Which is more appropriate to say: "I'm a Catholic Christian" or "He/she is a non-Catholic Christian"?

Question

Catholics ARE Christians, you know. We were the FIRST Christians and the ONLY Christians whose Church goes all the back to the Apostles and who have the fullness of the faith.

If you doubt this great fact, than please check out the history of the Catholic Church against the history of your very own church.

Also, you might want to check out the writings of the Church Fathers in regards to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Answer 1

God bless you! I could never understand where this idea got started that Catholics are not Christians, which I have heard from Catholics themselves. I think they mean they are not 'born-again Christians' but they don't say that. They just say, "Oh I'm not a Christian, I'm Catholic' as if being Christian is wrong or something, when all the time they really are Christian.

Anyone who has real faith in Jesus as their saviour is a Christian, regardless of the building they go to on Sunday.

Answer 2

--is Catholic--

The latter is correct. Reading Vatican II and especially Dominus Iesus we learn that all individuals who have a Trinitarian baptism are both Christian and are in some fashion connected to the Church. One who is reborn through the waters and the Holy Spirit is a part of the family of God and the Body of Christ. This is an ontological definition as baptism imparts a spiritual change, indelible mark, and change in the essence of the individual. A Christian is not simply a person who believes X but rather a person who is an adopted "son of God". However, there often is a lack of formal union with the Church, which is a grave thing and greatly impacts the ability of salvation for those that lack formal union.

So if you are baptized you are CHRISTIAN but if you are living out the life of Christ, you are in union with the Body of Christ, the Church, and are thus CATHOLIC.

A person who is baptized but does not live out the life of Christ, has not fulfilled the baptismal vows, nor is following the teachings of the Bible, which instructs the individual to "hold fast to the teachings of the apostles, enter into the Church, participate in the Eucharist, participate in the life of the sacraments, and participate in the prayers of the faithful." (READ ACTS CHAPTER 2:37-ff), is not participating in the fullness of the Faith and is not Catholic.

When a person fulfills the above, the person becomes Catholic and enters into a Church of a specific Rite. For example I am a Catholic of the Roman (Latin) Rite.

The Orthodox situation is different than that of Protestants for the Orthodox are in fact Churches and its members have entered into a real Church. However these Churches are not in union with the Universal Church and are not to be considered Catholic in that sense. But they should be considered catholic in the sense that, for the vast most part, they hold to the universal Faith. For the most part, the Orthodox are spiritualy and ecclesialy Catholic, yet there is a lack of complete a formal union with the Body of Christ, which subsists solely in the Catholic Church, that is all the bishops in union with the bishop of Rome. It should be considered that there is almost no difference, spiritualy, theologicaly, and eccesialy between an Orthodox Church and its corrisponding Eastern Rite Catholic Church.

Answer 3

Are you asking a question in order to get an answer/opinion, or making a point?

You are right in saying that the Catholic Church is the only one descended directly from the Apostles, and therefore *theoretically* unchanged from Jesus' teachings. Originally, there was only one Christian Church - the Greek word "katholikos" actually means "universal".

But your second sentence sounds a bit like a challenge to non-Catholics, which runs against the spirit of a universal Church and the essence of Christian faith, which is "love your neighbour".

The same is true of those groups who call themselves Christian, but don't consider Catholics to be part of their group.

So the answer is: which is more important to you? To say that you're a Catholic (as opposed to another kind of Christian), or that you're a Christian (as opposed to a non-Christian)?

Answer 4

I am a Christian worshiping in Catholic Church, but not a Roman Catholic. Catholic simply mean universal.

Yet I will not look down on Catholic, after I read enough of the Church history and Bible. For now I know who gave us the Bible. It is still the Roman Catholic Priest.

Even those extra books in the Roman Catholic Bible, whom I once thought as evil, now I am reading. For I understand now the RC do not take them as word of God, but just as good christian writting.

Actually, I am using them as inter-testament history fact. Most Theological student will also use them as well.

There may still be some different between the RC and the Protestants. But allow the grace of God to melt all walls down.

Brothers from RC side, let's not look at the difference, but on the common ground. We too have a common goal, that is to bring hope to this land.

Answer 5

This question is similar to those one might ask about all the misinformation about other groups that are open to attack for their beliefs. The answer is that most of the misinformation is generated by people who have left the path (Catholic or otherwise) and have an axe to grind. These people are identified as apostates and are often filled with hatred for one reason or another. Sometimes they are victims of abuse, sometimes, they have been only offended by a slight. In many cases, they hate not just Catholicism, but also religion in general. And then there are those who get involved with tearing down other religions -- these are most often the ministers who fear for their own "flock" and ultimately, it is a political power play, not unlike politics. Finally, the bulk of the people have developed their wealth of misinformation from those I've already mentioned. I know of one mega church that runs Sunday classes that "teach" the "truth" about other religions using the same misinformed rhetoric. I have no use for such. Now to Catholicism. I have a major problem when one has a statue and gives obesience to it. When I see the leader of the Catholic church (the Pope) visit a national cathedral (in the United States) on television stop and kneel before a statue of Mary, what am I, not a Catholic, to think? It sure looks like worship to me. No amount of explaining -- and I _do_ know what is going on -- can erase the impression that I see in front of my eyes. If you don't want to be identified as a duck, then don't look like one, don't walk like one, don't quack like one. But the impressions you leave will never go away as long as you continue to give the impression that you worship Mary by having the Pope, the leader of over 1 billion Catholics, kneel before a statue of her in prayer. Add: Where did I learn what the Catholic Church teaches? From the published Catechism, from Catholic friends, and from observation. I was raised Episcopalian.

Answer 6

How about just saying you are a Christian rather than creating a division. If you beleive in, and have accepted Jesus Christ, then you are a Christian. Saying I am a Protestant Christian, or I am a Catholic Christian only brings division in the Body of Christ.

A house divided against itself cannot stand

Answer 7

I'm a Christian. If you are a Catholic like me, then you say " I'm a Catholic."

Answer 8

Depends - if you're clever, where you are -

In Israel - you'll say I'm christian

Irak - you'll shut up

France - such a question is very unpolite

USA - id

And in Australia - I would say I'm christian

Full stop

Answer 9

Wow, I feel like I have just been lectured.

I usually just say I am Catholic and leave it at that.

Answer 10

either way your just stating your part of a gang. Yes, religion is just a gang of dummies wanting to be a part of something.