The differences between being Catholic and Christian??

Question

I was raised Catholic and would like to know the difference, I know Christians get baptised when there older to get saved, and catholics as babies, and that Christians don't believe you have to confess your sins to a priest, just directly to God,,,, am I wrong or right? and what are some other differences,,, is there any reason a Catholic would want to be Christian instead, are those the only 2 reasons why there called different names?

Yeah it was always called Roman Catholic but I diidnt think there was any difference between that and a Catholic,,, whats the difference?

If your asking if I got baptised a second time,,, then no I haven't

Answer 1

The reason Christians do the things they do is that it is Biblical. The things Catholics do are "Man-Made Traditions".
I was raised Catholic and began to question when I really studied the Bible and on how St. Paul really set up the church and found that the Catholic Church does not resemble the 1rst century church much at all! Read I and II Timothy,Titus and Galatians and see if Paul's church is what the Catholic Church is.It isn't.

Answer 2

The main difference is the fact that Catholics believe the Pope is a position ordained by Christ to lead the whole church. (This is because Jesus' words to Peter - "upon this rock [a probable pun on Peter's name] I will build my church" are taken to mean all bishops of Rome by Catholics. Peter was traditionally regarded as bishop of Rome prior to his death in 60s AD.

Catholics also have some practices that are non-biblical but not bad, such as confession to priest; protestants usually think more in terms of confessing sins directly to God.

There were a lot more differences back in 16C when the Roman catholic church was teaching some very off-gospel ideas like paying money to the Papacy to secure indulgences (free pass) for sins. It has thrown out those bad ideas since.

The key teaching that should be present in any christian church is who Christ is and what He has accomplished. This is a salvation at Christ's expense that any person would be foolish to reject.

Answer 3

ok, so I've always seen Catholic's as a specific type of Christian. In the list of religions of the world there are Christians. Within that there is the Catholic group, the Protestant group, and other groups who do not fall into the previous two, but are still Christian. Groups like the JW's, the Mormon's, etc.
As I read your question, it sounds like you think Catholics are not Christian, which (even if you don't believe that) just perpetuates a line of thought that people like my boss hold, which is (according to my boss) Catholics are not Christians.
Now, IF I read your question and substitute Christian for Protestant (some Protestants tend to think that they are the only Christians), then yes, you are right in your list of differences. However, there are other things like many Protestants don't like that there is one person (the Pope) who can tell them what they can or can't do in their private life (sex life) and they are expected to obey it, or possibly get kicked out of the church. Many Protestants don't like the rigidity of the Catholic religion. And of course many Protestants think that Catholics believe that if you go to a priest and confess your sins that you do a little penance in the form of saying repetitive prayers and you are absolved of your sins. Also, many Protestants think that Catholics pray to Saints instead of to God. These two misconceptions cause a lot of discord between Catholics and Protestants.
Of course if you REALLY think that Catholic's are not Christians, then I doubt you ever really understood the premise of the Catholic religion you were raised in.

Answer 4

Catholic = Christian.

It doesn't sound like you were given much education in the Catholic faith. I think you must mean, "What is the difference between Catholics and Protestants?"

Protestants protest the authority of the Rome and seek to interpret Scripture individually instead of in concert with Bible historians. Many Protestants completely ignore the early history of the Church and purposely refuse to read any source other than the Bible for instruction for Christian living, even though the Bible itself tells us to follow both written and oral (Sacred Tradition) instruction. SOME Protestants practice what is called "believer's baptism" in that each person has to first believe in Jesus and then choose to be baptized, but there are protestants who baptize babies, same as Catholics. The Bible tells us that we have to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), and Catholics have set it up so that you can confess privately and anonymously to a priest who is trained to not only hear confession but also give you instruction on avoiding sin. They also remind us that Jesus died for our sins and we are absolved by His blood. Most Protestants don't follow that and besides not following Scripture, they're totally missing out on a very moving and spiritually helpful experience, or if they confess to somebody not trained, they risk having thier sin exposed to others (no bond of confidentiality) or getting bad advice from somebody who doesn't know how to counsel people in spiritual matters.

I suggest you learn more about your Catholic faith with a free class called RCIA (they are starting soon in parishes all over the U.S.). Also, you can read books that describe the differences between protestant and Catholic believers.

Answer 5

Dear, if you are Catholic, you ARE Christian. Stay right where you are, but do consider sitting in on a few of your parish's RCIA classes this fall ... many Catholics do so, just to learn more about their faith that may not have been covered well in their catechism (some catechists are excellent teachers, others are abysmally bad at it). It's interesting, and you can ask questions like this and be sure of getting an answer that doesn't presuppose we're all going to hell for "worshipping statues" and other such nonsense. Blessings and all good to you.

Answer 6

"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 7

A similar question was asked awhile back.. since then, I have learned that -- with the incorporation of Ribera's Futurism into Protestant churches-- that the differences are much less than originally thought.
Historicism-- (the root of the Reformation) has been long lost-- within the majority of the Protestant churches-
Sad that so many people just go through the motions instead of searching for the truth...as we were told by Jesus.

Answer 8

When I answer a question like this I usually don’t get into Protestant (Christian) beliefs vs. Catholic because I think it’s pointless. The reason is because there are so many different protestant denominations with so many different beliefs that you really can’t define WHAT their beliefs are.

Protestantism is based on personal interpretation of the bible. That means their beliefs are formed off of what they THINK the bible means, and begin teaching that belief. The error in this approach to interpretation is evident in the fact that there are thousands of different protestant denominations who teach and believe different things but each claim to be right.

The Catholic Church stands apart from them because She is the original Church founded by Christ 2,000 years ago. She was given one Faith, and has protected, taught, and preserved it for all the world. She is also the only Church given authority by Jesus to teach and govern the faithful.

Answer 9

This is the way I see it, through personal experience, and having a BA in Religious Studies: Everyone who worships God and believes in Jesus and his salvation is a Christian - then there are the different sects, Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Mormon, etc. etc. etc.

I think you would have to look at each sect and their belief system & practices and then make your decision. Some are very very close to the Catholic faith, and some are very very different.

Answer 10

The First International Anglican Episcopal Lutheran Presbyterian Reformed Methodist Baptist Seventh Day Adventist Pentecostal Nazarene Unitarian Gospel Non Denominational Church and Assembly of God Christ Science Scientist of Latter Day Saints Jehovah Witness Evangelical Christian Restoration Calvary Bible Apostolic Progressive Faith Holiness Universalist Discipleship Congregational Covenant Independent United Communion Fellowship Conference Convention Association and Community Of The Lord. American Baptists, Southern Baptists, Christian Unity Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Duck River & Kindred Associations of Baptists, Baptist Church of Christ, Freewill Baptists, General Baptists, General Six—Principle Baptists, Independent Baptist Church of America, National Baptist, Evangelical Life & Soul Saving Assembly of the U.S.A., Regular Baptists, Separate Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, Two Seed in the Spirit Predestinarian Baptists, United American Freewill Baptists, United Baptists, Free Communion Baptists, Anti-mission Baptists, Conservative Baptists, Fundamental Baptists,


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Answer 11

A catholic is already a christian, honey.

It is only the protestants and other branches that have decided the name christian refers to their specific religious group.

Strangely enough, it also appears to be an American phenomenon to designate christians differently from catholics.