The "Are you Catholic or Christian" Question

[AniCS]

You’re not being OCD at all. Trust me this a pet peeve of mine too. I’ve been asked this question by Catholics too. I’ve heard them say things like “I’m not Christian, I’m Catholic”

The kids at my school (even the Catholics) think “Christian” means “Protestant”

You should politely ask anyone silly enough to say “I am not Christian, I’m Catholic” to visit their parish priest. Odds are they are not Catholic
ALSO
Why do you only want connections with Hispanic Catholics. Racist much then?

 

[mangy_dog]

The question is this: Do you find salvation in Christ or a church?

THis question has nothing to do with this thread but, be that as it may,

Going to any 'ol church is a shot in the dark. Christ is in His Church…The Catholic Church.

A life of prayer and a life of the spirit nurtured by the Sacraments of Confession and Communion will lead you in the right direction so you can [work out your salvation in fear and trembling]. St. Paul said that.

So if you seek Christ outside of His Church, good luck because it is a shot in the dark. Maybe you’ll hit the target and maybe you won’t.

 

[Raptureme]

THis question has nothing to do with this thread but, be that as it may,

Going to any 'ol church is a shot in the dark. Christ is in His Church…The Catholic Church.

A life of prayer and a life of the spirit nurtured by the Sacraments of Confession and Communion will lead you in the right direction so you can [work out your salvation in fear and trembling]. St. Paul said that.

So if you seek Christ outside of His Church, good luck because it is a shot in the dark. Maybe you’ll hit the target and maybe you won’t.

So all those who believe John 3:16 but do not belong to the catholic church are wrong?

 

[Raptureme]

****the Catholic faith is the original Christian faith–all the following protestant made up churches are facsimiles-that are man made from sour grapes–they don’t get it

So how is it that the cath faith is the ‘original’ Christian faith?

 

[mangy_dog]

So all those who believe John 3:16 but do not belong to the catholic church are wrong?

Oh you mean sola scriptura-the single leg of the tripod of truth.

You must own a set of night vision goggles.

 

[Raptureme]

Oh you mean sola scriptura-the single leg of the tripod of truth.

You must own a set of night vision goggles.

Didn’t take long for the name-calling to ensue…Thanks though

 

[Eldee]

How sad I feel when I hear people refer to themselves as “Christian Catholics”. It signals a total lack of understanding of the Church called Catholic.

These folks for so long have been calling themselves “Catholic” that it seems they are more tied to a church, than committed to the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ. After all what is more important than Christ and His teachings?

I consider myself first, a follower of Christ. I guess that makes me a Christian. But yes I would also like folks to know that I am a member of the Church which has a “universal” character. So when asked by someone who wants to plug me into a slot, I must assert that I am a “Catholic Christian”.

If the reformation never happened would we still have to call ourselves, “Catholic”? It’s a nice adjective, but should never overshadow the noun, “Christian”.

It’s sad that the term Catholic has made so many people around the world count us among those who are “not Christian”.

 

[lmpower]

I knew a man who attended Catholic school for eight years. He asked me if my boys attended Catholic school or Christian school. With friends like that who needs enemies? It is unfortunate that our culture has come to differentiate Catholics and Christians. It has been asserted on this forum that Catholics were the original Christians and that they received the good news from us. The first century Christians didn’t have many of the dogmas and practices of later Catholics. Protestant don’t think they got the good news from the Catholic Church. They think they got the good news from the Bible and returned to the real Christianity, which had been corrupted by the Catholic Church. It’s a good idea to try and understand the other person’s point of view.

 

[cheezey]

Sometimes when the Priest, in his homily, calls us Christians, I wish to be called a Catholic because to just be a Christian seems like I’m second best. HOWEVER, maybe Father wants to call us Christian for folks to realize that many religions are good and believe in Jesus Christ.

and this is a good thing, in that, we are at least on His road towards becoming one Faith. we will then be of one Faith when we meet Him face to Face… At first, I thought, "Christian, second best?!! I gotcha…

 

[cheezey]

How sad I feel when I hear people refer to themselves as “Christian Catholics”. It signals a total lack of understanding of the Church called Catholic.

These folks for so long have been calling themselves “Catholic” that it seems they are more tied to a church, than committed to the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ. After all what is more important than Christ and His teachings?

Christ and His teachings are Most important.

Jesus is The Message. The Church is the Medium of the message.

I consider myself first, a follower of Christ. I guess that makes me a Christian. But yes I would also like folks to know that I am a member of the Church which has a “universal” character. So when asked by someone who wants to plug me into a slot, I must assert that I am a “Catholic Christian”.

If the reformation never happened would we still have to call ourselves, “Catholic”? It’s a nice adjective, but should never overshadow the noun, “Christian”.

It’s sad that the term Catholic has made so many people around the world count us among those who are “not Christian”.

Indeed.

