What's the difference between Irish Catholic and Roman Catholic?
110133
The Irish are Latin Rite Catholics just like most others of the Western world. There is no actual difference. People who say that are telling you about their religious AND ethnic affiliation.
554975
Catholics have more fun.  Especially alcoholic ones.  That's the whole point of Catholisism.  Pain old deubochery is good for peoples souls and Okay at St. Peters.  God don't want no prude...period.
996394
Either - both degrees are comparible to the UK bachelors (honours) degree, which is what you want.\n\nPolish degrees tend to be four years long, whereas Irish degrees tend to last 3 years.\n\nIf you are going to spend 3-4 years in one of these places, I'd recommend doing some research into the locations of the universities, cost of living, tuition fees, scholarships, etc.  If English is your first language, at least in Ireland you won't need to learn a new language.  Though this might not be a concern.  \n\nDon't go to India as a previous reply stated - their bachelors degrees are equivalent to a british ordinary degree (eg the grade you get here if you don't get a third class degree!).
591730
Catholics are Christians, just like poodles are dogs.\n\nI'm not trying to compare Catholics and poodles, it's just that Catholics are a group that are part of a larger group.
799661
The biggest difference is that catholics believe in the virgin mary as a god. because Jesus is God, catholics believe Mary must have been a god as well, thus Jesus would be 100% God. however, the Bible makes no claims for mary being a god. Jesus was 100% God and 100% man.
198558
First, I am a fellow Roman Catholic.  I am also a Knight of Columbus, which should tell you my devotion to the Catholic faith.  Now, to the question:\n\nHave you ever hear the logic example that says, every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square?  The same applies.  Every Catholic is a Christian, but not every Christian (those whose religions refer to themselves as it, anyway) is a Catholic.  The difference here is Protestantism.  Protestants (Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Baptists, etc.) all call themselves Christians, but would be lothe to be referred to as Catholics.  Here are the main differences:\n\n1) Catholics believe that St. Peter was the first Pope, and the line of Popes runs from him down to our current pontiff, Benedict XVI.  Protestants do not recognize the authority of the Pope.\n\n2) Catholics believe in 7 sacraments, which are Baptism, Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders (priesthood), and Annointing of the Sick (aka Last Rights).  Different protestant religions take out different sacraments, depending on how they were founded.  Martin Luther did not fully believe the Eucharist became the Body of Christ, so they do not fully consider it a sacrament.  Baptists only celebrate 2, baptism and confirmation.  They do not consider marriage to be sacramental.  This is one of the big disputes...Catholics believe marriage is a sacrament, so divorce is not possible.  Annulment, if you have heard of it, simply states that the sacrament never happened...it does not break a sacrament.  NOTHING can break a sacrament.\n\n3) As you mentioned, Catholics believe in the intercession of Saints.  That means that you can ask different Saints to pray to God for you, and God can allow them to help you do different things.  Jesus, during His transfiguration, spoke with Moses and Elijha, proving that Saints are very real.  Revelations talks about God hearing the prayers of Saints.  Protestants generally do not believe in Saints, even going so far as to say you are evil for praying for their help.\n\n4) Catholics actually have a more books in their Holy Bible than protestants do.  Luther decided, and others helped over the years, that certain books just did not belong in the Bible.  So, they got rid of books like "Wisdom of Solomon," "Baruch," both books of Maccabees (which reference Purgutory), "Sirach", etc.\n\n5) Catholics (Roman Catholics, anyway) have celibate priests and nuns.  Other faiths can have their preachers and sisters get married.\n\n6) The biggest difference:  Lutheranism was founded by Martin Luther.  The Methodists were founded by John Wesley.  Baptists trace their church to John Smyth in 1609.  Catholics, my friend, were founded upon a command by Jesus, the Christ, to Peter, His Apostle (read Matthew 16:18).  Other religions may revere Christ and speak of the Apostles.  The Catholic faith was made by Christ's command, to the Apostles.\n\nI hope this helps.  Do not be fooled by those who tell you that salvation is found anywhere.  Be sure you get the original, untainted source.
1073965
completely different religions. Catholics are christians. Mormon, have a different bible. Look them up on the internet, you'll see find out for yourself
519207
there is actually to meanings for catholic.\n\n1. Catholic (big c) represents ALL christians - Catholic means universal.\n\n2. catholic - is just a denomination like any other denomination.
