How to Tell If Someone Is Christian
2018년 11월 11일First, let us establish upfront that in English, all denominations that follow Jesus are Christian: Catholic, Orthodox, and the various Protestant Churches. So if someone asks, “Are you Catholic or Christian?” the only correct answer is “Yes!” At the same time we should never insult an Orthodox (Greek, Russian Ukrainian etc) by calling them Protestant. The Orthodox and Roman Churches were one church till the Great Schism in 1054 A.D.
Now, the clergy in these various Christian sects are pretty recognizable by the close they wear. Catholic priests dress dress in black suits and Roman collars, or in a religious habit or cassock. (Except me. I tend to wear normal clothes most of the week.) Orthodox priests wear black robes, with silver or gold crosses and a black veil over their white hats. Very impressive! Protestant ministers tend to be more simply dressed, with perhaps a clerical collar. But what about the laity? Can we tall whose a Protestant or Catholic or Orthodox by the way they dress? Many Catholics wear crucifixes or holy medals around their necks. Some Protestants wear simple crosses. Orthodox laity may wear and Orthodox cross. It looks like this:☦
While all that is well and good, Jesus doesn’t tell his followers what to wear. Instead, he tells us how to act. Just because some wears a cross or a rosary around their neck does not mean they are good Catholics. Jesus says, “All will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Of course, if we are wearing an obvious symbol of our faith, we should be all the more careful that our words and actions reflect well on our faith.