What is the difference between Catholic and Christian?

Answer 1

There are a small minority of Roman Catholics who believe that the Catholic Church is the 'one, true' church and all others are lesser 'denominations. However the majority of Catholics and all Protestants, regard the Roman Catholic Church is an orthodox denomination (along with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Church, Baptists, Methodists etc) of the Christian Church and therefore they are considered a Christian denomination by a large majority of Christians around the world. Although Protestants believe that some doctrines have crept in over the years that are contrary to Biblical teaching or rather suspect (e.g. the praying to saints, over-veneration of the Virgin Mary, the veneration of relics, celibacy of the priesthood, infallibility of the Pope, limbo, purgatory, selling of indulgences etc) on the whole the Roman Catholic church is still classed as a mainstream orthodox church, with certain core beliefs that are in accord with all Christendom.

That which is truly Christian can only be measured by that which the Bible reveals in the Old and the New Testaments. The record (Greek, marturia: evidence) about Jesus Christ is the basis for the "spirit (Greek, pneuma: breath, spirit) of prophecy." Revelation 19:10. The Apostle Peter said: "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Ghost (pneuma)." 2Peter 1:21.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit gave the Word of God, He is the only justifiable interpreter of the Scriptures. One needs to ask God to make the Bible's teaching clear. The same Lord, who created the heavens and the earth out of nothing is capable of preserving His Holy Word (Psalm 12:6,7) and revealing its truths to those who sincerely ask Him, without confusion. Jesus said: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32.

The resulting understanding reconciles the differences that man has created in what's commonly called Christianity. A local church is responsible for accuracy in upholding the truth of God. Christ is to be recognized as the head of the church, not man (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18). The local church is to be the "pillar and ground of the truth." Titus 3:15. The Biblical Christian church is meant to build up true Christians, who have trusted in Christ as their Savior, He having paid for their sins on the Cross.

A Christian receives and believes God's Holy Word is true in it's entirety. That means that he believes that Christ died for man's sins, was buried, and rose victorious over sin, and death, and the grave. When a person trusts in Him for paying for their sins, he is forgiven and gains eternal life. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6:47. He becomes a new person, a Christ-follower, a true Christian. It was said by Christ that he is born again. "Ye must be born again." John 3:7. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.

In Ephesians 4:12-16, we are instructed to what godly leaders should be doing to edify or build up Christians. God gave these leaders to the church, especially pastors who would teach:

"For the perfecting of the saints (believers), for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love"

If the church is true to God's Holy Word, it will lead it according to the truth of God. That is genuinely Christian. A church that doesn't teach according to the revealed Word of God, is false, not truly Christian. Jesus said: "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26. God is able to show Christians the ways of life, which are pleasing to Him and which coincide with His Word.

Call to Christians:Whether Protestant, Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal you need to have exchanges that are fruitful and delivered with a spirit of charity, humility and knowledge. All are called upon to spread the Good News.

Catholics are Christians. However, in Catholic thinking, non-Catholic Christians (considered denominations) are separated from the Church; these separations took place hundreds of years ago (mostly in the 16th century).

Non-Catholic Christians not only differ from Catholics, but also differ among themselves considerably: with doctrine, interpretation of the Holy Spirit and they ways that they consider the bible.

One thing, however, that all Christians do agree on is the faith in one Christ, baptism (although there is argument as to method of delivery, age, etc) and hearing/reading God's Word.

Catholics are called upon to share in the task of ecumenism -- the fostering of Unity Among Christians, for all Christians bear witness to Christ (in my personal opinion I do believe that many Christians - Catholics and non -- forget this quite often!) . There is so much room for cooperation since all Christians are sealed in Jesus Christ and unified in the power of the Holy Spirit.

All divisions from the past did not come about without fault on both sides. "If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and his word is not in us" ( 1 John 1.10 ).

Whether Protestant, Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal you need to have exchanges that are fruitful and delivered with a spirit of charity, humility and knowledge. All are called upon to spread the Good News.

