Are Catholics considered Christian??? - Page 6

[Sean]

Well, yeah! I mean, here you've got someone saying,

"My Creator and Lord gave me this book to instruct me about His plan for the world, and my part in it."

Great, what's it say?

"I dunno..."

As for me and my household, I've read the whole Bible. My wife hasn't yet, but then she's only been a Christian since 2001, and she's busy raising up all those arrows in my quiver. The kids aren't old enough to read anything, but the Scripture will certainly be part of their repertoire later.

T 'Het up' update: My wife read my previous post, and was amazed that I had never heard the phrase before, cuz she certainly knew it. (She's from Oklahoma.) She hinted that when the kids go to nap, I may 'find out' what it means. I hope it's good.

[Paxetbonum]

Catholicism places a huge importance on oral tradition. This is because we beleive in two sources of divine revalation instead of just one. God reveals Himself to humanity thru Sacred Scripture, but also thru Sacred Tradition. The two together are called the deposit of faith.

Okay that my Baltimore catechism talking there.

The nice thing about the Catholic liturgy is that the scriptures are worked into the Mass so that if you attend dailey mass for a certain period of time (I think its like five years or something) you will have heard the whole Bible.

The Liturgy of the Hours is also a beautiful way to pray the scriptures.

Dary LLL, your MIL's beleifs are shocking! We are not able to know for certainity if any soul is in hell. It is precisely that brand of Christianity which makes us all look so bad.
I will pray for her.

[SueZVudu]

Wow, this thread sure has taken an interesting turn! But on the whole Catholic/Christian topic...

When I was attending university at a fundamentalist Christian school, I converted to Catholicism. I was in the process of conversion when Mother Teresa died. I lived in the dorms and didn't have my own TV, so I watched her funeral in the common room of the dorm. It was like 3 a.m. and there were a few other girls watching it with me; I didn't really know any of them. So during the funeral, many people from many different religions spoke or performed ceremonies or whathaveyou. I tried to explain to the other girls what all these religions were (try explaining Zoroastrianism to someone who's never even walked through the door of another denomination's church!) There were Orthodox Christians and I think there were even some Baptists there. So anyway, toward the end of the funeral, one girl asked in a very serious tone, "But who's representing the Christians?"

I was flabbergasted. It took me a minute to reply, "Um...Catholics *are* Christians."

She just said, "Huh," and asked no more questions. Keep in mind, this was the same campus where I heard comments like, "Mother Teresa was a good person. Too bad she's burning in hell." And they said it so darn casually, too.

[Ilaria]

Back to th eOP...Of course Catholics are Christians!
It never occurred to me that someone would think otherwise until I moved to the US and met fundie Christians... I couldn't believe it!

[Wildcrafter]

I gotta ask....what's the deal with Mother Theresa burning in hell? I've never heard this before......why would someone think this?

[Elzabet]

Because a lot of evangelicals don't know anything about catholicism they listen to half-truth and assume catholics don't know Jesus and therefore will be going to hell. It's ignorance, sometimes willful sometimes not.

[DaryLLL]

bump

[Jazmommie]

I was in a Catholic bookstore Saturday & saw a book called something like -Did Adam have a Belly Button & other questions teens might ask--
I turned a few pages & saw ARE CATHOLICS CONSIDERED CHRISTIANS?

It said --Yes,Catholics are Christian BUT Not all Christians are Catholic!


Love that quote!

[steff]

Anyone that believes Jesus Christ is our saviour is a christian. Religions have different ways of doing things. But if you believe that Jesus Christ is your saviour, your religion rules and ways are different but it all leads to that one important factor.
Alot of chriatians are forgeting this important factor. If you are a christian you are not to judge no one. Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for WHATEVER point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans2:3 So when you, a mere man pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? SORRy, when I say something I have to back up with scripture. And I felt I had to say the bit about judging, I don't know why But I did.
My DH is catholic christain and I am christian. LOl if you want to put it that way.

Yes,Catholics are Christian BUT Not all Christians are Catholic!

I like this saying too!!

Steff

[KoalaMommy]

Some of the best examples I've seen of Christians are Catholic. They clearly show God's love to others and aren't afraid to talk about Jesus. The Catholic and Orthodox churches are the original Christian churches, all others split off from them (I won't even start on who split from whom when it comes to Catholic and Orthodox, hard to say and best to stay out of it). I went to a church for a little while that believed all Catholics were going to hell, that's a major reason I left. My Godmother is Catholic and if she's not going to make it to heaven, we're all doomed! I believe faith in Christ is the key to being Christian.

[DaryLLL]

Originally Posted by hilary122

The Catholic and Orthodox churches are the original Christian churches, all others split off from them.

This is incorrect. The original churches (followers of The Christ or his Way, of the type Paul wrote to) were loosely organized groups of people, who each had differing gospels (many of which were eventually left out of the final Xtian canon), met in private homes and had widely diverging beliefs.

