Catholic - Christian (Same or Different)

[Kenny]

Or that some Protestants would claim Catholics aren't Christians.

I think that if one is standing in a garage and says they are a car because they identify as a car doesn't make them a car. You can be Protestant and not a Christian. IMV.

 

[metis]

It depends on what Christian means. If it means a disciple of Jesus, as it was originally, I don't think they are, because person is truly a disciple of Jesus, when he remains in the word of Jesus.

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

So, you are just reverting to that form of religious bigotry, especially as you just stereotyped us again? Maybe actually try and take Jesus' advice of "judge ye not..." and not somehow think that we're all the same.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Thankfully I have found that in practice, the one true Catholic and Apostolic Church has room for many varied, and sometimes dissenting voices. The See of Rome would probably make room even for Jesus, if he should return.

 

[blü 2]

Are Catholic and Christian the same, of are thy different?

To labor the obvious, it depends how you define "Christian".

I've understood a Christian to be anyone who "accepts Christ as their savior". (The rest is mere detail.)

That's one more reason I know I'm not a Christian.

However, I was exposed to the Pisco variety when young, so their practices are one little part of my personal acculturation.

 

[Sand Dancer]

So they don't worship Christ? That seems odd for a Catholic.

Because Catholicism is of Rome and fundamentalists often think this is the Babylon in Revelation, it can't be part of Christendom.

 

[exchemist]

Because Catholicism is of Rome and fundamentalists often think this is the Babylon in Revelation, it can't be part of Christendom.

Yes, I can hear the ghost of Ian Paisley even now: "Naow Paopereaigh! "

 

[Sand Dancer]

Yes, I can hear the ghost of Ian Paisley even now: "Naow Paopereaigh! "

I had to Google him.

 

[exchemist]

I had to Google him.

Yeah, he''s been dead a while now, thank God. A huge, bigoted Northern Irish Protestant pastor, with a face like a ham and a voice like a foghorn.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Yeah, he''s been dead a while now, thank God. A huge, bigoted Northern Irish Protestant pastor, with a face like a ham and a voice like a foghorn.

Oh my. lol

 

[ChristineM]

Oh my. lol

Just a sample

 

[Sand Dancer]

Just a sample

Scary man is scaring me.

 

[loverofhumanity]

According to my definition of Christian, the true Christian is extremely rare. Most professed Christians/Catholics only accept parts of Christ’s Words but reject others or interpret them to mean other than what they mean for exclusivity and supremacy purposes. I do not believe a Catholic is true Christian nor current Christians following the authoritative teachings of Jesus. They all follow I believe, clergy, priests, pastors, popes - anyone but Jesus.

Catholics today I believe worship the idol of personality not God and revere statues in churches as well as bow before priests etc. The original message taught by Jesus I believe, has been replaced with man made doctrines and dogma leaving true Christianity abandoned long ago to be replaced by a counterfeit doctrine invented by priests and clergy which borders on the superstitious. (I.e.Bread and wine into body and blood of Jesus)

What exists today I believe, is a shell of what Christ taught. Just about every Christian/Catholic I speak to repeats the words of their pastor and his interpretation of scripture.

Had they not abandoned the original teachings of Jesus and replaced them with superstitious dogma, I don’t believe their religion would be suffering such an enormous decline, as we live in an age of science and reason where superstition is being frowned upon. Disunity and division arose because they failed to ‘love one another’ and so split into thousands of sects, pretty much useless to humanity as a uniting force.

There are wonderful Christians and priests but the damage of schisms along with illogical man made doctrines have rendered the current day clergy run Christianity impotent.

 

[InChrist]

Are Catholic and Christian the same, of are thy different?

I don’t believe they are the same. I was born into a Catholic family and baptized into the Catholic Church as an infant, but I did not become a Christian until over thirty years later when I actually understood I needed Jesus Christ (not a church) as my Savior and personally trusted Him alone for forgiveness if my sins and eternal life.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Are Catholic and Christian the same, of are thy different?

Here's how I see it, and I'll used capitals for labels like 'Christian' and lowercase for states of being: "A christian who does not know they are a christian does not call themselves Christian, however they may be anyway."

I think the catholic is the person who recognizes God as judge, so they don't themselves exclude others from fellowship in christ. They don't test you and make sure you are in line with what doctrines and exclude you if you aren't. The christian is someone who behaves like christ on earth, a 'Little christ', and I meant this to be distinct from 'Christian' or 'Catholic', which are labels. The label is not a state of being. The labels are important labels but don't help much when answering questions like the ones in your OP. They confuse the answer.

Consider states of being in a single person, regardless of their label. Think of any individual Christian or a Catholic as two people, one alive in christ and one not, all of their time on Earth described in a spreadsheet; and now we are looking at their time through this spreadsheet. A person in the spreadsheet can be spiritually minded, but then not, and they can be divided, too; so they will appear in different columns of the spreadsheet depending upon what state they are in, how they are behaving and thinking. If you could sum up all of a Christian over their lifetime as if you could put their lifetime into a spreadsheet to be analyzed, you would find not one but two people. In your spreadsheet you'd find one person alive in christ and one dead to christ. Both exist within the same human being.

In answer to your personal question my early experience was of exclusion, excluding anyone who failed to meet the standards which I thought God wanted me to use to judge them, to separate myself from them. So I was not catholic at all. I began almost not catholic at all, but now I am much more catholic. Now I recognize many more people and strive not to judge who may or may not come to christ.

 

[DNB]

Protestants are Christians who reject the authority the Catholic church has over their beliefs.
So Christians basically fall into two groups Catholics and Protestants.

And Eastern Orthodox

 

[DNB]

Are Catholic and Christian the same, of are thy different?

There are three main strains of Christianity: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. Protestants are the most varied as far as the multitude of denominations go (I've heard several times 30k+-).
But, due to this diversity, it goes without saying that the grounds behind all the factions are extremely controversial, and thus, one group denounces the other as being heretical, and therefore, who the real Christians are is a matter of subjectivity and interpretation.

In short, anyone group that has the belief in Jesus Christ for the remission of sins as one of the top and compulsory tenets of their faith, is by definition a Christian (accepting Christ's Messianic fulfillment, ordained by God the Father)

 

[pearl]

And Eastern Orthodox

I find it so puzzling that for some Catholicism is identified only with Rome, what happened to Antioch? They share in the same valid priesthood, they are apostolic, the same sacraments etc., even though there are differences they are Catholic Christians.

 

[DNB]

I find it so puzzling that for some Catholicism is identified only with Rome, what happened to Antioch? They share in the same valid priesthood, they are apostolic, the same sacraments etc., even though there are differences they are Catholic Christians.

I don't believe that they would feel that way - they do not accept one of the most fundamental tenets in Catholicism: Papal supremacy and authority, the vicar of Christ.
This is clearly enough to cause irreparable dissention within any once-united faith.

 

[pearl]

This is clearly enough to cause irreparable dissention within any once-united faith.

You choose to ignore what unites us, the core of Catholic faith.

 

[Nakosis]

And Eastern Orthodox

That's why I said basically. There is always exceptions.