What's Wrong With Being Christian?

[mrs_abbott]

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian? I believe in God and Jesus as my Savior and Friend. Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?
I was taught that only God knows what’s in your heart and soul and He is the ultimate judge.

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian?

Catholic = Christian

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being Christian.

Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?

Your profile says your Catholic

God bless

 

[Fidelis]

Roman_Catholic:

Your profile says your Catholic

Yeah, and several of your other posts imply that you are a practicing Catholic. What gives?

 

[AquinaSavio]

mrs_abbott:

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian? I believe in God and Jesus as my Savior and Friend. Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?
I was taught that only God knows what’s in your heart and soul and He is the ultimate judge.

As a child of God, you are required to search for the truth. If you believe that the Catholic Church may be the True Church, and you do nothing to further your knowledge of it, you are committing a mortal sin. It is not enough to accept Jesus as your Savior and Friend. Eternal happiness requires more than just faith.

 

[valient_Lucy]

mrs_abbott:

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian? I believe in God and Jesus as my Savior and Friend. Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?
I was taught that only God knows what’s in your heart and soul and He is the ultimate judge.

No, it’s not wrong to be a Christian, and the Catholic Church does not teach that All non-Catholics are bound to hell. But think of it this way. Supposing you met someone who only had half of the New Testament, and they were quite happy to have only half of the New Testament. Would you suggest to them that they get the entire New Testament? Of course.
That’s how Catholics see it. Protestants do have truth, but not ALL of the truth. Catholics want all Christians to have the fullness of the Truth.

 

[mrs_abbott]

valient Lucy:

Protestants do have truth, but not ALL of the truth. Catholics want all Christians to have the fullness of the Truth.

That part right there is what I’m talking about. How do you know that Protestants don’t have ALL the truth? To a Protestant, they may have ALL the truth. What you just said is the typical Catholic response to a Christian’s beliefs. If the person is not Catholic, they’re not complete.
Why is it so wrong to be Christian but not Catholic? Does the Bible specifically say that just Catholics will be saved?

 

[mrs_abbott]

AquinaSavio:

If you believe that the Catholic Church may be the True Church, and you do nothing to further your knowledge of it, you are committing a mortal sin.

But I don’t believe the Catholic Church is the true Church. I don’t believe that there IS one true Church. Now what?

 

[mrs_abbott]

Fidelis:

Yeah, and several of your other posts imply that you are a practicing Catholic. What gives?

Yes, I am but I am also a Christian. According to some, unless I’m a practicing Catholic, claiming that I’m Catholic “in name” is a waste of time.
I was practicing, at one time. Now that I’m not, I classify myself as Christian because my belief in God is very strong. I’ll be sure to change my profile. Sorry, I haven’t updated in awhile.

 

[Fidelis]

mrs_abbott:

Yes, I am but I am also a Christian.

So you are a practicing Catholic…??

According to some, unless I’m a practicing Catholic, claiming that I’m Catholic “in name” is a waste of time.
I was practicing, at one time. Now that I’m not,

So you’re not a practicing Catholic…??

I classify myself as Christian because my belief in God is very strong.

Sooo, the implication is Catholic’s cannot have a “strong belief” in God. You started this thread by saying you were insulted — I think it is you that are insulting Catholics.

The terms “Catholic” and “Christian” are synonomous, not exclusive.

 

[mrs_abbott]

Fidelis:

So you are a practicing Catholic…?? So you’re not a practicing Catholic…?? Sooo, the implication is Catholic’s cannot have a “strong belief” in God. You started this thread by saying you were insulted — I think it is you that are insulting Catholics.

The terms “Catholic” and “Christian” are synonomous, not exclusive.

I am currently NOT a practicing Catholic.
The implication is NOT that Catholic’s cannot have a “strong belief” in God. I know some very true, devout Catholics that I admire for their dedication and perseverance in their faith.
I am insulted by the ones who think that they have the right to tell you that if you’re not Catholic, you’re not believing in the right religion.
Like I said, I’m not insulting Catholics because I know a handful that are true Catholics.
I, personally, don’t think that there is one true religion so why do Catholics chastize those who aren’t Catholic for not believing what they believe?

