Catholic vs Christianity?

[smileitscarleeX]

Currently I am an 7th grader. I am unanimously a Christian with a strong relationship with Christ. However, at my school, many of my friends seem to be Catholic. Though I try hard to understand I'm not sure what is the complete difference between these two religions. I understand that some people label Catholic as a type of Christianity however I am more spiritual rather than religious. I don't attend to the "rituals" that my friends do. For example, I don't choose a saint or pray to Mary or any other saints. I'm still a little confused however. Do people who are Catholic go to heaven? Should I try to introduce some of my friends to Christianity? What duties does the Catholic Pope attend and... why?

I believe that we as worshipers of God should not pray to any other form of life other then Christ Himself. Therefore, that leaves me even more confused about the Catholic religion..

[Silvertusk]

It is simply a case of what you believe. Catholics believe that they have to pray to the saints to intercede for them before Christ, including Mary who they consider divine. Protestants believe that you can pray directly to God.

Catholics believe in the papal authority and the authority of the church. Protestants believe in the authority of scripture.
Catholics believe that the communion is the actual reproduction of the physical body and blood of Christ, Protestants think the communion is done in memory.

But apart form those couple of things we all believe that we need to accept Jesus for our Salvation.

Silvertusk

[Byblos]

Hi and welcome to the board.

I am one of the moderators on this board and am Catholic so I will try to answer your questions as best I can but If you're interested in an in-depth type of knowledge (which generally I do not discuss on here) then it's probably a good idea to go to this link . They will be able to answer your questions much more thoroughly than I can.

Currently I am an 7th grader. I am unanimously a Christian with a strong relationship with Christ. However, at my school, many of my friends seem to be Catholic. Though I try hard to understand I'm not sure what is the complete difference between these two religions. I understand that some people label Catholic as a type of Christianity however I am more spiritual rather than religious.

You have it right, Catholics are Christian. I would say any denomination that professes that Jesus is the only begotten son of God, was incarnated, died and was resurrected on the 3rd day for our salvation is a Christian denomination. The rest are semantics. The most fundamental difference, though, between Catholicism and other Christian sects is one of authority. We believe Jesus established the church on earth through Peter and the apostles and gave them authority to loose and to bind. We also believe that this authority has been handed down by succession to this day. Another common misconception is that catholics don't believe that scripture is inerrant. We most certainly do. We also consider as important (though not equally) the Apostolic Tradition. Those are the teachings of the apostles that were handed down but not in a written form. Those are not to be confused with human traditions.

I don't attend to the "rituals" that my friends do.

They're not rituals but sacraments that we believe were instituted by Christ himself (such as baptism, confession, the eucharist, etc). The sacraments were specifically designed by Christ to keep us close to him and to walk in his footsteps.

For example, I don't choose a saint or pray to Mary or any other saints.

Catholics do not pray to Mary or the saints. We believe in the continuity of the soul after death and the soul's destination is either heaven (with perhaps a brief detour but that's a different subject altogether) or hell. We also believe that certain individuals who have lead an exemplary life in Christ are already in heaven with Jesus and can intercede on our behalf in prayer. These individuals are Mary and the saints.

I'm still a little confused however. Do people who are Catholic go to heaven?

That's a good question and the short answer is only God knows (that's true for anyone, not just catholics). But you can bet we have a moral assurance of being saved because we trust in God's free grace and put our gift of faith in His son Jesus Christ.

Should I try to introduce some of my friends to Christianity?

They are already there my friend.

What duties does the Catholic Pope attend and... why?

Like any other company or organization, there is a hierarchy of positions and responsibilities but usually one president or CEO. The pope is the president of the catholic church. He is human, very much fallible, and quite often a sinner. When the church claims infallibility it is because Jesus promised that it (the church) will be guided by the Holy Spirit. Infallibility is for the totality of the church including its history and its ability to self-correct.

Why? Because we believe Jesus intended it that way by appointing Peter as the rock upon whom the church will be built and the popes are the successors of Peter.

I believe that we as worshipers of God should not pray to any other form of life other then Christ Himself.

And you would be correct. Any catholic that tells you otherwise is not very educated in his or her own faith. We do not have to ask Mary and the saints for intercession. We could just as well ask God/Jesus. But we are a community of believers (as Christians in general I mean) and we benefit from group prayers. Just the same way you ask your mother to pray for you, we also ask our mother-in-spirit Mary to pray for us and to intercede on our behalf with her Son.