626392
I am Protestant, but I prefer to just think of myself as Christian - there are many denominations of Protestants that I do not agree with. I don't think that all Catholics are going to hell, and I can't say that all Catholics think I'm going to hell. \n\nIt's difficult to classify Catholics vs. Protestants today, owing to the fact that there are so many Protestant denominations with so many different doctrines and practices. I can therefore only offer the difference between myself and the Catholics (Roman) as I knew them at the school I went to. \n\nCatholics pray to Mary and the saints, I do not. \n\nCatholics christen infants (some Protestants do this too), I don't think that a person should be baptized until they are saved.\n\nCatholics have celibate priests and nuns, I find no basis for that. \n\nCatholics confess to priests/fathers, I do not believe I have to confess to anyone but God in order to be forgiven.\n\nCatholics believe in mortal sins and other kinds of sin (in other words, they "rank" sin), I do not believe that God ranks sin. I believe that they affect us differently on earth, but that the wages of all sin is death.\n\nCatholics have texts such as the Maccabbees that I do not follow. \n\nCatholics believe that the communion wine and bread really become the blood and body of Jesus Christ, I do not. I simply believe it to be a memorial practice. \n\nCatholics believe that Mary remained a virgin her whoe life and had no children other than Jesus. I believe she was a virgin only until Jesus was born, and that she had other children.\n\nCatholics have worship practices that differ from my own - they cross themselves, use holy water, pray the rosary, etc. Their masses, or church services, are often scripted - the priest will say something, then the congregation will reply (see the link). I disagree with the concept of holy water and praying the rosary. I don't disagree with crossig oneself, but I don't do it. Same with the statement/reply format. I worship in a different style and according to some different beliefs. \n\nThere are several more points of difference...\n\nNone of these differences takes away from the fact that both Catholics and myself believe Jesus to be the Savior and the Son of God (part of the Trinity) - and this is the most important and central belief of Christianity.
246115
Catholics and Protestants get along fine in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland the situation is more complicated but it has less to do with religion, and more to do with politics, history and the Troubles of the last 30 years. The Protestant political parties tend to favour full integration with the UK, and Protestant people tend to consider themselves British, both culturally and historically. Catholic political parties tend to favour full integration with the Republic of Ireland and Catholic people tend to consider themselves Irish. Then you have had 3,000 people who died in the Troubles (the armed conflict between the British, the IRA and the Loyalist groups) which has left some very deep wounds in the society.
558665
Like the answerer above me, I too went through the RCIA and none of my immediate family is Catholic. In fact, my mother is still very much against religion and against Christianity in particular.\n\nIf you are baptized, confirmed, and believe in the authority given by Jesus to the Church, and to the office of the Pope in particular, and therefore fully accept all dogma and doctrine that the Magisterium of the Church teaches then you are a true Catholic.\n\nCatholic means universal. So Catholic Church means universal Church. To be Catholic means being of one mind and one faith in communion with the Church which is the body of Christ. \n\nIf one insists on following their own individual beliefs apart from the dogma or doctrine of the Church then they are not Catholic because they are isolating themselves from the universal family of the Church. They are not universal, so they are not Catholic.
395481
catholicism is one of the two major branches of christianity, the other being protestantism. protestantism was founded by martin luther in the 15th century as a rebellion against what he perceived as the corruption of the then-current christian church. he wanted christianity to focus more upon the teachings of the bible rather than those that the church had built upon them. this was called the reformation. the church responded to this with the counter-reformation, which gave rise to catholicism.\n\nthe current differences are that the catholics have a far greater canon than protestantism, for instance they believe in the power of the saints, the authority of the pope, and the divinity of mother mary, none of which is written in the bible. the pope is the highest authority for theological questions. the protestants, on the other hand, tend to keep their canon far simpler, and consider the bible to be the highest authority, and that it should be interpreted individually by each person. they also tend to view religion as more of an individual, personal affair -- a personal relationship with god, while for the catholics it is more of a structured, community affair.
29628
Catholic.  A lot of Italian, latins and whites are Catholic.