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

I am insulted by the ones who think that they have the right to tell you that if you’re not Catholic, you’re not believing in the right religion.

Like wise, Catholics don’t like it when people insinuate that they are not Christian, hint "I was Catholic but now I am Christian."If this is not what you meant, then this could have been better worded to avoid this misunderstanding.

What you just said is the typical Catholic response to a Christian’s beliefs.

See what I mean? A Catholics response to a Christians beliefs?

Like I said, I’m not insulting Catholics because I know a handful that are true Catholics.

What is your opinion of a “true Catholic”? Someone who devoutly follows what the Catholic Church teaches or do you have a different definition of what a true Catholic is?

I, personally, don’t think that there is one true religion

We disagree here, but I respect your opinion.

 

[Evan]

To respond to the title of this thread… Assuming that Christian mean non-Catholic follower of Christ.

Jesus promised to send the paraclete to guide His church. This teacher continues to work in the world until Jesus’ return. In order to know the truth, when a question arises, we must know to whom do we look.

We cannot look to the bible, for it is often among the pages of this Holy Book that the questions arise; it is the interpretation or the application today of what is written there.

We cannot look to our hearts for the proper interpretation for good men of different communities feel compelled that their interpretation is guided by their faith. How is the paraclete to make known His teachings?

That is the main purpose of a true Church, to teach the Truth, especially in matters where contriversy appears.

Catholics believe that the paraclete guides the Church and that there is biblical and historic support for this contention.

Many come home to the Church when a major question of faith tests the authority on which they have placed their trust and there is need of a definitive answer.

---

Nothing is wrong with being non-Catholic Christian,
… unless you know the truth and deny it.
Nothing is wrong with being a Catholic Christian
… even if you cannot understand the reasoning behind all the teachings

 

[mrs_abbott]

Roman_Catholic:

Like wise, Catholics don’t like it when people insinuate that they are not Christian, hint "I was Catholic but now I am Christian."If this is not what you meant, then this could have been better worded to avoid this misunderstanding.

Sorry, I did word that bad. I tend to do that because my mind goes faster than I can type. I just didn’t want to say I was Catholic because I don’t currently practice the Catholic faith. That’s why I said “I’m not Catholic but now I am Christian”. I don’t really have a particular religion that I want to tie myself to so I figured Christian would be generic. I apologize again for the misunderstanding.

Roman_Catholic:

What is your opinion of a “true Catholic”? Someone who devoutly follows what the Catholic Church teaches or do you have a different definition of what a true Catholic is?

Ok, this is just my opinion but I think a “true Catholic” is a person who is Catholic all the time and practices their faith on a daily basis and involved in their Church in someway, either in the Mass or with parish activities. They are the ones you see in Church every Sunday singing along and participating in the Mass. They do not criticize others for being maybe “less of a Catholic” than they are. I have great respect and admiration for those people.

Thanks for respecting my opinions as I will respect yours.

 

[mrs_abbott]

Evan:

To respond to the title of this thread… Assuming that Christian mean non-Catholic follower of Christ.

Jesus promised to send the paraclete to guide His church. This teacher continues to work in the world until Jesus’ return. In order to know the truth, when a question arises, we must know to whom do we look.

We cannot look to the bible, for it is often among the pages of this Holy Book that the questions arise; it is the interpretation or the application today of what is written there.

We cannot look to our hearts for the proper interpretation for good men of different communities feel compelled that their interpretation is guided by their faith. How is the paraclete to make known His teachings?

That is the main purpose of a true Church, to teach the Truth, especially in matters where contriversy appears.

Catholics believe that the paraclete guides the Church and that there is biblical and historic support for this contention.

Many come home to the Church when a major question of faith tests the authority on which they have placed their trust and there is need of a definitive answer.

