catholic church theology

According to Catholic theology today, are other Christians considered part of the Christian Church in that of the Church Militant (Roman Catholic Church), the Communion of Saints, and if deceased the Church Triumphant, and Church Suffering?

Are other Christians considered to be part of the Body of Christ, or do Catholics truly believe Bapitism in the Roman Catholic Church is the only way to truly be in the Church Militant spiritual bond with the Christian Church and Communion of Saints while on Earth?
I am not Catholic, this is purely out of an interest of study and learning about the world's largest religion, so rather than religious answers just some answers on what the Catholics believe would be nice, though the religious answers were interesting.

Only Christians who have been baptized into the Roman Catholic Church are considered members of it.

All Christians are considered part of the Body of Christ.

All Christians are part of Christ's Church on Earth - the Church Militant - but not in full communion with it because they are not Catholic, which is where His Church subsists. Non-Christians are not part of Christ's Church, but are still People of God.

The Communion of Saints "refers also to the communion of 'holy persons' (sancti) in Christ who died for all." "We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth [the Church Militant], the dead who are being purified [the Church Suffering], and the blessed in heaven [the Church Triumphant], all together forming one Church." Anyone who is a 'holy person' in Christ, Catholic or non, living or dead, is part of the Communion of Saints.

2007-05-26 02:18:22 by advait0

quot; quot;the fatherquot; quot;the sonquot; quot;the holy spiritquot; quot;triune Godquot; God quot;nature of Godquot; quot;the ...

I suppose the main differences between catholic and protestant are transubstantiation (ie that the communion bread and wine actually *is* the body and blood of christ), the bible as the only authority (as opposed to the bible and tradition), the idea that the Bible was actually God's words dictated to humans (as opposed to having been written by men who were inspired by God). There are probably other instances, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Assuming that you believe that your form of christianity is the original fom of christianity that Peter and Paul followed, at what time do you think these "erroneous" beliefs mentioned above crept into Catholic theology? AD50? AD300? AD600? AD1600? (It's not multiple choice, just an example of the sort of answers I'm looking for) And why do you think that?

Thanks.
Chris: so are you saying 300AD?
Why is it that you're telling me about what can and can't save, when I'm asking you for a date when things went wrong? Honestly, if you can't answer a simple question properly does it not make you wonder if you can fully grasp the enormity of God and who will or will not be saved????
OnePence: again, very interesting...but a date? Do you mean it all went wrong in the year 0?

Well, that's too strong. I would say that they are on a parallel path that I feel is a little longer and more *easily* lost than the one that I am on.

However, off the top of my head, I would say that the first definite moment I can point to and say, "What a shame it turned out this way" is the moment in which Byzantine iconoclasm failed.


You wrote
I suppose the main differences between catholic and protestant are transubstantiation

I would disagree: some large Protestant sects do not view the eucharist as merely symbolic.


You wrote
the bible as the only authority

Again: I disagree. There are several of the largest Protestant sects that do not operate according to the "Scripture only" doctrine


You wrote
Assuming that you believe that your form of christianity is the original fom of christianity that Peter and Paul followed

I don't think that any modern Christians practice that form of Christianity - what we might call a primitive form concerning doctrine. At least, I have never met one.


As for a specific date: as I said, this was just off the top of my head.
The date would be 787, the second council of Nicea. But, really, that's just the date that the reformative activism was officially "put down". Still, I think such a reformation should have been permitted to exist *within* what was then very close to an actual "catholic church".


Jim, http://www.christianwebprogramming.com/br/selector_rc.html

2009-04-30 15:13:55 by frangipane

Price: $26.99 $17.81

The practice is common on All Saints and All Souls days. It is also found in many non-Christian settings across the globe. The specific question here is how the practice is explained as a part of Catholic theology and liturgy. Suggestions for further readings large or small would be helpful. Is there anything in the standard works of the Catholic Church that deal with the practice? Also would like to know how the practice made its way into Catholic practices.

As Christians we believe that death is not the end, it is rather the beginning of our eternal life in heaven. We do not fear death, evil, or Satan. In Christ, we can laugh in the face of death.

These Eastern European practices along with the Latin American tradition of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which are celebrated on the All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2) relate closely to Catholic theology.

Catholics believe in the Communion of Saints. This doctrine states that all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Or you can go to their grave site and have a picnic with them.

Our friends and relatives in heaven can be closer to us than our friends and relatives across the country.

With love in Christ.

2007-04-07 08:30:10 by John W

Price: $27.95

Lutherans didn't allow you to buy your way into heaven. Catholics believed that ordinary people couldn't talk directly to God; they needed an intermediary, like a preist. Reformers believed that anyone could talk to God. That takes power away from the church.

2006-05-14 17:19:02 by Me

I am doing it on the middle ages (right after the fall of the romans)
need some websites that give me the answer...and lastly how did it worked to enforce compliance with catholic theology.
I just really need the first question anwser.

*Is Catholic*

There are various powers that the Church has that relate to the Power of the Keys. So you could have things such as Excommunication, denial of the sacraments, interdiction (denial of sacraments to a whole region), etc. There was also such a thing as censuring (preventing theologians from teaching or writing), priests could be stripped of the facilities (ability to give the sacraments) or they could be laicized or required to retire to a monastery. The Church could also hand over people to the State for crimes.

If you are looking for references, take each of the points I made and look them up on www.newadvent.org . If you have access to a university library, message me and I will give you a link to a huge resource that tells were to look up medieval items in the proper books.

Many of the above items are still used today.

For the second part of your question....Canon Law is what governs the enforcement. Canon Law is not like US Law. It is in a state of flux being added to and taken away. Canon Law is also something that was built up over time from common law, the canon's of the Councils, teachings of the Popes, and teachings of Bishops. At the beginning of the middle ages it was much less defined than it became later on.

Compliance rests with the local bishop who setup a local tribunal to handle such matters. The local bishop is in turn enforced by a local council, the curia of the Vatican, the ecumenical council, and the Pope, in that order (so that the local council is enforced by the curia etc.).

If you have more questions, message me.

2007-05-10 15:24:41 by lilian y