Therefore, that leaves me even more confused about the Catholic religion..

I hope this clears up some of your confusion and if you have any more questions please send me a private message or go to the link I provided above.

Once again, welcome to the board.

John.

[Silvertusk]

I knew Byblos would jump in quickly with a more comprehensive answer

[Byblos]

I knew Byblos would jump in quickly with a more comprehensive answer

Although you didn't do too bad of a job yourself, I was impressed (dare I think I had something to do with that? naah!).

[zoegirl]

smileitscarleeX wrote:
Should I try to introduce some of my friends to Christianity?


They are already there my friend

I will preface this by saying that I would address this to protestants as well as catholics. I would perhaps change it to "They may already be there" Especially since I teach at a Christian school, there are those students who are always quick to say they are Christian and yet may not truly have a relationship with Jesus. I say this not because you are addressing the issue of catholicism but rather one of youth.

I would say to be confident about expressing your faith and welcome those around you. YOu may be surprised by those who have not yet professed their own faith in Christ.

[Markster106]

Catholics believe that they have to pray to the saints to intercede for them before Christ, including Mary who they consider divine. Protestants believe that you can pray directly to God.

no. you can pray to god directly if you are catholic.

[Byblos]

smileitscarleeX wrote:
Should I try to introduce some of my friends to Christianity?


They are already there my friend

I will preface this by saying that I would address this to protestants as well as catholics. I would perhaps change it to "They may already be there" Especially since I teach at a Christian school, there are those students who are always quick to say they are Christian and yet may not truly have a relationship with Jesus. I say this not because you are addressing the issue of catholicism but rather one of youth.

I would say to be confident about expressing your faith and welcome those around you. YOu may be surprised by those who have not yet professed their own faith in Christ.

I stand corrected (and totally agree). Only God knows what's in our hearts.

[zoegirl]

did you like my dancing around there? Byblos?

[Byblos]

did you like my dancing around there? Byblos?

I count on your dancing to keep me in check Zoe.

[JC333]

Byblos I didn't know you were Catholic. From what you explained, Catholicism sounds a lot like Biblical Christianity (which is what I consider myself).

Thanks for clearing a few points up.


A couple more questions about the catholic church...
1. Does the Catholic Church take a specific stance on either Theistic Evolution or a literal Genesis?
2. Why confess to the Pope?


I may have more, but I can't remember them right now. Anyways, thanks again, and talk soon.

did you like my dancing around there? Byblos?

How'd you get those cool dancing smilies?

[zoegirl]

hey have many new smilies. Click on the "view more smilies"

[JC333]

hey have many new smilies. Click on the "view more smilies"

YOU ROCK!

[Byblos]

A couple more questions about the catholic church...

Any time.

1. Does the Catholic Church take a specific stance on either Theistic Evolution or a literal Genesis?

Not a pronounced doctrinal position, no. In fact, recently the Vatican stated that even the belief in the existence of alien life form is not contradictory to the belief in God. I know Catholics who are YEC, OEC, theistic evolutionists, creationists, you name it.

2. Why confess to the Pope?

I assume you mean why confess to priests in general? The short answer is 2-fold: 1) because we believe a verbal confession to another carries more of an act of contrition, and 2) because we believe ordained priests have been given the power to absolve sin in the name of Christ (and only through him) as handed down hierarchically from Christ to Peter as the bishop of Rome and through apostolic and papal succession.

Having said all of that, can Catholics confess their sins directly to God? The answer is an emphatic yes, they are encouraged to do so often.

I may have more, but I can't remember them right now. Anyways, thanks again, and talk soon.

Like I said, any time. You can always PM me too if you wish.

[PastorGuy]

The Roman Catholic Church bases their practice of confession to a priest primarily on Catholic tradition. Catholic do point to John 20:23, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." From this verse, Catholics claim that God gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, and that authority was passed on to the successors of the apostles, e.g. the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. There are several problems with this interpretation. (1) John 20:23 nowhere mentions confession of sin. (2) John 20:23 nowhere promises, or even hints, that the authority to forgive sins would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Jesus' promise was specifically directed to the apostles. (3) The New Testament nowhere states that the apostles would even have successors to their apostolic authority. Similarly, Catholics point to Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 (binding and loosing) as evidence for the Catholic Church's authority to forgive sins. The same three above points apply equally to these Scriptures.

Again, the concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in Scripture. We are to confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9). As New Covenant believers, we do not need mediators between us and God. We can go to God directly because of Jesus' sacrifice for us. 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”