Is Catholicism a Christian religion ?

[Neuropteron]

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, However it's theologians are strongly influenced by the philosophies of the ancient pagan Greeks, and this colored their teachings. For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible. It was taught by the Greek philosophers and is now sanctified by their adoption into the Church as a fundamental doctrine of Catholicism.

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easter, Saints, Mariology, use of the cross, images in ritual, and the worship of a Trinity.
All these doctrine come not from the Bible, but from pagan religions. The mainstream pew sitters have been told these teachings are biblical, but there not.

John Henry Cardinal Newman in An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine gives a long list of traditional practices, including “incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings, holy water; holidays . . .” he then says that they “are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead. If this surprises you, then think about Halloween.

In cemeteries, Haitians (Christians) gather after church to ask "the spirit of death" for any number of desires and petitions during the traditional Day of the Dead. Christian participate in these festivities, which combine elements of Christianity and voodoo.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

 

[Rival]

This OP is wrong.

That's all.

 

[McBell]

Is Catholicism a Christian religion ?

Yes.

 

[Mister Emu]

All right, guy.

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity

A couple of questions for you. When was the Biblical canon codified? When was the Church first called Catholic? Do you find any relevance to the gap between these two dates and the ability to say that the Catholic Church is the product of "Biblical Christianity", instead of the other way around?

For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible.

What do you mean by immortal? The Bible clearly states that the soul exists, at least for an indeterminant amount of time, past the death of the body. It has no "natural" lifespan. What is that, if not immortal? Only God, in his power, can end a soul.

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easte

Those aren't beliefs, unless you are saying that the idea that Christ was born or died and was resurrected are pagan.

Saints

Why is this pagan? The Church Triumphant is no less loving and desirous of praying for you than your own parochial community.

the worship of a Trinity

This definitely isn't the sole purview of the Catholic Church compared to "Biblical Christianity". You'll find the vast majority of people who claim Biblical Christianity are also Trinitarians.

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead.

None of these are accepted practices in the Catholic Church.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

The above is largely false or misleading. The unified Catholic Church were the first Christians, so yes, they can claim to be true.

 

[Kooky]

I never thought I'd get to see a Christian who was opposed to Christmas on religious grounds.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, However it's theologians are strongly influenced by the philosophies of the ancient pagan Greeks, and this colored their teachings. For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible. It was taught by the Greek philosophers and is now sanctified by their adoption into the Church as a fundamental doctrine of Catholicism.

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easter, Saints, Mariology, use of the cross, images in ritual, and the worship of a Trinity.
All these doctrine come not from the Bible, but from pagan religions. The mainstream pew sitters have been told these teachings are biblical, but there not.

John Henry Cardinal Newman in An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine gives a long list of traditional practices, including “incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings, holy water; holidays . . .” he then says that they “are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead. If this surprises you, then think about Halloween.

In cemeteries, Haitians (Christians) gather after church to ask "the spirit of death" for any number of desires and petitions during the traditional Day of the Dead. Christian participate in these festivities, which combine elements of Christianity and voodoo.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

Yes.

 

[Ashoka]

Yes.

/thread

 

[epronovost]

Considering that the Catholic Church and the Eastern Armenian Church are the eldest denomination of Christianity, it would be ridiculous not to consider them Christians.

 

[danieldemol]

New the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe

Mostly all forms of Christianity including Jehovah's Witnesses are a mix of all three because the New Testament itself is a product of the mix of Jewish, Greek and Roman concepts in my opinion.

 

[Katzpur]

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, However it's theologians are strongly influenced by the philosophies of the ancient pagan Greeks, and this colored their teachings. For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible. It was taught by the Greek philosophers and is now sanctified by their adoption into the Church as a fundamental doctrine of Catholicism.

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easter, Saints, Mariology, use of the cross, images in ritual, and the worship of a Trinity.
All these doctrine come not from the Bible, but from pagan religions. The mainstream pew sitters have been told these teachings are biblical, but there not.

John Henry Cardinal Newman in An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine gives a long list of traditional practices, including “incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings, holy water; holidays . . .” he then says that they “are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead. If this surprises you, then think about Halloween.

In cemeteries, Haitians (Christians) gather after church to ask "the spirit of death" for any number of desires and petitions during the traditional Day of the Dead. Christian participate in these festivities, which combine elements of Christianity and voodoo.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

Spoken like a true religious bigot. So which are you -- an evangelical Christian or a Jehovah's Witness? It's got to be one or the other. Everybody's got it wrong except you.

 

[Vinayaka]

In many countries where Catholicism is the primary denomination, the locals use 'Christian' and 'Catholic' interchangeably. I know this for fact about northern Sri Lanka and South India. It's most likely true in much of South America as well.

 

[blü 2]

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe.

