I agree, but why go to the pains to make the distinction in wording when the question is asked, “Are you a Christian?” Why can’t they just say, “Yes”?
I beleive that most if not all Catholics know that Catholic and Christian are the same thing. I don’t get caught up on the wording because both words mean the same thing
I guess a question we could all ask of ourselves regardless of our church name is if we got hauled into court and charged for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us?
Well, not quite, as the name Catholic as it comes from the Greek means of the whole-the fullness of truth as received from Christ through the Apostles. I agree that when I say I’m Catholic it should be understood ‘of course I’m Christian’. It’s just that a number of non-Catholics don’t view it the same way.
I like your comment Kotton but I have to disagree with your last sentence. Two things come to my mind. I have found that there are people in every faith tradition who seem to be nominal to their commitment. When they need the church for a wedding or funeral they are of course Christian because after all they are a Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist or whatever, even though they have not entered a church for 10 or 20 years. Ask those same people when they have no present need of the church if they are a Christian and most will reply with “well I am a Lutheran etc. Etc”. Secondly, I have experienced numerous occasions when conversation in a group approaches religious subjects. If someone asks someone else “are you religious” and the person says “well I am Catholic, Lutheran etc” people will generally respond with favorable platitudes like “oh, that’s nice” or something close. However, if the person answering says “well, yes, I am a Christian” he/she had better be prepared to have stares and comments given not so nice. Maybe no one else has experienced this but I sure have.
That’s not what “Catholic” refers to. “Catholic” means universal, according to the whole. It means the Church is not tribal or nationalistic. The Church is universal; it is available for everyone.
Yes, I believe you’re right on both points – which I think shows that Protestants and Catholics each have their biases.
I was just thinking that.
I guess I wasn’t aware of that.
But something that may (or may not) be related: when I’m really honest with myself I have to admit that if somebody says “I’m Christian” then I tend to assume that he/she is Protestant. (In my defense, that might be partially a result of the many Catholics and Protestants I know who use the phrase “non-Catholic religions”.)Correct . “Catholic” at first was used as an adjective , and later as proper name/noun. Some have suggested that since the schism (and then the reformation), the true meaning of Catholic/Universal no longer applies. That is where once the term was used to separate from false believers, it now separates from ‘other’ true believers, hence no longer universal, or according to the whole.
It refers to the One Faith that was handed down to us from the Apostles.
Hi g,
Hi benhur. I don’t see it as a matter of being true believers but of believing true (correct) doctrine. Presumably you don’t claim that we don’t contradict each other teachings?
Oh, sorry, I must have missed that part.
This is what the Church teaches.
Yes and no. Catholicity refers to the fullness of the faith, which is universal in the sense that those who espouse it can be found all over the world, and it is the same in every place.
Early Catholics have the same variations as those today, differences in language, culture, etc. But despite these differences, the faith is the same - same doctrine same rituals. One can go into a Catholic Church anywhere in the world and recognize and participate. This is the nature of universality - the same everywhere.
Actually this is one of the main concerns I have about Orthodoxy. It became very tied to nationality, and there are continual problems today because of it. Here in the US we have ROCOR (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia) because the adherents are so tied to the Russian culture and language. There certainly have been issues with the papacy, but one benefit is that it is possible to gather and work together with all the Bishops everywhere, which we do not see in O.
Yes , I am with you although I think when ’ catholic’ was first used it was in the context of Gnostics, whom I believe most would say were not really Christian.
I think the Catholic church admits to only One faith , one church though she admits there are other churches not perfectly joined but still owing to the CC hence a universal union… I am saying the CC is universal only to itself by that definition/context. There are a few ‘churches’ that indeed are also universal to themselves, that is same doctrine all around the world, same liturgy even , more so than the CC etc…
Agreed. yet just what is the whole, every last jot and titles of decree ? I mean there has always been some variations within the CC on faith and practices, but no not on declared doctrine. For example there were many centuries where one could believe in the IC or one could not, even to the point of contention, for it was not a declared dogma/doctrine yet. So if your priest was Dominican you did one thing .If he was Franciscan or Augustinian you believed and did another thing…But for sure the P’s are that magnified and multiplied.
The Mass is the same world wide. Any varience and it would not be the Mass
IC. But then I would point out that I rarely encounter Protestants who call themselves catholic. (Possibly fearing that people would interpret that as Catholic -ICWR.)
When asked if I’m a Christian I answer yes. It’s only if the conversation continues and I’m asked which church I attend does the fact I’m Catholic is revealed. I may respond in this manner bc I’m a convert. The looks on some faces are priceless. I’ve had a few actually say, but you’re Catholic, not a Christian. I tell them that when I left Baptist church and converted to Catholicism my love of Christ didn’t go away. My friends, all of which are Protestant, now seem to have a different view of Catholicism than before.