Protestants will quite often tell you they are catholic, but not Roman Catholic and that the term catholic just means universal. What they say is partly correct but what is the full meaning of this word.
"catholic /'kætlik, -elik/ adjective
1 relating to the whole Christian body or Church
2 universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.
3 having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal: to be catholic in one's tastes, interests, etc. [L catholicus, from Greek katholikós (def. 2)]– catholically /ke'tolikli/, adverb"
Macquarie Dictionary"Catholic /'kætlik, -elik/ adjective
1 Theology a (among Roman Catholics) claiming to possess exclusively the characteristics of the one, only, true, and universal Church i.e., unity, visibility, indefectibility, apostolic succession, universality, and sanctity (used in this sense, with these qualifications, only by the Church of Rome, as applicable only to itself and its adherents, and to their faith and organisation; often qualified, especially by those not acknowledging these claims, by prefixing the word Roman) . b (among Anglicans) denoting or relating to the conception of the Church as the body representing the ancient undivided Christian witness, comprising all the orthodox churches which have kept the apostolic succession of bishops, and including the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Church of Sweden, the Old Catholic Church (in the Netherlands and elsewhere), etc.
2 relating to the Western Church – noun
3 a member of a Catholic Church, especially of the Church of Rome. – Catholicism /ke'tolesizm/, noun"
Macquarie Dictionary"cath o lic (ka lik, ka lik) adj.
1 of general scope or value; all-inclusive; universal
2 broad in sympathies, tastes, or understanding; liberal
3 [often C-] of the Christian church as a whole; specif., of the ancient, undivided Christian church
4 [C-] of the Christian church headed by the pope; Roman Catholic
5 [C-] of any of the orthodox Christian churches, including the Roman, Greek Orthodox, Anglo-Catholic, etc., as distinguished from the Reformed or Protestant churches
n. 1 [often C-] a member of the universal Christian church
2 [C-] a member of any of the Catholic churches; esp., a Roman Catholic
ca thol i cal ly (k al i k le) adv. "
Cromption’s Interactive Encyclopedia"CATHOLIC. The term ‘catholic’ is derived through the Latin from the Greek meaning ‘wholly,’ ‘entirely.’ In common speech the adjective ‘catholic’ means extensive, inclusive, or universal, in cantrast to the narrow, restricted, or local; thus a man of catholic tastes or sympathies is a man of wide-reaching interests or affections. As applied to the Christian Church, the first use of the term is by St. Ignatius in his letter about 110 AD to the Myrnaeas, translated by Lightfoot, ‘the universal Church.’ That this is the primary meaning is shown by a letter from the Smyrnaeans on the martyrdom of St Polycarp, written fifty years later, in which the martyred saint is said to have prayed for ‘all the universal (catholic) Churches throughout the world’ and Christ is called ‘the shepherd of the universal Church which is throughout the world.’"
Collier’s Encyclopedia vol 5, page 562.
Although catholic does mean unviersal, it also means broad in sympathies, liberal; of the one, only, true, and universal Church; of the ancient undivided Christian church (See Original Christian Church); of the church headed by the pope; of the orthodox churches.
Some questions now need to be asked and an answer given.
- What church today claims that she is the voice of God on earth, with all others excluded?
- What church says her powers are all encompassing?
There is only one church that makes such claims, the Roman Catholic Church. They were the first ones to pen the term catholic which was used to show that they were a universal church. This cannot be denied.
There are only a couple of reasons why a Protestant would want to call themselves catholic.
- They accept that the Roman Catholic Church is the authority of God on earth.
OR
- They have never looked into it and are just repeating what they have heard.
God has a church on earth. It is not the Roman Catholic Church which is the beast of Revelation 13 that makes war with the saints, and kills them; and the kingdom of Daniel 7:23-26 that thinks to change time (the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday) and laws (the Ten Commandments - the second is combined with the first, and the last one is divided into two). God’s church is all the people who keep the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus:-
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in throught the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14
© D & S Goeldner, 1999.
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