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Catholic AnswerThere is no difference between Catholic and Christianity. The Catholic faith if the only complete Christianity as was taught be Our Blessed Lord and given to His Apostles. They, and their successors, the Bishops, under the Pope (who is the successor of St. Peter) have, with the guidance of the promised Holy Spirit, kept the Christian faith in tact and preserved it exactly as Our Blessed Lord gave it to us. Everyone else who claims the name "Christian" has rejected part of His Revelation. Anyone who claims to follow the Bible and simultaneously rejects Christ's Church which wrote the Bible, decided which books were in the Bible, and infallibly defined it in the fifth century, and kept it whole, intact, and unadulterated for fifteen centuries after that - anyone who rejects the author of the Sacred Scripture rejects Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, and has set up an idol of their own manufacture, given it the name "Jesus" and call themselves "Christians". This is an unadulterated travesty. Sorry, Christianity is Catholicism, there is no Sacred Scripture without the Church that wrote it; and there is no Christianity outside of the Church that guards it and the Bible. Or as has been infallibly taught by that Church, and the Councils of all Christians throughout the world, "outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation."

Answer 2

The difference between Christian (in this sense meaning pordestant) and Catholics are as follows: Catholics believe in pergatory and prodestants do not Catholics believe in a salvation of works + belief in Jesus and perfroming rituals while as prodestants believe in a belief only Gospel You can find many more differences. Just ask any trusted Prodestant.
"Christian" is often considered a general term for a follower of Christ. "Catholic", which literally means universal, is a term often referring to someone who is a part of the Roman Catholic Church, which holds that it was founded when Jesus gave Peter the keys (Matthew 16:19). Thus, Catholics claim to be directly founded by Christ and can trace the lineage of the popes to Peter, at the moment he was given authority to rule.

Other Christians include the Orthodox Church, which does not recognize the authority of the current pope over the other Christian bishops, but which, at the same time, has much more in common with the Catholic Church in terms of traditions, prayers, and teachings than several Protestant Christians.

Christian can also refer to Protestants of varying traditions, who, unlike Catholics, often deny Tradition and the teachings of the Church in favor of Sola Scriptura (basically meaning that The Bible has the only authority). Catholics recognize these as followers of Christ, as long as they are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but one of the biggest differences is that they do not receive Communion (the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, John 6) in the same sense. Catholics take literally Christ's command to remember Him in this way and to take and eat of His body and blood. Intrinsically tied with this understanding is a different understanding of community, authority, and tradition, which many Protestants have fallen away from, in favor of a more individualistic approach to faith.

If you asked a faithful Catholic to differentiate between the two, he might say that Catholics are Christian in the truest sense, living the closest to Christ's teachings as it has been passed down from age to age.

If you asked a Protestant the same question, you might hear any range of answers, from the explaination of them as a different branch of Christianity to a group entirely different that has stayed focused on tradition, rather than the individual's study of scripture, which they will claim, is the only way to know Christ and be a Christian.

Answer 3

Catholic is an old form of Christianity, Martin Luther (not Martin Luther King) was in a Catholic religion, but as the Catholics became sinning more and more, he rebelled. Saying he doesn't want to be like this in front of God, he took heaps of people with a new religion, which is now christianity, and moved to USA, which is how Christianity was spread was now in America. So Catholic is a religion where the people are very strong, that's why people are forgiven from sins by just confessing to a father, but Christianity you HAVE to ask God for forgiveness to be forgiven.

but also, you also have to ask god for forgiveness in the catholic religion so there basically the same.

Catholicism and Biblical Christianity are divergent religions. They are built on different foundations, and they propose different ways of salvation.

In principle, Christianity is built solely on the Holy Scriptures, the written Word of God. The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith, being sufficient to give us the sure knowledge of the Gospel for our salvation and holiness.

Roman Catholicism demands submission of the intellect and will to the doctrines taught by the Roman magisterium (the Pope and bishops). It is claimed that the Catholic Church derives its doctrines from the "sacred deposit" found in Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. However the faithful cannot verify these doctrines by referring to the original sources. The Scriptures are inaccessible because only the magisterium is able to establish the authentic meaning. Similarly the contents of Sacred Tradition can only be known through the magisterium.

