Evangelicals, and they are, indeed, Christians…Their faith in and love for Jesus is not to be belittled, but admired. **
 
40.png
MGEISING:
I know so many catholic’s that don’t recognize that they are Christians.
Am I Christian? Yes, I’m with the original Christians, I’m Catholic.
 
40.png
ServusChristi:
Catholicism=Orthodox Christianity

Any faith other than Catholicism is heterodox Christianity.
How about the Orthodox Church?
 
Since Catholics make up the majority in the world, what are the perceived Catholic countries? What about the good old red, white and blue? Catholic or Protestant?
40.png
DominvsVobiscvm:
This false distinction is a relic of the anti-Catholcisim of the founding fathers of America.

Ironically, I’ve heard that in Catholic countries, the opposite distinction occurs. Catholics are called “Christians” and Protestants are called “Protestant.”
 
40.png
fix:
Protestants are all heretics. I know The CC frowns on that sort of language in regard to our separated bretheren these days, but it is technically accurate.
Strong words, but truthful. And the truth often times hurts. However, when it comes to the salvation of one’s soul, truth, such as it is, given the right opportunity, needs to be relayed to our separated bretheran on a more frequent basis. Really, do they (Protestants) hold back when speaking to Catholics about their perceived truths?? “Be not ashamed.”
 
The Orthodox are not completely “orthodox,” but they are moreso than Protestants.
40.png
ralopez:
Since Catholics make up the majority in the world, what are the perceived Catholic countries? What about the good old red, white and blue? Catholic or Protestant?
Catholicism is the largest religious denomination, but I’m afraid we don’t make up the majority of the world, by a long shot. Of the world’s six billion inhavitants, only a little more than a billion are Catholic.

By “Catholic country,” I mean one in which more than half of its populace is Catholic.
 
40.png
Mike:
Many protestants does not label Catholics as Christians. They all think that Catholics are Mary worshippers and are out of touch with Christ’s teachings. I was there.

Christians = followers of Christ

Therefore, you need to rephrase the question… are Catholics the followers of Christ?

Hope this helps… 👍
I don’t think it’s as important to consider how protestants define the word Christian.
 
40.png
DominvsVobiscvm:
The Orthodox are not completely “orthodox,” but they are moreso than Protestants.

Catholicism is the largest religious denomination, but I’m afraid we don’t make up the majority of the world, by a long shot. Of the world’s six billion inhavitants, only a little more than a billion are Catholic.

By “Catholic country,” I mean one in which more than half of its populace is Catholic.
Name the countries you are referring too?
 
Like I said before, this usage of words is just something I “heard.”

I think most of Brazil’s population is Catholic. Maybe Italy and Spain?

Look it up yourself somewhere.
 
CD4 said:
<<>>

Our Holy Father was so right…It is important for us to remember to focus on that which binds us, and pray that those things that divide us will someday no longer do so.
Someone on this thread has said that all Protestants are heretics…I take offense at that. The Protestants of today are not heretics, because, for the great part, they have not turned away from the teachings of the Catholic Church…They have simply been born into their faith, as we all have, and have never known the “fullness of faith” that “subsists” within the Catholic Church (Lumen Gentium). One cannot deny a truth one has never known. (see CCC 2089)


**I know many Protestants…mostly Evangelicals, and they are, indeed, Christians…Their faith in and love for Jesus is not to be belittled, but admired. **

What about a Catholic who once believed and partook in the church’s teachings then freely turned away and rejected the church for the teachings and doctrines of a Protestant church. Would you consider that person and others like them, heretics?
 
40.png
DominvsVobiscvm:
Like I said before, this usage of words is just something I “heard.”

I think most of Brazil’s population is Catholic. Maybe Italy and Spain?

Look it up yourself somewhere.
My suspicions were correct. You didn’t know what countries you were talking about…
 
40.png
hermit:
Pope Pius XII was a lousy example of a christian.
I musta missed something there… how come you say Pius XII was a lousy example of a Christian?
 
40.png
trogiah:
Anyone with real faith in Jesus is part of the one true church. I think those raised in the Catholic tradition have an advantage in forming that faith but that advantage can be lost if details of tradition become more important than the real faith.

peace

-Jim
Um, as a cradle Catholic, I was NOT raised in the “Catholic tradition.”

There’s no such thing as a “Catholic tradition.”

Catholicism is a Faith… a religion… not a “tradition.”

Our Faith has got three legs:

Holy Scripture
Holy Tradition
the Magesterium

Each of them complement and do not contradict each other. They can’t.

I hope I don’t come off sounding nasty here. I certainly do not mean to sound like that. Just straightening out defintions and terminology so that we can be speaking apples to apples, oranges to oranges.

Yikes! Talking about food there… reminds me that it’s dinner time… gotta run!

😛
 
I was 9 years old the first time a classmate began arguing that if I was Catholic I was not a Christian. I was 7 the first time I went to a friend’s little Bible group at her church and the teachers started drilling me about Mary and telling me I better become Christian because Catholics worship Mary…I guess you could say I was called to apologetics at an early age, because it was sink or swim.🙂 Of course Catholics are Christian, Catholics were the first Christians. All denominations of Christianity can trace their roots back to the Catholic Church whether they admit it or not.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top