do u have to be catholic or christian to celebrate Lent?
361512
Formally, yes.  \n\nBut for personal and/or spiritual reasons, if you choose to follow Catholic practices common to the Lenten season -- self sacrifice, examination of conscience, and so on -- then no, you don't have to be Catholic.  \n\nAs long as you're doing these thing to draw closer to God, or to increase your awareness of Him in your life, then I think it's great that you do these things, even if you're not formally Catholic.
54605
The Bible tells us to pray and Worship the Lord!  I don't know what you think is so funny about it, but church isn't just open on Sunday!  Also I don't think anyone should have to confess their sins a a Priest, the only ONE who can forgive me of my sins is GOD and GOD alone, so I will repent to HIM and ONLY HIM!  Because you are right a Catholic Priest is just a regular man and who gives him the right to say whether you are forgiven, because if you Don't ask your Heavenly Father to fogive you you ARE NOT forgiven!
607017
Catholics are Christians through and through--in the very fullest sense.  \n\nPeople like to give (and make up) all kinds of reasons why Catholics are not Christians, but the one thing that truly sets Catholics apart most is the Eucharist.  Together with members of the Orthodox Church (the Catholic Church's "Sister" Church), Catholics are the only people who receive the Real Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Lord Jesus.  You don't get any more Christian than that!\n\nReceiving the Eucharist literally transforms us spiritually into true sons and daughters of God.  That was the entire purpose of Jesus's Incarnation--He died so that we could be true children of God again.\n\nThat said, in order to receive the Eucharist, we must be in a state of grace (proper disposition, no mortal sins on our souls).  Unlike many Protestants, who think their salvation is guaranteed just by saying they believe in Jesus (regardless of their sins), Catholics care a great deal about making ourselves as worthy as possible, and we often go to great lengths.  This is because we know we are truly, completely, receiving Lord Jesus into ourselves through the Eucharist.  You wouldn't want to invite a guest into a messy house--we *definitely* don't want to do that to Lord Jesus!\n\nIt's no surprise that lots of Christians don't understand Catholicism--there is so much to learn, and not everyone likes to learn.  But no argument against Catholicism can stand up to Scripture or any other element of Sacred Tradition.  After all, the Bible is a Catholic Book (despite some Protestants thinking that the King James Version just fell out of the sky one day).  Protestants claim that Catholic Sacred Tradition "adds" to the Bible, but the fact is that the Bible IS Catholic Sacred Tradition.  \n\nFinally, I'd like to address Catholics' veneration of Mary--which Protestants claim to mean that we worship Mary (and therefore, we are not Christians).  Veneration does not mean worship--it means honor.  As a good Jewish man, Jesus honored His parents (both Mary and St. Joseph).  Before His death, Jesus told St. John to regard Mary as his mother--which meant that Jesus was asking St. John to honor her as well.  So... who are we not to honor her?  Are we above Jesus and St. John?  Venerating Mary is one more way in which Catholics show obedience to Lord Jesus.  It should also be noted that at least some of the earliest Protestants (such as Luther) also venerated Mary and believed in her perpetual virginity.
738598
Hi,\n\nIsn't Ramadan more equivalent to Lent, than a national day of celebration?!? Both involving periods of change and sacrifice.\n\nPaddy's Day, although religiously linked, is an Irish holiday. Most countries have national days of celebration regardless of creed. Paddy's Day is celebrated by us Irish be they Roman Catholic or not...\n\nNot that I'm against spending the day in the pub, but I don't think its what St Pat had in mind ;)
562009
No, i am not. \n\nAltougth in Mexico some people still celebrates this catholic holliday, i'm not so close to those traditions. \n\nIn fact, now that i heard about it, i feel this is strange, since my family is so traditional. \n\nAnyway, are you going to celebrate it? how will you do it?
614784
I am a Catholic.  Catholicism is the oldest Christian religion.  All other Christian religions came from Catholicism.  We do not worship statues and rosaries or even the Virgin Mary.  We worship God alone.  God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  3 persons in one God.  Just as 3 leaves make up one clover.  We ask Mary and other saints for intersession to Jesus.  It's no different than you asking someone to pray for you before a test or surgery.  We venerate certain statues or crucifixes.  This is not worship.  It is a sign of respect to the actual person or act that is being depicted.  Please do not think we worship anyone other than God Almighty Himself.
519689
Yes Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholic.  In order to be married in the Catholic Church,  you both must be Catholic.  Go talk to your priest.  He will clear things up for you, and tell you about how your fiance can go about converting, if he wants to.
1168111
It's still against tradition to eat red meat on Fridays during Lent.\n\nI doubt something that small would doom anyone to hell. I don't think God really cares about the small things, but about the goodness of your soul.
1106713
I am Presbyterian, a different for of Christianity. I attend a Catholic school( and have been for most of my life) and I can tell you that I agree with the Presbyterians better.\n\nwe only have communion once a month, so it doesn't get to routine.\n\nwe believe in praying directly to God, and not to the saints.\n\nWe believe that faith alone can get you into heaven, and not good works.\n\nThose are only a few for starters.
847022
Catholicism is a branch of Christianity.  Not believing in the Bible defeats the purpose of Christianity.  You can't claim to be a Christian yet not believe in the one book that Christianity is all about.
201317
Well, yes and no.\nAll Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholic.  Some Christians can be Protestant.  The Holy Trinity is still the same for both.\nWithin the Catholic tradition, there are different sects, or groups.  Besides the well-know Roman Catholic sect, there are the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox (self-explanatory where they are) and the Coptic Catholics (mostly in Egypt).  \nSimilarly, the Protestant tradition has different sects, such as Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Mennonite (the Amish are a good example of this), Evangelical, and for people who just can't or won't pick, the all-inclusive Nondenominational.\nThe most important thing to remember is that the underlying faith in the Holy Trinity remains the same.  The difference is in how that faith is expressed.  It can be done with rituals (as with Catholics), more subdued (some Nondenominationals), or a contagious explosion of joy (as with some of the Baptists).  But these expressions do not make that faith.  Without the foundation of faith, there would be no expressions of any kind.
