Catholics - Are They Christians?

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redkim:
I never met a Catholic who didn’t know they were Christian. However, I have met some people who said they were Catholic “before” they became Christian. Why? Because they were brain-washed by their “born again” friends into thinking they weren’t Christian before.
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I just had a similar discussion tonight. One of my best friends who is a nondenominational Christian was talking about another friend whose husband just converted from Greek Orthodox to Christian and how it was really uncomfortable with his family while they were visiting Greece this summer. She said her friend was so happy for her husband to finally be Christian. I said “Greek Orthodox are Christian” and she was dumbfounded, I began to explain and related how their theology is so similar to Catholic and I got this look of shock. I tried to explain what a shock it would be for his family. I stopped myself from acting sad, but really I was… how sad to give up such a beautiful religion for something so barren and lacking in theology and tradition!!!
 
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MGEISING:
I am laughing :whacky: … but this is very sad … and this is exactly why I thought I would introduce this thread to the forum. You should see me ask my CCD kids … two basic questions
  1. Are Catholics Christians? :eek:
  2. Are all Christians Catholic?
Makes for a great class and great How Wants To Be Catholic question 👍
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Here is one of the areas in which you err; We do not make people Christians! The Holy Spirit does so when we accept Jesus as our personal LORD and SAVIOUR. It is God that worketh in you both to do and to will according to His good pleasure.

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
 
For some of us, it has become merely a short-hand for the purposes of showing the distinction. That doesn’t make it correct.

I have caught myself using the expression “I’m a Catholic” in the sense of “as opposed to Christian” since I became a Catholic Christian. Of all people, I should know that we Catholics practice the Christian faith, The Way, The Way of the Cross, in its essentials exactly as the first Christians practiced it, even before they were commonly known as Christians. It was one of the major realizations that caused me to become Catholic in the first place.

By using the short-hand we do perpetuate what many protestants firmly believe, that they are Christian and we are not.
 
ShamHy89: “I say that we should celebrate our history in this country, especially the Revolution if we live in New England, because our area is alive with it!” A little off topic, but as you mentioned it, I thought I’d point out that the very idea of a revolution is very contrary to Catholic teaching, is it not? So while we can study the history of it, I do not see how a faithful Catholic can support the idea of the Revolution.
 
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Poisson:
I was in a hospital waiting room once and there was a grieving family who had a loved one undergoing emergency surgery. A pastor was being introduced to some of the family members and he said “Nice to meet you are you Christians too?” they said “Oh no, we’re Catholics.” The pastor nodded and said “Oh I see.”
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We have to be sensitive to hyperbole as well. Sometimes people make a point by saying they are Catholic, and not Christian. By emphasizing they are Catholic. It’s only an emphasis, not a factual statement.

Kinda like Jesus saying call no man father, then calling Abraham their Father.😉
 
When my dd was much younger she had a hard time understanding the differences between Catholic, Protestant & Christian. She thought all Christians were Catholic, so she thought my Protestant parents weren’t Christian. Took some doing to get her straightened out!

I have our farm motto, which is the Bible verse in my sig, displayed on our booth at the Farmer’s Market. Several people have noted it and ask if I’m a Christian. I always say yes. Then they ask which church I go to. I say, Immaculate Conception. The usual response is shocked silence! 😃
 
I have run into many people who question the Christianity of Catholics, too. Of course Catholics are Christians - we were the first followers of Christ!!

I just asked my 12 year old daughter if she was a Christian - she answered yes, I am. I asked her if she was a Catholic - she answered yes again. I then asked her how that could be - she answered “Catholics are Christians.”

I am glad she gets it! :o :o :o :o
 
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trogiah:
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.
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I believe that too, but the reality is there is division and a baptized believer will be raised in the faith of one of the three groups I listed, actually the Protestant group has the most divisions. Kind of goes against scripture…
 
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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.
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I believe that too, but the reality is there are divisions in Christianity and a baptized believer will be raised in the faith on of the three groups I listed. I have also heard Eastern Orthodox Christians get mad when Catholics called themselves Orthodox Christians. I have also seen Catholics get confused when Eastern Orthodox Christians call themselves Catholics.
 
As far as calling people heretics, the shoe of course fits for Protestants, except for those who are not baptized. I never imagined there could be Christians who weren’t baptized, until I got to high school and met some of them. A heretic is a baptized person (making him a Christian) who stubbornly refuses to accept a dogma or doctrine. So some Protestants don’t fit the technical definition of heresy because they have never become members of the body of Christ, and thus never Christians. While I hope that those acting out of ignorance will be excused their fault, the Bible is quite clear on the myriad effects of baptism (forgiveness of sins, regeneration in the Spirit, incorporation into the body of Christ, death to sin, adoption as a child of God, etc.) as well as its necessity (Jn 3:5). “Accepting Christ” doesn’t make one Christian. Baptism does.
 