The attempt to catholocize (universalize) the religion, or to claim orthodoxy ("straight thinking," thereby rendering others crooked) started very late in the first centruy CE but didn't really get going until the 2nd-4th centuries. And this struggle continues til this day. It was led by bishops and Roman Emperors and involved land and power grabbing.

[Meiri]

Some of the best examples I've seen of Christians are Catholic.

Same here, and one of the worst too. Same for most of the rest of the denominations I've run across.

IME, people who are loving and kind use their religion to strengthen themselves in being that way. IME, people who are bigoted and hateful do the same thing.

The religion either type is expressing or twisting is almost beside the point.

[Paxetbonum]

Originally Posted by DaryLLL

This is incorrect. The original churches (followers of The Christ or his Way, of the type Paul wrote to) were loosely organized groups of people, who each had differing gospels (many of which were eventually left out of the final Xtian canon), met in private homes and had widely diverging beliefs.

The attempt to catholocize (universalize) the religion, or to claim orthodoxy ("straight thinking," thereby rendering others crooked) started very late in the first centruy CE but didn't really get going until the 2nd-4th centuries. And this struggle continues til this day. It was led by bishops and Roman Emperors and involved land and power grabbing.

There are differing historical takes on this.

The early Christians met in houses largley to avoid persecution. There are actually secret chapels built into early Christian homes complete with alters for the celebration of the sacrifice of the mass.

Also let's keep in mind that second century Christian are still living within the parameters of the living memory of the followers of Christ. One of the requirements for historically accurate information is that the information be organized by those who have contact with people who have living memory of the events. The Gospels are actually not that far removed from the actual events. The organization of Christ's teachings is within a highly tracable short line of oral tradition, in my opinion much more reliable than historians who are out there pulling stuff out of a hat from a handful of archeological mishaps.

The great English literary figure, G.K. Chesterton once made the interesting point that people immedieatly assume from Cave drawings that "primitive" man was making some pitiful attempt at evolving into artistic and spiritual dimensions. Nobody ever looks at the ancient cave paintings and thinks that perhaps the painter was simply entertaining his child, or sitting around waiting for a deer to pass by and got bored. We forget that human nature is universal and much as modern historians love to complexify things, the reality of much history is simply the drama of human nature.

[DaryLLL]

Originally Posted by Paxetbonum

There are differing historical takes on this.

The early Christians met in houses largley to avoid persecution. There are actually secret chapels built into early Christian homes complete with alters for the celebration of the sacrifice of the mass.

Actually the early Xtians spoke Greek and shared entire meals, called agapes, (mass being a Latin word) or love feasts, as Paul attests. They met in private homes b/c they were seen as off-center Jews not welcome at the Temple. After the Temple was destroyed, they dispersed as well, to places like Alexandria. The gospel spread from the Jews to the Greeks. Their persecution is highly exaggerated, it was sporadic. Before Constantine's stamp of approval, they were sometimes persecuted as rebels against the Roman gov't, not for their religious views. Their refusal to acknowledge the Roman state gods was seen as treason.

Also let's keep in mind that second century Christian are still living within the parameters of the living memory of the followers of Christ.

This assumes a HJ and the Catholic idea of apostolic tradition, which is in question. The canonical gospels were 4 chosen out of dozens, which had differing ideas of Christ. The gospels themselves differ on many points, and were not meant ever to be seen as accurate history as we see it today. They were tracts meant to exhort about the good news of the Jewish/pagan dying and rising godman. They were also highly redacted by men with political aims in the Roman gov't.

The organization of Christ's teachings is within a highly tracable short line of oral tradition, in my opinion much more reliable than historians who are out there pulling stuff out of a hat from a handful of archeological mishaps.

Please name your sources.

The great English literary figure, G.K. Chesterton once made the interesting point that people immedieatly assume from Cave drawings that "primitive" man was making some pitiful attempt at evolving into artistic and spiritual dimensions. Nobody ever looks at the ancient cave paintings and thinks that perhaps the painter was simply entertaining his child, or sitting around waiting for a deer to pass by and got bored. We forget that human nature is universal and much as modern historians love to complexify things, the reality of much history is simply the drama of human nature.

I do not understand where you are going with this.

[Meiri]

Nobody ever looks at the ancient cave paintings and thinks that perhaps the painter was simply entertaining his child, or sitting around waiting for a deer to pass by and got bored. We forget that human nature is universal and much as modern historians love to complexify things, the reality of much history is simply the drama of human nature.

"Nobody ever"?? wrong.

But maybe that's not the theory one hears most about because so many of the cave paintings are so deep in the cave, inaccessable except by crawling and/or climbing, that that deer could pass 10 times over, mate or have a fawn in the time it'd take that doodling "while waiting for a deer to pass by" hunter to crawl back out!:LOL Obviously not the case with all paintings, but with enough that this suggestion for all is ludicrous. Location, location, location.

Everything we do is not complex, but everything we do is not simple either.

[CharlieBrown]

i am Catholic and Christian thank you very much!!!