Are you squeamish about the word "catholic"?

[RDKirk]

When I was a kid we learned and recited the Apostle's Creed saying, "...I believe in the holy catholic Church..." with it clearly taught to us that "catholic" meant "universal," so I never had reason to gain a negative feeling against the word itself.

 

[Dave-W]

I found it interesting that this musical rendition of the related "Apostles' Creed" (which also has the phrase "catholic church" in its text) leaves that line out completely. Great song, though.

 

[JacksBratt]

That wasn't the question though.

LOL Goatee... you tell a poster, who posts "I'm not Catholic" that "that was not the question"...
Another poster posts that "I'm proud to be Catholic"... also not the question yet you rate it a winner..

What is your thought process in the opposite responses to these posts?

 

[JacksBratt]

I wouldn't say that I am "squemish" about the word... There are all kinds of denominations of the religions that were inspired by Christ. There are also many "non Christian" belief systems... I'm not "squeemish" about them either...

I just disagree with "all" of some religions. Other, Christian based religions, I disagree with some parts and some belief and ritual systems within them.

The Catholic beliefs...to me.... are very self serving and can, in many cases, come across as arrogant.

I would never say that "Catholics go to hell" as I don't think that is correct. I think there are followers of all the different Christian sects that are going to hell. Not just the Catholics.

I just don't agree with many of the concepts of the RCC.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

The point of ACTS 15 being, that a decision was made that ultimately became common to all Christians. It became catholic doctrine, and was likely distributed with other decisions in ACTS 16:4.

Forgive me...

 

[Halbhh]

Once I actually looked up the word "catholic" many years ago, and learned it means --

"including a wide variety of things; all-embracing."

Then it became clear it refers to the nature of the Church as not being only one denomination, but instead being the Church of all of us that believe in Christ.

Once you know that, then you want to celebrate being 'catholic' -- belonging to Christ.

Catholics are catholic too, just like Orthodox or Lutheran or Baptist.....

We are not to be argumentative over our little notions about what is the right way to do things. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. So it's His words that are the guide, not our mere ideas about how to do something.

 

[NobleMouse]

How do you feel about the word itself?
Forgive me...

On a lighter side, I'm always a little uneasy about words containing the letters "cat". I am curious though: What are some of the aspects of Catholicism that makes it unique from other denominations of the Christian faith? In reading one website, the following was given:

- Papal authority and infallibility
- The Eucharist and Transubstantiation
- The immaculate conception (referring to Mary)
- Two kinds of sin (venial and mortal)
- Purgatory

There may be others, anything to add?

In Christ -

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Once I actually looked up the word "catholic" many years ago, and learned it means --

"including a wide variety of things; all-embracing."

Then it became clear it refers to the nature of the Church as not being only one denomination, but instead being the Church of all of us that believe in Christ.

Once you know that, then you want to celebrate being 'catholic' -- belonging to Christ. Catholics are catholic too, just like Orthodox or Lutheran or Baptist.....

That would negate the need to have a set of beliefs. Esentially anything goes, which of course cannot be true.

Forgive me...

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

On a lighter side, I'm always a little uneasy about words containing the letters "cat". I am curious though: What are some of the aspects of Catholicism that makes it unique from other denominations of the Christian faith? In reading one website, the following was given:

- Papal authority and infallibility
- The Eucharist and Transubstantiation
- The immaculate conception (referring to Mary)
- Two kinds of sin (venial and mortal)
- Purgatory

There may be others, anything to add?

In Christ -

The things you listed are not catholic, they are Roman Catholic.

You will notice that non of them are found in the creed. (See post #35)

The Catholic Church is not The Roman Catholic Church. They just took the word and made it a proper noun. Widen that scope a bit please.

Forgive me...

 

[Halbhh]

That would negate the need to have a set of beliefs. Esentially anything goes, which of course cannot be true.

Forgive me...

That's why we follow Christ. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

He's the guide. Our mere ideas about how to do things do not compare, are not up on the level, of His teaching, which is itself the way. The only words the matter in an ultimate, eternal sense.

Men will always argue.

