Are Protestants and those that call themselves " un denominational christians " just jealous of Catholics ?

My, how proud Roman Catholics can be.

But God is far from the proud and near to the humble and lowly.

The word "Catholic" has been used by European Christians since at least the early 2nd century (Iraneus of Smyrna wrote using the word around 110 to differentiate those who followed the successors of the Apostles from those who claimed that Jesus' teachings were distorted - the Gnostics and Manicheans, among others). Catholic and Christian were interchangeable, though you'll find more that source documents use "Christian" to describe a believer, a way of life, the faith, while "Catholic" in particular describes the ecclesial aspects of Christian life. Also, leading up to and following the Great Schism in which Christendom in the West remained Catholic while Christendom in the East remaind Orthodox, Catholic took on an additional political connotation to define those who saw the Pope as successor to St. Peter, while the Orthodox saw the Patriarch of Constantinople as successor. These groups also differentiated themselves as "Latins" and "Greeks" even if the believers were Russian or German. It was not until Reformation in the 16th century that the common person considered there to be a bifurcation - an absolute difference - between "Christian" and "Catholic". This was thanks to a brilliant and vicious propaganda campaign waged by the Reformers. Not to say that the Catholics didn't wage their own, calling the Reformers heretics, but the leftovers of that campaign are mostly from Protestant sources. Consider that few Catholics in the States look upon Protestants as heretics - and those that do are considered a little silly by most of us who don't. However, there is still a sizeable number of Protestants (or at least, a very vocal crowd) who consider Catholics to be anything but Christian. Read any Jack Chick tract, "National Sunday Law" or other such spiritual pornography and you'll see the 16th century propaganda alive and well. --------------------------------------... A thought. If a True Born Again Christian is one who believes in Jesus, then wouldn't a believing Roman Catholic be a Born Again as well? And if Born Again Christians believe there is no mediator, then why bother proselytizing? Is that not a form of mediation? Should we dismiss every bishop, cleric, minister, parson, pastor, prophet and witness for their interference? Of course I'm being sarcastic. Perhaps the best way to differentiate a True Born Again and a Catholic is that, while both believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Born Agains think its all about them and Jesus and nothing else, while Catholics see ourselves as Church, a community together in the Body of Christ.

Hmm... do tell...

The rock is Jesus... it seems to me that this fact alone rules out papacy.

Historical evidence reveals that the roman catholic church was birthed out of an unholy union between the state of rome and the christian church. To me, that is the first great church split. The catholics went south into paganism and goddess worship... I also believe that's why the catholic church defames Mother Mary so much by assigning her divinity just as satan did for himself.

Protestants and non-denominational Christians started as a result of Catholic priests wanting money as penance and the rich "buying their way" into heaven. Some Christians simply practice in a different way because they believe in different ways of honoring "god". Martin Luther did not believe he was god, he wanted to reform the way the church was practicing their religion and open up the opportunity for salvation to all people.

Surely that should be 'y'all'? If you're going to talk like a redneck at least have the decency to do it properly.

Maybe other Christian denominations just don't feel the need to bow down to some old guy in a funny hat in order to believe in their god. All the ritual and glitz that goes with Catholicism seems a long way from the humility and simplicity that Jesus was supposedly about.

I don't know about that but they sure have a lot of hatred against your religion. I know they spew so many lies about it, highlight its flaws, deliberately misunderstanding your practices. The list goes on.

By the way, so-called non-denominationals don't even know they're in protest even though they protest everything Catholic. They think it's the way to salvation actually - protesting against Catholicism.

As a true Catholic you should know you don't have to boast about your faith, just believe in it!

Sing with me...

"They'll know we are fundies by our hate, by our hate, oh they'll know we are fundies by our hate..."

No more than Esperantists are jealous of Vatican pronouncements made in Latin.

Yall listen to Theman now! ya hear!