Why Catholicism ??

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assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂

why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?

and why do I even have to pick a brand of Christianity ?

I have some limited knowledge of how xnity split around 1000AD between Catholics & Eastern Orthodox, then split again around 1500 between Catholics the current infinitude of protestant denominations, and then the mormons, jeh-wits etc

But don’t all these Christian theologies still believe these 3 creeds ?

apostles, nicene & athanasian

3 creeds

and I thought that Christianity is salvation by faith which means I just have to believe right ? yes if I truly believed then I would also try to achieve some positive works in this life, but what are those works ? has GOD’s will been revealed to us little xtians telling us what we are supposed to do ?

Those 3 creeds talk about being judged for our works, but they don’t specify what the works are because that would be salvation by works which isn’t Christianity because it’s missing the free will part

salvation by faith or faith + works ?

Question: “Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?”

Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation - the split between the Protestant church and Catholic church. This question is a key difference between Biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
 
faith produces love and love produces fruit …you cannot have faith minus the works, for faith is a work in itself… One with faith abides in Chirst and his commandments, so grace does save us but we must define what faith in Christ means… One with real faith follows Gods laws. Grace does not place us above Gods Commandments.

**
**John 1 2:4: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ****

Sara
 
First and foremost, welcome to the forum.
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zingo227:
assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂 why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?
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My son asked me a similar question several years ago. The simple answer is it is the only Church which teaches the full truth which Jesus gives us. Please, please, please do not take my word for it!!! READ the words of the original Christians, the Church Fathers. There is a wonderful collection of books called the “Faith of the Early Fathers, 3 vols. William A. Jurgens, ed. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970),” It’s in the library here on CA. It isn’t that expensive if you consider the cost of making a bad decision on the fate of your eternal soul. Read it and you will see the Church of the first centuries is the Catholic Church and no other. As to why the Catholic Church, why would you chose any other than the one Jesus established?
 
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zingo227:
I have some limited knowledge of how xnity split around 1000AD between Catholics & Eastern Orthodox, then split again around 1500 between Catholics the current infinitude of protestant denominations, and then the mormons, jeh-wits etc

But don’t all these Christian theologies still believe these 3 creeds ?

apostles, nicene & athanasian

3 creeds

and I thought that Christianity is salvation by faith which means I just have to believe right ? yes if I truly believed then I would also try to achieve some positive works in this life, but what are those works ? has GOD’s will been revealed to us little xtians telling us what we are supposed to do ?
Click to expand...
God has absolutely told us what we are to do, read Scripture, this is NOT an inactive calling, we are told over and over we are to love our neighbor right? If someone you truly love was hungry would you not feed them? If someone you truly loved was homeless would you not give them shelter? If on you truly loved was sick would you not nurse them? These are all things we NEED to do “if” we truly follow Jesus and love our neighbor. The question is do we truly love or are we just saying we love? Love calls for action. You can’t tell me you love me if I need your help and you turn your back on me.
The problem with the “faith alone” is a mistake in the meaning of St Pauls writings.
 
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zingo227:
assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂

why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?

and why do I even have to pick a brand of Christianity ?

I have some limited knowledge of how xnity split around 1000AD between Catholics & Eastern Orthodox, then split again around 1500 between Catholics the current infinitude of protestant denominations, and then the mormons, jeh-wits etc

But don’t all these Christian theologies still believe these 3 creeds ?

apostles, nicene & athanasian

3 creeds

and I thought that Christianity is salvation by faith which means I just have to believe right ? yes if I truly believed then I would also try to achieve some positive works in this life, but what are those works ? has GOD’s will been revealed to us little xtians telling us what we are supposed to do ?

Those 3 creeds talk about being judged for our works, but they don’t specify what the works are because that would be salvation by works which isn’t Christianity because it’s missing the free will part

salvation by faith or faith + works ?

Question: “Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?”

Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation - the split between the Protestant church and Catholic church. This question is a key difference between Biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
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You should be Catholic because it’s true. You should be Catholic because Jesus did not establish multiple competing systems of truth, but one Church which he gave teaching authority and promised to last for all time.

A good starting article:
catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

On Faith and Works:
catholic.com/thisrock/1997/9710chap.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0303sbs.asp

If you believe all three of those creeds, then you definitely should be Catholic, because Catholics are the only ones who believe all of them in their fullness: The oneness of the Church, the communion of saints, etc.

From Tim Staples:
‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. . . . But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you. . . . If he refuses to listen . . . tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector’ (Mt 18:15-17).

"The Bible is very clear to me about what to do if we have a disagreement with one another over some issue pertaining to the Faith. And please remember: To lead someone into heresy is a grievous sin against your brother according to Galatians 5:19-21! The Bible tells us that the Church, not the Bible, is the final court of appeal.

