Is Christianity a "religion?"

[rcwitness]

It’s funny, because when I first saw the topic question I thought the thrust of the discussion was going to be whether Christianity is one religion. There are so many different strains of Jesus-believing people I cannot imagine how they are subsumed under one religion called Christianity. In what sense are Catholicism, Reformed Calvinisim and Seventh Day Adventism all the same religion? So some broke apart in the fourth century, some in the 16th and some in the 20th, but the differences are so vast they are different religions. Is a Catholic “allowed” to go to a Baptist church and participate? I also find it interesting that there’s this whole discussion of whether LDS are Christians. But from a Catholic viewpoint, Lutherans are Christians? I guess you can define them as Christians because they believe in the doctrine of the Trinity but heretics for other reasons. So they’re heretical Christians, but LDS aren’t even that. Whatever, I don’t get it!

I think LDS is just too far away from genuine faith in WHO Jesus is. But that’s in its Teaching. In the individual’s who are raised in that faith, they are treated like any other religion separate from Christianity… they may be saved because Christ knows their hearts.

You know, Billy Graham had a good relationship with pope JPII!

They were friends, and BG was known to have said their is very little they disagree with in the faith!

You know it’s better to be a Baptist who is true to the Baptist faith, than a Catholic who acts like a non-believer?

I am happy to find the good things all Christians have in common, and I admire some of non-Cat’s great faith and love!

 

[Peter_J]

It’s funny, because when I first saw the topic question I thought the thrust of the discussion was going to be whether Christianity is one religion.

Just to give my personal experience: ISTM that when I talk to people in real life, they assume that Christianity *is *one religion, but when I talk to people on catholic.com they assume that Christianity isn’t one religion.

For that reason, I would think it is rare for there to be a discussion about whether Christianity is one religion.