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Catholic AnswerThere is no difference between Catholic and Christianity. The Catholic faith if the only complete Christianity as was taught be Our Blessed Lord and given to His Apostles. They, and their successors, the Bishops, under the Pope (who is the successor of St. Peter) have, with the guidance of the promised Holy Spirit, kept the Christian faith in tact and preserved it exactly as Our Blessed Lord gave it to us. Everyone else who claims the name "Christian" has rejected part of His Revelation. Anyone who claims to follow the Bible and simultaneously rejects Christ's Church which wrote the Bible, decided which books were in the Bible, and infallibly defined it in the fifth century, and kept it whole, intact, and unadulterated for fifteen centuries after that - anyone who rejects the author of the Sacred Scripture rejects Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, and has set up an idol of their own manufacture, given it the name "Jesus" and call themselves "Christians". This is an unadulterated travesty. Sorry, Christianity is Catholicism, there is no Sacred Scripture without the Church that wrote it; and there is no Christianity outside of the Church that guards it and the Bible. Or as has been infallibly taught by that Church, and the Councils of all Christians throughout the world, "outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation."

Answer 4

Catholics are Christians!

Just as Greek Orthodox, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans are all branches of Christianity, so too is Roman Catholicism.

In fact, other branches of Christianity broke away from what became known as "Roman Catholicism" at some point in history - many finding their root in Martin Luther's "Reformation" - which was a breaking with Rome.

Catholicism is a branch of Christianity. If you are Catholic, you are also Christian. If you are a Christian, you might be Catholic or of another branch of Christianity.

Another AnswerIt is important to note that Roman Catholics areChristian. There are many different churches and denominations within Christianity, with the difference between Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and Protestant Christianity being the primary distinctions. All Christians, with few notable exceptions, recognize and praise both God and Jesus, who are persons within the Holy Trinity, along with the Holy Spirit.

Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity split in the 10th Century, roughly between Western and Eastern Europe. Roman Catholicism held to the centrality of Rome and the Bishop of Rome as Pope, while the Orthodox Church differed in both theology and style of worship.

The Protestant Church split from the Roman Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century, following Martin Luther and subsequent Reformers. Protestants reject the leadership of the Pope along with much Roman tradition, focusing instead on the Scriptures and the faith of each believer.

The Pentecostal Movement, which began in the early 20th Century, has been influential in promoting the practice of praise. The Charismatic Movement of the last quarter of the 20th Century is an outgrowth of the early Pentecostal Church, with strong emphasis on praise of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Catholics are Christian, but all Christians are not Catholic, they are Baptist, Lutherans etc.

Catholic AnswerThere is no real difference in a Catholic and a Christian, they are the same thing. However, in the modern world, the word, "Christian" has come to mean many things that it did not originally mean. Basically, a Christian is anyone who has been baptised in the correct manner and with the correct intention. A Catholic is someone who has been baptised in the Church and follows the entire revelation of Jesus Christ, as preserved and taught in the Catholic Church.

Christian

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957A name first given to the followers of our Lord at Antioch (Acts xi, 26). Since the rise of Protestantism the name has been used in so many different senses as to have become almost meaningless: it may indicate a Catholic or a Unitarian, or even be applied to an infidel who displays some virtue which is associated with Christ. It may reasonably be applied to the members of all the ancient churches, whether in communion with the Holy See, or not, and to those Protestants who profess, explicitly or implicitly, the Nicaean creed in its traditional interpretation. The Church puts no definite official meaning on the word, as she does on Catholic.

Catholic

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

I. The word is derived from Greek and simply means universal. In combination with the word "church" it essentially merely indicates one of the marks of the Church, and was so used by St. Ignatius at the beginning of the 2nd century; but in the course of history it has come to be the distinguishing epithet of the Church of Christ and his faith: under other circumstances its place might have been taken by "apostolic" or "one." The use of the word in this distinguishing way became current and common in England only from the middle of the 16th century. In some mediaeval translations of the Creed unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam ecclesiam is rendered "one holy apostolic church general."

ii. A Catholic is any person who, having been baptized, does not adhere to a non-Catholic religion or perform any act with the intention or effect of excluding himself from the Church. A "good Catholic" is one who practises his religion to the best of his ability.

iii. Catholics normally call themselves Catholics without qualification, and are distinguished by the name alike in West and East; except for a body of High Anglicans, no other Christians use the name as a distinguishing title. But Catholics of the Byzantine rite sometimes calls themselves Greek Catholics, Chaldeans are so called, and Maronites always refer to themselves simply as Maronites - they avoid the name Catholic for the good reason that there is no such thing as a Maronite who is not a Catholic, and because in Syria the epithet particularly designates a Catholic Melkite.