 

[mangy_dog]

Didn’t take long for the name-calling to ensue…Thanks though

Be that as it may. You’re welcome.

 

[Michael_Allen]

I’ve always thought of the Catholic Church as being part (a very large part!) of the larger Christian family. I think of myself as a Catholic Christian, but probably a Christian first.

I see the empty cross and the crucifix were mentioned above. How sad to see them described as a sign of division. We have both in our house - both as symbols of our faith with Christ on the cross being a most potent sign of the love and sacrifice of our Lord, and the empty cross being a symbol of the conquering of the cross.

 

[mangy_dog]

And,

With that last post…it’s time to unsubscribe.

 

[JamesCaruso]

What he says is true. Non-Catholic Christians, at least many of them, tend to classify Catholics as separate from Christianity, and then group ALL Protestant sects together. We DO need to remind these people that Catholics are Christians, and that all Christians fall into some kind of classification, whether it be Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, or the ever noncommittal Non-Denomination (which contains about infinity-billion different random mixes of every heresy or belief ever constructed, ranging from weird mixtures of old Protestant and ancient heretical doctrine to New Age Buddhist Christianity).

You can remind them all you want, but those who see the Catholic Church as the apostate church of the end times, the harlot of Babylon, will not see the Catholic Church as Christian. I used to be friends with members of a Christian Pentecostal church in Kentucky. They believed the CC was apostate. As they got to know me and question me on all my strange doctrinal beliefs, In the process I believe they softened their view toward Catholics. It’s all about education. Where certain Protestant sects are isolated from Catholics all sorts of strange beliefs can take root. Once they have interacted with Catholics on the basis of friendship, not argumentation, they begin to see things differently. At worst, they saw me as a Christian like themselves, but one who had been duped into believing some strange doctrines like Transubstantiation, or calling priests “father,” or giving Mary too much honor (at first they thought Catholics worshiped Mary), or thinking the Pope is the head of all Christians and thinks he is infallible.

 

[PeaceInChrist]

The question is this: Do you find salvation in Christ or a church?

That is quite a loaded question with faulty premeses. It’s similar to asking you this: Do you find salvation in Christ or in a book?

 

[JamesCaruso]

So all those who believe John 3:16 but do not belong to the catholic church are wrong?

They’re wrong in so far as they don’t recognize the Catholic Church as the one, true Church established by Christ. The Church is not built around a solitary verse of Holy Scripture, but on Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, and on all the verses of Holy Scripture, as well as, the teachings of Christ passed on through his apostles and their successors.

 

[John_Martin]

I’ve always thought of the Catholic Church as being part (a very large part!) of the larger Christian family. I think of myself as a Catholic Christian, but probably a Christian first.

I see the empty cross and the crucifix were mentioned above. How sad to see them described as a sign of division. We have both in our house - both as symbols of our faith with Christ on the cross being a most potent sign of the love and sacrifice of our Lord, and the empty cross being a symbol of the conquering of the cross.

Actually, it is kind of the opposite; all the baptized are Catholic, even if they choose to stay away from the Catholic Church in Protest (“Protestant”) thinking that they want to formulate Christianity in different ways as their protest. The Protestants are our fellow Christians wandering after their own speculations about what Christianity is instead of submitting to the traditions passed down authoritatively from Peter, Paul, John, James, and the rest through the Church Fathers down to today.

I look at Protestants as my fellow Christians, brothers & sisters, yet in no way do I let go of the truth just to be acceptable to them. I call them brothers even if they think the Catholic Church is not Christian, not faithful to our Lord.

John Martin

 

[Regina_Love]

The question is this: Do you find salvation in Christ or a church?

YES! In both. Your question is flawed, because it wrongly assumes the answer is one or the other, but it is both!

Jesus is the head, and The Catholic Church is His body! The head & body live in UNITY! Obviously you need both. If you only accept Jesus with out his body, The Catholic Church, then you have decapitated him!

When ever the New Testament refers to the Church it is talking about the Catholic Church which Jesus Christ created for everyone.

We are saved through Jesus’ death, and resurrection, AND Bapitism, AND receiving the Eucharist. Both of these Sacraments with in the Catholic Church. Mark 16:16**“Whoever believes, and is Baptized will be saved”** , and John 6:53 "Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life with in you.” So if you don’t go to Jesus’ Catholic Church to receive the Eucharist you won’t have life with in you! Sounds like your not saved…!

 

[cheezey]

It’s all about education.

 

[cheezey]

…
I look at Protestants as my fellow Christians, brothers & sisters, yet in no way do I let go of the truth just to be acceptable to them. I call them brothers even if they think the Catholic Church is not Christian, not faithful to our Lord.

John Martin

I look at Catholics as my fellow Christians, brothers and sisters, always have, even before my interest in joinng, yet I am completely baffled how there was ever even a thought in anyone’s head that Catholics are not Christians.