Whats the DIFFERENCE between a CATHOLIC and a CHRISTIAN??
918259
I was raised Catholic and left the religion when I got older. \nHere are the reasons why:\n1) They pray to Mary. This is not what the Holy Bible tells us to do. Mary was the mother of our Saviour, Jesus, and we should know this and honor it, but she is not to be prayed to. Right now she is just another person like we are, only dead. Catholics also are told to pray to St. Peter and and some of the others in the Bible. The only one we are to pray to is God, as it says in the Ten Commandments.\n2) They use beads and such to pray. We don't need those beads or any other graven immage. \n3) They expect us to go through a priest to tell our sins and expect that priest to pray for us. God wants us to repent or sins to Him on our own, not through a third party. We need to ask for the forgiveness all on our own, as this is a very emotional experience.\n4) Catholics baptize infants and children when they don't even know what it is they are getting baptised for. Baptism is for when we are ready to be saved and born again and have excepted Jesus as our saviour, and old enough to understand.\n5) The prayers the Catholics say are the same ones all the time. Anyone can rattle off a couple of memorized prayers in a few minutes. God wants prayers to come from us and to say whatever is is we need to tell Him or ask, not something that is written in books that He has heard a milloin times over and over.\n6) In history, Catholics are known to have killed many for their baptism beliefs. They killed the Hutterites for this reason. You can find this information on    www.hutterites.com \n\nThese are the reasons I left the religion. I became a Christian. I don't put down Catholics, as they are on the right track as far as when it comes to God and teaching, just that they have some beliefs that I did not agree with. I hope this helps.
88634
A true Christian...knows God's word,that Jesus Christ is our Savior,and tries to live their life according to the bible...but we are all human and all fail at times..thats when we turn to God and ask for forgivness...get back up and follow Christ's path...Also we love one another as Christ has loved us!!!
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.
238105
Actually, the Catholic Church was the ONLY Christian church for many many years. Now, as different groups have disagreed with the teachings of the Catholic leaders, some have broken away and founded new religions.\n\nA CHRISTIAN is someone who believes that God became a human being (Jesus of Nazareth), and saves us from the consequences of our sins by dying on a cross.\n\nCATHOLICS believe exactly that. We also believe that the apostles were given the responsibility and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead Christians in faith - and that the bishops carry on that responsibility (and receive that guidance) still today.\n\nIn other words, Catholics ARE Christians. But there are other kinds of Christians as well (Orthodox, Schismatics, Christian/cults, and Protestants).
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.
887650
Catholicism is most definitely NOT Christianity. If you people knew both of the religions, you would be able to make the distinctions between the two. Christianity may have derived from Catholicism, but they are not the same things.\n\nJust thought I'd clear that up...
1136551
We are all sinners...the difference is Christians' sins are forgiven through grace that comes through faith.
1087803
Christians don't have a pope, catholics do.  Please get it straight.\n\nThis I believe;  http://homelessheart.com/testimony.htm
34526
Catholics can be categorized as Christians. The difference is the Catholics believe that their church (via the Pope) has absolute authority in matters of spirituality. The rest of the Christian world (Protestants) believes that spiritual authority comes from the Bible alone.
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.
1073219
Almost all important doctrine is completely agreed upon between Catholic Christians and most other Christians. \n\nThere are some minor doctrine issues and some major cultural and traditional differences which, I believe, do not matter that much.\n\nWith love in Christ.
1057928
I would say that a "Christian" is a person who reads the Bible, praises God, and lives a "good" life by his/her religions standards. A "Hell-fire Christian" is one who is "on fire for God". They believe anything a preacher says, anything the Bible says, and translates the Bibles words in the most literal sense. They see anyone that is less than perfect, even though they are as well, as heathens and try to bring the word of God to them at all costs.
913297
Christianity! ( not as in organized religion, tho) As an individual that has a personal relationship with Christ. \nWhy? Because it is the TRUTH! Only thru Jesus, can we attain salvation.
941240
Really basic - Catholics believe that St. Peter was appointed by Jesus as the first Pope and leader of the church in perpetuity to spread His word and represent Christ on earth, protestants don't belive that. There are many, many differences in praticing the faith. Catholic - priests may not marry, during the Mass a Priest blesses the "host" (wafer, bread,etc) and it becomes the body of Christ to be consumed by people at communion, Catholics confess their sins and, if they are truly repentant a Priest may absolve them from their sins just as Jesus would; Catholics believe we are all born with the original sin from Adam and Eve and that babies must be baptized in order to become pure and a child of God...so many little things. Both faiths believe that there is one God - and so do Sikhs, by the way.
676144
Catholics are christians.
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.