Do Catholics think Protestants are Christians?

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reteeks21

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I thought since we have asked the reverse, why not ask it this way? Ought to make for interesting conversation, but let us please keep it decent!
 
reteeks21 said:
I thought since we have asked the reverse, why not ask it this way? Ought to make for interesting conversation, but let us please keep it decent!
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In my opinion…yes, many are Christians, and do obey God’s word. On the other hand, there are those that do not, and thus whether or not you could consider them Christians is a “debatable point”. 🙂
 
RobHom said:
In my opinion…yes, many are Christians, and do obey God’s word. On the other hand, there are those that do not, and thus whether or not you could consider them Christians is a “debatable point”. 🙂
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I suppose that arguement could be used for a whole lot of people regardless of where they go to church!
 
How true!

As a Catholic I consider most Protestants fellow Christians, absolutely. (I’m not sure if Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, or Unitarians could be considered Christians in the sense that most Christians regard Him as savior, but I’m sure many are lovely people and live Christian lives of virtue.)

Of course, calling oneself Christian as you note is by no means a guarantee that one actually practices Christianity!
 
reteeks21 said:
I suppose that arguement could be used for a whole lot of people regardless of where they go to church!
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😃 I would have to agree with you on that!😃 I might also be inclined to say that I have met a Catholic or two that I would not consider “Christian” as well, despite their thought that they were indeed. 🙂 But hey, that’s just my opinion…
 
Everyone who believes in God and Jesus Christ are technically Christians… no matter what. 😉

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood
 
I agree that our protestant brothers and sisters are Christians.

Though there are some denominations (I won’t name them for fear of offending someone) that I doubt whether they are Christian, and that is just because of their odd views of who Christ is…
 
A lot is a matter of terminology. I mean, what exactly is a Protestant?

My personal (non-infallible) rule of thumb: Christianity is divvied up into the following main groups:
  • Catholics (Roman Catholics to some)
  • Orthodox (Eastern/Oriental Orthodox and the Churches of the East)
  • Protestant (C of E/Episcopalian, United, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, etc)
Christians believe in the humanity and divinity of Christ (IMO), so I am unsure about JWs, LDS, UUs, Gnostics, Liberal Catholics, or Messianic Jews. 🤷

Again, this is just my opinion on the OP…it has NOTHING to do with my opinion on salvation.
 
I think looking from a secular perspective anyone who thinks they follow the teaching of Christ could be considered Christian. Of course, this is unhistorical and inaccurate.

I will follow the Church in the matter. Anyone who is validly baptized is born again, partakers in the divine nature, and sons and daughters of God; They are Christian.
 
Pardon me but I don’t think that what Catholics “think” is very important. Catholics are allowed to think many things and many of them are eroneous. What the Church thinks…the Majesterium and the Holy Father are very important…to loyal Catholics and to me.
Some non Catholics seem to be model Christians and some who call themselves Catholic and Christian…seem to be neither.🤷
I believe that Christ wants me to belong to His Church and I would think that any believer would feel that way but if they don’t…it is not MY call. It is our duty to correct their misunderstanding as often as possible but it is not our duty or in our power to condemn them
 
I have a couple of questions I’m uncertain on as far as what Catholics believe in this area.

First of all, I believe I’ve heard Catholics talk about belief in the Real Presence being necessary for salvation, and others state that one must receive the Catholic Rite of Reconciliation to be in a state of salvation. Since many Protestants do not believe in the Real Presence and except in exceptional circumstances none of them go through the Rite of Reconciliation even once, much less on a regular basis: is what I’ve heard correct, or have I misunderstood? If is it correct, how does this square with giving them the label Christian?

Secondly, I’ve read that if anyone knowingly either rejects a teaching of the Church or joins a schismatic church instead of the Catholic Church, there is no salvation for them. (Source: catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp)

Is this correct, and if so how does it square with the definition of “Christian” in Vatican II?
 
a_mirror_dimly said:
I have a couple of questions I’m uncertain on as far as what Catholics believe in this area.

First of all, I believe I’ve heard Catholics talk about belief in the Real Presence being necessary for salvation, and others state that one must receive the Catholic Rite of Reconciliation to be in a state of salvation. Since many Protestants do not believe in the Real Presence and except in exceptional circumstances none of them go through the Rite of Reconciliation even once, much less on a regular basis: is what I’ve heard correct, or have I misunderstood? If is it correct, how does this square with giving them the label Christian? Well, let’s not go with what you have 'heard Catholics say" unless you have likewise gone to the authoritative source to see that it is what the CHURCH TEACHES. In this case, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is the authoritative source. Here is what it says Catholics believe as being necessary for salvation: Paragraph 1129: 1129 The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. (*** the Catechism here is talking specifically about CATHOLICS.) So what does the Church say about Protestants? Let’s see: 846 . . . .all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. (Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336) *** See your second question below where I address this.***

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: *
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation*.**337
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338

Secondly, I’ve read that if anyone knowingly either rejects a teaching of the Church or joins a schismatic church instead of the Catholic Church, there is no salvation for them. (Source: catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp)

Is this correct, and if so how does it square with the definition of “Christian” in Vatican II? See the above. Knowingly rejects. . .that would mean that the person would have to know, beyond a doubt, that the Catholic Church was the true Church, and still refuse to join. That is a far cry from rejecting a teaching --usually done when the person does not believe the Church to be the True Church anyway. The Catechism does not say “a teaching”. It says, “The Church”. Big difference. Same with the ‘schismatic church’. If you **knew **the Catholic Church was the True Church, and you obstinately refused to stay in it for any reason, yes, you would cast away your salvation–until you repented. Remember, you can repent with your dying breath, and God is merciful. There may be many, or even most, for whom at the moment of death the truth is made clear. And God always give us ‘sufficient grace’ for salvation so there are many opportunities for the person to accept the truth throughout his life. A ‘good’ person does not suddenly make one ‘itty mistake’ at say age 35, die 50 years later full of ‘good works’, never having had a ‘chance’ to see his wrong, and then get ‘thrown into hell against his will.’
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Ah, thanks for your clarification on the meaning of “knowingly rejects” in this context. That was the piece I was missing.
 
Any time. And thank you for taking the time and trouble to check things out. 🙂
 
Yes. Moreover, we Catholics are required to acknowledge Protestants as Christians.

“… All who have been justified by faith in baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church,” Catechism of the Catholic Church 818.

Everyone who has received a Trinitarian baptism (baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is a “Christian” by the Catholic definition.
 
As Dominus Jesus (2000) say, quoting Vatican II, “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”.

Clearly it’s talking about the necessity of being in the Church by being validly baptized (recall that Catholics recognize most Protestant baptisms), not being in full communion with the Pope (although that is important also).
 
Isn’t it written in the catechism that “no one may call God his Father who does not first have the church as his mother?”
 
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