Catholics/WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

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Expert: - 10/31/2007


Question
Hi Dr. Clark

Can you please tell me the difference between being a Born Again Christian and a Catholic ?

I'm searching for answer right now in my beliefs, of which at the present time vary.
The both believe in JESUS CHRIST.

Thank You Dr. Clark

Answer
Hi Ray, Catholics do consider themselves born again through their baptism but many who call themselves 'Born Again Christians' would probably not accept the notion that the Catholic Church hierarchy and general structure is ordained from God. Thus the difference. Some who call themselves Born Again also believe that the Bible alone is enough. Catholics emphasize the Bible and Tradition (i.e. the body of Catholic dogmas and teachings) as coequal. Catholics also try to integrate science and religion (to include the study of the Bible), whereas some Born Again Christians might not be concerned to study scripture with all of the contemporary tools and perspectives available to us. Note, however, that there any many different types and branches and it can get very complicated.

This article might help to flesh out some of the details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_again

I hope this helps.

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Michael Clark, Ph.D.

Expertise

I'm a progressive Catholic--not a liberal, conservative nor a single-minded critic of Catholicism. I simply believe that adults in the 21C should use the mind God gave them and not just repeat ancient and medieval modes of thinking.

I can probably help with questions that intelligently and respectfully question those aspects of Catholicism that are not infallible. But if you're looking for someone to vigorously defend or perhaps refute Catholicism as a whole, that's not me. So please ask another expert.

Experience

I run an educational website earthpages.org and know what the web has to offer. I might suggest hyperlinks and/or book titles as I have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and a considerable personal library.

Publications
Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157

World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o

I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr

My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology
For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.

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