Is some of the Catholic/Christian misconception at least partly our doing ...?

Question

... for how we identify ourselves publically?

I'm not talking about the anti-Catholic extremists who don't acknowledge us as Christian, period, but the average inquirer without an "anti" agenda who asks questions of "Christians and Catholics".

Think about it. In real life as opposed to Y!A, when the subject of religion comes up, don't most Protestants regardless of denomination or sect first say "I'm Christian"? And in the same situations, most Catholics say "I'm Catholic". I know this is a bit of generalization but then again, it does reflect what I've seen (and said) myself for many years.

If the average person is under the impression that Catholic is different from Christian (again, not counting those who have been specifically taught this) -- and it certainly seems so, given the many times we have corrected it here -- wouldn't it be better to also make our first response "I'm Christian" if further distinction isn't relevant to the situation?

Midge, I'm not saying we should give up our name and I'm not an ecumenist! But some of us take people to task right and left for making a distinction between Christian and Catholic, and I was asking if part of that confusion may come from Catholics themselves. Please don't jump to conclusions that don't exist.

Answer 1

Not all Christians are Catholic, but all Catholics are Christians.

I have no problem with people wishing to identify themselves with their denomination by citing only the name of the denomination: Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, whatever.

It has always gone without saying that those, and many more, are all Christian denominations. To say that one is a Catholic Christian, a Lutheran Christian, a Methodist Christian, an Anglican Christian, we know just from Catholic, Luther, etc, that we're dealing with a Christian.

So why differentiate, specifically between Catholic and Christian? Exactly! It's entirely unnecessary - but it's being done - and done for a very deliberate reason.

There is a relatively small minority that for whatever reason so hates the Catholic Church, that they seek to defy it's status as a Christian denomination. These are the ones who most often differentiate between Catholic and Christian. The hard-liners will go so far as to accuse the Catholic Church as being a cult.

Like I said, it's just a minority of non-Catholic Christians but, as minorities often go, they have a way of getting noticed.

Whenever "Catholic and Christian" appear, it is well worth the time to point out the simple fact that, while not all Christians are Catholic, all Catholics are Christians.

Answer 2

Hi Granny,

There is no band-aid for this really. There are certain denominations that teach anti-Catholicism from the very beginning.

Most folks don't sweat it. It doesn't bother them if you're Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist or what ever...

However, with these denominations that grew up in an anti-Catholic atmosphere, if you start off saying you're Catholic, they will be insulted. If you start off saying you're Christian and when they ask what kind you say you are Catholic they will be even more insulted and accuse you of lying or hiding your paganism...

It's part and parcel with anti-Catholicism. Been there done that. Not fun.

I am always wearing a cross of some kind. So most folks know I am a Christian without asking.

I pray the rosary while out and about so most folks know I'm Catholic without asking.

By and large, the problem around where I live is - that there is a growing trend of non-denominational Cafeteria Christians with some WAY out beliefs.

They invent Jesus as they go along. So the blanket term of Christian is really getting a bad name.

Edit: Friends Drake and Michael above are fine examples of just the sort of anti-Catholic brain washing that I'm talking about.

Sorry guys. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom. He was the first pope. The Last Supper instituted the Eucharist. Martin Luther removed Maccabees from your bibles. That doesn't remove something practiced by ALL Christians for 1500 years before Luther.

Answer 3

Hi Granny

I don’t think it really matters to anyone except the extremists. I am seeing, “I’m a Christian” a lot more than I use too and I attribute that to the movement away from denominationalism in the past 25-30 years. Then too there is the MSM penchant for assigning “Christian” only to Fundamentalist and Evangelicals which further clouds the issue and in some PC quarters is used disparagingly.

I have a great respect for the RCC, I just don’t believe in some of their traditions and sacraments.

Blessings


Just a note to Max Marie, SFO

Maccabees are a part of books known as Apocraph (which covers other books as well as those included in the RCC canon) or Deuterocanonical. They are books of the Old Testament of doubtful authority included in the later Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate versions, but not in the original Jewish Bible.

They may have been used in antiquity but the ancient Greek Old Testament known as the Septuagint was the vehicle which conveyed these additional Scriptures into the Catholic Church. The Septuagint version was the Bible of the Greek speaking, or Hellenist, Jews, whose intellectual and literary center was Alexandria not Palestine.

The most explicit definition of the Catholic Canon is that given by the Council of Trent, Session IV, 1546. Not coincidently at the time of the Reformation.

Answer 4

I haven't had that same experience. The people I tend to meet/know will identify themselves by their denominations (Lutheran, Methodist, ect)... those who simply say "I'm Christian" tend to have been born-again Christians... I'm not sure if there was a denomination involved.

