whats the diffrenc between a catholic and a christian?

Answer 1

Catholics ARE Christians.

They are the majority of Christians. look at it like a family tree in a way. First on the top you have Christianity then Judaism and Muslims. All on their own trees. Now we branch them. Under Christianity you have Catholics which were the original Christian;s under Roman way's after Constantine transfered the Roman empire into a Christian one, but century later the Protestant reformation occurred splitting and dividing Christianity into two groups and this is not counting what later would be known as Orthodox Christians which is most popular in Russia and Greece. The Byzantines became Orthodox Christians and were at odds with Roman Catholics for centuries.

The Crusades were led and organized mostly by Roman catholics and in the third by a Richard the Lionheart after Barbarossa drowned.

Christianity still has splintered more and more since. We have under Protestant section, the protestants, methodists and lutherans. All are Protestants but have mild differences in views. The whole IRA vs UK was over this Catholicism vs Protestants.

Now after those three main Christian branches there are others such as Mormans, Born again Christians who believe in some Rapture, the Amish. All are variations of Christianity.

With the Muslim religion you have basically two main branches the Majority Shiite and the minority Sunni. Both like the Catholics and Protestants fight among them selves over differences in views yet are of the same faith.

Judaism also has two types, traditional which is what you see when you see them in thier traditional uniforms and the hair style and they are very devote and follow their faith to the letter. THen their are non traditional which were born Jewish but do not practise or follow their faith though they have not forsaken it they just choose not to go to a Synagouge or be extrememly religious but they are still believers of the Judain way.

i sometimes find it odd that all three of these religions war so much with one another and then when not then whith their own people of seperate branches of their own faith. Why I wonder? Every one accepts that they believe in ONE GOD and they all agree it is the same God, and sure Christians put more faith in the Trinity and Jesus where the other two only see Jesus as a prophet as was Abraham and Mohammed. So if Muslims concur that the other two are also prophets then why do all the faiths have so much hate for each other?

I have seen more tolerance from Wiccans, Pagans and Atheists or Agnostics through out history.

So that is the difference from how I perceive it historically, not religiously.


(ASK a Muslim if they see any difference in a Catholic, Protestant or Born again and I bet they say no your all Christian, just as we say they are all Muslim and they are but either Sunni or Shiite. Christianity is the same way)

Answer 2

Pastor Billy says: very simply, Catholicism is first Christianity without it all other communities claiming Christianity would not exist for without fallen away Catholics there would be no Protestants.

Your question is better worded

What is the difference between a Catholic and a Protestant?

Catholicism is not merely one more denomination or one part of Christianity (as previously suggested) it is the whole pie, the fullness of Christianity. Denominational-ism is a product of the competing Protestant communities which came very much later in the history of Christianity. Each Protestant community contains some element of Catholic truth (which was retained such as Jesus is God, He rose from the dead, the Christian bible is God's written revelation, Baptism is a sacrament) but never the whole of God's revelation and revealed truth.

Only Catholicism has retained the fullness of Christian teaching and why? because Jesus promised it so. Jesus instructed he would never leave us and gave a validly ordained teaching authority in the apostles who were to anoint others in an apostolic succession and did. Protestantism can trace it's roots back as far as 450 years only with the English Reformation(revolt) and the Continent Protestant Reformation of Martin Luther's generation.

Study Christian history including the so-called "reformation(s)" you'll discover you cannot reform something that has been abandoned and a remnant can only be something that is also a remainder.

Answer 3

The difference is divided into Catholic and Protestant. Both are CHRISTIANS. It's basically the same thing. Both believe in the trinity(Father, Son, Holy Spirit). However Catholics do place more emphasis on the role/importance of the Virgin Mary than other Christian denominations. They also pray to various saints & Jesus. Protestant religions ( christian but non-catholic) only pray to Jesus.

I hope this satisfies your question. God Bless

Answer 4

A lot. But not all christian have the same teaching and practices. Although, all Christians trying to do what the bible says only preaching and practicing what is suited for them.

Christians believed that Catholics departed from the true teachings. Baptism which the real meaning is) by immersion not by pouring to the head with water. Child baptism. Repent of your sin and be baptize to wash away your sins. Child cannot repent therefore cannot be baptize. Praying to dead idols made by man's hand, God is alive. Repetitive prayers instead of from your heart and mind. Belief on purgatory, the priest can pray that the dead can go to heaven. Praying to Mary for salvation instead to God. Belief that Christ still on the cross instead of being resurrected and with God. And all the minor practices opposite to the teaching of the bible.

The catholic should be the one to be called protestant because their practices are truly different than the Christians of the bible.

