Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Are Catholics Christians?

A fellow philosopher writes,

While reading Clarence Thomas’s opinion in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Services (2025), I came across this sentence: “Americans have different views, for example, on whether Catholics are Christians.” I’ve heard it said, before, that Catholics aren’t Christians, but never knew what to make of it. (The same thing is said about Mormons.) Have you written about this (about whether Catholics are Christians)? What must one think Christianity is in order to believe that Catholics aren’t Christians? Strange.
I haven't written about this topic because it is perfectly obvious that (Roman) Catholics are Christians.  Proof: The Catholic Apostle's Creed. Every Catholic is a Christian, but not conversely.  Calvinists, for example are Christians but not Catholics. Similarly for all the other Protestant sects. No Protestant is a Catholic. That too is obvious.  
 
Did Justice Thomas, for whom I have great respect by the way, cite anyone who claimed that Catholics are not Christians?  Who would say such a thing?
 
People say the damndest things. There are people who say that math is racist. Now that does not even begin to make sense, involving as it does a Rylean category mistake. Not making sense, it cannot have a truth value, that is, it cannot be either true or false. Mathematics does not belong to the category of items that could sensibly be said to be either racist or non-racist.  Compare: 'How prevalent is anorexia nervosa among basketballs? More prevalent than among footballs?' Those questions involve category mistakes.  Other examples: What is the volume of the average thought? What is the chemical composition of the number nine?  What size shoes does God wear?
 
People who assertively utter 'Math is racist' are using those words to say something else, although it is not clear what. Perhaps they  mean to say that since blacks as a group are not good at mathematics, giving them math tests is a way of demeaning or oppressing them and can have no other purpose. Or something.  Speaker's meaning in this case strongly diverges from sentence meaning.
 
Can this distinction help us explain what people mean when they say that Catholics are not Christians?  Going by sentence meaning, the claim is obviously false.  But one might use those words to express the proposition that Catholics are not true Christians, where a true Christian is defined in some narrow and tendentious way, as, for example, someone who refuses to accept the Hellenically-tainted doctrines emanating from a magisterium (teaching authority)  that interposes itself between the individual soul and God as revealed in Holy Writ.
 
We are now in the vicinity of No True Scotsman.  Among the so-called informal fallacies is Antony Flew's No True Scotsman. Suppose A says, "No Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge." B replies, "But my uncle Angus puts sugar in his porridge." A responds, "Your Uncle Angus is no true Scotsman!"
 
Similarly, A says, "No Christian is a Roman Catholic." B replies, "But my Uncle Patrick is a Roman Catholic."  A responds, "Your Uncle Patrick is no true Christian!"

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Bill Vallicella

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4 responses to “Are Catholics Christians?”

  1. Joe Odegaard Avatar
    Joe Odegaard

    It is best to live one’s faith and remain mute about it, if you ask me. Otherwise many bad feelings are strewn everywhere. There are just a few core things to say out loud. And rarely. Otherwise you get yells about “Catholics worship Mary,” &ct., with flying spittle drops. At least with the internet, the actual droplets don’t transmit through. God sees who is what, anyway.

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  2. BV Avatar
    BV

    But aren’t Christians enjoined to witness to the faith and spread the Good News?
    But I see your point.
    As you know, Catholics venerate, but do not worship Mary. For centuries now, trad RCC doctrine has incorporated a tripartite distinction between latria, hyperdulia, and dulia, which pertain, respectively, to God, Mary, and the other saints. Mary, after all, is a creature, albeit a unique creature, and it would be idolatry to worship a creature.
    The colleague who sent me the query spoke of a Baptist friend who claimed that Catholics are not Christians because Catholics worship the Virgin Mary. But even if Catholics did worship Mary, how would that show that Catholics are not Christians?
    People say the damndest things even when they are not lying their asses off. I am thinking at the moment of that dumbass Karen Bass, mayor of LaLaLand, and her statements about ‘peaceful’ protests.
    And then there are Catholics like Bill O’Reilly who one night on his show confused the Virgin Birth with Immaculate Conception. And this guy had 16 years of Catholic education back in the day before termites like Bergoglio and Prevost came along.
    I feel a rant coming on. Basta!

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  3. Brian Bosse Avatar
    Brian Bosse

    Hello Bill,
    Here is a passage from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is speaking (Matt. 7:21-23):

    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

    From this passage a distinction is made between types of unbelievers: (1) those professing to be believers, but Jesus does not know then and casts them away, and (2) those unbelievers who make no such profession. Given this, someone might argue that those in group (1), even though they call themselves ‘Christian,’ are not Christians. Furthermore, if someone thinks Catholics are part of group (1), then it would be in this sense they could say, “Catholics are not Christians.”
    Brian

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  4. Bill V Avatar
    Bill V

    Good comment, Brian.
    I don’t agree that the passage makes your distinction; I will grant, however, that it suggests it.
    More importantly, those in group (1) are Christians in the eyes of the world despite their not being recognized by Jesus. They call themselves Christians, they act like Christians; it is just that they are not Christians in the eyes of Christ, who sees into their souls and thus sees what the world cannot see. (Perhaps they practice sodomy in secret, and by so doing “practice lawlessness.”)
    Now while there are Catholics who belong to group (1), there are plenty of members of Protestant sects, Calvinists for example, who also belong to group (1). So by parity of reasoning Catholics could say that Calvinists are not Christians. Catholics could say that Calvinists are not Christians because some Calvinists will not be recognized by Christ and will be “cast out” for their lawlessness.
    It cuts both ways.
    Are Catholics Christians? Of course they are. Anyone who denies it advertises his failure to understand Catholic doctrine. The question concerns doctrine, not what is going on ‘in the heart’ of someone who professes the doctrine.
    My colleague also asked whether Mormons are Christians. I’ll leave that question to you since you have some experience with Mormons. What say you, Brian?
    See you on Friday, noonish, at the Mexican joint.

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