QuEsTiOn ?!?!?!?!

ame · 01-08-2005, 08:31 PM

What is the difference between Christianity and Catholicism ???????

Do they believe in the same ?????

alexa · 01-08-2005, 09:43 PM

Hi ame and welcome to CR.

Christianity is a religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. There are three main branches of Christianity : catholicism, protestantism and eastern orthodoxy.

I hope this answers to your question.

Faithfulservant · 01-08-2005, 10:07 PM

Hello Ame

Catholics are Christians.. The difference between Catholics and Protestants is church doctrine.

tishrei5736 · 01-09-2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ame

What is the difference between Christianity and Catholicism ???????

Do they believe in the same ?????

Hi Ame,

I'm a Catholic and yes, we believe we are Christians. As Faithfulservant has said, the main difference is church doctrine.

Also, bear in mind that there are some Protestant Biblical fundamentalists who would tell you that we Catholics are not Christians. To these people, they believe that one is not a 'Christian' until you go through their specific form of initiation or conversion which is usually: belief in the Bible as the only authority, baptism, confession of sins, repentance and resolve to follow Jesus faithfully.

Being a Catholic, the main difference is that we believe in the teaching authority of the Church for our interpretation of the Bible. Although we believe that the Bible is the 'Word of God' we also believe that we are the 'People of God' and that we have not only been left with the 'Word of God' which is the Bible but also the living tradition of our people. This 'living tradition' has been handed down through the Pope and Bishops directly from St. Peter the apostle of Jesus, our first Pope, from whom there is an unbroken line of Popes to the present Pope John Paul II in Rome.

Another point of difference is the emphasis of doing good works and faith. Most Protestants (especially the biblical fundamentalists) believe in grace through 'faith' alone. We Catholics believe that faith without doing good deeds is dead. So, even though you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, unless you live a good life and do good deeds as well, you will not be saved. Hence, we Catholics try our best to do good deeds as well as living faithfully to Jesus.

Finally, in the 1960s, the Catholic church had a major reform called the Second Vatican Council which among other things, emphasised the desire for the church to reach out to other Christians and also non-Christians for interfaith dialogue and friendship. We're trying our best to fit into the modern world and be more tolerant of other faiths. Ultimately, as a Catholic we believe that for non-Christians, if you live a good life, when you die, you will be judged by God according to the good deeds you have done on earth. This is different to the teaching of Protestant Biblical fundamentalists who maintain that you have to be a 'Christian' to get to heaven regardless of the good deeds you do.

I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have any more questions on Catholicism. Thanks.

alexa · 01-09-2005, 02:12 AM

Hi tishrei5736 and welcome to CR !

tishrei5736 · 01-09-2005, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexa

Hi tishrei5736 and welcome to CR !

Thanks Alexa. Its a great forum!

ame · 01-09-2005, 06:40 PM

Thank you!!!!!!!

KnightoftheRose · 01-09-2005, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Another point of difference is the emphasis of doing good works and faith. Most Protestants (especially the biblical fundamentalists) believe in grace through 'faith' alone. We Catholics believe that faith without doing good deeds is dead. So, even though you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, unless you live a good life and do good deeds as well, you will not be saved. Hence, we Catholics try our best to do good deeds as well as living faithfully to Jesus.

Erm, every Christian believes good deeds are necessary.

The actual dispute is over 'good works'...good works meaning not good deeds, but rather rituals.

Protestants hold that faith alone transcends us from our sinful nature, so rituals are not important. Unfortunately, some Protestants today take that sentence ("faith alone transcends us from our sinful nature") and construe it to mean that they are already above sin, and can do whatever they want. Heh, which explains the odd behavior of fundamentalists...

Catholics, on the other hand, hold that rituals - the Sacraments in particular - are necessary for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Tishrei mentioned the Second Vatican Council reformed some aspects of Catholicism, so perhaps they don't hold the rigid view that rituals are absolutely necessary anymore, but that's how it used to be...

Btw, Tishrei, since you're a Catholic (and know a lot about your faith, obviously

), could you explain what exactly the Sacraments are? The only explainations I've heard of them came from Protestants, so it would be cool if maybe a Catholic could explain them to me...

tishrei5736 · 01-10-2005, 10:41 AM

Hi Knight,

Thanks for your response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnightoftheRose

Erm, every Christian believes good deeds are necessary.

The actual dispute is over 'good works'...good works meaning not good deeds, but rather rituals.

I wasn't referring to 'rituals' or sacraments at all. I specifically meant good deeds. Going through Catholic primary and high school, good deeds were emphasised over sacraments/ritual alone. While the sacraments are important, we were taught that good deeds are the main criteria for entry into heaven as per Matthew 25 :31-46.

