A person I know, who i don't particularly like, insists that catholic isn't chrisitian. I know it's all a bit trivial, but I just want the benefit of knowing for sure that I'm right. She's extremely right wing, so I'm not planning on saying anything, I'd just like to know. I'm not religious by the way.
2007-10-15 21:06:44 · 31 answers · asked by Emma 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The ONLY (TRUE) Christians are Jehovah's Witnesses !
2007-10-16 00:54:48 · answer #1 · answered by . 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
If we consider "christian" an umbrella term, catholic falls under it along with protestant, methodist, non-denom, baptist, etc.
However, anyone familiar with a history of christianity should note that the Roman Catholic Church is the only church which can draw an unbroken line of teachings and tradition back to the time of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. The RC church maintains that it is the true church founded by Jesus Christ and contains the fullness of truth, apostolic tradition, the full seven sacraments and the infallible inspiration of the holy spirit.
The catholic church is also responsible for deciding which gospel writings were accurate and true in the New Testament. In other words, the New Testament of the bible was a direct result of the decisions made by the Roman Catholic (universal) church.
2007-10-16 06:36:22 · answer #2 · answered by Spiffs C.O. 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your definition of Christian. Most non-Catholic Christian denominations accept Catholics as Christians. A very few do not.
The World Council of Churches which brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church fellowships in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world, representing some 550 million Christians accepts the 1.1 billion Catholics as Christians. http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/faq-e.html#07
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 C.E., 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.
For a complete description of what Catholics believe, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm
With love in Christ.
2007-10-16 17:50:53 · answer #3 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catholics ARE Christian.
In church history, the church divided a few times -- once it split into Catholic and Orthodox, and later, the Catholic church in Europe split into Catholic and Protestant (and Catholic and Anglican). Then the Protestants divided into all kinds of other groups (baptist, presbyterian, puritan, lutheran, reformed, etc.).
Protestants often attack Catholics, but they worship the same God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), follow the same basic doctrines (the apostles' creed, and more), read the same book (mostly), and celebrate most of the same holidays, for the same reasons.
Saying Catholics aren't Christian is a bit like saying Wales isn't part of the United Kingdom, or Spain isn't part of Europe -- it's a subsection, but not a different thing altogether.
2007-10-15 21:19:23 · answer #4 · answered by roboseyo 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic Church is the *Mother Of All Churches*!
I mean it, they were the original and all of the others are rebellious little heretical sects.
Lutheran? A sect started by Martin Luther as rebellion over what he considered corruption in the Catholic practise of selling indulgences.
Calvinist? John Calvin rebelling over the concepy of free will.
It is the same for all the other sects. All of them were spawned by the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church is not only the original Christian Church, it is the largest.
There are more Catholics than all of the other Christian sects combined.
There are more Catholics than all of the other religions combined. About 2 billion people are Catholics. 1/3 of the population of the Earth. Islam comes second at about 1 billion.
If your freind is an American Fundamentalist she belongs to a very small sect indeed by comparison. If she makes it into Heaven she will find it is universally Catholic.
Not only is the Catholic Church larger but for 1700 years it was the only Christian Church. Even the Church of England (Episcopalians) are technically Catholic except they reject the Pope as head of their Church.
=============
Three thumbs down, no difference.
You can look up the numbers of followers yourself from Adherents or the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
If you look at the Bible it was assembled by Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea. No matter what sect you belong to, if you have the Bible you are reading the books selected by the Catholic Church.
2007-10-15 21:19:41 · answer #5 · answered by Y!A-FOOL 5 · 6⤊ 3⤋
In a way, catholic is also christian when pertaining to the belief of common Christian heritage which has been given such title as "Great Tradition of Christian teaching." Meaning the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.
2007-10-15 21:24:44 · answer #6 · answered by xine 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, we're Christian. We were the first, and the Catholic Church is the original founded by Christ.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to pound *catholic* on you; just trying to clear the air.
2007-10-17 15:54:51 · answer #7 · answered by Danny H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catholic most definitely is Christian because we Catholics worship Christ the Lord.
CJ & others at Y!A say otherwise, but they have absolutely no proof. CJ only says, "Catholics are not saved Christians, they preach a different Gospel." But he has never presented what that "different Gospel" is -- and can't because we don't have a different Gospel.
2007-10-16 04:10:53 · answer #8 · answered by sparki777 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic Church is part of Christianity. It is one of the first Christian churches on earth.
2007-10-16 22:56:23 · answer #9 · answered by Enrico 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course Catholicism is Chrisitian.
2007-10-16 04:53:26 · answer #10 · answered by Daver 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
A Catholic is Christian.
2007-10-15 21:10:42 · answer #11 · answered by gwhiz1052 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