i keep questioning my self. WHats the difference between christians and catholics?

Question

i am a catholic and im not sure of the differences. Are they the same thing?

Answer 1

Dr. Boettner then gives us "Some Roman Catholic Heresies And Inventions" and the dates that these alleged "Apostolic" traditions were added to Roman Catholic theology &endash;
* Prayers for the dead, began about A.D. 300
* Making the sign of the cross 300
* Veneration of angels and dead saints, and use of images 375
* The Mass, as a daily celebration 394
* Beginning of the exaltation of Mary, the term "Mother of God" first applied to her by the Council of Ephesus 431
* Priests began to dress differently from laymen 500
* Extreme Unction 526
* The doctrine of Purgatory, established by Gregory I 593
* Latin used in prayer and worship, imposed by Gregory I 600
* Prayer directed to Mary, dead saints and angels, about 600
* Title of pope, or universal bishop, given to Boniface III 607
* Kissing the pope's foot, began with pope Constantine 709
* Worship of the cross, images and relics, authorized in 786
* Holy water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest 850
* Canonization of dead saints, first by pope John XV 995
* The Mass, developed gradually as a sacrifice, attendance made obligatory in the 11th century
* Celibacy of the priesthood, decreed by pope Gregory VII (Hildebrand) 1079
* The Rosary, mechanical praying with beads, invented by Peter the Hermit 1090
* Sale of Indulgences 1190
* Transubstantiation, proclaimed by pope Innocent III 1215
* Auricular Confession of sins to a priest instead of to
God, instituted by pope Innocent III, in Lateran Council 1215
* Bible forbidden to laymen, placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Council of Valencia 1229
* Purgatory proclaimed a dogma by Council of Florence 1439
* The doctrine of Seven Sacraments affirmed 1439
* Tradition declared of equal authority with the Bible by the Council of Trent 1545
* Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent 1546
* Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, proclaimed by pope Pius IX 1854
* Syllabus of Errors, proclaimed by pope Pitts IX, and ratified by the Vatican Council; condemned freedom of religion,conscience, speech, press, and scientific discoveries which are disapproved by the Roman Church; asserted the pope's temporal authority over all civil rulers 1864
* Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals, proclaimed by the Vatican Council 1870
* Public Schools condemned by pope Pius XI 1930
* Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into heaven shortly after her death), proclaimed by pope Pius XII 1950
* Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church, by pope Paul VI 1965

And then Dr. Boettner concludes:
Add to these many others: monks - nuns -monasteries - convents - forty days Lent - holy week - Palm Sunday - Ash Wednesday - All Saints day - Candlemas day - fish day - meat days - incense - holy oil - holy palms - Christopher medals - charms - novenas - and still others.
There you have it - the melancholy evidence of Rome's steadily increasing departure from the simplicity of the Gospel, a departure so radical and far-reaching at the present time (1965) that it has produced a drastically anti-evangelical church. It is clear beyond possibility of doubt that the Roman Catholic religion as now practiced is the outgrowth of centuries of error. Human inventions have been substituted for Bible truth and practice. Intolerance and arrogance have replaced the love and kindness and tolerance that were the distinguishing qualities of the first century Christians, so that now in Roman Catholic countries Protestants and others who are sincere believers in Christ but who do not acknowledge the authority of the pope are subject to all kinds of restrictions and in some cases even forbidden to practice their religion. The distinctive attitude of the present day Roman Church was fixed largely by the Council of Trent (1545-1563), with its more than 100 anathemas or curses pronounced against all who then or in the future would dare to differ with its decisions.

The Protestant Churches teach Scripture, with no traditions added to it.
The Bible teaches that Scripture alone is the supreme and infallible authority for the church and the individual believer. This is not to say that creeds and tradition are unimportant, but the Bible alone is our final authority. Creeds and tradition are man made.
Jesus said, "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). He said "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18). He said, "It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the law" (Luke 16:17).
Jesus used Scripture as the final court of appeal in every matter under dispute. He said to some Pharisees, "You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down" (Mark 7:13). To the Sadducee's He said, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God". (Mat 22:29). To the devil, Jesus consistently responded, "It is written..." (Mat 4:4-10). So following Jesus' lead, the Scriptures alone are our supreme and final authority.
The Protestants broke from the Catholic church because they did not agree with the traditions that were being held as the authority, rather than God's word the Bible.

Answer 2

As a former Catholic of 10 years or so, I think I can answer this:

Yes, Catholics and Christians are the same, yet different. I've seen some Christians who are more Torah keepers than Catholics.

The Catholics seems to be breaking nearly every law and rule in the books. They take Sunday as the day of rest, eat pork, pray to Mary and the saints, have statues of them, kneel before them in worship, adorne them with fine fabric, jewels and gold, pray on the rosary....the list goes on and on. Oddily enough, these are the things that are listed in the 10 comandments of what NOT to do.

