Posted on 09/24/2016 6:17:28 PM PDT by ebb tide
My apologies; I missed the reference to the Orthodox. From now on, I’ll label them “Catholic/Orthodox”.
Read the whole text that you posted slowly and carefully.
Protestantism is also mentioned.
In the future please read each article you post so this kind of problem can be avoided.
I was bringing our primary petitions to be filed with the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office. As I approached the state capitol steps, I noticed three very clean cut young people sitting on the steps, a young man in a nice buckskin jacket and two well-dressed young ladies. I also noticed then Maine Senator and Democrat POTUS aspirant Ed Muskie approaching the steps. I waited to give Muskie plenty of space to go first.
The three young people, recognizing Muskie, got up on their feet and the young man confronted Muskie politely asking whether he was "born again" and whether he had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Muskie, a Catholic of Polish ancestry, looked a bit confused. I suspect that was the first time that he (or I) had heard the term "born again." He recovered, pointed out that he was Catholic and that, of course, Jesus Christ was his personal Lord and Savior and then asked: "If not Jesus Christ, who could possibly be my Lord and Savior?"
In public life, Muskie was not really much of a Catholic, just a standard issue liberal on matters economic and increasingly on foreign policy with little in the way of social issue conservatism to recommend him. Yet, I believe that Muskie's response to the young man was a very normal Catholic response and a valid one.
I have been baptized (born again of water and the Spirit) as an infant according to the rites and customs of the Roman Catholic Church. The vows taken for me by my Godparents were also taken by me personally when I was 13 years old at my Confirmation before God and before then Hartford Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien. I have come to believe that our Catholic sacrament of Confirmation is a completion of our Catholic sacrament of Baptism. I believe that infant baptism draws objections from some Christians in that it is not a personal commitment by the infant who is being baptized and our Catholic answer is the repetition of baptismal vows by the one who has been baptized and now takes those vows personally having attained sufficient age.
As to my use of the term "Reformed," it is my attempt to be respectful. There are many Christians who are not Catholic by affiliation. I was brought up to reference all but the Orthodox as "Protestants." Some of my non-Catholic pro-life clients suggested to me that "Protestant" is not a useful term. Many preferred to be known merely as "Christians" and I had no doubt that they were Christians but there also seemed to be a suggestion that Catholics and Orthodox were not Christians in their understanding. I am a Catholic and respectful of others but I am not prepared to accept the idea that Catholics and Orthodox are not also Christian.
In short, as a Catholic, I struggle with myself and my own sinful nature to show well-earned respect to soldiers of Christ who are not of the Catholic or Orthodox fold and calling them by whatever truthful name they wish to be called while simultaneously insisting on the Christianity also of Catholics and Orthodox.
Sometimes I stumble in that effort but never intentionally. I also strive never to suggest that there are not important distinctions between Catholics (and among Catholics), Orthodox, Lutherans (and among Lutherans), Anglicans, Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians (and among Presbyterians), Baptists (and among Baptists), Evangelicals, Pentecostals and many others whom I am failing to recall. My favorites are Missouri Synod Lutherans, Wisconsin Synod Lutherans, Westminster Confession Presbyterians, Southern Baptists, and some or most Evangelicals.
As a matter of history and Apostolic Succession, the Catholic (and possibly the Orthodox) Church were the original Christian churches tracing all the way back to Jesus Christ and his selection of twelve apostles (the original bishops). Later, the term Apostle is used more loosely when Jesus Christ was no longer physically present to choose more Apostles. Thus Saul who became Paul is referenced as an apostle and certainly that is the reality of his life of evangelism and death by martyrdom. Of the original twelve, Judas betrayed Christ and ten (not John) were martyred. We regard our bishops as literal successors of the twelve. Unfortunately we are all too aware that some are successors of Judas.
Thank you again for all that you do here. May God continue to bless His faithful servant metmom and all of hers.
*Protestant* is not particularly useful. It is considered to generally denote mainline *Protestant* denominations who have long ago abandoned any fidelity to Scripture and its integrity. They generally teach that many of the accounts recorded in Scripture are myths and analogy.
They tend to be overwhelmingly liberal in lifestyle and political convictions.
Sincere Christ followers do not identify with those who advocate for murder (abortion, euthanasia, etc) or homosexual lifestyles.
Many preferred to be known merely as "Christians" and I had no doubt that they were Christians but there also seemed to be a suggestion that Catholics and Orthodox were not Christians in their understanding.
Yes, and no. In my experience, frequently when I ask what turns out to be a Catholic, if they are a Christian, they will say, *No, I'm a Catholic*.
Those who are you likely dealing with in your pro-life situations, are likely committed Christians/Christ followers, and would recognize that that you will find Christians in ALL denominations. And that just because someone chooses to be Catholic, does not by default mean they are not Christian. There are indeed some who hold to that line of thinking, but I don't find it very widespread.
Many Catholics like to play the victim card and claim that to be the case, but it's not. I've seen FRoman Catholics challenge those ho identify as Christian with the accusation that since they are Catholic, the other person must think they are not Christian.
Being Christian stands outside denominational affiliation and since our commitment is to Christ and not a denomination, likely they insist on being called Christian because they consider their spiritual identity to not be tied to a church but rather to a person.
I am a Christian first and last.
I do not identify as Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Presbyterian, or anything else. I identify with Jesus, whose I am.
Also, by identifying with a denomination of movement, every single whackjob who somehow also identifies by that label, is then associated with you.
Case in point is the Westboro group that calls itself *Baptist*.
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