Catholic Q & A

Catholicism and Other Denominations

Well!  It's been a while, but we're back.  This series of questions was from yccngis, thanks so much for asking :)

      What do you (personally/as a denomination) think of other Christian denominations?
      Okay, I'm going to start with the Catholic Church's view as a whole.  Ultimately, we believe that all Christian denominations carry a part of the truth.  In fact, many of them have more similarities to the Catholic Church than differences.  Nowhere do we say that Roman Catholics are the absolute only people to go to Heaven, because that's not what we teach.  In my experience with the Catholic Church, it has been very welcoming to people of other denominations- the youth group welcomes Catholics, Protestants, and even non-Christians to come check it out if they have an interest.  Now, there are certainly people within the Catholic Church who think otherwise, but it is important to note that church teachings are ultimately superior to individual preferences.  The Church as a whole considers non-Catholic Christians to be our brothers and sisters in Christ, albeit separated from complete unity due to some important differences.
      Personally, I take no issue whatsoever with other Christian denominations.  Sure, I'm Catholic and I have no desire to be anything else.  But I think Christianity in every denomination is beautiful, and there are truly many places where I find common ground with other Christians.  I have friends who are Catholic, friends who are Protestant, and friends who aren't even Christian.  Just because someone follows (or doesn't follow) a specific religion doesn't mean that I will or will not associate with them.
      I think another important thing to address is the idea that we as Catholics consider ourselves "superior" to other Christians.  I know we can come across that way because I've had people very dear to me say so.  But the truth is that, although we believe that the Catholic Church in itself is the only faith that teaches the truth in its entirety, we are sinners just like everyone else.  There have been plenty of great Catholics in history, but there have been plenty of horrible ones as well.  We aren't perfect, and any Catholic who pretends differently is just wrong. 

Do you consider Catholicism to be part of Christianity?
      To put it briefly, yes!  A Christian is a follower of Christ, and we follow Christ.  If you look in the history of the Christian faith, every denomination ultimately has its roots in Catholicism.  At the Great Schism of 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church split from Roman Catholicism, and obviously the Protestant Reformation sparked the creation of the many Protestant denominations which exist today.  And while there is plenty of variation among beliefs, all of these different Christian denominations can be traced back to Catholicism.  So, if these churches consider themselves Christian, then the church they derive from must also be Christian!

What are the differences that make you choose to believe in Catholicism rather than another denomination?
      Oh boy.  This is a harder one, because there are so many reasons I love being Catholic.  I love the traditions that have been passed down from the earliest days of the Church, I love the beautiful liturgy, I love the way we recognize the saints and Mary as special people in Heaven.  But if I had to choose one reason above everything else that has kept me in the Catholic Church (and I think you'd find that many Catholics would say the same), it would be the Eucharist.  The opportunity to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, where He is physically present, is something I wouldn't trade for the world. 

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Alright!  That's all I've got for this one.  I hope this helped, and to any Catholic friends here, please feel free to add on to this.  And if any of you lovely people have follow-up questions, you can ask them in the comments! If you would like me to post a separate chapter for your question, you can PM it to me.  
   Blessings,
        Huffle :)