Being a Catholic Does Not Mean You Are a Christian
I'd like to start off with what I feel is most important. Romans 14:2-5 Tells us,
"One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant?"
I 100% agree with this. Who am I to judge a servant of God? As God's servant we need to judge right from wrong in order to avoid sin, as well as when deciding a potential mate. Everyday as humans we judge, there is no way around it. We judge either as part of our job, or even as part of what we should or shouldn't say. So I guess you could even say I should not have written this. I'm not Catholic bashing, in fact I respect how dedicated many of them are to their religion, however I would just like it to be clarified what and where the difference are since so many obviously do not know. I am pointing out the difference between being a Catholic and a Christian and how that effects me when I am looking for a life partner. Please continue to read before passing any judgment upon this article as I may surprise you with a thing or two.
I realize there are going to be many upset Catholics who won't even bother to read this article, but will leave harsh comments, but for those who are reading this, I have a strong feeling you will agree with me, as I list facts not just my opinion but facts from the Bible and other locations. So first I'd like to apologize to anyone who may be offended by this and maybe even hurt that is not my intentions.
If you ask any Catholic if they love Jesus they will answer yes, and though that's great, and they are still Jesus' servant and we aren't meant to judge them, when it comes to sharing my faith and dating someone, I prefer honesty of the facts verses wishful thinking.
Let's delve into the term Christian. Christian in essence means follower of Christ and/or Christ's teachings.
The Old Testament has a quote I need to share.
"You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God (Lev. 26:1)." This is very clear that we are not to be praying to the statue of the Virgin Mary or any other "Saint".
Another important difference between being a Christian and a Catholic is,
John 14:6 says "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Yet Catholics seem to think they can pray to Mary the mother of Jesus and receive grace, blessings and God's tender ear. They believe a man such as a Priest or the Pope can forgive sins. This can not be ignored and a person who prays to Mary is point blank going against what Jesus just said in the above quote. I find myself wondering if that part was edited out of the Catholic Bible simply to support their beliefs.
I also find it interesting in every survey I have ever taken in my life, when it comes to religion, it always asks "Are you:" and then it lists "Jewish, Catholic, Christian, Other" If a survey company can separate Catholic's from Christian's, why can't Catholic's themselves?
Something else I'd like to mention is, I found it interesting when I ask a Catholic who has told me they were a Christian if they are saved, I ALWAYS get a long pause and then they realized they made a mistake, and correct themselves and tell me "Oh I'm Catholic."
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5 Comments
Post a CommentAs the verse below states, Jesus built the church upon the rock (Peter), but that doesn't mean things stayed the same - he simply STARTED the church with Peter (as the verse states). He also built Israel from Abraham and then look at what Jesus had to say to the Pharisees (leaders of the church in Israel) when Jesus came - was He happy? You'll note that most of the Catholic traditions are not found in the book of Acts which shows of the beginnings of the church that Peter started.
It saddens me that you seem so certain that you are correct, yet have so little understanding of the facts you claim to base your opinion on. I, like some of the other posters, recommend that you get a little more information before you dismiss the entire Catholic population as being non-Christian. Also remember that Christ made Peter the head of the Church, (Matt 15:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it") and that Church is the Catholic Church. A few lessons in Christian history as well as Catholic theology might do you some good.
I have to agree with this article and I'd like to add the beginning of the Lord's Prayer "Our Father..." Take note that when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray - Jesus didn't start his prayer with any name other than the Father - NO ONE ELSE. If you receive any arguments on this article, just refer them to this post because you simply cannot argue with what Jesus said.
While I'm sure this article was well-intentioned, it contains many factual errors due to lack of knowledge of Catholic beliefs and practices. For example, there is a presumption that Catholics pray to Mary for the same reasons they would pray to Christ. This is woefully ignorant. Catholicism is one of many forms of Christianity. Prior to converting to Catholicism, I did not realize the full extent of the Catholic belief of accepting both Scripture and tradition as equal sources of authority. However, I was subsequently taught that the Church (meaning Christianity or tradition) existed long before Scripture was written. Nowhere in Scripture does it state that it's the sole authority. When I read pieces like this that have so many misconceptions about Catholicism, it makes me very sad.
Very good meaning in this entry!
-ashley