what came first catholicism or christianity?

Question

I've been in a constant argument with people, and I get different answers. I personally think it's christianity, but people say it's catholisism.

Answer 1

Christianity, Catholicism is just a sect

Answer 2

Did Christianity Come From Catholicism

Answer 3

I am amused and pleased that we are so interested and determined to be THE FIRST. Truth of the matter is this, The Catholic religion is BASED on Christianity, so you cant create something before the fact. Done! However, if one persone had an idea and a second person takes it to the next level, that is pretty much how the trail goes when trying to follow it. Simple as I made this, I know there is a lot more to but that just justifies the reason, not the time line. Read up on what went on Before Jesus, during Jesus and after. You will see, this all was not the begining, it was another path, we all excepted. I just wish we all excepet each other with as much passion we have for ourselves. Love you all. Hope you find what yoyr looking for.

Answer 4

The “first church” is the church that is recorded in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul. The New Testament church is the “original church” and the “one true church.” We can know this because it is described, in great detail, in Scripture. The church, as recorded in the New Testament, is God’s pattern and foundation for His church. On this basis, let’s examine the Roman Catholic claim that it is the “first church.” Nowhere in the New Testament will you find the “one true church” doing any of the following: praying to Mary, praying to the saints, venerating Mary, submitting to a pope, having a select priesthood, baptizing an infant, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacraments, or passing on apostolic authority to successors of the apostles. All of these are core elements of the Roman Catholic faith. If most of the core elements of the Roman Catholic Church were not practiced by the New Testament Church (the first church and one true church), how then can the Roman Catholic Church be the first church? A study of the New Testament will clearly reveal that the Roman Catholic Church is not the same church as the church that is described in the New Testament.

The New Testament records the history of the church from approximately 30 A.D. to approximately 90 A.D. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries, history records several Roman Catholic doctrines and practices among early Christians. Is it not logical that the earliest Christians would be more likely to understand what the Apostles truly meant? Yes, it is logical, but there is one problem. Christians in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries were not the earliest Christians. Again, the New Testament records the doctrine and practice of the earliest Christians…and, the New Testament does not teach Roman Catholicism.

Answer 5

Christianity came first. Catholicism is a sect of Christianity. Regardless of all the things said here, that is true. How can the sect come before the religion?

Answer 6

You are all wrong and need to really take a look at history. You all act like Christianity has been around forever. There are many religions older than Christianity and if you read closely Christianity is just another spin off of an older religion. Have you guys ever heard of the saying "you should not believe everything you read"?

Answer 7

The first Two people were called Christians in the books of Acts "and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" Acts 11:26

Answer 8

Catholicism *is* Christianity. What you mean is protestantism, which is basically everything that isn't Catholic but is Christian. I say basically, because there's also the Coptic Christians and the Eastern Orthodox (think Greek Orthodox), but they don't have the numbers in the USA that the protestants and catholics do. Yet.

Quick version: the Church starts off, headed by the Apostle St Peter, though St James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. About 300 years later, there's the first Councils of the Church where they make decisions on what Christians believe, and talk about things like the Trinity and Jesus being God. One small group of people disagree with certain things so they split off and become the Copts. A group of five people at the top of the Church (in terms of responsibility, not power) look after the five major parts of the world where Christianity is, but one day the patriarch of Rome decides that he wants to be the top, and also changes the Creed which all the Christians hold to. Everyone else doesn't like this, so he excommunicates them and they excommunicate him. There you get the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholics.

500 years after this, Martin Luther (and others) decided they didn't like the Catholic Church either, and made their own church. So you get the protestants.

So now we have Copts (first breakaways), Catholics (second breakaways), Protestants (broke away from the Catholics) and the Eastern Orthodox.

Catholics would argue that the EO broke away from them, but I'm Eastern Orthodox so I'd argue that it was their fault!

Does that help?

Answer 9

Book Recommendations: A History of Christendom by Warren Carroll An Encyclopedia of Catholic History (Our Sunday Visitor publishing) How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization Compendium of the Catechsim of the Catholic Church (free on-line) What Catholics Really Believe by Karl Keating On Being Catholic by Thomas Howard By What Authoirty by Mark Shea ***LEAST complicated****

Answer 10

Catholicism IS Christianity.