I was raised Catholic, so not a Christian by evangelical standards. We don't quote the bible, but do emphasize Christ's love and mercy. I only watched clips on the news but the president mentioned hating what he called his enemies. This of course makes a mockery of any appeals to Christianity. What would Jesus do? He would have walked out on Trump.
Catholics don't quote the Bible? We read the Bible every single day, most likely every single hour every single day at Masses held in every country on earth. The problem is that most evangelicals are fixated on the end of days parts of the Bible and nitpick those parts to death while completely ignoring parts like Matthew 25: 35 on where Jesus says quite clearly who's going to their eternal reward and who isn't.
Maybe start with Matthew 25, as Eva suggests & go from there: " Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the afflicted and welcome the stranger."
This is an aside, but the other day I was in a conversation and the person said, “they are Catholic, not Christian.” I responded that Catholics are indeed Christians and I had to repeat myself a couple of times. SMH.
For people who say that, "Christian" means what not in that bubble might call "evangelical" or "fundamentalist". It denotes certain churches, e.g. Church of Christ as well as Southern Baptist. So it's not just Catholics it excludes.
One of my grad school friends was from Northern Minnesota, of 100% Norwegian ancestry, with an architypal Minnesota Nice demure demeaner right out of a sketch on Prairie Home Companion. She wound up taking her first full-time teaching job at Middle Tennessee. (For context, this was circa 1989.) She recounted that one of her female students came to her after class and asked in friendly curiosity, "Are Lutherans Christian, I know Catholics aren't..." This young woman had apparently never met a Lutheran before, and it wasn't a hostile question; she seemed to like my friend. So "not Christian" didn't mean "enemy", just, well, "odd".
Absolute truth. My wife was raised Catholic, educated at a Lutheran liberal arts college in the Upper Midwest. First job out of graduate school at Vanderbilt was in 1988, at a middle school in East Nashville, where two students buttonholed her one afternoon and asked "Mrs. O, are you Baptist or Christ"--by which, she deduced after some great astonishment, they actually meant "are you Baptist or Church of Christ." A Catholic or a Lutheran might as well have been a Zoroastrian to them.
I'm waiting for the Trad-Caths and Integralists to face off with the Chritistian Nationalists. I wonder what that will look like. The Troubles? The Wars of Religion? A WWE match?
The new pope is a breath of fresh air and seems to have his priorities straight wrt Trump. I was raised Catholic but then took the evangelical route.
Currently...I'm not attending any church services, but consider myself a Christian. For whatever reason....I'm simply not feeling called to attend a church right now.
I was actually relieved when Covid hit and I had an excuse not to attend. I had gotten to the point where the only part of church I enjoyed was the sermon itself and also helping in the kid's room (when needed/scheduled) during the service. I felt that I was helping the church that way and attended enough to be connected.
With the age of Trump and post-Covid...my desire dropped down even further on church attendance.
I was raised Protestant, converted to Catholicism when I was 22. I feel in the age of Trump we need Christ more than ever, and to receive the Eucharist as “Viaticum”- food for this dreadful journey.
My beliefs are mostly not there anymore. But I do see Christ's mercy as relevant to living properly. I am still a member of the choir but rarely attend services except when i sing.
I don’t know what he converted from. I don’t know that much about him (I’m not American). From his recent actions (eg, insulting Zelensky, praising far right parties in Europe) I’m thoroughly unimpressed.
I was raised Catholic, so not a Christian by evangelical standards. We don't quote the bible, but do emphasize Christ's love and mercy. I only watched clips on the news but the president mentioned hating what he called his enemies. This of course makes a mockery of any appeals to Christianity. What would Jesus do? He would have walked out on Trump.
Catholics don't quote the Bible? We read the Bible every single day, most likely every single hour every single day at Masses held in every country on earth. The problem is that most evangelicals are fixated on the end of days parts of the Bible and nitpick those parts to death while completely ignoring parts like Matthew 25: 35 on where Jesus says quite clearly who's going to their eternal reward and who isn't.
