Why do Catholics think they are Cristians and....?

Question

Why do Catholics think they are Christians, but Christians (Baptists, Prodistants, Petacostal, etc) don't think that the Catholics are Christians? I get into this fight with my Catholic friends who say they are also Christians, but I was raised Christian and strongly taught that Catholic is not a good, God based religion, as Catholic people drink, and have sex before marriage, and swear etc. and they worship the Virgin Mary, who is not Jesus and did nothing spectacular, and because they also celebrate the crucifix. And Jesus wasn't always dead he rose again, right? BUT Catholics still call themselves Christians.

I'm not either today, but it still confuses me... who's really right?

In response to Tanto Djibouti... and all the rest of you. I am NOT a practicing Christian, Catholic or anything. They are all cracked idiots, I just only know what I was taught 20 YEARS ago and wanted to know why I was taught one thing and my Catholic raised friends were taught another thing. I'm not a "young one" I'm a 28 year old mother, who is NOT raising my kid in a quacky religion. You all are just really funny!!

Answer 1

This also frustrates me to no end. The term 'Christian' means, more than one follower of Christ. The 'tian' is plural of Christ. Catholics in all actuality, *should* be called Marytian since they simply Adore and LOVE HER WAY more than Jesus!!!!!! Their numerous festivals in honour of this DEAD woman PROVES it!!!!!!!

Catholicism is a MAN MADE religion, and has NOTHING to do with The Bible! For instance, just WHERE in The Bible does it state that one must go to confession, and ONLY a priest can forgive sins?????? HUH?????? WHERE????? #2) WHERE in The Bible does it state that Jesus SAID during the last supper that when folks break bread and drink wine in His name (communion) they must also ring tiny bells??????? #3) WHERE in The Bible does it state that Mary, Jesus's mother was raised from the dead, like Him??? #4) WHERE do they get the idea that 'The Bride of Christ' is their little girls before their first Communion? #5) Where's purgatory mentioned in the Bible? #6) WHERE in The Bible does it state that we should bow down and pray to dead people? Yes, they have Numerous FALSE TEACHINGS, and The Bible DOES warn about that!

Answer 2

You have been told a lot of lies. I am Catholic and we do NOT worship Mary. Only God is to be worshipped. Also, we do not "celebrate" the crucifix. It a symbol that we reverence. Your parents use a cross without Jesus on it, we use one with Jesus on it. Neither of us "celebrate" the crosses.

Not only Catholic people, but I assure you that there are many Baptists and Pentacostals and other Protestants that have sex before marriage and drink and cuss, etc. We are all sinners and need forgiveness.

As for not being a godly religion, ask Protestants where their branch of Christianity came from. The real truth is, and no one can deny this, that most Christian branches (Baptists, Lutherans, Calvinists, Methodists, Church of God, United Church of Christ and many more) came from the Catholic church. Yeah, that's right. They don't like to admit that but it's true.

For nearly 1,500 years, they followed the Catholic teachings. Then, around 1500, they broke off starting with Martin Luther. That is why they are called PROTESTants. They were PROTESTing things that were wrong in the CATHOLIC church. Granted, there was some corruption going on but they broke away.

So, about 80% of what Protestants believe in and profess (to include your own parents) comes from the Catholic church. There is so much more to it but not enough time to give it all.

Just know that we, Catholics, believe in one God (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). We believe that Jesus is God's son born of the virgin Mary (just as your folks do). We believe that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried and rose again. We believe that He is alive and is the Savior of the world.

Hope that helps a little.

Answer 3

Of course they're Christians. They believe in Jesus as the messiah and believe he'll come back one day to judge the living and the dead. They don't think he's still dead. The crucifix is just a visual reminder of the sacrifice he made.

Catholics don't worship Mary or the saints, either. Catholics venerate them, and ask them to intercede on their behalf, but they don't pray to them or worship them.

Sex before marriage is just as wrong to a devout Catholic as it is to any other Christian. Fornication is condemned in the New Testament.

Sure, Catholics drink. So did Jesus. He didn't share a cup of grape juice with his disciples at the Last Supper. And he turned water into wine, not the other way around.

I'm sure some Catholics swear. I know a lot of Protestants who do, too.