Answer 3

All Catholics are Christians because they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, That He was crucified to pay for our sins and that He rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God and will come again. Catholics also believe that the Bible is true. How could we not be Christians? What I hear on YA is Protestant Christians say that Catholics are not Christian because some (not all) Protestants believe that we are saved by Faith alone and not by works while Catholics believe that we need both Faith and works to go to Heaven. Those Protestants must have never read the Book of James in the New Testament. James was an Apostle and learned from Jesus Himself for 3 years and after Jesus death, resurrection, and was the head of the Christian Church in Jerusalem. Faith vs works was an issue right away after Jesus and James wrote a letter to teach many things and Faith vs works was one of them. Faith is the English translation of the Greek word "pistis" and they mean different things. In English, in English the word Faith usually means "trust" and of course God wants us to trust Him. Pistis means something else. Pistis means to believe something so strongly that the person cannot say or do anything which is not in agreement with his pistis. In the Book of James, The English translation of the book of James has James writing that "Faith without works is dead. A better translation of the Greek that the New Testament is written in is, "Pistis without works is not pistis. I hope this answers your question.

Answer 4

"What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us." (Pope John XXIII)

Almost all important doctrine is completely agreed upon between Catholic Christians and other Christians.

Here is the joint declaration of justification by Catholics (1999), Lutherans (1999), and Methodists (2006):

By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works.

There are many minor doctrine issues and some major cultural traditional differences which, I believe, do not matter that much.

A Catholic worships and follows Christ in the tradition of Catholicism which, among other things, recognizes that Christ made Peter the leader of His new Church and Pope Benedict XVI is Peter's direct successor.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Being a Christian means going further than mere belief in Jesus Christ. A Christian FOLLOWS the teachings of Christ. Do Catholics follow the teachings of Christ?

Jesus taught his followers not to use flattering religious titles like "father." Do Catholics follow that command? No. They call their leaders "father." "Pope" is Latin for "father."

Jesus taught that his Father is the ONLY true God. Catholics have elevated the Son and the holy spirit to the same level as the Father and worship them as a trinity. Their own research sources admit that the trinity is not part of the Bible. For instance: The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: "The formulation 'one God in three Persons' was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective." - (1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

The Encyclopedia Americana: "Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicaea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching." -- (1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L

Jesus ssid at John 14:6: "No one comes to the Father except through me." Catholics pray to Mary and the saints. They even pray directly to Jesus.

Jesus said that his followers would worship God with spirit and truth. (John 4:24) Do Catholics comply with those words? No. They celebrate pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Jesus said to "love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you." (Matt. 5:44) Catholics have been involved in some of the world's bloodiest wars.

So, do Catholics follow the teachings of Christ? What does the Bible say?

Answer 6

Christianity is currently subject to a number of divisions. The key one:
Those who believe in sacraments - Roman Catholic, Coptic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran and those who do not. Those who do believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the communion.
Of those named, there is a growing agreement that at least a "symbolic" head of Christiandom would be beneficial.

Answer 7

Yes, we Catholics are Christians. We know that accepting Christ's death as atonement for our sins is the only means of salvation, which makes us Christians.

A lot of people will try to tell you otherwise, but the majority of them have never studied Catholicism to find out the real truth of why we believe what we believe. They choose to believe what they've been told, rather than learning what the Church actually teaches.

Edit:

At NO time and under NO circumstances do Catholics "worship" Mary. We honor her as the mother of Jesus, and we know that she is a member of the Communion of Saints in Heaven. The Church has NEVER taught that she is God or worshipped her because worship is reserved for Him Alone.

We also know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light, and no man comes to the Father except through Him. While we are on earth, we *are* expected to do the work that Christ has given us to do:

Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good work."

James 2:14-17: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

Works cannot "buy" salvation, which comes through the shed Blood of Christ. But Catholics are behaving Scripturally when they perform works of mercy and charity.

Again, people quote what they've heard or been told about the Catholic Church, rather than finding out the truth for themselves.

Answer 8

Yes they are the same. Catholics are Christians. Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Son of Man. If you are a Christian, you should love everybody equally.

Answer 9

Catholics are Christians. You really didn't know that?

Answer 10

They are Very different... Catholic is absolutely NOT Christian... for one thing Catholics worship Mary... Christians do not worship Mary they worship Jesus/God

Second Major difference is that Catholics believe in salvation by good works... Christians believe in salvation by grace through faith...

hope that helps

Answer 11

Peace!
Catholic means the universal Christian Church. It is the only Church in the world that has a divine origin because Jesus Christ himself founded it It is also the only Church which has the authority from Jesus Christ to teach and interpret Sacred Scripture. Jesus also promised to guide this Church till doomsday so don't believe people or other Christian denominations who say we have strayed from God and the Bible.