what makes a Christian?

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What are the basic standards for what makes a Christian?

I propose monotheism at the start, and then Christ as central to the soteriology.
 
A Christian is a person who believe the Faith of the Church and get baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

God bless
 
This question was argued about by the early Christians, and the crisis that ensued led to the Council of Nicea, which created the Nicene Creed as a list of the minimum things that needed to be believed for someone to be considered Christian. This was done in direct challenge to the Arians, who believed that Jesus was not divine.

It is the very reason why the Creed is recited at every Mass to this day. That said, you will find many Protestant denominations that won’t recite the Creed, although most would concur with virtually everything that’s contained within it. However, by the definition of the Nicene Creed, the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses would generally not be considered Christian (and thus, they reject the Creed).
 
cheese_sdc said:
Which Church?
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That’s a good question!
I hope you understand already that there is no Christianity without the Church.

As about to which Church, obviously it is the one Jesus charged with the mission to teach the Christian Faith. There is no Christian Faith without the Church.

God bless
 
I predict this thread will plunge into mud slinging. However, a saved Christian is defined by Scripture, Romans 10:9 (faith in Jesus Christ, His death for the atonement of sins, resurrection, rebirth, etc.).

The Apostles & Nicene Creeds sum it nicely as well.
 
sola_scriptura said:
I predict this thread will plunge into mud slinging. However, a saved Christian is defined by Scripture, Romans 10:9 (faith in Jesus Christ, His death for the atonement of sins, resurrection, rebirth, etc.).

The Apostles & Nicene Creeds sum it nicely as well.
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And also the Athanasian creed.
 
My guess at this point, is a valid Trinitarian Baptism, acceptance of all the 3 Creeds, and an honest desire to belong to a community that can help your spiritual growth as you strive for holiness. I think there are many christians who do this. Oh, and a strong desire to seek unity will all christians would be a natural result of the above I think.
 
cheese_sdc said:
I wasn’t aware that the Catholic Church claimed that only Catholics are Christian.
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As far as I know they don’t make such a claim – but the RCC believes that it is the one and only true church of Christ. As such it takes a view that she is infallible and all non-Catholics are not in communion with the church built by the Apostles … and so forth.
 
cheese_sdc said:
I wasn’t aware that the Catholic Church claimed that only Catholics are Christian.
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that’s because you’re using a different book (bible). CHRISTIAN = CATHOLIC. others are fake or wannabes. GOD bless & prayers to all!
 
cath2lic4ever said:
that’s because you’re using a different book (bible). CHRISTIAN = CATHOLIC. others are fake or wannabes. GOD bless & prayers to all!
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cath2lic4ever,

From my limited understanding reading about this topic on various catholic sites including this one, I am confused. This does not seem to agree with the official church documents on the matter I have seen quoted, nor does it line up with what other catholic posters have said (Rolltide) in response to this question.

:confused:

Do you have citations or statements from popes, CCC, or other documents that would clarify this for me?
 
notsmart said:
cath2lic4ever,

From my limited understanding reading about this topic on various catholic sites including this one, I am confused. This does not seem to agree with the official church documents on the matter I have seen quoted, nor does it line up with what other catholic posters have said (Rolltide) in response to this question.

:confused:

Do you have citations or statements from popes, CCC, or other documents that would clarify this for me?
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don’t get confused. CHRISTIAN meaning follower of JESUS CHRIST.
if you can’t follow the church that HE founded, then your not a CHRISTIAN. no rocket science here. search for the truth and you’ll know what i mean. GOD bless & prayers to all!
 
cath2lic4ever said:
don’t get confused. CHRISTIAN meaning follower of JESUS CHRIST.
if you can’t follow the church that HE founded, then your not a CHRISTIAN. no rocket science here. search for the truth and you’ll know what i mean. GOD bless & prayers to all!
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So, you believe that the only christians are those who are Catholics?

Well, I can’t accept that. You have evaded my request to provide citations for such a statement, and seem to be going against not only what other catholic posters have said here, but from what I can tell, your own pope’s statements and possibly even more.
I can’t take your word on it, and need to have some reason to consider your statements as something beyond your personal opinion. I mean, the basic argument Catholics seem to make here is they do not rely on personal opinion or personal interpretation for anything, (although speculation on matters undefined seem okay from what I see, there is a lot of “room” for that) but what you are positing here seems- rather at odds with anything I have seen catholics state here and elsewhere. So, are you in the same catholic church the catholics are that post here? Or some other with the name catholic in it? I mean, are you a catholic in union with the Holy See?
 
notsmart said:
My guess at this point, is a valid Trinitarian Baptism, acceptance of all the 3 Creeds, and an honest desire to belong to a community that can help your spiritual growth as you strive for holiness. I think there are many christians who do this. Oh, and a strong desire to seek unity will all christians would be a natural result of the above I think.
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It would be extremely difficult to profess the Athanasian Creed without being a member of the Catholic Church (or at least moving in that direction) since it requires doctrinal unity with the Bishop of Rome as one of its requirements. 😉

The current understanding is that Christian non-Catholics are imperfectly united with the Church by means of baptism and because they venerate the Scriptures, but that the Catholic Church is the source of everything they have that makes them in any sense Christian - that is to say, if they are Christian, it is because of what they have inherited from the Catholic Church, including the Scriptures (especially the New Testament) and the Sacrament of Baptism.

The fulness of the Faith is found in the Catholic Church.
 
jmcrae said:
It would be extremely difficult to profess the Athanasian Creed without being a member of the Catholic Church (or at least moving in that direction) since it requires doctrinal unity with the Bishop of Rome as one of its requirements. 😉
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Uhm, where?
 
Not smart, my… Lemme re-phrase that!

Monica, you have it right. “This does not seem to agree with the official church documents on the matter I have seen quoted, nor does it line up with what other catholic posters have said.”

cath2lic4ever is wrong. Let’s pray for him/her.

Ruthie
 
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