I dare say that's true of nearly all Christian sects, since those influences are found in the bible, particularly the NT.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, However it's theologians are strongly influenced by the philosophies of the ancient pagan Greeks, and this colored their teachings. For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

John 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word he will never see death.

John 11:26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
​

(I accept those aren't soul-specific, though they could work either with souls or resurrections. Souls are fully developed ideas in Greek tradition, as you say.)

Note that Paul and the author of John are the two gnostic-leaning NT authors. The synoptic authors are more concerned about the Kingdom of God which is going to be established on earth in their lifetimes.

It was taught by the Greek philosophers and is now sanctified by their adoption into the Church as a fundamental doctrine of Catholicism.

The influence of Greek culture on Jewish culture goes back to Alexander's conquest of the near East three hundred years earlier. The Jewish philosophers of Alexandria enjoyed Greek thought; their equivalents in Jerusalem were much more conservative, but not free of the influence. The whole of the NT is written in Greek (meaning incidentally that I don't think Matthew was translated from Aramaic, though there are various hints that Aramaic was involved in the earliest days of Chrtistianity).

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easter, Saints, Mariology, use of the cross, images in ritual, and the worship of a Trinity.

Why apart from terminology are Moses, Elijah, Elisha an David not Jewish saints?

All these doctrine come not from the Bible, but from pagan religions.

But the ultimate winners among the Christian factions were the ones who followed Paul in renouncing the covenant of circumcision and declaring that the Jewish god had changed [his] mind and didn't want to be just a tribal God any more.

Such a God is in this context a Christian invention. The Jewish God is still there, still God of the Jews.

John Henry Cardinal Newman in An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine gives a long list of traditional practices, including “incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings, holy water; holidays . . .” he then says that they “are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

But in the Tanakh we find votive offerings, I'm confident they used indoor lighting, and Saturdays and Passover and I dare say other festivals were holidays.

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead. If this surprises you, then think about Halloween.

On the one hand in the Tanakh you shall not suffer a witch to live. On the other hand Moses and Aaron turned sticks into snakes, the Nile into real blood, and were party to the calling down of the seven plagues; and the lady of Endor conjured up the ghost of Samuel at Saul's request. In the Tanakh and the NT you have resurrections, and magical healing, you're promised that if you pray for it your wish will be granted, you're promised that you can heal the sick with a prayer ritual.

Magic was normal back then.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

As I understand it, a Christian is anyone who accepts Jesus as her or his savior, without more. So they sound like Christians to me.

 

[Viker]

Yes.

 

[McBell]

In many countries where Catholicism is the primary denomination, the locals use 'Christian' and 'Catholic' interchangeably. I know this for fact about northern Sri Lanka and South India. It's most likely true in much of South America as well.

EDIT NOTE:
I see that I misread what you wrote above and ask that you ignore my original below written reply.
Thank you in advance....

And?
I mean, here in my neck of the woods we call the state police the highway patrol and city police cops and the county police officers.
BUT they are all still police.

Back in WV where I lived they called Methodists Methodists and Lutherans LUtherans and Mormons Mormons.

So I fail to see your point.

 

[Dawnofhope]

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

Yes

 

[exchemist]

I never thought I'd get to see a Christian who was opposed to Christmas on religious grounds.

Oh that was quite common among the Puritans, I think.

 

[John1.12]

the Catholic religion is a product of at least three religious traditions: Biblical Christianity, Greek philosophy and the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, However it's theologians are strongly influenced by the philosophies of the ancient pagan Greeks, and this colored their teachings. For example, the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the human soul does not appear in the Bible. It was taught by the Greek philosophers and is now sanctified by their adoption into the Church as a fundamental doctrine of Catholicism.

Other pagan beliefs are Christmas, Easter, Saints, Mariology, use of the cross, images in ritual, and the worship of a Trinity.
All these doctrine come not from the Bible, but from pagan religions. The mainstream pew sitters have been told these teachings are biblical, but there not.

John Henry Cardinal Newman in An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine gives a long list of traditional practices, including “incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings, holy water; holidays . . .” he then says that they “are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

Additionally there is the practice or acceptance of spiritism, witchcraft, tarot cards, worship of the dead. If this surprises you, then think about Halloween.

In cemeteries, Haitians (Christians) gather after church to ask "the spirit of death" for any number of desires and petitions during the traditional Day of the Dead. Christian participate in these festivities, which combine elements of Christianity and voodoo.

The question: If above is true, can Catholics claim to be true Christians ?

The religion is 'Roman Catholicism ' it does hold to some of the things Christians believe , but so do some other religions .

 

[Subduction Zone]

Oh that was quite common among the Puritans, I think.

And even some of the more fundamentalist sects and cults today.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Considering that the Catholic Church and the Eastern Armenian Church are the eldest denomination of Christianity, it would be ridiculous not to consider them Christians.

So I would be wrong in assuming that the Catholic Church was a branch of reformed Druidism, I guess you learn something every day.