Ask yourself what you would do at each “split” in history. Listen to the Church (which must be visible in order to get its (name removed by moderator)ut) or refuse to listen?
 
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zingo227:
Those 3 creeds talk about being judged for our works, but they don’t specify what the works are because that would be salvation by works which isn’t Christianity because it’s missing the free will part
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Jesus tells us, and it can all be summed up in LOVE, truly love your enemy, your neighbor.

salvation by faith or faith + works ?
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zingo227:
Question: “Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?”
Click to expand...
Can you truly love someone simply by saying you love them and completely ignoring their needs? No, so the answer is you need to act to show your love.
 
I think that a lot of people these days have the notion in their heads that, “when I look for a community or denomination to become a part of, I want one that fits the personal beliefs and values that I already have.” This arises from the fact that a lot of times people never think to ask, “are theses beliefs and values that I hold to, truely what Jesus wants me to believe?” There is so much emphasis placed on what “I think Jesus is,” and not enough real, genuine inquiry into what Jesus actually is. In other words, there is often no serious endeavor to discover the truth. So for starters, I can recommend that you don’t look for a denomination or group that makes you feel comfortable with what you believe; instead, strive for objective fact and truth. Thinking of the matter in this persepective, you will hopefully be much more open to the Catholic Faith.
 
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zingo227:
Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation - the split between the Protestant church and Catholic Church. This question is a key difference between Biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
Click to expand...
Read Scripture in context, St Paul was the Apostle to the gentiles when he speaks of “works” he is referring to “works of the Law” those things required to be a good Jew, NOT “works” of Christian charity. He correctly states that “works” of the Law are NOT required. Nowhere does he say “works” of Christian charity shouldn’t be done. The link you provided missed the point also, Paul is telling his gentile converts that they did not need to do “works” of the LAW. In other words, they did not need to first become a jew to follow Jesus the Christ.
 
Another good book is “Unabridged Christianity” by Fr. Mario P Romero.
 
thanks for the replies

yes I’m new here & probably will be mostly reading 🙂

I’m currently slowly reading thru this commentary which describes itself as conservative, protestant & pre-millenial

commentary

I like Catholicism for many reasons including the basic fact that Catholicism has somehow managed to stay together after 2000 years of turbulent history while the rest of the Christians just split whenever they can’t agree about how many angels are dancing on the pinheads etc

plus the Catholics have much good info available via internet…
 
yes if I had infinite time I would read alot more books…

I have a nice 3 month vacation scheduled soon and finishing that commentary is a major goal
 
One other thought, many protestant churches claim to be “bible” churches, but, the only Church that I know of that covers ALL of Scripture is the Catholic Church (Eastern and orthodox included) we follow a schedule called a lectionary, which insures all of the Bible is read in Church, not just the parts we agree with. Ask your protestant friends to provide their lectionary, or schedule which insures ALL of the Bible is read. Most protestant denominations don’t even use the complete Bible (OT), the one used by Jesus and the Christian Church for over 15 centuries, they (since the 16th century) chose the abridged Old Testament the reformers favored.
 
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zingo227:
assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂

why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?QUOTE]

If your a generic Christian then why would you not want to be a Catholic (Universal =Sum of all the parts, complete) Christian?
Click to expand...
 
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zingo227:
assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂

why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?

and why do I even have to pick a brand of Christianity ?

I have some limited knowledge of how xnity split around 1000AD between Catholics & Eastern Orthodox, then split again around 1500 between Catholics the current infinitude of protestant denominations, and then the mormons, jeh-wits etc

But don’t all these Christian theologies still believe these 3 creeds ?

apostles, nicene & athanasian

3 creeds
Click to expand...
Welcome to our forum! 🙂

Protestant denominations do not believe the Nicene creed. They reject that we are a holy catholic and apostolic church. If those creeds are your standards, then you have stumbled upon the truth of Sacred Tradition, which would also say that the fulness of Christianity can only be found in the Catholic faith, which has endured since the time of Christ.
and I thought that Christianity is salvation by faith which means I just have to believe right ? yes if I truly believed then I would also try to achieve some positive works in this life, but what are those works ? has GOD’s will been revealed to us little xtians telling us what we are supposed to do ?
Click to expand...
Those 3 creeds talk about being judged for our works, but they don’t specify what the works are because that would be salvation by works which isn’t Christianity because it’s missing the free will part
Click to expand...
salvation by faith or faith + works ?
Click to expand...
Question: “Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?”
Click to expand...
Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation - the split between the Protestant church and Catholic church. This question is a key difference between Biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
Click to expand...
I was an Evangelical Protestant for 22 years of my adult life before discovering that Catholic theology was much more Biblical. What you describe used to be my litmus test for categorizing Christian from cult. My own previous bias prevented me from seeing the multitude of scriptures that actually support the idea that works are not just a by product of salvation, they are a condition of it. Consider the following
  1. Salvation = 100% God’s grace
  2. God’s grace gives us faith and the ability to obey (works). Without this grace we cannot have faith and we cannot obey. Therefore, we cannot take credit for faith or works. We always have free will to reject God’s grace, so we are responsible missing out on salvation. But we do not earn it and can never take credit for it.
    3)Therefore, salvation = faith and works.
 
