NWR: Confused about Christian/Catholic

kalizoomba

I don't know much about the Catholic religion - I've only known one or two people who are catholic (who I know are catholic) and they never really spoke much about their faith to me.

I know Catholics are protestant like christians, but what's the real difference?

Where this is coming from is - we have a catholic board here, but I keep seeing brides on the christian board mentioning that they're catholic. I'm wondering why they're here instead of on the catholic board??  I never go over to the catholic board and post, so I don't see why they come here.   

I don't mind that they're here, I just don't quite understand. I grew up in a baptist church, and they didn't talk much about other religions or denominations or anything. I don't quite understand denominations either - they seem pointless. but that's another thing.

[Deleted User]

Catholics are NOT Protestant.  try reading about the Protestant Reformation with Martin Luther (but not MLK Jr.)

Catholics = Christian
Protestants = Christian

Catholics =/= Protestant

i'm not Catholic so i don't want to say much more than that.  i'll let the Catholic ladies speak for that.

kalizoomba

really? on wait I think got confused. Catholics are gentiles, and Christians are gentiles - because everyone who's not jewish is gentile, right?? I'm so confused. I don't know what other religions or denominations belief, I just know what I believe and what God did for me. I really need to figure this all out.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_nwr-confused-christiancatholic?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:70055ae3-45c3-40a2-a9a5-2a97fbefb29dPost:7d8f0eb7-b096-4e8b-961c-430246b7e35d">Re: NWR: Confused about Christian/Catholic</a>:
[QUOTE]really? on wait I think got confused. Catholics are gentiles, and Christians are gentiles - because everyone who's not jewish is gentile, right?? I'm so confused. I don't know what other religions or denominations belief, I just know what I believe and what God did for me. I really need to figure this all out.
Posted by kalizoomba[/QUOTE]

about Gentiles...

in the Bible, a Gentile is anyone who is not of Israeli birth/descended from Abraham (a non-Jew).  i think it has been used to describe a non-Jew and even, according to the Catholic definition, a non-Jew OR a non-Christian.

i guess it depends on which side you're coming from.

<a href="http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=142&letter=G&search=Gentile#523" rel='nofollow'>http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=142&letter=G&search=Gentile#523</a>
<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06422a.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06422a.htm</a>

i'm Protestant, and i was always taught growing up that a Gentile was a non-Jew, and that Christians not of Jewish birth were also Gentiles.

HTH!

SaraAndrew2010

Catholic are  Christians, which is why you'll see Catholic brides like me over here occassionally.  I'm guessing the reason that we have our own Catholic Weddings board is that there are a lot of very specific issues related to Catholic marriages (i.e. requirements for a marriage to be recognized by the Catholic church, the form of a Catholic wedding ceremony both inside and outside of mass, etc).  However, we're all Christians also, so some of us come over here to talk about weddings/marriage in the broader scope of Christianity.

Calypso1977

Catholics are NOT Protestant.  try reading about the Protestant Reformation with Martin Luther (but not MLK Jr.)

Catholics = Christian
Protestants = Christian
Catholics =/= Protestant

this.

there is a separate board because I and a few others suggested it to the Knot Gods since there are so many questions and situations specific only to the catholic faith.  we thought it would be a helpful resource for folks, particularly those brides who arent catholic but are marrying catholic because their FI is.

kalizoomba

oh okay! makes sense!

iamjoesgurl

To further articulate this - (almost) anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Messiah is considered to be Christian.  After Christ's death, the early believers were primarily gentile, but also Jew.  Paul was a Jew, for example, and I would imagine that many of Jesus's disciples were Jewish as He was.  

Many Jewish people do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, but there are some who do.  They are considered Messianic Jews since they have the Jewish heritage.  I don't believe that they would consider themselves to be "Christian" although they believe similarly to what we believe.

As other pps said, it makes sense to separate the Catholic board from the "Christian" board because of the differences in their ceremonies.  But it does not mean that Catholics are not Christians.

loves2shop4shoes

Ok...I'll explain things.

