a question for the Catholics?

Question

people talk a lot here about christians and catholics as if they are two entirely different religions, and as if catholicism is not a part of the overall spectrum of christianity. for example, questions like "can a christian marry a catholic?" have been asked. is this something that catholics agree with - that they are an entirely separate non-christian religion - or is it just something non-catholic christians say to insult catholicism?

and also, what is the reason either catholics aren't considered christians, even though they follow jesus?

Heather B, stop being gripey. i didn't say catholics were not christians, i asked why SOME PEOPLE don't consider them to be.

Answer 1

>>or is it just something non-catholic christians say to insult catholicism?<<

Yes, it is just something non-Catholic Christians say to insult Catholicism.

Answer 2

Here's how I see it- and I am asked this often as I am the only "practicing" Catholic in my office.

Obviously the difference between Jewish people and Christians of any type is that we believe Jesus Christ was the one God sent to forgive our sins, whereas Jewish people are waiting for what we call, "The Second Coming". All christians believe this.

To get into where Catholics and christians differ requires probably the equivalent of a three or six credit college course. The Catholic church places different requirements of faith and practice than other christian religions. Catholics, for example, believe that Jesus was conceived by a virgin, which many other christians do not. I find that interesting because if Jesus could rise from the dead, how come God could not have had him conceived without sex. Plus, there is some difference about the nature of communion- we believe that the "hosts" are Jesus, many protestants think it is merely a symbol.

I hope this gets you started. There are I am sure many good books on the topic.

Answer 3

We Catholics are the original Christians. Protestants did not come onto the scene until 1517 when Martin Luther had to have his way and opted to do his own thing.

Catholics are hated by those who only think they know about Catholicism. On the other hand, there are thousands who find their way "home" to the Catholic Church.

Answer 4

I think a lot of it depends on the person's level of education. Anyone with even a rudimentary level of historic knowledge has to concede that there can't be a history of Christianity without factoring in the Catholic Church. And most, if not all, of the antagonism can easily be traced back to the Protestant Reformation, when both sides wanted to portray the other in the worst possible light.

Answer 5

catholics are a branch of christianity, the person probably meant that can a catholic marry a noncatholic person who is of a noncatholic christian branch. and for the second question, in the roman days there were only catholics, that was teh only form of christianity, however a little later some controversy began to stir up and the protestans (note the root protest) protested against the catholic church and developed another, form of christianity

Answer 6

There our some differences but i mean the big issues they both agree with each other. And that is why yes Catholics our Christians, and people who say that they are not are ignorant about faiths. They don't know the Catholic Doctrine. Catholics say the Nicene creed ever Sunday here it is

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.


Ever christian should believe in everything in the nicene creed, and by the way in the nicene creed when it says catholic its meaning is universal, not reffering to the religon. So if non-catholics are giving you a hard time just show them this and if there smart they will stop with the ignorant slurs that have been coming out of there mouth.

Answer 7

non-catholics are the ones who consider Catholics as non-christian, but Catholics have very important things to mind rather than mind the ignorance of other people against Catholicism. really, it's not that Catholics agree that they are not Christians, it's just the fact that, if you are the bigger person, just let everything go, something like that.

Answer 8

Roman Catholics and Protestants differ on certain practices.Catholics tend to emphasize the importance of Mary,and they also believe in 'indulgences',purgatory,and the belief that in the Eucharist,the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.Protestants don't believe in those things,and they view those practices as un-Biblical.They believe that those practices were not part of the original practices of the early church,but they came to be taught a few centuries later.

Answer 9

Catholics are a part of Christendom.

The problem is that many protestants like to think that becuase of some doctrinal differences, that they can demonize Catholics.

They say that Catholics worship Mary. That's false.

They say that Catholics believe salvation comes through works. That's false.

They say that Catholics worship saints. That's false.

They say that Catholics re-crucify Christ. That's false.

They will say that it's wrong to pray to saints. They misinterpret the word "pray". Pray means simply to "ask", and if we believe the soul lives on, why shouldn't someone "ask" someone who has passed on to "pray" for them as readily as if we ask the person next to us in the pew?

They say that Catholics have too much ritual. This is descended directly from the early church, where the faithful had been Jews and were familiar with ritual. Ritual brings people to a spiritual state.

People bash Catholics because of the ubiquitous hateful Chick Publications. They forget that the Church Luther started was quite like the Catholic church. Ritual, priesthood and such. Mostly, it's ignorance propogated through Chick and other foollish folk.

Answer 10

I am a Catholic Christian. I have been told otherwise---that I am NOT a Christian, but I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus.

Answer 11

Thank you for asking such an insightful question.

We of course consider ourselves Christians. We were around thousands of years before any of the rest of them. It would be crazy not to consider ourselves Christians, since we are the church all the Protestant churches sprang from during the Reformation. That would be like saying George H. W. Bush is not a Bush because his son is a Bush.

Some of the non-Catholics consider us to be "non-Christians" because they are poorly catechized... taught by their pastors some nonsense about how the anabaptists were around in the first century (they weren't) or how Constantine invented the church (he didn't.)