What does the belief in the holy catholic Church (lowercase c on catholic) mean?

Answer 1

the belief in the catholic church means belief that it is the true church, founded by Jesus.

Answer 2

Belief in the catholic (lower case) church means belief in a church that has been present in every nation and every year since apostolic times. That's what "universal" means. The one church Jesus Christ personally founded for all mankind. The only church He ever authorized. The one to which He gave the fullness of truth, and the mission to make disciples of ALL peoples. And anyone with a modicum of historical knowledge recognizes that the only church fitting this description is the Catholic (upper case) Church.

Answer 3

the word catholic means universal. So the Catholic church actually thinks and has convinced many unsuspecting people that it is the one true church and universal. Universal, spread out to the entire face of the Earth, it may be, but not the Church that scripture refers to as the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ. It is an imitation. This might make a few upset, but I know an imitation when I see one.

Answer 4

lowercase 'c' on Catholic means 'universal'. The catholic church is Christ's bride here on earth. That means that every believer, regardless of religious persuasion, is part of that 'universal' body of believers.

Uppercase 'C' as in Catholic means the Church of Rome, the Holy Catholic Church. The one that our Lord Jesus started here on earth when he made Peter the first Pope.

Answer 5

The church is holy because Jesus Christ, who founded the church is holy. The holiness of the church is not from the people who make up the church because people can be sinful. The church is holy because of our faith in Jesus Christ, who is holy.

The church is catholic (universal), because God seeks the salvation of all people, regardless of race or nationality.

INTRO, DO YOU KNOW THIS VERSE?

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James 2: 14

Answer 6

As a Greek Catholic, and Catholic is a Greek word, I think I will weigh in.

It is formed from two words, first appearing in the writing of Ignatius of Antioch, trained by Peter and John in the year 103. It was mentioned in such a way as to be assumed to be in common usage by that point.

It can have two meanings. Either Catholic means "all embracing," or it means "according to the whole." The addition of the word holy means set aside for God, however the Jewish word for holy and the Jewish word for marriage are the same word. The word for church is ecclesia.

So it is either the community which embraces all. In doing so, it forbids the concept of a denomination since a denomination by definition does not embrace all but only those who agree with it. One could, rationally and logically, only be Catholic or Orthodox and hold that in their creedal statement.

The second meaning "according to the whole," means that decision making cannot be by conference or gathering in the normal Protestant sense. Episcopalians could not gather and vote on gay marriage because gay marriage was not permitted by the whole at all times in history. The only thing that matters is historical belief across time and place. It must be supported universally. Belief cannot change or it is not true belief. Only those beliefs handed down by the apostles count. Even the phrase "it is in the bible," is insufficient because it is not only the words of scripture but their ancient context and how they were received in the earliest communities that matters.

The Reformation had a serious problem and each group declared itself the only remnant of the true church, so it was making decisions according to the whole because it was the whole. Calvin in the preface to his Institutes calls for the execution of all non-Calvinists. Luther burned 20,000 anabaptists alive at the stake. So, each denomination considered itself the true universal church, everyone else was a heretic. They created a novel doctrine that the true church was invisible. You cannot see it or find it, but it is there.

The language has toned down in 500 years, but the problems still persist. In a way, the creedal statement is one of the best hopes for reunion. To profess a belief in the holy catholic church is to reject presbyterianism because presbyterianism has never been held by the whole. That does not mean presbyterians cannot keep important elements of their belief, it just means they cannot compel others to accept it as a condition for union. To profess a belief in the holy catholic church is to reject methodism since the tenants of methodism were not only not held by the whole but were actively opposed at the founding. That does not mean methodists would be unable to hold important beliefs, it just means that those beliefs not universally held would not be binding upon anyone.

The problem isn't that simple though. Some beliefs held by modern denominations are strongly opposed to early beliefs and clearly opposed to early beliefs. This is important because they often impact the ministers themselves and things that impact the ministers are deeply resistant to change.

The specific form of the Catholic Church is local, very local. If you ever happen to Uniontown PA or to a major city like New York. Make a point to stop at a Maronite, Roman, or Byzantine Catholic Church. Actually, if you are in New York, also change languages. You won't even believe you are in the same denomination. Likewise, stop at a charismatic or pentecostal Catholic service and you will find yourself in a world totally unlike much of the rest of Christianity. Further, stop at a Thomas Christian Church, probably described as a Malankaran or Malabaran Catholic Church (they are named for the apostle that founded them). Or try a Chaldean Church, you will feel as though you are in Baghdad.

To embrace all you must accept an extraordinary diversity, to accept the judgment of all earlier centuries is to accept with humility that your theology may be wrong. In a sense, to be catholic is to believe you are not bright enough to start your own church. No pope, no priest and no lay person has the knowledge, talent or skill to create new beliefs or to start their own group. To be Catholic whether big or little c is to embrace all with humility and to accept the judgment of the ages.

Answer 7

+ The Church is one +
She acknowledges one Lord, confesses one faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one Body, is given life by the one Spirit, for the sake of one hope (cf. Eph 4:3-5), at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome.

+ The Church is holy +
The Most Holy God is her author; Christ, her bridegroom, gave himself up to make her holy; the Spirit of holiness gives her life. Since she still includes sinners, she is "the sinless one made up of sinners." Her holiness shines in the saints; in Mary she is already all-holy.

+ The Church is catholic +
She proclaims the fullness of the faith. She bears in herself and administers the totality of the means of salvation. She is sent out to all peoples. She speaks to all men. She encompasses all times. She is "missionary of her very nature"

+ The Church is apostolic +
She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14). She is indestructible (cf. Mt 16:18). She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her through Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the college of bishops.

With love and prayers in Christ.

Answer 8

If you do not know what belief in the Catholic Church (capital C on Catholic) means, then what are you using as justification for your use of the lower case 'c'?

Answer 9

it means they think the church is INFALLIBLE when in reality it ISNT. Only Jesus Christ is infallible.

They think serving the church can get them into heaven.

CATHOLICS DONT U KNOW THIS VERSE?
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through FAITH – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Answer 10

catholic means "of the whole". Catholics don't believe in seperate churches, they believe all Christians ARE the church.