I don't see saying "I'm Catholic" as a bad thing. I will talk about myself in terms of being a Christian, but usually when people ask what religion, I'm proud to say Catholic. It's almost like the difference between saying you are American and Californian, Hispanic and Salvadorian, Canadian and Franco-Ontarian. Besides, others don't go around saying "I'm Baptist-Christian" or whatever denomination.

The other thing I've noticed is that most people who say that Catholics aren't Christian have little or no use for the Roman Catholic Church anyway. So if we ARE causing some misconception by calling ourselves "Catholic" instead of "Christian," I don't think it is enough to make a difference.

Answer 5

Well I'm not christian, though I grew up in a somewhat christian enviroment.
I have noticed a few details that seperate catholics from protestants-- Catholics are by far more ceremonial in their worship. The heiarchy is more rigid and structured too. While protestants direct pratically all prayers directly to jesus and to god, catholics have parton saints for nearly any situation, such as safe travel, tranquil homestead, etc... There are those who who feel that catholics are the most hypocritical of christians because of this, as they put more emphasis on praying to saints and mary than their own savior....
Honestly, as an outsider looking in, I feel that all "christians" protestant, catholic, mormon, LDS, whatever, should put aside the petty differances, quit bickering over who has better sermons, and straighten out the major problems like pastors ripping off their congregations and priests molesting children. It is rare that anyone hears about a pagan doing these acts of immorality.

Answer 6

It could partially be that. However, I live in S.E. Texas where I was born and raised and Baptist will say, I'm Baptist, same is true of Methodist, Episcopalians etc. I think in recent years some have felt a little smug just saying I'm Christian without specifically
identifying what particular Christian faith they belonged to. However, for the most part, I think a lot of it has come from the rise of what is called "non denominationalism."

I worked in a hospital business office and I realize that can cause confusion. Disciples of Christ Church as called, i.e. First Christian Church. Therefore they would state they are Christians and then you have people of other faiths identifying themselves that way. In a hospital, it is important as members of clergy want to know what members of their faith or church is in the hospital. Now with HIPAA, the patient has to sign allowing the hospital to give that information.

Many Christians of other faiths only see the externals of Catholicism, and they don't understand them at all. Actually we have a lot more in common with some evangelicals iin beliefs,
whose worship style is not at all similar to ours, than we do with some people who belong to a faith whose worship style is very close to ours.

Now, my experience has really not been so much as Max Marie has described it. A lot of people might not understand the faith but I have always tried to find common ground with them and if they have questions, and frequently then do, about my faith, I try and explain. You have to realize a lot of poorly catechized Cathollics and ex Catholics have frequently left the wrong impression and given bad information.

Answer 7

I grew up Catholic, and I think to a lot of Catholics, "Catholic" is synonymous with "Christian." I heard a lot about it being the "true Church," and even recently, have heard of prayer that those of other denominations return to the "true Church." So I think what you say is at least somewhat true.

Compound that with the fact that lots of people identify with their "religion" without having an active faith, and you have a real connundrum. Sure, I was Catholic by upbringing, but I was fourteen before I knew what it meant to be Christian and became one. The same goes for lots of Protestant denominations. You're Lutheran (Methodist/Baptist, etc.) because you attend a certain church... You may or may not be an actual Christian.

Answer 8

Yes, I'm Christian, first and foremost and am happy to identify myself as just that - a follower of Christ and all that that entails.

The type of Christian I am is Catholic. I am human and male; I am Christian and Catholic. As existentially one as the other in that the latter is my self-chosen mode of existence and moral stance in relating to the rest of the world.

This is a dynamic rather than a static identity. I am Christian and yet I am always becoming Christian (ever more Christlike) - or trying to, I wish it was always progress in a positive direction.

If there is honest confusion as to the Christian identity of Catholics then I think this needs to be addressed in another forum where dialogue may be possible without juvenile or ill-intentioned interference. I would welcome suggestions!

Answer 9

That always confused me growing up Catholic down here in the south. Here I was a Catholic and a christian, yet there's this other group calling themselves christians but are different from me. Those other groups came well after Catholicism so maybe they should've come up with a new, not so confusing label.

Answer 10

I'm a Catholic, and I'm not 'surprised' to find that there are even some CATHOLICS who don't know that to be a Catholic is als to be a Christian. We 'know' that we worship a 'triune God' ... God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and we know that when we take the Eucharist, we are 'eating Christ' ... but evidently the 'other religions' have so 'taken over the name Christian' that we 'don't like being called Christians' even though the Catholics were THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, and all the 'other religions' grew out of Catholicism!