iv. As an adjective, Catholic in this special sense should only be used of subjects of which Catholicity is predicable, e.g., a man as man, a church, building, or catechism. To speak of a Catholic artist or grocer, Catholic poetry or truth is inaccurate and misleading: an artist or grocer who is a Catholic is a Catholic as a man (and this without reference to whether he paints only ecclesiastical pictures or supplies cheese only to the clergy); poetry may deal with a Catholic theme or be written by a poet who is a Catholic, but is not by that fact anything but poetry; truth is truth and it is improper to call the truth about the Catholic Church, Catholic truth; (cf., Catholic arithmetic, a Wesleyan judge, Quaker music, and, particularly, Catholic culture).

Another AnswerNon-Catholic Christians do not accept the Holy Eucharist to be the body and blood of Christ and don't take the bible literally when Jesus said, "This is the cup of My blood...and this is My body." The Catholics take the miracle of the Eucharist literally. This is the main difference of the faiths.

A Christian believes that there is one God who created all things and that Jesus Christ was his only Son who died to redeem our sins and rose after being dead for 3 days. A Christian is saved by having been baptized and repenting of his sins and asking God for forgiveness. A Christian will also believe in the Third Person of God, the Holy Spirit.

Another AnswerThere are many Christian denominations and churches: Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and so on. Being a member of one doesn't determine whether a person is a Christian. The real issue is whether the person individually has Jesus Christ living inside of him or her...if they actually have a personal relationship with God.

Another Answer

Historically, there is no difference between Catholic and Christian. The two terms have always been used together. Catholic just meant universal, and Christian meant a follower of Jesus Christ.

Until the sixteen centuries after Christ when a few fellows like Luther, Knox, and Calvin (and Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in England) denied Church teachings and started their own churches. As they wanted to claim that they were still following Christ, they kept the term "Christian" while denying that they were universal, "Catholic".

In the present day, people use the term Christian to refer to Protestants, and other groups who follow Christ while denying His Church, while they use the term "Catholic" to refer to those Christians who never left the church and are still in communion with Rome. To get around the obvious fallacy, the "Christians" claim that the church has always existed but has been underground since the end of the first century until the sixteenth century and that Catholics have apostatized from the Christian church.

The fallacy with this argument is that Christ gave His authority to Peter and His guarantee to be with His church until the end of time.

Another AnswerThere are different denominations of Christianity, what makes a Christian a Christian

is the belief in Jesus Christ as the one true God who came and died for our sins and rose from the dead. He defeated death for us so that we may go to heaven and have eternal life there by believing this is true and believing in Jesus.

If this is not the belief then the person is not Christian.

For example Mormons believe Jesus was an angel, that is why they are not Christians.

But Catholics and all denominations that at least believe Jesus was and is who he says he is are Christian.

Catholics in comparison to other denominations believe in a lot of extra stuff not really necessary to enter heaven. The believe that good works and belief can get you into heaven. Also if your gay, a murderer, or truly awful sinner, then you need to either repent and confess a priest and do good works to make up for it or pay indulgences. If you don't they believe you to purgatory or straight to hell.

I don't think that Purgatory is even mentioned in the Bible, which most likely mean it fake. It never says in the Bible that good deed get you into heaven either. So many people know to day as Protestants protested the Catholic church and their 'different' ways so that they could worship they way they saw fit. These Protestants make up the majority of the denominations we have today.

Catholic AnswerHistorically, there is no difference between Catholic and Christian. The two terms have always been used together. Catholic just meant universal, and Christian meant a follower of Jesus Christ.

Until the sixteen centuries after Christ when a few fellows like Luther, Knox, and Calvin (and Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in England) denied Church teachings and started their own churches. As they wanted to claim that they were still following Christ, they kept the term "Christian" while denying that they were universal, "Catholic".

In the present day, people use the term Christian to refer to Protestants, and other groups who follow Christ while denying His Church, while they use the term "Catholic" to refer to those Christians who never left the church and are still in communion with Rome. To get around the obvious fallacy, the "Christians" claim that the church has always existed but has been underground since the end of the first century until the sixteenth century and that Catholics have apostatized from the Christian church.

The fallacy with this argument is that Christ gave His authority to Peter and His guarantee to be with His church until the end of time.