Answer 5

Christians are those who believe in Jesus Christ as the son of Father. who died for our sin,descended into and on the third day resurrected and ascended into the heavens and is sitting on the right hand side of the Father. They also follow the Holy Bible as "the Book" and see the pope ,the head of their church,as God's representative of God on the Earth .

Catholics believe in Christianity, therefore are Christians too, but believe also have different doctrines such as, in Mary and the prophets as intercessor between us and the father, which was something that was never mention in the bible.

There other like the Evangelical Christians that often say follow the Bible and the teaching of Jesus only, but they also give their own interpretations of the teachings of Christ.

But back to your questions Catholics are also Christians, and Christians are those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

Their is no difference. The question is why do Protestants call themselves Christian?

Evodius was the first Bishop of Antioch, and he is credited with being the first person to call the followers of Christ, "Christians", as shown in Acts 11:26. See Eusebius, book 3, chapter 22
So if you reject the Catholic Church you must also have to reject the word Christian a Catholic coined the term.

11:26. See Eusebius, book 3, chapter 22.
Saint Ignatius (35-107), the second Bishop of Antioch wrote a letter to the Smyrneans in 107 A.D..
In this letter is recorded the first known use of the words "Catholic Church"...


Idol worship Yea right and pigs fly.

Well, clearly, the Catholic Church is still here after almost 2000 years. It has certainly been tried by many to overthrow it from without and from within, almost without reprieve for the entire two millennium. Jews, Romans, Vandals, Heretics, Islam, Protestants, the French Revolution, Modernists, Hitler, Communists, and many others, one group after another, have tried and failed, and yet the Church still stands. It is the oldest, and the largest, and the longest lasting institution on earth. Having said that, aren't you compelled to agree that the Catholic Church is of the work of GOD and not of men? Despite all of this constant attack, the Catholic Church has grown to well over one billion (1,045,000,000*)

For the heritics -Thomas Aquinas once noted that no matter how flawless one's logic was, if it began with a faulty premise, then the end result would be a conclusion founded upon error.

Answer 7

A Catholic is a Christian. The Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world with 1.2 billion members. There is no other Christian Church or denomination that even comes close as far as membership size.

The Catholic catechism can be found.. http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/

The Catechism outlines the tenets of the Catholic faith.

Take care!

Answer 8

"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 9

Hmmm. Both believe in the same Jesus Christ. For Catholics however, they have priests who mediate between Christ and the church goers. For Christians, they have pastors, instead of priests. For Catholics, they attend a mass, as compared to Christians, who attend services. Hmm. Catholic Masses are more 'structured' whereas Christian Services are more inclined to have two general parts-singing and the sermon proper. Hope this helps.

Answer 10

As a former Catholic and current Christian of non denomination ...........Doctrine.....

Catholic is a denomination of Christianity. The problem of why they seperate is that the Catholic church teaches false doctrines.

The Roman Catholic church has presented Mary to the world as the one who will intercede for us to Jesus.

Jesus is not an angry Savior who must be placated by his mother. There is no other mediator between God and men besides Jesus. Not Mary, not saints, not special priests. None of these can repent and believe for you, and God requires you to repent and believe the gospel before you can be truly saved. "Unless you repent, you also will perish" (Luke 13:3). "He who hears My Word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life" said Jesus (John 5:24).

"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached..." (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).

Popes and priests of the Roman Catholic church have not only presented a false Savior to the world. They have also clouded the issue of who Jesus Christ really is as Lord and Savior, by substituting another Jesus for the One that truly is. For example, they have declared that their specially blessed "hosts" in the Mass are truly "Jesus". The Council of Trent, which is still in force today for Catholics, states that anyone who denies that the host is truly Jesus is "anathema" -cursed and to be damned.

Its important to realise that the Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus was a once for all sacrifice, and cannot be truly repeated at the Mass (Hebrews 10:12; 14).. This is where priests and popes have lied. The truth is not in them, since they blatantly contradict the Scriptures they profess to honor. They place their traditions and what they say above what God says.

No church can save. Only Jesus can save (Acts 4:12). Having a relationship with the Apostle Peter cannot save you. You may trust your priest. But do you truly trust Christ? The Roman Catholic church has failed to lift up Jesus Christ properly and has many times instead presented the world with "another Jesus" in the form of an icon, a host, a priest or a pope. But "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

So basically, they participate in many traditions and rituals that are against what the Bible teaches. They worship idols by means of all their statues that they pray to, Mary and the Saints. They make a graven image of our Lord on the cross, which we are told not do do in the ten commandments. The Preists forgive and assign "WORKS" for forgiveness ... you know ... say 10 hail Marys and all is good, Mary can't forgive either, and why honor her when you should be honoring Christ Jesus.