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mlcampbell:
I think that a lot of people these days have the notion in their heads that, “when I look for a community or denomination to become a part of, I want one that fits the personal beliefs and values that I already have.” This arises from the fact that a lot of times people never think to ask, “are theses beliefs and values that I hold to, truely what Jesus wants me to believe?” There is so much emphasis placed on what “I think Jesus is,” and not enough real, genuine inquiry into what Jesus actually is. In other words, there is often no serious endeavor to discover the truth. So for starters, I can recommend that you don’t look for a denomination or group that makes you feel comfortable with what you believe; instead, strive for objective fact and truth. Thinking of the matter in this persepective, you will hopefully be much more open to the Catholic Faith.
Click to expand...
Excellent point!
 
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petra:
I was an Evangelical Protestant for 22 years of my adult life before discovering that Catholic theology was much more Biblical. What you describe used to be my litmus test for categorizing Christian from cult. My own previous bias prevented me from seeing the multitude of scriptures that actually support the idea that works are not just a by product of salvation, they are a condition of it.
.
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Although only Evangelical for a short time, I found myself :yup: to your post.

I was amazed at just how Biblical the Catholic Church really is and it frustrates me tremendously Catholics who don’t seem to understand this. I think the greatest lie of Satan was pulled off when he got other Christians to think the Catholic Church is not Scriptural. Somehow, some Catholics bought that one too:(

And the explanation of faith and works. You have nailed it exactly. In the Evangelical Church, the good works were supposed to just naturally flow from your salvation. Doesn’t work (pun intended) that way.

God Bless,
Maria
 
The church that wrote and approved the 3 main creeds of Christiantiy was the same church that rejected salvation by faith alone. If you study the fathers who participated in the formation of the creeds they did not agree with protestant theology and were self identified catholics as in one holy catholic and apostolic church. They also were not Orthodox even if they were Eastern they were simply Eastern Catholics. To be not in communion with Rome was akin to not being Christian this thought was replicated by many of the western and eastern christains of first millinia.
 
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MariaG:
Although only Evangelical for a short time, I found myself :yup: to your post.

I was amazed at just how Biblical the Catholic Church really is and it frustrates me tremendously Catholics who don’t seem to understand this. I think the greatest lie of Satan was pulled off when he got other Christians to think the Catholic Church is not Scriptural. Somehow, some Catholics bought that one too:(

And the explanation of faith and works. You have nailed it exactly. In the Evangelical Church, the good works were supposed to just naturally flow from your salvation. Doesn’t work (pun intended) that way.

God Bless,
Maria
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Amen! Biblical Christianity is found most completely and most consistently in the Catholics Church! 👍
 
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zingo227:
assuming that I am a generic Christian (which I like to think I am 🙂

why would I want to be a Catholic Christian vs. any other brand of Christianity ?

and why do I even have to pick a brand of Christianity ?

I have some limited knowledge of how xnity split around 1000AD between Catholics & Eastern Orthodox, then split again around 1500 between Catholics the current infinitude of protestant denominations, and then the mormons, jeh-wits etc

But don’t all these Christian theologies still believe these 3 creeds ?

apostles, nicene & athanasian

3 creeds

and I thought that Christianity is salvation by faith which means I just have to believe right ? yes if I truly believed then I would also try to achieve some positive works in this life, but what are those works ? has GOD’s will been revealed to us little xtians telling us what we are supposed to do ?

Those 3 creeds talk about being judged for our works, but they don’t specify what the works are because that would be salvation by works which isn’t Christianity because it’s missing the free will part

salvation by faith or faith + works ?

Question: “Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?”

Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation - the split between the Protestant church and Catholic church. This question is a key difference between Biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
Click to expand...
Each domination thinks they are the right one, and everybody else has it wrong. I would like to think the Catholic Church is the most right. However, you have to be comfortable with what you believe to be true. If being Catholic does it for you, thats good. If you opt for some other denomination, then so be it. Good luck and ask God for guidance.
 
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