diffrence between a catholic and a christian

[mrS4ntA]

Tmerra:

Is there a link or something that helps you locate a Catholic church in my area? I am interested too. Very interested.

Hi Tmerra,

I think masstimes.org will help you. You can enter your post code and the site will give you a list of the nearest parishes.

 

[Kevin_Walker]

steve b:

The “Christians” you speak of probably prefer to call themselves evangelicals, rather than Protestants. But their root, and trunk, is Protestantism.

Oh no, not at all. The Christians I have spoken with (early this afternoon for example) have all referred to themselves specifically as ‘Christians’ and not Protestants at all. In fact, the Christians I have met criticize Protestants and call the findings of Martin Luther and John Calvin to be highly dubious and suspicious. They [Christians] have totally separated themselves from Protestantism.

That is why I am now having a knee jerk reaction when I see the word ‘Christian’, because I now don’t know to what it is referring: Catholics, Protestants, or now - Christians?

The Protestants call the members of the Church of Christ cultists! The Church of Christ Christians argue against the Protestants. One Church of Christ Christian told me they doubted the Vatican’s Holiness in the eyes of God because the Vatican isn’t found in Scripture.

So how do you feel about this emergence of a ‘Christian’ faith as opposed to Protestanism and Catholicism?

 

[Kevin_Walker]

“Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname. The one designates me, while the other makes me specific. Thus am I attested and set apart. When we are called Catholics it is by this appellation that our people are kept apart from any heretical name. [T]
hose [Christian Catholics] alone are embraced in the unity of the Church who are united to the chair of St. Peter.”

-- St. Pacian of Barcelona.​

Hi,

I don’t mean to appear rude, but I don’t think St. Pacian of Barcelona has ever met or debated with an American ‘Christian’ who is neither a Protestant nor a Catholic.

 

[mrS4ntA]

Kevin Walker:

Hi,

I don’t mean to appear rude, but I don’t think St. Pacian of Barcelona has ever met or debated with an American ‘Christian’ who is neither a Protestant nor a Catholic.

a rose by any other name…
they can call themself neo-christians for all I know; the fact remains that they stem (again) from the groups that stem from gourps that stem from goups that stem from … that stem from a man’s protest and dissent from the original Christian Church that then had been in existence as for 1500 years as the only Church. I wouldn’t be surprised if those groups who call themselves “christians not protestants” splintered again: perhaps christian-renewal or christian-bible or whatever.

St Pacian’s wisdom remains. The only unity that those others have with each other (protestants or “christians” or what-nots) is the fact that they protests the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

 

[Milliardo]

Kevin Walker:

Oh no, not at all. The Christians I have spoken with (early this afternoon for example) have all referred to themselves specifically as ‘Christians’ and not Protestants at all.

If they adhere to anything other than what the Church teaches, then they are still Protestant. “Christian” is a very generic term that encompasses all those who believe in Christ–whether Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox. Do you think they have the right to monopolize the term?

In fact, the Christians I have met criticize Protestants and call the findings of Martin Luther and John Calvin to be highly dubious and suspicious. They [Christians] have totally separated themselves from Protestantism.

Thry might be critical of them, but from my experience with these people they still adhere to the teachings of Luther and/or Calvin, so in essence they have never separated themselves from Protestantism…again, no matter what they say to the contrary.

That is why I am now having a knee jerk reaction when I see the word ‘Christian’, because I now don’t know to what it is referring: Catholics, Protestants, or now - Christians?

Well, it would be funny and redundant to call one’s self a Christian Christian, wouldn’t it?

So how do you feel about this emergence of a ‘Christian’ faith as opposed to Protestanism and Catholicism?

Frankly I don’t feel anything. They’re still Protestants, by whatever else term they try to name themselves. Their faith is still stemed from Luther and/or Calvin. Maybe they might try to have their own doctrines, or be “non-denominational” (another term that’s misused, but that’s on another thread)–have a mixed baggage of beliefs taken from Catholic, Protestant, and whatever group is out there. But in the end in the eyes of the Church, they’re still not Catholic.