In your own church, you have the reasonable situation (typically I can guess) that you all agree generally on how to do things...mostly....well, until you start discussing in a way that lets people say what they think safely (without being judged), and even if someone can 'win' the argument.... .... ....well, the only real solution, the only, is that we all are following Christ, and His words, and that's the only real solution even to just the problem of staying together in spite of being human. That is, that we put Him up in front of us as our ultimate authority, that we are following Him. That's what can and does keep us together.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

That's why we follow Christ. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

He's the guide. Our mere ideas about how to do things do not compare, are not up on the level, of His teaching, which is itself the way. The only words the matter in an ultimate, eternal sense.

Do you, or is it taught in your congregation, to pray the Psalms every three hours as Christ did?

Is it even important to know why the Psalms are in our bible? Can we just forget these things and still say we are maintaining the faith? How far can a person or group wander away from The Church and still call itself Christian?

Forgive me...

 

[Halbhh]

Do you, or is it taught in your congregation, to pray the Psalms every three hours as Christ did?

Forgive me...

We learn in our gospels that Christ often withdrew to pray, and we also see how He often quoted scriptures. How do you know that He specifically prayed Psalms every three hours though?

Praying a psalm seems fine and good, but this is unusually specific to say "every three hours". That is, doing so every three hours seems fine and good, and I'd never object to anyone doing so myself, but that's my mere human opinion. See, I don't object because I instead understand I'm not the guide. I do not pray the psalms, but instead I pray from my heart (but a person can pray in many ways), but in reality very often those words are very much like something in one of the psalms, I've seen at times, just because of how the psalms are very comprehensive in their prayers. It might be quite helpful to get things I might miss by praying more of the psalms! I was very helped, as you may remember, the wonderful Psalm 51 (was it #50 in some versions?), and sometimes reading it I was praying it. I just....want to be sure I leave plenty of room for the spirit to help guide me, as in Romans 8:26-27

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

We learn in our gospels that Christ often withdrew to pray, and we also see how He often quoted scriptures. How do you know that He specifically prayed Psalms every three hours though?

"Seven times a day will I pray to thee O Lord."

We know, because it is Holy Tradition. You even see it in scripture that the Apostles went to the "hours of prayer".

Act 3:1 "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour."

Christ died on the cross quoting the Psalms. (21 or 22KJV)

Forgive me...

 

[Halbhh]

"Seven times a day will I pray to thee O Lord."

We know, because it is Holy Tradition. You ever see it in scripture that the Apostles went to the "hours of prayer".

Christ died in the cross quoting the Psalms.

Forgive me...

Thanks! I will be looking to learn more on that. I tend to add things after I post, so I added more above in #52, which has a good thing to remember at the end I feel, as to Romans 8

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Thanks! I will be looking to learn more on that. I tend to add things after I post, so I added more above in #52, which has a good thing to remember at the end I feel, as to Romans 8

I do my best editing after I post...

Psalm 22 (in the KJV) begins this way...

[[To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.]] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Compare:

Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Forgive me...

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

I just don't agree with many of the concepts of the RCC.

I think that everyone who is not a Papist agrees. Yet that's not what catholic is...

Forgive me...

 

[Dave-W]

The point of ACTS 15 being, that a decision was made that ultimately became common to all Christians.

All GENTILE christians. Not the Jewish ones.

But that is the stuff for another thread elsewhere.

 

[Dave-W]

I think that everyone who is not a Papist agrees. Yet that's not what catholic is...

You are fighting word definitions and semantics here. That is an unwinnable argument.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

But that is the stuff for another thread elsewhere.

Glad you see that.

Forgive me...

 

[Monk Brendan]

Right; that is the denotated meaning. The connotated meaning is indicating a particular denomination - the Roman Catholic Church.

But I am Catholic, and I am not Roman. I am a Melkite Catholic. Our Patriarch is in Antioch (where they were first called Christians, remember?) There are also Ukrainian, Romanian, Ruthinian, and others that follow the Byzantine Tradition of worship (like the Eastern Orthodox do), then there are Coptic Catholics, Armenian Catholics, and so on (23 in total). So it is the connotation that is wrong! The reason that it exists is that a lot of the people who settled here in America came from Western Europe, where most of the residents were Roman Catholic. Germany and Eastern Europe were a mix of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Jews, and so on.