We are very familiar with the Bible but don’t know which chapter and verse.
Maybe start with Matthew 25, as Eva suggests & go from there: " Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the afflicted and welcome the stranger."
But there is the rub, we generally don’t know the Bible as Matthew 25. But I do know the words.
This is an aside, but the other day I was in a conversation and the person said, “they are Catholic, not Christian.” I responded that Catholics are indeed Christians and I had to repeat myself a couple of times. SMH.
For people who say that, "Christian" means what not in that bubble might call "evangelical" or "fundamentalist". It denotes certain churches, e.g. Church of Christ as well as Southern Baptist. So it's not just Catholics it excludes.
One of my grad school friends was from Northern Minnesota, of 100% Norwegian ancestry, with an architypal Minnesota Nice demure demeaner right out of a sketch on Prairie Home Companion. She wound up taking her first full-time teaching job at Middle Tennessee. (For context, this was circa 1989.) She recounted that one of her female students came to her after class and asked in friendly curiosity, "Are Lutherans Christian, I know Catholics aren't..." This young woman had apparently never met a Lutheran before, and it wasn't a hostile question; she seemed to like my friend. So "not Christian" didn't mean "enemy", just, well, "odd".
FWIW
Absolute truth. My wife was raised Catholic, educated at a Lutheran liberal arts college in the Upper Midwest. First job out of graduate school at Vanderbilt was in 1988, at a middle school in East Nashville, where two students buttonholed her one afternoon and asked "Mrs. O, are you Baptist or Christ"--by which, she deduced after some great astonishment, they actually meant "are you Baptist or Church of Christ." A Catholic or a Lutheran might as well have been a Zoroastrian to them.
I'm waiting for the Trad-Caths and Integralists to face off with the Chritistian Nationalists. I wonder what that will look like. The Troubles? The Wars of Religion? A WWE match?
The Evangelicals I've met are all like that. They do not regard Catholics as Christians. One said "Catholics are not true people of God."
The first time a Protestant told me I wasn’t raised as a Christian, I thought she must be part of some lunatic fringe. That fringe has really grown!
Catholics certainly are but... well we still get tarred as following the anti-Christ.
The new pope is a breath of fresh air and seems to have his priorities straight wrt Trump. I was raised Catholic but then took the evangelical route.
Currently...I'm not attending any church services, but consider myself a Christian. For whatever reason....I'm simply not feeling called to attend a church right now.
I was actually relieved when Covid hit and I had an excuse not to attend. I had gotten to the point where the only part of church I enjoyed was the sermon itself and also helping in the kid's room (when needed/scheduled) during the service. I felt that I was helping the church that way and attended enough to be connected.
With the age of Trump and post-Covid...my desire dropped down even further on church attendance.
I was raised Protestant, converted to Catholicism when I was 22. I feel in the age of Trump we need Christ more than ever, and to receive the Eucharist as “Viaticum”- food for this dreadful journey.
We sure could use a lot more Christ-like behavior!
My beliefs are mostly not there anymore. But I do see Christ's mercy as relevant to living properly. I am still a member of the choir but rarely attend services except when i sing.
Catholics follow Trump?!? 😁
JD Vance converted to Catholicism.
Converted from what? For some reason....I just can't buy that he converted based upon his deeply religious convictions and bible understanding.
Maybe I'm wrong, but his statements, like someone else posted, belie his religious "claims" of affiliation. At least they do for me....
I don’t know what he converted from. I don’t know that much about him (I’m not American). From his recent actions (eg, insulting Zelensky, praising far right parties in Europe) I’m thoroughly unimpressed.
Yet his public statements belie his conversion. Suspect he was taken in by the trad-rads who even deny the pope.
Yes sadly many do. . So do many priests. I give up.
Wow...that's sad about the priests. I guess it's no different than the evangelical pastors, but somehow, I hoped it would be.
One prominent asshole is the now retired cardinal from NYC. Dolan. A bingo priest!