what is the difference between catholic church and christian church?

Question

i want 2 baptise my son and i dont know wether 2 do it catholic or christian. his father is catholic and i used 2 go 2 christian church. i would like 2 know the difference between the religions, so i can know what i want 2 do.

Answer 1

The Christianity that I profess is that of trust in God. I look to the Bible for information about God, almost always the Bible.

Roman Catholicism has tons of traditions that are not necessarily Christian ones. They have traditions that are not found anywhere in the Bible.

So I suppose that it is a question of what you find is important to you. Do you want a religion, or do you want to know God?

The choice is yours.

Answer 2

Greetings. The Catholic Church is the first true Christian Church. All Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholics. A Christian church you are probably referring to is a protestant sect. Anyone who believes, accepts, and submits to the teachings of Christ are Christians. He/She must also believe Christ can take away the sins of mankind. There are too many differences between Catholics and protestants to be described here, I encourage you to check out the links below.

The Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth, don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise. However, if you decide to have your son baptized outside of the Catholic Church make sure the pastor does it in the Trinitarian Formula. That is how Jesus taught us to do it.

If you have the time read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a large book that contains everything you need to know. If you wish to learn more about protestants the best way to do it is to visit one of their congregations and talk to their pastors. There is no single source that can describe them collectively since they are all different.

Pray and ask God for guidance, He will lead you to where you need to be. Peace be with you!

Answer 3

The same as the difference between California and the United States. One is a subset of the other. If you 'used to' be a Christian, maybe you should either let him be baptized Catholic, or wait until he can make his OWN decision. Most non-Catholics don't hold with infant baptism.

Answer 4

First off Catholics are Christians, they were the first Christians

There are some differences such as the Catholic Church preaches and teaches the fullness of Christ and has done so for over 2,000 years. The Catholic Church will baptize your baby, most protestant denominations dont believe in baptizing babies. Baptizing your baby in the Catholic Church removes the stain of original sin , and then if you continue with in the Catholic Church with your child , your child will go thru Catholic education and when they are old enough will take their confirmation(stating that they believe in Christ) and their first communion.

Answer 5

"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.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

Just to clarify, Catholics are christians, they just baptise differently. The differences between Catholics and Protestants are many, and depending on your sons age it might be best to wait until he's old enough/mature enough to make that decision on his own.

Answer 7

Catholic IS Christian. Be aware that for an infant to be baptized in the Catholic Church, "there must be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion." (Code of Canon Law, can. 868.1.2)

Answer 8

God Bless you...

The Bible teaches that baptism is for believers only. John called people to repent and be baptized. Jesus called for the same. The apostles called for people to believe and be baptized.

You see, baptism is not a pass to heaven. Baptism is an outward sign of obedience and discipleship--that a person has chosen to follow the example of Christ and take up their cross daily for Him. It is not a ritual a Christian does to gain access to heaven--that should have already been done when you repented of your sins and gave lordship of your life to Jesus.

Baptism for children is something the Church concocted to set parents minds at ease about children who died before they could make a decision about their salvation. But careful study of the scriptures reveals that parents need not worry--Christ calls the children to Him, King David knows that he will see his son (who died as an infant) in heaven.

If your child dies before the age that they can choose to follow Christ, they WILL be in heaven. How can I say that with confidence? Because God is a good and just God. Fear not.

Again, baptism in and of itself is not a ticket ot heaven. As part of a faith statement, baptism calls a believer into a life of service and obedience to the call of Jesus. But it does not grant salvation.

I know this doesn't directly answer your question about the "two religions', but I feel it is important for people to know the truth about baptism.

Answer 9

I think you should choose Christianity...we differ in a lot of things...the Bible says if you sin to ask Jesus and he will intercede for you...they don't ask Jesus,,they ask Mary to pray for them,,who was just a woman and is dead now. The depend on the Pope to tell them what is right and not the Bible...God said there is only one head of the church and that is Jesus....they make the pope the head of thier chruch.

Salvation - The Catholic church ultimately teaches that salvation is achieved through a combination of faith, works and the sacraments. To some extent, this removes the assurance of our salvation as it depends on our contribution. All of these combine to sanctify the soul, making it more holy and more appropriate for Heaven. This necessitates purgatory (a concept which never appears in scripture) in which souls are purified and made fit for heaven, as the sanctification process is never complete on earth. Yet Hebrews 10:10 claims that we HAVE been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The Bible is clear, we cannot make ourselves more acceptable to God - we are all tarnished by sin. The truth is that our works will never help us to be right before God.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no-one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). We, as evangelical Christians have the privilege of taking these words of Paul and knowing that we have been saved because of what Jesus has achieved and we can be assured of our destiny with him in Heaven.
.

Answer 10

There is much confusion about baptism in the various Christian denominations. However, this is not a result of the Bible presenting a confusing message on baptism. The Bible is abundantly clear of what baptism is, who it is for, and what it accomplishes. In the Bible, only believers who had placed their faith in Christ were baptized - as a public testimony of their faith and identification with Him (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4). Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience after faith in Christ. It is a proclamation of faith in Christ, a statement of submission to Him, and an identification with His death, burial, and resurrection.

With this in view, infant baptism is not a Biblical practice. An infant cannot place his or her faith in Christ. An infant cannot make a conscious decision to obey Christ. An infant cannot understand what water baptism symbolizes. The Bible does not record any infants being baptized. Infant baptism is the origin of the sprinkling and pouring methods of baptism - as it is unwise and unsafe to immerse an infant under water. Even the method of infant baptism fails to agree with the Bible. How does pouring or sprinkling illustrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Many Christians who practice infant baptism do so because they understand infant baptism as the new covenant equivalent of circumcision. In this view, just as circumcision joined a Hebrew to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, so baptism joined a person to the New Covenant of salvation through Jesus Christ. This view is unbiblical. The New Testament nowhere describes baptism as the New Covenant replacement for Old Covenant circumcision. The New Testament nowhere describes baptism as a sign of the New Covenant. It is faith in Jesus Christ that enables a person to enjoy to blessings of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:15).

Baptism does not save a person. It does not matter if you were baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling - if you have not first trusted in Christ for salvation, baptism (no matter the method) is meaningless and useless. Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience to be done after salvation as a public profession of faith in Christ and identification with Him. Infant baptism does not fit the Biblical definition of baptism or the Biblical method of baptism. If Christian parents wish to dedicate their child to Christ, then a baby dedication service is entirely appropriate. However, even if infants are dedicated to the Lord, when they grow up they will still have to make a personal decision to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

Recommended Resource: Baptism: The Believer's First Obedience by Larry Dyer.

Answer 11

Doctrine! The Catholic Church teaches a ritualistic, religious, and quite unbiblical form of Christianity. True Christian faith teaches for example that baptism is to be fully immersed in water and brought up again just as Jesus Christ did, prayer is to be made to God Our Father in heaven in Jesus name not to Mary, confession and repentance is made to God in heaven not a priest, and payment for sin has already taken place through Jesus Christ - you can't say 20 hail Mary's and 40 rosaries to be absolved (besides repetitive prayer is unbiblical). In fact, I think the only thing the Catholic Church has correct is that Jesus died for our sins, was resurrected in 3 day's, is alive today at the right hand of The Father, and will return one day.