The term Christian is a HUGE umbrella term.  

Institutionalized Christianity was uniform until 1054, when the Great Schism happened.  During the Great Schism, Eastern Orthodoxy broke off from Catholicism.  Then, in 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 theses and then came the Protestant Reformation.

So, now Christianity is split into 3 main categories:  Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox.  Catholic is Catholic. Protestantism has LOTS of branches, like Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Assembly of God, Methodist, etc.  Eastern Orthodoxy is separated into several branches too, like Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox.  So, all of these different categories are still CHRISTIAN.  So calling yourself Christian does not necessarily imply that you're some form of Protestant...you can be Catholic or some form of Eastern Orthodox too.

As for what Catholics believe, well, they believe much of the same things that you do.  Catholics believe:  There is one God who created all things.  Jesus was the son of God.  Mary conceived Jesus as a virgin.  Jesus was crucified for the sins of humanity, died, and rose from the dead.  Jesus opened the gates to Heaven.  Catholics have a heavy emphasis on the Holy Trinity, which is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit.

Catholics also believe in angels and saints.  Catholics believe people are born with original sin, and that's why that baptize their babies at infancy.  The head of the Catholic church is the Pope, who is supposed to be the holiest person on the planet.

Catholics have seven sacraments, where many Protestant faiths do not.  The seven sacraments are Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Annointing of the Sick.  You must confess through a priest, and all of the sacraments are administered by priests or bishops.  Priests, then, are not your peers/spiritual leaders as much as they are holy men/spiritual leaders.  Priests are not allowed to marry and women cannot be priests.

I hope that helps.  I can explain more later if you would like.

seventh7alto

As an addition to what PP said, Catholics aren't the only Christians who practice infant baptism. Some Protestants also have infant baptism, not because they think the baptism will save the babies, but because it's symbolic of the covenent that extends to the family, similar to circumcision in OT times.

agapecarrie

Clarification: only Latin Rite priests are not allowed to marry, and this is a discipline, not a doctrine.

perkins81

Great theological explanation "loves2shopf4shoes"! I've learned that before, but it's good to get a refresher!

I like to think about it in the future sense - everyone who (1) accepts Jesus as Lord and (2) believes he was raised from the dead* is a Christian and will spend eternity with Christ. Anyone who doesn't know Christ as Lord will not spend eternity with him. My pastor talked about this on Sunday and I wanted to share his insight. The verse I've put below points out that a person needs to accept Christ as "Lord" not just some person who walked the earth. Christ should be Lord over your life. There will be "former" Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Assembly of God, Presbyterian, Orthodox, etc etc. in heaven (those who follow him as Lord), but there will also be some who go to the other place b/c they haven't really given their life to Christ; they just keep living their own way. When we all meet in heaven, we will no longer be called by the labels we have attached to ourselves. Instead, we'll be known by the label God gives us as our heritage: "Children of God" - so that's my label. I'm a child of God, a Christ-follower!

*If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

P.S. I've participated in many different denominations around the world and I have discovered that I have Christian brothers and sisters in all of them! I even went to a Methodist school, but had a Catholic professor and an Episcopalian professor and a tongue-speaking Methodist professor!!! Talk about diversity!

twixinthemix

I'm protestant but work at a Catholic school, so I've gotten to learn a lot about the Catholic faith in the past few years!

For the most part, we have very similiar beliefs.  Some big differences are the belief that Mary was also born free from sin (Catholics believe that while Protestants generally do not).  Catholics also recognize saints and ask the saints to intercede for them.  The most important part of their service (called the mass) is communion, where they believe it actually turns into the body and blood of Christ.  Only Catholics are allowed to take communion, so even though I'm a Christian and have been baptized, I would not be able to take communion there, but could receive a blessing from the priest. 

Their services are very structured and organized, and if you've never been to one, it can be rather overwhelming with all the details, but you get the hang of it.  Mass is a very formal and reverent time.  It's very beautiful though. 

