Christian? I hope I don't start a fight by doing this, but I have been wondering if they are in fact the teachings of Christ. Please give me your reasoning.
2007-12-27 12:20:52 · 14 answers · asked by Dreamcast 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes.
Most non-Catholic Christian denominations accept members of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches 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.
Members of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches 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.
2007-12-27 15:52:03 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You will get people who will have hysterics and claim that Catholics and Eastern Orthodox practitioners are not Christian, but yes, they are. They believe in Christ as the Savior, and they believe that salvation can only be gained through Christ. As far as I know, it doesn't get much more Christian than that.
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy simply have some added traditions which, admittedly, are not purely Biblical. I don't have a problem with that; it simply gives Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy a different 'flavor' than Anglicanism, Methodism, or Baptism.
If you know anything about early Christianity (before AD 325), you will know that, at that time, there were many splinter groups of Christianity. All considered themselves Christian, and I will bet you that each splinter group considered all the other sects to have gotten it wrong. And no one but Gnostics liked the Gnostics.
My, how the times have not changed. (g)
Some will argue that Catholics emphasize doing good works, and that that isn't Biblical. To that, I say, don't all Christian faiths encourage good works? If we didn't do good works, we wouldn't be worthy of calling ourselves followers of Christ, would we?
Some Catholic traditions which aren't Biblical include infant baptism and the sacrament of confession to a priest. Some Christians argue that you need only confess to God. My feeling is that, if you're confessing to the priest, are you not simultaneously confessing to God? The priest is there to be of human comfort.
Regarding infant baptism--That's a holdover from the Middle Ages, when people feared that unbaptized children wouldn't go to Heaven--there was a high infant mortality rate, back then. I think the ritual is kept on for tradition as much as anything else, now. My personal preference is for confirmation, when you accept your religion as a reasoning person.
Catholics respect and love Mary; they do not worship her. Same for the saints.
Transubstantiation--I was raised Catholic, and I still don't understand it. I've always considered it the communion Host and wine. I suspect most Catholics regard it likewise, despite what the catechism says.
That's everything I can think of, that would need explaining. Peace be with you!
2007-12-27 12:40:06 · answer #2 · answered by Chantal G 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Well, we converted to the RCC last year, because we wanted a truly Biblical church. So, the answer is yes, they are truly Christian.
I saw someone mention infant baptism, and I would like to comment that it IS Biblical. Entire households were baptized in the Bible. None were specifically excluded, so that means that the youngest were also baptized. this is mentioned more than once. Once parents were believers, and the current family members were baptized, new family members were baptized after they were born. As early as the second century, the early Church was debating not the *idea* of infant baptism, but the proper *timing*. Some said the eighth day, and other held out for later.
If you look into it, you will see that the RCC is Biblical, and truly Christian.
Lea
2007-12-27 12:53:05 · answer #3 · answered by L. M 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
more so then fundamentalist protestant churches. The RCC and Orthodox are both biblically based (yes I can show you the bible verses) and both follow the same order of worship as surviving documents of the early christians show was used by the earliest church.
I was raised southern baptist, daughter and granddaughter of deacons, greatgrandchild many gens back of preachers and on the other side hard shell baptist (who make southern baptist look liberal). I grew up listening to sermons based on Jack Chick writings..but when I grew up and researched on my own I found the RCC followed the bible much more literally then the Baptist. For instance Jesus said *this IS my body* not this is symbolic of my body, etc
If you truely want knowledge go here
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/
in response to another answer: Infant Baptism is based on the Bible. http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap060200.htm#ap060201
transubstantiation: http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap060500.htm#ap060503
read the bible without thinking *it means this*, and you will see the truth of the RCC, that it is more biblically based then the protestant fundamental churches who proclaim the loudest the the RCC is non biblical but that they accept without interpetation the bible.
2007-12-27 12:40:39 · answer #4 · answered by busybee2 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, I would go as far to reason we are the True Church. One of the bigest diffrences between us and the Roman catholics is the Pope-which has developed in the west over centuries and left the ntoion of equality of bishops. I'm a convert ot Orthodoxy so the Roman's schismed as they wanted to add to the faith and the Protestans left rome as they wanted to remove from the faith.
2007-12-29 08:35:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your question has been asked many, many, times I already have a copy and paste answer for it.
Here is the short version of my answer to your question.
Roman Catholicism is a Christian denomination. The name "Catholic Church" originated in 107 AD when Ignatius of Antioch used the phrase to describe Jesus' "Church.
Catholics adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ who founded this Church. Acts 11,26 defines Christian an "adherent" of Christ. The word Catholic simply means the larger or universal church. The early church fathers were the first to use it. For example the epistles of James, Peter, John and Jude are referred to as the Catholic Epistles. So when we say the Catholic Church, we mean the universal Christian Church.
Anti-Catholics often suggest that Catholicism did not exist prior to the Edict of Milan, which was issued in 313 AD and made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. With this, pagan influences began to contaminate the previously untainted Christian Church. In no time, various inventions adopted from paganism began to replace the gospel that had been once for all delivered to the saints. At least, that is the theory.
This accusation does not hold water because Jesus Christ promised to guide his Church till the end of the age.
"And so I tell you. Peter; you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." - Matthew 16,18-20
"And teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28,20
"I have told you this while I am still with you, The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you". - John 14, 25
"When, however, the Spirit comes who reveals the truth about God, he will LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH." - John 16,13
After making the above promises are you now saying that Jesus cannot be relied upon to keep his word?
Worry about your own salvation because you rejected the Church founded by Jesus Christ. After the return of the 72 this is what Jesus said to those who rejected them.
“He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.” – Luke 10, 16 (KJV)
Pagan Influence Fallacy
Opponents of the Church often attempt to discredit Catholicism by attempting to show similarities between it and the beliefs or practices of ancient paganism.
Ultimately, all attempts to prove Catholicism "pagan" fail. Catholic doctrines are neither borrowed from the mystery religions nor introduced from pagans after the conversion of Constantine. To make a charge of paganism stick, one must be able to show more than a similarity between something in the Church and something in the non-Christian world. One must be able to demonstrate a legitimate connection between the two, showing clearly that one is a result of the other, and that there is something wrong with the non-Christian item.
In the final analysis, nobody has been able to prove these things regarding a doctrine of the Catholic faith, or even its officially authorized practices. The charge of paganism just doesn’t work.
2007-12-27 13:24:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Yes, Catholics are Christians. We were the first, originally founded by Jesus Christ.
2007-12-29 03:07:57 · answer #7 · answered by Danny H 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Absolutely. Catholics & Eastern separated in 1100-something and the protestants broke off from the catholics a few hundred years after that.
2007-12-27 12:25:26 · answer #8 · answered by ZombieTrix 2012 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I am Baptist but I accept Catholics and Orthodox as fellow Christians. I have some real disagreements with them, but I still accept them.
2007-12-27 13:10:48 · answer #9 · answered by Sambo 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We'll all find out at the judgement seat of Christ.
2007-12-27 13:34:00 · answer #10 · answered by bruins_1fan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