Why do some Christians think I'm pagan because I'm Catholic?

Question

Do think the Orthodox are too?

I believe in Jesus as the savior of my soul.

Answer 1

Why some do? I really don't know... but it is a sad fact that some feel that way...doesn't mean they are right.

My feeling is: if a group or individual is working hard to adhere to the Bible...then they are Christian.

And no religious group is so perfect in their adherence to the Bible that they can afford to be so arrogant as to accuse some one else as pagan. That's just wrong.

Answer 2

Well, they believe that the Catholics took some of their attribute from the Babylonians for religious reasons. Matter of fact, we all have copied something, as well as, give homage to our spiritual leaders, while they wear their regalia. Plus, they believe you do not believe in GOD and JESUS. By you putting The Virgin Mary before JESUS, they feel you are worshiping the creature instead of the CREATOR. You tell them your are not a pagan, and that you believe in the miracles of JESUS just like they do. JESUS said this, " other sheep of the fold I have" So, you are included in the other fold. Do not let that bother you.

Prophet Barry Wayne Jones, Sr.,D.D.

Answer 3

In order to legitimize the emergence of a new Christian denomination, it has to delegitimize its predecessors by finding something wrong with them. The smaller the branch is, the more virulent its denunciations have to be. In Western Christianity, the Roman Catholic church is the granddaddy of predecessors. Over the course of centuries, it has encountered situations unanticipated by the first Christians, such as the deaths of members before Christ's return, the problem of Christians who apostasize under persecution then repent, and the problem of raising families that are only partially baptized. As each crisis arose, solutions were prayerfully discerned and put into practice. The martyrs remained members of the community post mortem. The rite of confession, penance and reconcilliation began to develop. Children were initiated into the community through baptism. And for the sake of order and unity of belief, bishops delegated some of their spiritual faculties into an ordained priesthood. None of these developments appear in the New Testament because they were not needed at the time. But they became "necessary" later.

When the Roman Empire collapsed, a power vacuum developed and the Church moved in to take up the slack. In time, as temporal powers sorted themselves out, conflicts between civil and religious authority developed and raged over the centuries. At the time of the Protestant Reformation, Rome had assumed ultimate religious authority and a considerable but not well managed investment in the temporal sphere. Corruption was rampant. Previous reformers had been suppressed by excommunication, exile or execution. During a particularly egregious period of ecclesio-secular contamination, a humble monk, Martin Luther, spoke up, hoping to turn back the tide. But he soon found himself facing the same fate as other would-be reformers: excommunication.

Rather than capitulate or disappear into irrelevance, Luther analyzed the situation. The problem was authority. With "apostolic succession" and the "Peter as Rock" business, Rome had all the cards. Effectively, salvation was being mediated through the hierarchy, who forgave the sins of penitents, provided the Eucharist to the faithful, and dictated the nature and operation of indulgences. Luther found plenty of biblical material to fight the system. By focusing on a verse in Romans that described Abraham's justification before God (by faith, NOT effort), Luther called into doubt the Church's intercessory abilities. By proclaiming the inerrancy of scripture, he cast any practices not found there as "the traditions of men".

The strategy worked. Ejected from the church, Luther was able to form a separate, dissenting Christian Church out of fellow dissenters (aided also by several princes who were looking to overturn some of the Rome's worldly holdings). But since the monopoly was broken, he also made things easier for a number of other "reformers" who thought he wasn't doing it quite right: Calvin, Zwingli, Menno, and others. Without a central authority, anyone could start a new denomination. They just had to show why their parent church was wrong. Over time, this became even easier, because Protestants began to encounter and deal with the same social problems that the Catholics had "resolved" centuries ago. The key to a new denomination was a condemnation of corruption and a call to simple, biblical, purity.

That's why the youngest congregations are often the most virulently anti-Catholic. They see themselves as the clean end of a spectrum of compromise with the fleshly world. Guess who's at the dirty end. Those slimy, idol-worshiping, compulsively ritual-bound, rosary-wielding pope-thralls. In contrast, "true" Christian worship is simple, stark, unadorned (and possibly a bit boring). The purity drive is so strong that any hint of adaptation is considered diabolical. The only way to heaven is through Jesus, their Jesus. Everything else of the devil: Catholics, pagans, atheists, communists, their parent congregation, etc. It's all the same to them. But it's only a matter of time before newer, purer "Christians" will be pointing fingers at them as they break away to live as "true" Christians. And Catholics will still be despised.

The Orthodox? Since the Great Schism occurred centuries before Protestantism, and the Greeks kept to their side of Europe, Protestants don't have a direct conflict with them, unless they think about it. Incense, icons? Yeah, definitely "pagan".

Answer 4

I wouldn't even give it a thought of what those certain type of Christians think of you, a Catholic Christian.



That four marks distinguish Christ's kingdom of heaven on earth. They are made known in the Creed—"I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."



One in:

Faith
Belief
Worship
Government


Holy In:

Origin, Christ.
Objective, redemption.
Means, sacraments.
Sanctity of faithful.


Catholic :

Teaches all nations.
During all time.
All Christ taught.
Peoples of all nationalities obedient to one universal authority in faith and morals.


Apostolic :

Founded upon apostles.
Teaches what apostles Apostolic taught.
Continuous existence from time of the apostles.
"The enemies of the Church themselves die and disappear, but the Church itself lives on, and preaches the power of God to ever succeeding generations" (St. Augustine).

Peace Be With You

Answer 5

For the same reason some people are angry with the Jews for 'killing' Jesus. They don't pay attention or dig deep enough to understand the truth. They focus on something to be angry at and like a dog with a bone, growl when someone tries to take it away.

Answer 6

If you remember that pagan means anyone that follows a religion different than yours, then it is appropriate if you consider Catholicism a different religion that Protestantism. It also means that you can consider them to be pagans, heathens or infidels. However if you consider Christianity to include both, then neither branch can call the other those terms.

Answer 7

They are simple "tards" Carl, sort of like that Egyptian, St. Hairy SomethingorOther, the prostitute you were telling me about the other day! They believe in fairy tales, similar to Catholics but without all the idolatry and weird ceremonies.

Answer 8

If you want to have some fun, ask them what denomination of Christianity came first. I'm constantly amazed at how many Christians choose to ignore history or just never bothered to learn it in the first place.
But brainwashing generally has a tough time with education.

Answer 9

Because your religion views normal human marriage as evil?

Because your religion has tossed out the Bible in favor of European poetry instead?

Because it appears most Catholics worship the European Pope and not God?

Because of the European Pope calling Galileo a bad astronomer?

The Puritan, John Bunyan, viewed the European Pope as identical to paganism (The Pilgrim's Progress book)?

Because Catholics have traded in body parts (relics) which is pretty close to paganism/cannibalism?

Answer 10

Because they are ignorant, period.

Not that I don't think pagans are good people, but the only thing that Catholics and Pagans have in common is that we both believe in the divine. Beyond that I'm not sure there are too many similiarites.

We believe in one God, they believe in muliple gods. It's really quite simple.

If they can't understand that they are either really dumb, or they're showing their anti-catholicism. The church is very clear on the teaching of one God. It's not difficult to find as it's documented in many places.