Being a Christian is a way of life, which involves the belief that Jesus Christ is the messiah and savior of humanity. To be Catholic is to be part of the Catholic Church, which also considers Christ as the messiah and savior, but has doctrines and dogmas to be followed by the faithful. Therefore, a Catholic is a Christian, but not every Christian is a Catholic.
In this sense, Catholics see religion according to the interpretation of the Catholic Church. A Christian who is not part of this group may have his own view of Christianity, or even disagree with certain aspects preached by the church.
A Christian can be Catholic, Evangelical, Spiritist, among other religious denominations. Furthermore, a Christian may not even belong to any religious congregation, being self-sufficient about your beliefs and the way you live your life according to what you believe about Jesus Christ.
What is to be a Christian?
To be considered a Christian, an individual must accept Jesus Christ as savior. It is common, but not mandatory, for you to become a Christian after baptism, as you would let the Holy Spirit guide your life from this event.
Being a Christian is not just saying that you have faith in Jesus Christ, but agreeing with his teachings and following what he preached. In other words, it is necessary to understand what Christ preached and to practice daily the well-regarded actions to approach a state of holiness.
A Christian needs to have Jesus Christ as a supreme example of benevolence and human being. Therefore, it is important that the individual identifies with the figure of Christ and is committed to the mission of continuing to spread his love to people on Earth.
By following the teachings of Christ, a Christian would be creating a life testimony related to the son of God, one of the premises of the Christian religion.
What is it like to be Catholic?
Being Catholic is also being Christian, but in this case according to the traditional principles of the Catholic Church. These principles are based on the Bible and protect the tradition of the Christian Catholic religion.
Thus, the institution is based on giving continuity to the mission of Jesus Christ.
In order for Christ's mission to be continued, the Catholic Church follows in the footsteps of Peter and the other disciples, who were tasked with spreading the ideals of Jesus after his death and resurrection. Peter would have founded the church, his successor being the pope. The bishops would be successors of the other apostles.
Although every Catholic is a Christian, the church represents a welcoming place for all Christians, from anywhere. Therefore, it is based on four pillars:
- Unit
- Holiness
- Universality
- apostolic foundation
Unity indicates that, despite several churches around the world, there is only one Catholic Church, commanded by the pope. The church would be holy and would receive Christians from anywhere on the planet, characteristics called for holiness and universality.
The apostolic foundation is that the church follows the actions of the apostles. This is because they had personal contact with Christ and were eyewitnesses to his miracles and teachings.
Therefore, to be considered Catholic, it is necessary to accept the authority of the pope and the bishops, in addition to believing in the teaching of the Catholic Church and respecting its traditions. It is also essential that the individual Catholic participate in the sacraments and other activities carried out by the church.
Being Christian vs Being Catholic
As you can assume, being a Christian does not mean being a Catholic. There are several Christian religious denominations today, such as Protestants and Orthodox, which are still divided into smaller congregations, such as Evangelicals and other segments.
Therefore, to be a Christian, it is enough to accept Jesus Christ as lord and savior and seek to live a life as he himself lived. This means that it is important to love one another, the main teaching of Jesus.
Being Catholic is also being Christian. This is because Catholics follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and seek in the Catholic Church a place to practice their faith and be in contact with what was preached by the messiah.
In this sense, they respect the religious traditions of Catholicism and participate in the sacraments. They also consider the pope as the successor of Peter and the main authority of the church, the bishops being also successors of the apostles.
Because they believe that the church continues Christ's mission on Earth, they respect its traditions, doctrines and dogmas.
See also the differences between:
- atheist and agnostic
- Protestants and Evangelicals
- Catholic Church and Orthodox Church
- creationism and evolutionism
- Candomblé and Umbanda
