Someone asked here today if Gerald Ford was a Christian. Someone answered that every president ever elected has been Christian, "except Kennedy, who was Catholic".
Isn't a Catholic Christian? . . . . What about a Mormon(LDS)? Are Mormons Christians? . . . . What about a Methodist, an Episcopalian, or a Seventh Day Adventist? . . . . What about Jehovah's Witnesses or Christian Science? Aren't they Christians? . . . . What about Lutherans or Eastern Orthodox?
Are only Jerry Falwell---Pat Robertson---James Dobson-types Christians?
2006-12-27 12:14:22 · 32 answers · asked by tychobrahe 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Interestingly, scholars are increasingly referring to Dwight Eisenhower as a lapsed Jehovah's Witness. Eisenhower refused to align himself with any other church (except the generic "Christianity") until one week before declaring himself a candidate for U.S. President. Of course, Eisenhower was not a practicing Jehovah's Witness and had not been since childhood.
http://www.adherents.com/people/pe/Dwight_Eisenhower.html
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/listofholdingshtml/listofholdingsJ/jehovahwitnessesabilenecongregation.pdf
Meanwhile, certain 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
2006-12-28 04:38:48 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 1⤊ 5⤋
Yes Catholic are classified as Christians.
What is classified as Christian is defined by the agreed upon points of Christian doctrine of the World Council of Churches. Catholics have signed off on the doctrine and are classified as Christian, however because of the Catholics large membership they are not full members of the World Council of Churches but instead a working observer. Since voting on the Council is weighted by Churches membership the Catholics would be in complete control having the the most members. This is why the Catholics have never asked for or given full membership, strictly because of Council voting privledges.
Methodists, Episcopalians, Adventists, Lutherans, all Eastern Orhtodox Chureches are classified as christian under their doctrines............
Christian Scientist I am unsure about, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons no are not classified as Christian based upon agreed doctrinal teaching.
Actually.....Jerry Falwell, pat Robertson, James Dobson and those types, some of them are not classified as Christian by the World Council of Churches.
2006-12-28 06:42:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question - and Ford was a Catholic, I believe.
The answer I suppose relies unfortunately in the mind of the asker. I'm a Catholic who has studied with a number of Christians of other denominations, and who have different definitions.
I think C.S. Lewis said it best in "Mere Christianity", in the introductory chapter where he argued that Christians who believe that faith determines whether one is a Christian are not in a position to judge whether anyone else is a Christian because they cannot see internally. If they look at the actions of another, they can only say whether they are a good Christian or a bad Christian, but should otherwise trust that they believe as they say they do.
2007-01-03 08:57:21 · answer #3 · answered by Veritatum17 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Catholics are Christians, indeed. It would have been more accurate to say all US Presidents to date have been Christians. If one feels so inclined, they could point out that all but Kennedy were Protestant, or that Kennedy was the only Catholic president, so far.
In my opinion, I do not believe Mormons, Jehovah's witnesses, or Christian scientists are Christians in the traditional sense - but that does not mean they are bad people.
2007-01-02 02:20:33 · answer #4 · answered by Daver 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what Christianity is. I can call myself a Frenchman all day long, but that doesn't make me French. First you have to define the minimum characteristics of Christianity as a sect, and then you can determine who is and is not Christian. The Muslims, for example, have more in common with traditional Christianity than the Mormons. Does that mean Muslims are Christians, or that Mormons are not Christians? If you have all the ear-marks of a Christian, but deny being a Christian, are you a Christian?
2006-12-27 12:20:11 · answer #5 · answered by NONAME 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
All those you have listed are Christians.
There is no doubt that Catholics are Christians. This is a deliberate over-simplification, but imagine the word "Christian" as the largest umbrella, under which the categories 1. "Catholic" [Roman/Eastern Orthodox, etc.], 2. "Protestant," and possibly 3. "other" fall. The individual Christian faiths stem from these major divisions.
2006-12-27 18:04:30 · answer #6 · answered by Matthias 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Actually, I would consider (hack) Catholics more christian than Jerry Falwell---Pat Robertson & James Dobson. After all the definition of Christian IS:
Christian = Christ Like. Christ hung out with those who needed spiritual help, not the "rulers," not those who contributed the most or could do the most for him. He hung out WITH THOSE HE COULD DO THE MOST FOR, exactly the opposite of most famous ministers.
2006-12-27 12:19:01 · answer #7 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Catholic is the first Christian church of Jesus since 33AD.
The rest are either orthodox or protestants. The prots underwent a major schism among themselves and have about 40K ministries and one of the ministry is called Christian. That's the meaning of the word protestant Christian.
2013-11-13 00:34:06 · answer #8 · answered by Mayflower 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes some Catholics are Christians like any other denomination who claims Christianity only some of them have truly had their hearts and minds changed by the Lord.
2006-12-27 12:17:25 · answer #9 · answered by bess 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your definition of Christian. Most non-Catholic Christian denominations accept Catholics as Christians. A very few do not.
A dictionary would say that a Christian is someone professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
Catholics would fit this definition.
In the Nicene creed, from 325 A.D., Catholics profess:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.
For us and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are baptized as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
We truly are spiritually "born again," we just don't usually use those words.
With love in Christ.
2006-12-28 14:09:15 · answer #10 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I know it was never intended this way from the beginning, but I truly feel that there is a major difference between "Christianity" as we know it today, and the "teachings of Jesus". I feel that true "Christians" and needles in haystacks are of the same class. Existing, but extremely hard to find.
2006-12-27 12:45:30 · answer #11 · answered by lilmsmooody 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