Hope that helps!

jkh1182

Well, the pps have pretty much told you about the differences.  I grew up catholic and 6 months ago started going to the baptist church.  I am still learning about te new church.  Catholic religion is very deep in tradition.  There are  a lot more rules and particulars when it comes to a catholic ceremony.  I've found that Catholics are quite different than protestants in that their masses and their traditions.  Protestants seem to have a lot less rules and their services are not as rigid.  I believe it makes sense to have a seperate christian board from a catholic board.

SaraAndrew2010

Jkh, I'm curious because you mentioned being raised Catholic here but I thought you mentioned in another post that you were considering being baptized.  Were you baptized as an infant in the Catholic church? 

kalizoomba

wow. very informative. Thanks so much!! Makes a lot of sense now. I was just curious why catholics posted on this board and not on their own, but I get it now.

BrideToBeBecauseHeLovesMe

Whew - good post ladies!!  That does help clarify though, thanks!!  I didn't post because I wasn't really sure of the answers but you ladies did an awesome job explaining. 

I was raised non-denominational.  :P  But now my mom goes to a very free baptist church and LOVES it.

GJones27

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_nwr-confused-christiancatholic?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:70055ae3-45c3-40a2-a9a5-2a97fbefb29dPost:54d7a70c-1435-429a-840d-6bb05c4f4524">Re: NWR: Confused about Christian/Catholic</a>:
[QUOTE]Ok...I'll explain things. The term Christian is a HUGE umbrella term.   Institutionalized Christianity was uniform until 1054, when the Great Schism happened.  During the Great Schism, Eastern Orthodoxy broke off from Catholicism.  Then, in 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 theses and then came the Protestant Reformation. So, now Christianity is split into 3 main categories:  Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox.  Catholic is Catholic. Protestantism has LOTS of branches, like Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Assembly of God, Methodist, etc.  Eastern Orthodoxy is separated into several branches too, like Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox.  So, all of these different categories are still CHRISTIAN.  So calling yourself Christian does not necessarily imply that you're some form of Protestant...you can be Catholic or some form of Eastern Orthodox too. As for what Catholics believe, well, they believe much of the same things that you do.  Catholics believe:  There is one God who created all things.  Jesus was the son of God.  Mary conceived Jesus as a virgin.  Jesus was crucified for the sins of humanity, died, and rose from the dead.  Jesus opened the gates to Heaven.  Catholics have a heavy emphasis on the Holy Trinity, which is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Catholics also believe in angels and saints.  Catholics believe people are born with original sin, and that's why that baptize their babies at infancy.  The head of the Catholic church is the Pope, who is supposed to be the holiest person on the planet. Catholics have seven sacraments, where many Protestant faiths do not.  The seven sacraments are Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Annointing of the Sick.  You must confess through a priest, and all of the sacraments are administered by priests or bishops.  Priests, then, are not your peers/spiritual leaders as much as they are holy men/spiritual leaders.  Priests are not allowed to marry and women cannot be priests. I hope that helps.  I can explain more later if you would like.
Posted by loves2shop4shoes[/QUOTE]

The Orthodox Christian part is not exactly correct (I'm Orthodox).  There is just one Orthodox Church, and it's a common misconception that there are multiple branches of Orthodoxy.  Yes, there are different traditions based on ethnicity, but they are the same denomination.  Basically, there is no one leader of the Orthodox Church like in Catholicism (which is why the schism happened in the first place).  We have different patriarchs, and we believe God is the head of the church.  So when you talk about Greek, Russian, Armenian, etc. churches, they're just under different patriarchs.  But we believe the exact same things.  Superficially, the churches look like different branches, but those differences mainly have to do with language and style of music.  For example, I grew up in the Greek church, but now I go to a Russian church.  It really doesn't make a difference.  It's kind of like a Catholic going to a German-language Catholic mass or a Spanish-language Catholic mass.

Edited for clarity.