Why do some Christians view Catholics as non-Christians

[cheezey]

Thank you for your kind words. I have this scene in my head of our Father standing up there in Heaven and looking down upon ALL His children. The out-right naughty, well, there are plans for them, should they not come about. The ones who ran away,He’ll run to meet them half way home should that happen. For the rest of us, the “good ones” He. is just shaking His head at us all, pointing our fingers at each other. He ought to just give us one good smack.We deserve it.

Instead He smacked His First Born, most beloved Son. Why can’t that be our fogus?

 

[guanophore]

We all fall short of God’s desire for us, so in a sense, I can see why you say that.

It true that’s it’s only God’s grace that will save any of us, so I invite you to view the people of the world in that way:

Rather that view others as beyond the faith, view them as people who need to be directed to the Gospel in varying degrees. If you’ve already decided that they are beyond the faith, it makes it harder to reach out to them an proclaim what is in your heart.

Well said ben!

 

[guanophore]

 Hmmm. There may lie the rub, y'know.

Is it not the Catholic church which considers other churches to not be churches, other people’s Eucharist to not be proper, etc. - and in earlier less enlightened days was probably much more hard-line at the grass roots than it is now.

Yes. The Apostles and their successors gave us four marks that define the One Church founded by Christ. Any ecclesial communities that do not have those marks…

They also gave us strict parameters about what constitutes a “proper” eucharist. We are not at liberty to abandon any of the One Faith that was passed down to us from the Apostles.

The “hard line” you mentioned may refer to expressions of the EENS doctrine prior to the Reformation. The Apostles taught that there is no other name under heaven by which humans can be saved but Jesus, and that He only has One Body. All who are joined to Him as head are members of that One Body, the Church. That is why we understand that outside of His One Church there is no salvation.

I wonder if that might be an underlying factor in how the “not proper Christianity” sentiment came about.

I am not sure what that sentiment may be, but the CC position has nothing to do with sentiment. It is a matter of objective criteria established by Jesus, taught to His apostles. We are under the apostolic command to hold fast to what we were given.

Rev 2:25-26
…hold fast to what you have until I come. 26 To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,

 

[Sarcelle]

You are close to me. A friend of mine, Lutheran, had no clue how some Protestant Churches consider Lutheranism as bad as Catholics. He was very surprised to learn they thought he was going to hell as well.

My understanding, you are still Catholic unless you renounced the Church to the local Bishop.

Very true. When I was a member of the Church of Christ, I was talking to a fellow member about my boss. I mentioned that he attended the local Lutheran church. “Oh”, she said,“They’re just like the Catholics.”

 

[TheKingdomOfGod]

As insulting as it is, it is a good opportunity to discuss what it means to be “christian”. Many of these fundamentalists have to admit that we do meet the criteria.

Indeed, but the main message fundamental protestants and fundamental Catholics must accept is that we are all, regardless of branch, Christians. If people could simply accept that then a lot of the hatred between the three main branches of Christianity, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox would be gone.

I live in hope.

 

[ephesians4]

I am not sure what that sentiment may be, but the CC position has nothing to do with sentiment. It is a matter of objective criteria established by Jesus, taught to His apostles. We are under the apostolic command to hold fast to what we were given.

I’m aware of all this, and as I said I imagine the exclusivity of Catholicism, or even the outright accusation of evil historically, would probably tend to lead to equally vituperative expression either now or in their tradition of any doubts they had about holy objects, intercession/mariolatry, papal infallibility, the terms in which apostolic succession gets discussed, exclusion from communion and all the usual old chestnuts. Naturally where one feels one’s credibility is being unjustly questioned by someone they don’t see as credible, the reaction would be to point that out.

This is the second reason I mentioned in this conversation - the first being the me and my bible thing. Questions on some of these issues do, I think, naturally stem from purely scripture-based understanding of Christianity without the teachings of a church involved - we see that all too commonly for it to be coincidence as I’m sure all will agree.

We can’t for instance blame it on historical combativeness when we’re talking about a sole bible Christian, or someone from a recently formed evangelical denomination who comes with doubts about eg: intercession, concerns about idolatry etc. that need to be assuaged before they can convert to Catholicism.