Are Catholics Christian?

This is such a common question raised by non-Catholics. More often they put it in the form of what they consider a definitive statement; "Catholics are not Christians. "We have all either heard someone say or maybe even you have said that Catholics are not Christians. I have even heard a Catholic say "No, I'm Catholic." when asked if he was a Christian. So even some Catholics unfortunately have trouble answering this question because Catholics never ask each other if they are Christian. It is never addressed. The truth is something that we assume everyone should know. So, what is the answer? What is the truth? Are Catholics Christian?

The simple answer is “Yes, Catholics are Christians.” 

This is a false teaching that so many people believe; and many preachers, out of ignorance of (and some with malice against) Catholicism proclaim this from their pulpit. Their congregations believe this because they believe their preacher would never mislead them. 

I could stop there but that would not be a good enough answer for some people so I will go further and show actual Church teaching to disprove this, ummm, out of Christian charity I will call it a misunderstanding. 

At every Mass we say the Nicene Creed. This is a concise statement of what Catholics believe.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

He came down from Heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

He suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The key statements in this creed that support that Catholics are Christians are "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God" and "by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." This shows that Catholics believe that:

1. Jesus is the Son of the One True God.
2. Jesus was born of a virgin.
3. Jesus was crucified and died for our sins.
4. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.

We acknowledge all these things and that He is our Saviour and it is through Him and His grace alone that we receive Eternal Life.

The Nicene Creed got it's name because it was originally adopted in the city of Nicaea (now Turkey) by the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. In A.D. 381, at the Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople it was modified with the addition of "And [we believe] in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver-of-Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. And [we believe] in one, holy, Universal and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, [and] we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

On a side note, the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and some of the major Protestant denominations accept the Nicene Creed as an authoritative statement of the Christian faith. Although some have altered it a bit. Some have even removed the word 'catholic' not realizing the lower case 'c' makes the word catholic a synonym for 'universal'. If it meant the Catholic Church proper, it would start with a capital 'C'. This is one of the rare occasions that some Protestants actually accept something that has a 100% Catholic origin. Another example of Protestants accepting something that has a 100% Catholic origin is the canon of the 27 books of the New Testament that was adopted at the Synod of Hippo, in A.D. 393; reaffirmed at the Third Council of Carthage in A.D. 397; and again at Carthage in A.D. 419. But that's for another post...

What is the official Church teaching on the Christianity of Catholicism?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a book that describes everything the Catholic Church teaches and believes. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it states:

422   “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” This is “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”: God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all expectation—he has sent his own “beloved Son.”

423   We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He “came from God,” “descended from heaven,” and “came in the flesh.” For “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.... And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.”

424   Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his Church.

These three paragraphs from the official teaching of the Catholic Church state clearly and without a doubt that Catholics are indeed Christians. If you walk into any Catholic Church you will see a Crucifix. Most Catholics have Crucifixes some are on necklaces, on the rear view mirror of their cars, and in their homes. What is a Crucifix? A Crucifix is a cross that has the Body of the crucified Jesus Christ on it. A Crucifix is a symbol of what Jesus did for us so that we may have salvation.

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness

Many other Christians have problems with a crucifix. They say "My Jesus is not on the cross anymore!" How can you follow Paul's example and preach Christ crucified if your cross is empty?

If you are someone that believed that Catholics are not Christians; I hope this helps you know the truth. If so, maybe you could share this new understanding with your friends that are misinformed. God bless. 

+JMJ+