I honestly don't know where some people get their ideas about Catholics. I was raised in the Catholic church. I don't believe in any of it anymore, but I can tell you that what you've been taught is completely wrong.

Answer 4

Catholics think they are Christians because they ARE. They follow Christ. They believe He died to save us and rose again. They believe you get to heaven throguh the the son.

You were strongly taught that Catholics were wrong...I understand. That is called ignorance and bigotry. We all have our own paths, each deserving of respect, even if you don't agree.

Your friends are right on that point. They are as much a "Christian" as you are.

A few other things:

*Catholics worship Mary. FALSE. They respect her, and some women feel a connection to her as a feminine symbol of goodness.

*Catholics drink and have sex before marriage. TRUE. So do the people in your religion. Most people do.

*They celebrate the crucifix. FALSE. It is a SYMBOL of Jesus. Catholics do not worship a piece of metal or wood shaped like a cross. They use it as a visual reminder of what Jesus went through for them.

But in the end, no one is right. No one can truly know the exact will of God, His/Her exact nature, and follow with perfection all the rules that have been tainted by the hand of man.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

Ugh.. this question is riddled with too many problems for me to answer in one night.

Catholics are Christians.

(Im not Catholic Im non-denominational)

as far as:

"Christian and strongly taught that Catholic is not a good, God based religion, as Catholic people drink, and have sex before marriage, and swear etc"

We are all sinners. Every man. Have you never lied, swore, etc etc?

That is why we needed a Savior so badly to begin with.
That is what makes any religion that recognizes Christ as the Messiah "Christian".


I do agree in this:

I dont approve of the praying to men, saints or otherwise... and I don't believe that to have "true" communion, you need to attend a Catholic Church.

Answer 7

There are quite a few problems that protestants have with Catholicism, but one that really stands out to me is the idea that Catholics believe after you receive the Holy Spirit by believing on Jesus Christ you live a holy life and this holy life is how you MERIT eternal life. So it is faith and works. Seems like this is what most protestants believe now, but this is not scriptural the way I understand the gospel.

Answer 8

Hello,

What about Jimmy Swaggart shagging hookers; the Jim Baker who was convicted of fraud; Haggard's sodomy etc etc etc? The Catholics have no monopoly on sexual sins. Drink in moderation is not prohibited in the bible and it was not grape juice as some try to say. Catholics regard sex outside of marriage as sinful but Mary is considered
a person worthy of respect who may be able to intercede to her son Christ for them, not an object of worship.
As some people once said to Calvin, your God is my devil and Calvin thought vice-versa I suppose. You must have listened to too many fundies and perhaps your time might also better spent reading about Catholicism. See a source below.

The Catholic church is certainly precieved as a papal dictatorship by many but look at the protestant faiths. It started with Luther but waaah, you are wrong, don't like your theology; waah you took our family pews and lied about the trinity, my church is right, you are wromg etc until you have 350 different churches with so many ideas contradicting one another that you range from Luther and Calvin to Tammy Fay... in short a total lack of discipline and cohesion.

Regards,

Michael Kelly

Answer 9

A Christian is someone who loves, indeed is in love with, Jesus Christ, the eternally generated Son of the Most High God. Everything else is secondary, albeit, in many cases, very important.

Answer 10

Catholics drink and have sex before marriage as much as any other christian. I think some of it may have to do with the worship of saints which many Christians would consider false Idols.

Answer 11

Sounds like you were taught all kinds of ignorant things in your "Cristian" church and by your redneck parents. Here are some other common misconceptions:

1. The Earth is not 6000 years old, and there are no real scientists who will say it is.

2. Dinosaurs are not fanciful inventions of tricksie scientists.

3. Public schools do not force condoms into your pockets and Marxists literature into your bookbag.

4. Black people are no more hairless apes than you are.

5. God did not invent the repeating rifle.

6. The Holocaust happened.

7. You can't heal people by laying your hands on them, and speaking in tongues is at best hilarious and at worst horribly frightening.

8. "Gay" doesn't mean "pedophile."

9. Liberalism is not a mental disorder.

10. When you have unprotected sex with your boyfriend because you are both too scared to masturbate and neither of you were ever instructed how to use condoms, his love for you isn't going to stop you getting pregnant.

There. That's all the time I have to waste on you. Go forth and read books, young one!