---

Nothing is wrong with being non-Catholic Christian,
… unless you know the truth and deny it.
Nothing is wrong with being a Catholic Christian
… even if you cannot understand the reasoning behind all the teachings

Yes, by Christian I meant non-Catholic follower of Christ. Again, I apologize for my lack of clarification when I type these things. Thank you for the clarification. This is the kind of objective responses that I am looking for and not full of personal opinion.
I respect this and will keep this in mind.

 

[Tietjen]

mrs_abbott:

But I don’t believe the Catholic Church is the true Church. I don’t believe that there IS one true Church. Now what?

What brought you to this conclusion?

 

[CathChemNerd]

mrs_abbott:

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian? I believe in God and Jesus as my Savior and Friend. Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?
I was taught that only God knows what’s in your heart and soul and He is the ultimate judge.

Hello Mrs. A;

What you’ve (probably) seen in other posts is Catholics defending the teaching of the Church, sometimes vehemently, sometimes less so. We do this so that all may come to (to use a popular phrase) the “fullness of truth.” Part of that truth is that there is “one faith, one Lord, one baptism, one God who is Father of all” (sorry, don’t have my Bible handy, but I believe it’s from 1 Cor). In John’s gospel, Jesus prays to the father before the Last Supper that “they may all be one.” Scripture speaks over and over again about the necessity of unity of belief and the unity of believers. So t was Our Lord’s express prayer that we be one Church.

As Catholics, we hope that all will come into this fullness of faith; divine revelation is not simply limited to Scripture (as many Protestants believe), but in addition Tradition (2 Th 2), as guided by the Magisterium of the Church (Mt 16:15-20, Jn 22 when Jesus gives authority to “bind” and “loose”). So Catholics view the Protestant mindset as one that has “thrown the baby out with the bathwater.” In discarding Church teaching, Protestants do not believe in some of the core elements of Christianity, including the Eucharist, the canon of Scripture itself, and (in some cases) even the nature of the Trinity.

So we describe the fullness of revelation which has been handed down as Scriputre and Tradition through the apostles’ successors (the bishops); this is the totality of the Christian faith. This is not said in any way to be condescending, or mean-spirited, but simply to describe the truth that we (as Catholics) believe.

Does that mean that a non-Catholic Christian (specifically you) is inferior to a Catholic? That is a question that no one here can answer, because we know nothing of the state of your soul. That’s between you and the Lord. But one of the things that improves our relationship with God is when we partake of the sacraments–these are direct channels of God’s grace. Again, many Protestant churches see a diminished role of sacraments in our lives; some churches acknowledge only 2, or even 0, sacraments. This does represent the fullness of faith that was handed down from the apostles.

Sorry for the long-winded reply; it was meant in charity and respect, and I hope that it helped your question.

Pax Christi,
CCN

 

[mrs_abbott]

Tietjen:

What brought you to this conclusion?

Over the years, I’ve acquired many friends who belong to many different denominations but all of them are Christian and believe in God. They are true to their religions and follow the guidelines and rules that their churches laid out for them to show them the best way to get to Heaven and be with God forever.
Why should what they believe to be true be wrong? They are worshipping and honoring the same God that the Catholics believe. Plus, a priest of the Catholic Church told me that God knows what’s in our hearts and will judge us each accordingly.
That’s why I don’t believe in a one, true Church. The idea of a “one, true Church” is in the mind of the individual. Through questioning and researching beliefs, you will be lead in the direction that’s right for you. By listening to your conscience and praying to God to guide you and listening to His voice, you will inevitably end up in Heaven.
Plus, I have never read anywhere where it says exactly “Catholics are the only ones that will be saved” or “Anyone who is NOT Catholic is not following the will of God.”

I have problems clarifying what I write so if you have questions, please ask.

 

[valient_Lucy]

mrs_abbott:

That part right there is what I’m talking about. How do you know that Protestants don’t have ALL the truth? To a Protestant, they may have ALL the truth. What you just said is the typical Catholic response to a Christian’s beliefs. If the person is not Catholic, they’re not complete.
Why is it so wrong to be Christian but not Catholic? Does the Bible specifically say that just Catholics will be saved?