576660
You need to draw a distinction when giving opinions on the situation in Ireland, as there are two very different situations in place. The Republic of Ireland is a democratic independent country for nearly 80 years, while Northern Ireland is still part of the UK. The history of both states has been very different since the 1920's, when the partition of the country was introduced.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, things were very tough, right up to the 1990's, with widespread emigration, high unemployment and very low income per capita. It was a poor country, often referred to as the "sick man of Europe". It was primarily an agricultural country, and the Catholic Church had huge prominence in the country, because the government did not have the resources to invest in schools and hospitals. The only thing it did have going for it was a good education system. But since the 1990's things have improved significantly. EU membership and massive inward investment, particularly from US IT companies and healthcare companies, propelled Ireland from the bottom of the league right to the top. It is now one of the richest countries in Europe, and huge amounts of money are being spent on bringing the infrastructure up to date. The Catholic church's influence has declined greatly and the country is at full employment. Most people in Ireland look at the country primarily from an economic perspective. Politically it is very stable and democratic, with no major conflicts and issues internally or with other countries. Most issues these days tend to be economic and how to cope with the demands of an increasing economy. \n\nNorthern Ireland was set up as a kind of British enclave, on the lines of a Protestant state for a Protestant people, notwithstanding the fact that it had a sizable Catholic population in its midst. Demands for greater Catholic civil rights in  the 1960's lead to riots and eventually the onset of the Troubles where the IRA decided to fight Britain using guerrilla warfare tactics. 3500 dead people later, the IRA decided to call it quits, and now things have begun to normalise in Northern Ireland. It's a much more peaceful place with an economy that is beginning to find its own feet. However huge scars still exist - Catholics and Protestants are still very divided, and it will probably take generations for these old divisions to be properly sorted out. The real issue for Northern Ireland nowadays is how the two communities can reach an accomodation with each other, and how the political leaders in the region can take full ownership over their own local problems. Re-integration with the rest of Ireland is a long way down the road. Nobody, except the most hardline, want to go back to the bad old days of the Troubles.
1032466
A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and is baptized. A Catholic is a specific kind of Christian, one who also believes the Catholic Church was founded by Christ and accepts it as possessing the fullness of Christian truth and the means of salvation\n\nThe words Catholic and Christian were once interchangeable. The first Christians called the Church Catholic or universal, to distinguish it from heretical splinter groups that denied necessary Christian truths. Thus the early Christians came to be known as Catholics.
819527
Very similar.  Greek Orthodoxy is a national church.  Catholicism is more universal in its leadership an application of faith.  Calendars for feast days do differ at times.  Prayers, saints, liturgies are similar.
477415
Robin Williams jokes that Espiscopalians have "all the ceremony, half the guilt." Now the rest of the world calls them Anglicans, and I will for the remainder of my answer.\n\nOne of the differences between the Catholics and Anglicans is the rite used for the Mass. Roman Catholics use a rite called the "Novis Ordo", a modified form of the Latin liturgy it created in the aftermath of Vatican II. The Anglicans, on the other hand, use a rite derived from the Book of Common Prayer.\n\nSee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer\n\n(Some Catholic parishes use a modified form of this called the Anglican use, if the parish is one that at some point belonged to the Church of England.)\n\nIn terms of beliefs, there are not too many differences between Catholics and Anglicans. What differences there are is contained in a treatise the Anglicans have called "the Thirty Nine articles" - though not all of them are differences, some of them are areas of specific agreement, in fact.\n\nOne of the important differences in terms of hierarchy is that Anglican bishops are absolute rulers of their diocese. While Catholics believe their bishops are sovereign over their local churches, that authority is to be defered to the authority of the Pope, Peter's sucessor.\n\nAnglicans do accept in theory the idea that the Papacy perhaps should hold some weight. But their view of the local bishop's power is that it is basically absolute: that any "chief bishop" who is the head of a communion (in the case of the Anglicans, that is the Archbishop of Canterbury) is more of a figurehead, primus interpares (a "first among equals.")\n\nAnother difference is that Anglicans dropped the traditional Latin discipline of priestly and episcopal (bishop's) celibacy.\n\nIn the US Episcopal church, there is a consensus that women may also be ordained to the priesthood and episcopacy, as well as non-celibate homosexuals. The Catholics do not share this view.