Quote:

Catholics, on the other hand, hold that rituals - the Sacraments in particular - are necessary for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tishrei mentioned the Second Vatican Council reformed some aspects of Catholicism, so perhaps they don't hold the rigid view that rituals are absolutely necessary anymore, but that's how it used to be...

Yes, since Vatican 2, the teaching of sacraments has greatly improved. There is now an emphasis on the spiritual nourishment, healing and relevance of the sacraments to our daily lives and less on the consequences of missing them. In some Catholic schools you would even be lucky to receive any mention of a definition of a sacrament let alone its consequences. The church has definitely shifted to more of a social justice agenda in its school curriculum rather than the old dogma and doctrinal definitions that used to be drilled into people. However, this has its drawbacks as well.

Quote:

Btw, Tishrei, since you're a Catholic (and know a lot about your faith, obviously

), could you explain what exactly the Sacraments are? The only explainations I've heard of them came from Protestants, so it would be cool if maybe a Catholic could explain them to me...

Well, I'm not a priest, so I don't know that much.

But, I thought the nicest definition I read was from a book callled 'Inside Catholicism, Rituals and Symbols Revealed' by Richard P. McBrien.

"Simply put, the principle of sacramentality means that there is more to human life and cosmic reality than meets the eye. There is a 'beyond' in our midst. There is a deeper, unseen reality-Being Iteself-that is in fact more 'real' than all the beings that we take to be real. A sacramental perspective, therefore, is one that 'sees' Being in beings, the divine in the human, the infinite in the finite, the spiritual in the material, the supernatural in the natural, the holy in the secular, the eternal in the temporal. For Catholicism all reality is sacred, or sacramental, because all reality is but a visible expression of invisible Reality itself, which is God."

Regarding the exact definition of a sacrament, McBrien continues with three different definitions that point to the same truth.

1. From the Catechism: "An outward sign instituted by Christ go give grace".
2. St. Augustine of Hippo: "An invisible sign of an invisible grace".
3. Pope Paul VI in 1963: "A reality imbued with the hidden presence of God".
"Each Definition points to the same fundamental truth: through sacraments, humanity touches and is touched by the presence of God.

The seven sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmantion, Eucharist (the Mass), Marriage, Holy Orders (the priesthood, the episcopate and the diaconate), Reconciliation (Penance or Confession), and Anointing of the Sick (Extreme Unction).

"Employing a wider sense of the term 'sacrament', Jesus Christ is the great sacrament of our encounter with God. He is the fullest and most vivid expression, or sign, of God's presence in the world, and also the fullest and most vivid expression, or sign, of humanity's response to the divine presence."

I hope this helps to clarify 'sacraments' for you.

Tishrei

KnightoftheRose · 01-10-2005, 01:07 PM

Quote:

I wasn't referring to 'rituals' or sacraments at all. I specifically meant good deeds. Going through Catholic primary and high school, good deeds were emphasised over sacraments/ritual alone. While the sacraments are important, we were taught that good deeds are the main criteria for entry into heaven as per Matthew 25 :31-46.

Ah, my bad...my understanding of Catholicism is outdated, obviously...

Quote:

Yes, since Vatican 2, the teaching of sacraments has greatly improved. There is now an emphasis on the spiritual nourishment, healing and relevance of the sacraments to our daily lives and less on the consequences of missing them. In some Catholic schools you would even be lucky to receive any mention of a definition of a sacrament let alone its consequences. The church has definitely shifted to more of a social justice agenda in its school curriculum rather than the old dogma and doctrinal definitions that used to be drilled into people. However, this has its drawbacks as well.

That's interesting...so would you say the Second Vatican Council changed the face of Catholicism? I mean, is the Catholic Church today the same as it was before the 60's? Or has the whole tone changed?

Anways, sorry if I'm pestering you...its just that you seem pretty knowledgeable (sp?) and I'd like to expand my understanding of the Church...

bananabrain · 01-10-2005, 02:59 PM

aMe - there's no need to use aLl tHiS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sTuFf. we're all grown-ups here as far as i know. it makes your posts difficult to read and less likely for people to respond to your questions.

b'shalom

bananabrain

Faithfulservant · 01-10-2005, 05:01 PM

No sad faces Ame

ame · 01-10-2005, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bananabrain

aMe - there's no need to use aLl tHiS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sTuFf. we're all grown-ups here as far as i know. it makes your posts difficult to read and less likely for people to respond to your questions.

b'shalom

bananabrain

Maybe I'm not a grown up,

but thank you!

ame · 01-10-2005, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

No sad faces Ame

bananabrain · 01-11-2005, 10:11 AM

you don't *have* to be a grown-up, but it's a lot more interesting for the rest of us if you engage at a grown-up level. sorry to be a bit of a downer but coping with lOtS oF !?!?!?!?! makes my eyes ache - the same goes for font changes, pastes of quotes etc.

b'shalom

bananabrain