No, and the Catholic Church does not say that either. But Catholics believe that the Catholic Church is the original Church, founded by Christ, and the authority that Christ gave the apostles remains with us today, in the bishops. That’s how we know that Protestants don’t have all the truth. We believe that Protestantism cut itself off from the history of Christianity when it created sola scriptura, ie the Bible alone. After all, the Bible is a pretty complicated book, and can be interpreted in many different ways.
You claim not to believe in one true church. How many churches did Christ intend for there to be? How many versions of the gospel and the truth did Christ want?

Another valid question would be do you believe that there is truth, and do you think that we can know the truth?

The reality is, Catholics don’t believe that there are multiple versions of truth, or that anyone can start a church and teach anything they want. We believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth, and that we can know it, because God revealed it to us.
Considering how deep the influence of post-modernism runs in our society, that nothing is right or wrong or true, this belief is more important than ever. Christians simply cannot stand up to this force as divided as we are. That’s another reason why it’s “bad” not to be Catholic. The Bible condemns schisms and divisions within the Church. We believe that Christ intended there to be One Church, One Body. The body can’t function very well if the right leg decides to cut itself off and do its own thing.

 

[mikew262]

mrs_abbott:

I’ve read several posts where non-catholics are criticized for not further exploring their beliefs and seeing if it might lead them to Catholicism. Is it wrong to be Christian? I believe in God and Jesus as my Savior and Friend. Am I condemned because I’m not Catholic?
I was taught that only God knows what’s in your heart and soul and He is the ultimate judge.

While I encourage you to re-explore the Catholic faith, I don’t condemn/judge you if you don’t, and if what you say is true about yourself, IMO, God doesn’t condemn you either.

 

[Tietjen]

mrs_abbott:

That part right there is what I’m talking about. How do you know that Protestants don’t have ALL the truth? To a Protestant, they may have ALL the truth. What you just said is the typical Catholic response to a Christian’s beliefs. If the person is not Catholic, they’re not complete.
Why is it so wrong to be Christian but not Catholic? Does the Bible specifically say that just Catholics will be saved?

First, when the Bible was written (and even before that) there were no protestants. Therefore, since there was ONE church there was no need to address the issue unless you count the times where St. Paul warned specific churches of sins that they were becoming involved in. “Non-Catholic Christians” as you call them are a new creature having only been around some 500 years or so. When the reformation happened, the protestants left the Church and only took those things that THEY wanted (thus making their new churches THEIRS instead of GOD’s). In 500 years, the divisions are plain and if it were not so utterly sad, it would be humorous. They claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit and yet they are so vastly different. Another point I would like to bring up is that Christ Himself said that the Church would endure until the end of time and that even hell would not prevail against it. If the Catholic Church (being the first Christian Church to exist) was not the Church Christ was referring to and He actually meant say, the Baptist Church (for example), then don’t you think that He would have said something like, “in one thousand six hundred and forty-four years, I will begin My Church and not even hell will prevail against it”???
Protestants do not have “ALL the truth.” How can they? They came into being, by splitting away from the Catholic Church. Where would they have found “ALL the truth?” Were there new books to the Bible written in the 16th century? I think not. The fact is that these people liked some things that the Catholic Church taught and some things they hated. Therefore, using their superior intellect, they plucked those things they wanted to believe in from the tree and left behind the fruits that they did not want to believe in. We have the same sort of stuff going on today with supposed Catholics who support abortion, assisted suicide, etc. These “cafeteria Catholics” can accept some things in the Church but will not accept the Churches teachings concerning other issues. The difference between today’s cafeteria Catholics and the reformation is that today’s cafeterias Catholics are lazy. Rather than simply leaving the Church, they continue to sit in the pews pretending to be Catholic.

Mrs_Abbott, I am sorry that you are finding it difficult to accept the Church. I hope that you will continue to study the issues, history, and facts before giving up and leaving completely. God bless.