>I personally therefore object to the term "Roman Catholic" (which was >interoduced by the British to differentiate us from Anglicans -- I much >prefer "Christian" which then associates me with Jesus Christ and not with >any human organisation.
I do not want to get into a protracted discussion of Catholic theology, since this D-list was not created to cater specifically to such needs. Suffice to say, there are some errors that need to be clarified. The word "catholic" does connote universality (from the Greek) and thus the phrase "catholic church" typically refers to all Christian denominations (compare, for instance, The Creed narrated by Lutherans and by Catholics during their respective services). When the word Catholic is spelt with an upper case "C", then it typically refers to the Roman Catholic Church (more specifically, the Diocese of Rome, or the Holy See). Thus, we need not blame/credit the Brits for this qualifier. :-) Those of you interested may want to read the Jesuit, Richard McBrien's, excellent tome on the subject of Catholic theology titled simply, Catholicism (Harper Collins Publishers). It's an excellent read (very engaging writing style, I assure you) to even the neophyte. Before asserting any statements on what/how/why/who/... about Catholicism, it behoves us to first become more informed of that what we seek to criticize/analyze/evaluate/discard....! :-) Best, James _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!