Whats the difference between Christians and Catholics?

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Whats the difference? why do some people who r catholics consider them christians and vice versa?
 
All Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. Catholic Christians believe in the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist.
Jesus said: " I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eatsof this bread, he will live forever; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life; he abides in me, and I in him" (Jn. 6:51, 54, 56). This is the core of our Catholic Faith.
Catholics also believe in the Sacrament of Penance, Where the Priest in the name of Jesus Christ has the power to forgive our sins. Non- Catholic Christians do not believe this to be true.

God Bless,
tonyg
 
xplo1t said:
Whats the difference? why do some people who r catholics consider them christians and vice versa?
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all Catholics consider themselves Christian because they are Christians, that is, those who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and who profess belief in the Trinity and in the 3 persons of the Blessed Trinity, and in all the doctrines that flow from that belief, including God’s complete revelation of himself in the Incarnation of the 2nd person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.
 
Hi and welcome to the forums:D

Catholics are christians as well. I am a born again christian who does not belong to the CC. However, that does not mean I am not a christian and vice versa with catholics. The main differences IMHO(in my humble opinion) are the intrepretations of the bible. Catholic doctrines go by the bible and sacred tradition. Non-catholic Christians go by bible only.(This is a broad statement cause I know some protestant denoms also have traditions.) If I have misrepresented the CC please let me know because this is what I believe to be the big difference and then everything else pretty much stems from that.😉
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi and welcome to the forums:D

Catholics are christians as well. I am a born again christian who does not belong to the CC. However, that does not mean I am not a christian and vice versa with catholics. The main differences IMHO(in my humble opinion) are the intrepretations of the bible. Catholic doctrines go by the bible and sacred tradition. Non-catholic Christians go by bible only.(This is a broad statement cause I know some protestant denoms also have traditions.) If I have misrepresented the CC please let me know because this is what I believe to be the big difference and then everything else pretty much stems from that.😉
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You are right. Catholic are Christians.

Catholic believe in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, and that the Church is the sole interpreter of the Bible. The Bible is not meant to be intrepreted by anyone but those within the Church.

Catholics take Peter’s sayings in his Epistle in 2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the forbearance of Our Lord as salvation. So my beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of this, as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and the unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day to eternity. Amen.
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** W[h]ats the difference between Christians and Catholics?

**What’s the difference between rectangles and squares?

Pax,
Joe
 
Well rectangles aren’t squares and vice versa, but Catholics are Christians. In the first millenium of Christendom Catholic and Christian were basically synonymous, Christian meaning of Christ and Catholic meaning universal, Christians recognised themselves as both from the apostolic times. However later Orthodox and Protestant Churches separated from communion with the Pope and ceased to be Catholic, while staying Christian since they believe in Christ, the Trinity and the Bible and they are baptised in the name of the Trinity.
It is not correct that non-catholic Christians don’t believe in the Eucharist or Penance, for example the Orthodox do believe in both.
 
xplo1t said:
Whats the difference? why do some people who r catholics consider them christians and vice versa?
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Catholics are Christians who believe in Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Divinely appointed Magisterium of the Church. Picture it as a three-legged stool.

Christians who are not Catholic believe in “Sola Scriptura”. (Bible alone). From a Catholic point of view this just doesn’t stand up by itself.
 
fineca said:
Well rectangles aren’t squares and vice versa, but Catholics are Christians. In the first millenium of Christendom Catholic and Christian were basically synonymous, Christian meaning of Christ and Catholic meaning universal, Christians recognised themselves as both from the apostolic times. However later Orthodox and Protestant Churches separated from communion with the Pope and ceased to be Catholic, while staying Christian since they believe in Christ, the Trinity and the Bible and they are baptised in the name of the Trinity.
It is not correct that non-catholic Christians don’t believe in the Eucharist or Penance, for example the Orthodox do believe in both.
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But most Protestant Denominations do not believe in the real presence Of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. To state otherwise would not be true.
(PS.: I’m married to a Protestant, believe me this is true)
tonyg
 
fineca said:
Well rectangles aren’t squares and vice versa, but Catholics are Christians. In the first millenium of Christendom Catholic and Christian were basically synonymous, Christian meaning of Christ and Catholic meaning universal, Christians recognised themselves as both from the apostolic times. However later Orthodox and Protestant Churches separated from communion with the Pope and ceased to be Catholic, while staying Christian since they believe in Christ, the Trinity and the Bible and they are baptised in the name of the Trinity.
It is not correct that non-catholic Christians don’t believe in the Eucharist or Penance, for example the Orthodox do believe in both.
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I believe the point of the question (what’s the difference between squares and rectangles) is that ALL squares (Catholics) are rectangles (Christian), but not all rectangles (Christians) are square (Catholic). Squares are by definition rectangles, just as Catholics are by definition Christian.
 
I am at a loss to answer this question clearly since there are many definitions floating around out there as to what a Christian means. If we take a look also at faith groups who use the word Christian to identify themselves, yet deny the Trinity, (the various Cults out there) we have a new dillemma in answering this question. I noticed that you dont have a religion noted in your profile OP, and while you are certainly intitled to leave it a personal matter, IMHO a Christian should have no qualms doing so on this forum. 😉
The fact is there are many faith groups out there that make the bold statement that Catholics are not Christians. Typically citing that Catholics are “apostate” Christians. That being said, if the Original Post was worded more clearly I think you would get more satisfactory responses to your inquiry, but as it stands I can only tell you that Catholics were the first Christians, and remain Christians. This is just a fact. If you are in doubt of that I welcome you to start a new and more specific tread to address any concerns you may have with that.🙂
 
xplo1t said:
Whats the difference? why do some people who r catholics consider them christians and vice versa?
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All Catholics are Christian (or should be anyways if they are paying attention 😃 ) but not all Christians are Catholic.
 