 

[Kevin_Walker]

Milliardo:

Well, it would be funny and redundant to call one’s self a Christian Christian, wouldn’t it?

YOU READ MY MIND. I was just about to write that the third group would have to be: Catholic Christians, Protestant Christians, and now Christian Christians.

There is a ‘Christian’ group on a Boston area campus which does not at all identify with any Protestant denomination, and especially not the Catholic faith. And they hold their campus Christian meetings all the time.

And I do agree with you that ‘Christians’ are just another subset of Protestantism. The Christians I have met are all against the Catholic Church and have identical Sola Scriptura arguments as do the Prots.

Even though you and I correctly recognize them as just more Protestants, they don’t identify themselves that way. And they are another separate group with anti-Catholic Church sentiments that we will have to contend against eventually.

 

[steve_b]

Kevin Walker:

Oh no, not at all. The Christians I have spoken with (early this afternoon for example) have all referred to themselves specifically as ‘Christians’ and not Protestants at all. In fact, the Christians I have met criticize Protestants and call the findings of Martin Luther and John Calvin to be highly dubious and suspicious. They [Christians] have totally separated themselves from Protestantism.

Kevin,

You should ask them, so why aren’t you Catholic?

The faith has been passed on once and for all from the apostles. Are they saying Jesus couldn’t finish what He started? All this division is a scandal against Jesus. Every yahoo thinking they can start a church and that it gives them the right to speak for Jesus, and add to people’s confusions.

I think you have an opportunity to witness to them.

Jesus founded only one Church. And we are not to divide from it, end of sentence. That is scriptural. Otherwise it would be like saying to Jesus, I won’t do it your way, I’ll do it my way thank you. Isn’t that afterall what got Satan into trouble?

The Catholic Church is not man made, but Divinely made. Protestantism in all its forms, is purely man made. Paul saw what kind of nonesense would happen if division was allowed to happen. And he saw the arrogance behind division. It’s really a defiant act against the faith passed on to us from the apostles. He warned everyone about division and condemned it. That’s why he commends the Church of Rome for their obedience to faith, that has been heard throughout the world. [Rm 1:7…] but also warns them, that those who divide, stay away from these people. He said, they don’t serve Our Lord Jesus christ but their own appetites.[Rm 16:18] Catch that? It really gets to the bottom line.

And if they remain divided from the Church and won’t return to unity, he warned them more than once, that they wouldn’t inherit the kingdom of heaven [Gal 5:19…] Why? Because division is a scandal to Jesus: How so?

1. He prayed that we would be one. And division shows to the world His prayers either landed on deaf, obstinate ears, or He isn’t who He says He is…
2. He’s scandelized as the builder of His Church with divisions. To the world, squabbling divisions all pretending to speak for Jesus looks like He couldn’t finish what he started.[Lk 14:28]
3. Faith is not being obeyed by those divided from Peter [Mt 16:18…] and [Jn 21:15…]. That ultimately is a sin against faith in Jersus Christ, who builds His Church on Peter. Not on Luther, or Calvin, or Henry VIII, or Johm Smyth, etc etc etc. And it’s the Church on Peter that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against…

No wonder Paul puts such a severe penalty on division!
Kevin Walker:

That is why I am now having a knee jerk reaction when I see the word ‘Christian’, because I now don’t know to what it is referring: Catholics, Protestants, or now - Christians?

They are merely magnifying the fact that they are seperated from the one true Church.
Kevin Walker:

The Protestants call the members of the Church of Christ cultists! The Church of Christ Christians argue against the Protestants. One Church of Christ Christian told me they doubted the Vatican’s Holiness in the eyes of God because the Vatican isn’t found in Scripture.

This notion is what Sola scriptura is all about, and sola scriptura is the central dogma for Protestants. It wasn’t heard of until Luther. It’s interesting, their central dogma sola scriptura is NOT taught in scripture. Even Luther admitted he added the word *sola. *

We saw on T.V. this last week, the Church spoken of in scripture. The one who’s faith Paul says is heard all over the world [Rm 1:7…]. How profetic his words are.