If both group of believers think Christ was the messiah and both groups believe in God -
the 10 commandments -
the bible - etc. -
Then what is it in a "Christians" mind/view/belief that says Catholics are not Christians?
Catholics - do you feel you are christian?
If not - why?
Wolfeblayde
Favorite Answer
I think it has to do with the way that the Catholic Church formulates doctrine. Catholic doctrine is based on three things: Scripture, the teachings of the Magesterium (the scholars and theologians of the Church), and Sacred Tradition. The three must each agree with each other and cannot contradict the other two in any way. By the time a doctrine is accepted by the Church, it has gone through much prayer, study, and discussion. It is then accepted by all faithful Catholic Christians as truth.
Some Protestants such as the fundamentalists and evangelicals believe that the only source of doctrine is the Bible. . .or more accurately, *their* interpretation of the Bible. That's why you have 35,000+ denominations, splinter groups, and sects -- each claiming to have the "real" truth.
In that case, the only way that a sect can justify its version of the truth is to deny the validity of everyone else's beliefs. Because Catholicism is united and will not yield to the "Sola Scriptura" ('by Scripture alone") fallacy, the Church is a particular target for their hatred and prejudices.
And to answer your last question, yes, I am very much a Christian. And that will never change, no matter how many anti-Catholic bigots try to deny me the right to call myself by that very precious name.
?
I think the real reason is because they worship the Virgin Mary and the holy spirit. Catholics practice communion, too. It's much different than conventional Christianity. It sort of branched off somewhere as a certain sector reinterpreted the Bible in a different context.
Apple Queen
It's not that Catholics AREN'T Christians. I know lots of Catholics that are true, born-again believers.
What makes someone a Christian is whether or not they have accepted Christ's gift of salvation. Many Catholics know what Christ did, but they haven't realized how important it is to have a personal relationship with Him. If they haven't accepted them as their Savior, they are not Christians.
What's sad is that anymore, Catholics are really concerned about the methods, the ceremonies. But confessing to a priest and praying to Mary do not make a person a Christian. God's Word says that "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And it is not from yourselves - it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) Not all Catholics realize this, and that's why we don't consider all Catholics to be Christians.
Ray Patterson - The dude abides
Protestants mainly object to two things in the catholic church:
-the special power of priests and the pope.
-the veneration (or, as is challenged, worship) of saints, and Mary in particular
But loads of Protestants also claim of other Protestant groups that they're not Christian. Just like some Shiites and Sunnis say that the entire other group is not Muslim.
The Dark Side
Some protestants believe catholics are not Christian because they don't understand what catholicism IS. I think this is mostly because they are ignorant of church history. They will say that catholics worship Mary, idolise the pope, and many other things that are not true.
Catholics on the other hand will tell you that of course they are Christian, and in fact are the only true church.