507883
If you want to ask for forgiveness direct from GOD through Jesus Christ, then be a Christian not a Catholic because a catholic's sins are forgiven through the pope or father of the Catholic Church. Catholics worship saints and idols like Virgin Mary and so on, whereas Christian worship only God in Jesus Christ. Those are just some of the many differences between Christians and Catholics.Pick your choice wisely.... If I'm wrong, do correct me.May God Bless you.
347486
YES.  According to the good ol' American Heritage Dictionary, a Christian is one who professes "belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus."  I'm a Catholic, and I know this describes me, as I'm sure it describes you as well.\n\nI have come to understand a bit more about why sometimes Protestants say Catholics aren't Chritistian, however.  Hopefully, these will help you understand your friends' logic:\n\n1. The Saints.  It's thought that by praying to saints, Catholics are worshiping them.  This isn't true, of course, for reasons I won't get into here - I'm sure you know them - but you can see how people might think you're not Christian if they thought this was true.\n2. The Bible.  Because Protestants don't have a Church structure the way Catholics do, Protestants often end up paying a lot more attention to the Bible, memorizing passages etc.  It seems to them that Catholics ignore the Scriptures and so the word of Christ.  This isn't true either, but it's a not-infrequent misconception.\n3.  The Eucharist.  Catholics say that the Eucharist is the essence of Christ, present with us.  We worship Christ in and through the Eucharist.  If you're Protestant, you (generally) think the Eucharist is bread, symbolic of Christ, but not actually Christ.  So if they see us worshiping God in the Eucharist, they think we're bowing down to a piece of bread.  You can see how this would seem sacriligious?\n4. Salvation.  Generally, Protestants believe that salvation can only come from accepting Christ as your savior.  Essentially, no matter how good a person is on their own, because they're not perfect, they wouldn't be able to make it to heaven if it weren't for Chirst's sacrifice.    Catholics believe this is true, but that you also have to 'walk the walk, not just talk the talk.'  Salvation is based on the acceptance of Christ as savior combined with good works.  The reason some Protestants have a problem with this is because they're thinking we're discounting the importance of Christ's sacrifice and that we think we could get into heaven on our own. \n\nSo you see, the concept of Catholics not being Christian is generally based on misconceptions.  Try explaining these concepts to your friends (without proselytizing) and try to find out why they think Catholics don't count as Christians.  We all believe in Christ as the source of eternal life.  Maybe you can help them see this.
475870
The others are right. They are the traditions of man. Specifically Catholic and Pagan men. If you remember, Jesus had a talk with some religious leaders about them pushing their traditions rather than the bare Truth of God's Word. Going by Paul's teachings I shouldn't make you feel bad for celebrating a day to the Lord so I'm not trying to. But I am supposed to warn you of the pagan rituals we all know God doesn't allow! I hope this opens some eyes and God bless all of you on your mission!
480762
Excellent question!  Especially since my father is a used car salesman.  haha.\n\nAnyways, I know that certain people will not celebrate things like Christmas and Easter because they are not in the Bible, and the reason for this I believe is two-fold.  First of all, the Bible actually prescribes a very specific list of holidays that it requires.  These are the Jewish holidays, such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shavuot, among some others.  Within this law it is stated that no one may add nor take away from the Law.\n\nTherefore, a strict interpretation might seem to indicate that these holidays, AND ONLY THESE HOLIDAYS should be celebrated, at least as RELIGIOUS holidays.\n\nHowever, Jews do celebrate some other holidays besides these because they are believed to be "within the spirit" of the Law.  For example, the Bible teaches that one should rejoice in the great things that God does in history.  So, Hanukkah celebrates a miracle that God performed for the Jewish people, and is considered to be acceptable to celebrate.  But it never is given the high status of the holidays which the Bible specifically describes.\n\nOn the part of Christians, I think it is noteworthy that Jesus seemed to accept the holiday of Hanukkah, even though it was post-Old Testament.  His disciples celebrated it, and Jesus told them to do so.  \n\nMost Christians however do not make this connection though I think, because they are not familiar with Jewish custom, and do not realize that Jesus was referring to Hanukkah when he mentions it.  (I'll get you a verse if you'd like, just ask and I can look it up).\n\nSo some Christians think that no holiday should be celebrated if it is not in the Law.  Christmas and Easter and Birthdays are not mentioned therein.\n\nOthers would say that birthdays are ok because they are not religious.\n\nOthers would say that Christmas and Easter are not permissible because they derive from non-Christian holidays that they believe embraced ideas contrary to their faith.\n\nThere are many things which have become custom and the people tend to assume it is biblical, when really, it is not necessarily.  Even the idea of getting married in a church or place of worship is not mentioned, and yet many would say firmly that a marriage done in a courthouse is not a marriage "in the eyes of God."\n\nI don't know why they would hold this view except that they must be ignorant of what is in their scriptures and what is not.
806766
Fasting is one of the three methods of interior penance along with prayer and almsgiving. \n\nMany Catholics voluntarily give up meat on every Friday not only during Lent.\n\nWith love in Christ.
988588
Yes.  It's common knowledge though the Christians either deny it or find a "rational" reason for it.  We took Christmas which was the pagean celebration for the sun, and Easter which was the spring fertility rites.  There may even be more, but those are the biggest two.