since when Catholics have been considered non-Christians by the newby Christians?

Question

and where did that false notion about Catholics start?

jen, Catholics worshipping Mary is another false notion.

I guess I will see so many false notion about Catholicism here being given as people's reason for believing that Catholics are not Christians.

Oregon Flower, if you're a non-Catholic and you say you are a Christian, you are a newby. compared to the Catholic Church's great minds and apologetics for 2000 years, your idea, or your pastor's idea couldn't compare with it. it's so far in comparison. or shall I say, it can never compare.

PIn, yes, it is very disturbing. a proper education for them will surely help...

smegmakid8677, yes, it's very ironic.

Answer 1

sadly, I first heard it a couple of years ago - the reasoning i was given was "because they believe in saints". So what? Every Christian sect has it's own thing they are into the others aren't.

I asked this person - do they still believe in Jesus? He said yes. So I said - "Isn't belief is Jesus as the savior the ONLY thing you need to be Christian?" he said yes. I stared at him a few seconds til he got the hint. Had nothing more to say about Catholics after that.

EDIT - to those claiming pagan "rituals" - Ummm, you might wanna take a really good look at YOUR version of Christianity before pooing on others. Tell me, why do you have a Christmas tree in your CHURCH when the bible clearly says that it's a pagan symbol that true and good Christians shouldn't have about?

Tango - this lack of education on their parts is very disturbing to me as well. They're already on the internet - why can't they drag themselves away from YA! for a few minutes and look things up, learn a few things?

Answer 2

I believe this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Luther and his contemporaries incorporated many aspects of Catholic theology in their versions of Christianity, including most of the Sacraments, veneration of Mary, etc. Since Luther's day, however, Protestantism has continued to do what it set out to do in the beginning. It exists to protest against the Churches that can legitimately claim apostolic succession (the various Catholic and Orthodox Churches), and so it moves ever farther away from the faith practiced by the early Christians that continues to be practiced by the Catholic Church. Their protesting has led them so far away from the Church that Christ established that, from their perspective, we no longer look "Christian" to them. This is a fallacy, of course, since the Catholic Church has remained true to the Christian theology that existed (and was agreed upon) for over a thousand years before Martin Luther.

Bottom line, most Protestants believe what they are told about the Catholic Church. The trouble is that the people doing the telling are non-Catholics, many of whom have an axe to grind against the Church. And really, what reason do Protestants have to seek for the truth rather than believe the falsehoods that are spread about the Church by the likes of Jack Chick, Lorraine Boettner, and others? If they were to read the writings of the early Church Fathers, the same "early Christians" like whom the Protestant movement claims it is striving to be, they would see how "Catholic" the early Church was in its theology. If I were Protestant, I think this information would shatter the very foundations of my faith and lead me to distrust the 33,000 different Protestant versions of Christianity. So you see why they deny the fact that Catholics are Christian - if they acknowledge that we are, then they must also acknowledge the possibility that Protestantism might have led them away from Christ rather than towards Him.

Answer 3

The reason is that Protestant's exist to protest the Catholic faith. That is their heritage.

As a former Protestant (Methodist) I can tell you that they are not schooled in the history of the Catholic Church, nor really in their own history. I grew up thinking Martin Luther was a great man because he stood up to the evil Pope and the corrupt ways of Catholicism. That was the extent of my education and understanding of the birth of protestantism.

As a Catholic, now with much more understanding of the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church and the reformation, it all seems so clear. But it is not clear to those raised in the protestant faiths. They do not have the knowledge to actually understand nor the inclination to research and find out the truth. They are happy living with their heads in the sand and believing lies about Catholicism as they always have.

They have no motivation to seek the truth since there is nothing driving them to know. But all of us are told to "seek and we shall find" this is an action we are called to do. Seeking is something we should never stop doing...all Christians should continue to seek the Truth which is Christ.

At one time in my spiritual life, I was where many Protestants are and many will stay. Thanks to the grace of God he revealed to me the truth which only the Catholic Church has. This Truth was given by Christ through Peter. That has never changed and never will.

Answer 4

The basic tenets of the Catholic faith are the same basic tenets of other Christian denominations. Keep in mind that many say the exact same creed in their worship services. And some have exactly the same Communion liturgy.

I think it is unfair of some people to generalize and question the faith of Catholics...it is a matter between each Catholic person and God, as it is a matter between any individual and God.

Answer 5

It's mostly a hardcore Fundamentalist thing. There has been anti-Catholic sentiment circulating for centuries, but it got a big boost in the 1970s with Jack Chick. Some churches started taking Chick's anti-Catholic statements as gospel, spreading his statements around from congregation to congregation, and then teaching them to new preachers, until these ideas became more widespread. What was once considered extremist ravings became increasingly acceptable within certain types of non-Catholic churches. So now, it's not that hard to find churches in nearly every town that teach that Catholics aren't Christians.

Answer 6

Anti catholic bigotry has been around since Martin Luthor. In the fundie way of thinking its not enough to be Christian, you haveto be the right kind of Christian. Lots of interesting anti-Christian sites around that explain their argument in painstaking detail but it all evolves around Mary worship, Pope worship, saints, all of which are viewed as false idols that keep people from Jesus. The perception that you need an intecessary (a Priest) to talk to God rather than directly, through Jesus really gets their goats too. Much of it, I thinkis old bigotry from the early Protestant days.

Answer 7

Because we aren't crazy roll around on the floor and speak in tongues. We believe in ONE baptism, and we also believe that GOD is the one who judges. I have met many born-again Christians whose attitude is repent or burn in hell, or agree with our way or rot. Catholics aren't like this so born-again Christians think they are the true Christians. And I say let them think what they want, they are the same ones who think the God that let his only son die for our sins would be the same God that would punish people for being gay. Do you really care what someone like that thinks?

Answer 8

If Catholics aren't truly Christian, then all the other "Christian" groups are entirely out of the running.

Answer 9

I got ripped for my faith from Christians since 1977 in san Diego, when I had one tell me that since i was catholic and would not renounce my "pagan" beliefs that i would roast in the fiery pits of hell for all eternity.

Huh? Don't we both worship the same God?

Answer 10

nardhelain has it right... except for one thing

if you take your study further, it will shake your faith in all of christianity completely... not just in protestantism.

good folk mostly, except some of the fundies, but all screwy in their beliefs. it's a shame there is so much infighting, it really is.