ALLFORHIM said:
The main differences IMHO(in my humble opinion) are the intrepretations of the bible. Catholic doctrines go by the bible and sacred tradition. Non-catholic Christians go by bible only
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Catholics entrust the interpretation of the Bible to the 2,000 year-old wisdom of the Catholic Church, with her unbroken Apostolic succession, and her Doctors, saints, martyrs, scholars, and theologians.

Evangelical Christians interpret the Bible as a private matter but in practice often follow ‘the authority of evangelical doctrine’. This often means they don’t take the bible literally and insert peculiar doctrines like ‘born-again prayers’.

Both groups claim the Holy Spirit guides them in their interpretation. The case for the latter is weak because they have an infinite number of variants in their interpretations.
Whereas, truth is one.
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi and welcome to the forums:D

Catholics are christians as well. I am a born again christian who does not belong to the CC. However, that does not mean I am not a christian and vice versa with catholics. The main differences IMHO(in my humble opinion) are the intrepretations of the bible. Catholic doctrines go by the bible and sacred tradition. Non-catholic Christians go by bible only.(This is a broad statement cause I know some protestant denoms also have traditions.) If I have misrepresented the CC please let me know because this is what I believe to be the big difference and then everything else pretty much stems from that.😉
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One additional point about Christians & Catholics: Don’t forget the Orthodox Churches. There was a unified body of Christians for the first 1,000 of the Church. Then in 1054 the Eastern Schism erupted, and the Orthodox Churches split from the Catholic Church. There are many different national Orthodox Churches and their beliefs are nearly identical to those of the Catholics. However, they do not accept the role of the Pope in the same way that Roman Catholics do. For the purpose of this discussion, when I refer to “non-Catholics” I mean Protestant or Bible-only Churches, not Orthodox ones.

Regarding your claim that non-Catholic Christians go by the Bible only, I am sure you are sincere in what you think, but this is not correct. No one goes by the Bible alone, although many think that they do. When we read the Bible, we interpret it. When we need help with interpreting the Bible, we go to someone who knows more than we do. Catholics rely on an authoritative, infallible Church when they have questions about the Bible. Non-Catholic Christians do not recognize an authoritative, infallible Church. Since there is no single authority for non-Catholic Christians, there are now over 30,000 different non-Catholic Christian denominations, all reading the same Bible, all with different views on salvation, Baptism, the Lord’s supper, etc.

Do non-Catholic Christians go by the Bible alone? Consider this:

Most non-Catholic Christians believe that we are saved by faith “alone,” but this doctrine is nowhere in the Bible.

Most non-Catholic Christians believe that the Bible “alone” is binding on the individual Christian, but this doctrine is nowhere in the Bible.

Catholics take the Bible literally in John 6:22-71 and believe in the the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Most non-Catholic Christians reject this.

Non-Catholic Christians accept the Bible as it is, but how do they know they have the right books in it? Nowhere in the Bible does it say which books should go in it. There were hundreds of books rejected by the early Christians. Do you have the right books in your Bible? How can you be sure without an authoritative Church to tell you which books are the “inspired Word of God?”
 
What is a Christian?

A Christian is one who…….

·Believes in Gopd
·Believes in the Blessed Trinity
·Believes that Jesus Christ is God
·Believes that Jesus died for human beings and rose again.
·Believes that Jesus now lives in our midst.
·Accepts Jesus as a personal friend and Saviour
·Prays to the Father as Jesus taught us.
·Keeps the ten commandments and Jesus’ commandment of Love.
·Tries to live according to the teachings of Jesus.
o To love God above all things.
o To love others as ourselves
o To forgive our enemies
o To care for the poor and lowly
o To treat all people as brothers and sisters.
·
(Christians usually pay “tithes” to support their local Church)

What is a Catholic Christian?

A Catholic Christian is one who besides ALL the things listed above:

·Accepts the Pope as Christ’s representative on earth.
·Celebrates the Eucharist every Sunday and days of obligation.
·Believes that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.
·Receives Holy Communion during Easter time.
·Receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year.
·Contributes to the support of the Church.
·Believes that the best way to live the Christian life is within the Community of Church (People of God)
·Receives the sacraments within the Catholic Church.
·Knows and respects the special place that Mary has in the tradition and devotion of the church.

May we always strive to live the Will of God for our lives.
God Bless
 
juno24 said:
I believe the point of the question (what’s the difference between squares and rectangles) is that ALL squares (Catholics) are rectangles (Christian), but not all rectangles (Christians) are square (Catholic). Squares are by definition rectangles, just as Catholics are by definition Christian.
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I am a faithfull Catholic and a devoted Christian, but please, please don’t call me a square! 😃
 
Someone once said something to the effect that “Christian” is my first name, and “Catholic” is my surname. The former defines what I am; the latter distinguishes me from other Christians.

But in my view, Catholics are those who fully hold the Christian faith.
 
SPH1 said:
Someone once said something to the effect that “Christian” is my first name, and “Catholic” is my surname. The former defines what I am; the latter distinguishes me from other Christians.
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I have that on my blog. I love that quote.
"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."Saint Pacian of Barcelona, Letter to Sympronian, 375 A.D…
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