Why do you call yourself Christian?
Catholics worship, not just "hold high in esteem" as you say you do about Mary! (and) saints....we are NOT to pray to a dead person PERIOD! How can confessing to MAN help you!?! Jesus tought us to pray boldly in HIS name....he didn't say; go to a priest and pray or confess to him first!... (JUST to name a few points)
J.W., you don't even beleive that Jesus is God! That IS the "basics" of being a Christian.
2006-12-03 12:41:11 · 16 answers · asked by nici a 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Peter was NOT a Pope....A Christian is someone who followed CHIRST! To be honest, the first Christians were JEWS! You should know what you beleive better. Jesus Himself loved Mary as we all do...but she was just a vessel used! Think about it; she is not to esteemed this highly, Christ knew this would happen...she isn't even mentioned in the Bible that much!
2006-12-03 13:05:35 · update #1
True Christians are primarily interested in WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES (see Scriptures below).
Meanwhile, trinitarians repeatedly pretend that Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian. Trinitarians use an artificial, trinity-specific definition of the term "Christian" which excludes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century pretended that Christ's followers were Atheists(!) because the Christians had a somewhat different idea from the pagans about the nature of God.
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe! Both secular dictionaries and disinterested theologians acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion.
The Trinitarian arguments are intended to insult and demean Jehovah's Witnesses, rather than to give a Scripturally accurate understanding of the term "Christian".
In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all three times the bible uses the term "Christian" and note that the context connects the term with:
"declaring the good news"
'teaching quite a crowd'
'open eyes, turn from dark to light'
"uttering sayings of truth"
"persuade"
"keep on glorifying"
(Acts 11:20-26) [The early disciples of Jesus] began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus... and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.
(Acts 26:17-28) [Jesus said to Paul] I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God... Paul said: “I am not going mad, Your Excellency Festus, but I am uttering sayings of truth and of soundness of mind. ...Do you, King Agrippa, believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” But Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian.”
(1 Peter 4:14-16) If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy... But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name
So why do anti-Witnesses try to hijack the term "Christian" and hide its Scriptural implications? Because anti-Witnesses recognize that it is the preaching work that makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:
(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded
Learn more!
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/article_04.htm
2006-12-04 16:37:00 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What's the difference? You call yourself whatever you care to and permit the others to do the same. If Catholics get some whatever it is they get, by confessing to a priest, why would you want to take that away ?
If the JWs don't believe that Jesus was God, so what ? No skin off your butt.
By the way, Catholics do believe that Jesus was a God. That makes them just as Christian as you or anyone else.
Ease up already. Why do so many want to be preachers ? Live and let live.
2006-12-03 12:54:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
First, of all catholic church is really different from Jehovah witness church. This is, I guess, as a result of your misunderstanding about catholic faith. I challenge you to find out what catholic really believe and all those fussy ideas by visiting these sites www.catholic.com and www.ewtn.com. There are many other catholic sites that you can learn from but I recommend this two. Just as an illustration. I had biases about Islam but when I wrote a paper about Islam, I found out that almost all of the biases are wrong. In short, it is better to look at something from inside rather than outside. I guarantee that when you visit the sites you will find out how biblical and historical plus theological the teachings of the church are. Remember, the concept of Trinity was first defined by early christians who were all catholics. If you want to know further about early christians believe and the misconceptions of the catholic church, I recommend the following books:
1. The catholic church through the ages by Karl Keating
2. What catholics really believe by Karl Keating
3. Where is that in the bible by Patrick Madrid
4. Cathecism of the catholic church
Thank you for asking the question
2006-12-03 13:28:26 · answer #3 · answered by Petros 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
FYI, Catholics were the first Christians. St. Peter was the first Pope. The Pope is the authority figure on Earth, who receives this authority through Jesus just like Moses was an authority figure and Joshua and so forth down the line. We honor our Mother Mary, you do not. You are breaking a Commandment and all I can say is no wonder you do not have the real presence of Jesus in Holy Communion. He wouldn't want anything to do with people who treat his Mother like you do.
2006-12-03 12:57:58 · answer #4 · answered by Midge 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Why do you think that Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses are not Christians. Just because someone does not interpret the Bible like you do does not mean they are not Christians. I would be extremely angry if some one said I was not a Christian just because my beliefs were different than theirs. I don't believe Jesus is God. I believe what the Bible says. Jesus is the son of God and man. The spirit of God lives in Jesus as it lives in all men. I believe Jesus was sent here to teach and lead us by His Father God.
2006-12-03 12:52:15 · answer #5 · answered by BUPPY'S MEME 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋
+ Mary and the Saints +
Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.
Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.
However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.
Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.
Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.
The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) in heaven. We are still one Body.
Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.
The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.
Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.
As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.
Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946
+ Reconciliation +
The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."
When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.
Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm
+ With love in Christ.
2006-12-03 16:30:45 · answer #6 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Matthew 4:10: Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’
Answer me this...Jesus was on earth when he was tempted by satan, who was jesus reffering too....himself???
1 Corinthians 11: 3 "But I want YOU to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn the head of a woman is the man; in turn the head of the Christ is God"
Now explain me who is the head of Christ again???......
2006-12-03 12:48:16 · answer #7 · answered by Resolver 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Jesus never said he was God. he always said he was the son of the most Holy Father Jehovah. we are christian. we do what Jesus commanded at Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20. who was Jesus Christ praying to? you can not pray to yourself. no one has seen Jehovah but they seen Jesus Christ in the flesh
2006-12-03 12:44:45 · answer #8 · answered by lover of Jehovah and Jesus 7 · 2⤊ 4⤋
I am in ex-Catholic. We never worshipped Mary.
2006-12-03 12:43:55 · answer #9 · answered by norhollywud 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Because we believe in Christ. That is the definition of Christian.
2006-12-03 12:44:58 · answer #10 · answered by sassygirl2473 2 · 1⤊ 5⤋