Andreas, remember there is baptism of desire. These Protestants see baptism as symbolic…and a declaration, not an actual sacrament. Read CCC#1257-1261. God bless.
(And yes I realize that you must be aware of this as you entrusted them to God’s mercy…but I just thought it might be helpful to read the requirements for such a baptism).
 
Veronica Anne:
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.

😛
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Theoretically, you are correct, BUT…

I have always maintained that most of us cradle Catholics grew up with Catholicism as a “culture” or “tradition” rather than a faith.
Reason being, we go to church on Sundays, we do not eat meat on Fridays, we go for the midnight masses, etc all without a second thought about “why”.

We did them because our parents brought us or made us.

It is later on in life that we learn the significance of what we did.

However, I am not complaining. I was a practising Catholic before I became a knowlegdeable one.

🙂
 
I remember one time talking to someone to whom i was trying to explain that Catholics ARE Christians. I remember it going in circles forever and i don’t even remember how it ended. It went something like I kept trying to tell him that Catholics are Christians, and he kept saying that they couldn’t be because you can’t belong to two religions…but Catholicism is a part of the Christian religion…but it can’t be because that we be two religions…and AHG! frustration :crying: :mad:

It is sad how confused so many Protestants are about the Catholic Faith and our beliefs.

I remember hearing once that we didn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead and that was why we have Jesus on the Cross on our Crucifixes.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MGEISING
GREAT ANSWER … JUST BECAUSE ONE IS CATHOLIC - DOESN’T MEAN THEY ARE CHRISTIAN!

Tom of Assisi said:
:confused: what does this mean exactly…?]

snipped]😉
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ToA: I can’t but imagine that your question hasn’t already received an answer, but it’s late and I must retire, soon, without viewing the entire thread. Therefore, please read my version of the answer:
One becomes a Catholic at Baptism … one becomes a Christian upon successfully practicing the Catholic Faith. The use of the word ‘successfully’ is redundant. If one practices the Catholic Faith one is successful.
 
It depends. If they’ve experienced true saving faith then yes, if not then no. As a Protestant I believe there will be many Catholics in hell along with many Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, you name it. I also believe there will be many Catholics in heaven. Because I believe that just being a Catholic or whatever does not make you a Christian only faith does.
 
My children asked me if we’re Christian after talking to fundamentalist friends who told them that they weren’t. I told them that Catholics are Christian but not all Christians are Catholic. That settled it for them.
 
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SPOKENWORD:
Some are,some are not. There are many who claim to be christian,but go on living the life of a non christian. :eek:
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I don’t think that’s just a Catholic thing!! 😉
 
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trogiah:
Anyone with real faith in Jesus is part of the one true church.
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How do you believe this works in light of the conflicting and contradictory beliefs held among those with real faith in Jesus? Can conflicting and contradictory belief exist side by side in the one true church? If so, on what do you base your belief that they can. If not, how can all those with real faith in Jesus yet who hold conflicting and contradictory beliefs to others with real faith in Jesus still all be in the one true church? Thanks!
 
Catholic4aReasn said:
How do you believe this works in light of the conflicting and contradictory beliefs held among those with real faith in Jesus? Can conflicting and contradictory belief exist side by side in the one true church? If so, on what do you base your belief that they can. If not, how can all those with real faith in Jesus yet who hold conflicting and contradictory beliefs to others with real faith in Jesus still all be in the one true church? Thanks!
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Good point.

I think that something can be said of genuine, good ol’ fashioned ignorance though. When I was Evangelical, I loved Jesus Christ and the Bible with all that I knew to be right. I told my God that what I desired was truth and that on my faith journey, anything that I came to understand (intellectually) to be false, I had an obligation before my God to cast that idea or teaching away.

If my conscience convicts me that it’s wrong and I disobey than it’s sin.

Paul stresses this point at the end of Romans 14:23 when he says, “whatever is not of FAITH is sin”. That means if I understand any teaching to be false and can find no way to justify it, to hold onto it would amount to rebellion toward God, it being not of faith.

St. Paul also begins Romans by stating in Romans 2:12-16 that there will be a judgement of conscience for those who die apart from the law. So honest and I re-emphasize HONEST ignorance will be taken into consideration If I’m not correct?

As I studied history and the claims of the Catholic church over a four year period, I could not justify what I believed in light of the overwhelming evidence I was finding to support the Catholic faith. Some have not come to this place and honestly feel they are in the right, are they held accountable to what they truely do not understand? Will God send some to hell if me are honestly seeking Him and pure truth? Maybe I am wrong, I’m open to hearing opposing points of view.
Mary concieved wihtout sin pray for us
 
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