"He's such a good Christian guy. I don't understand why he would remain Catholic."
It seems to me that there is a true ignorance between Catholics and non-Catholics about what exactly constitutes you as a Christian. Especially among the latter. You can run the gamut of denominations and pretty much every single one of them will probably have a different answer. Some might be closer to historical Christianity, while others are way way off. This creates a mess and a problem when you are trying to explain to others of a different persuasion just exactly where you are coming from. You have some of the same terms, but their definitions can be totally at odds with each other. It's a sad reality, but one that we have to deal with.
All the time it seems that if you're Catholic then automatically in the eyes of particular non-Catholics, you're not a Christian. This creates a false dichotomy right away. Once again, it's got to be "either/or" instead of "both/and". The person who said the quote above has no idea what Catholicism truly teaches. They have been inundated by falsifications and misconceptions about the faith. They have only seen disenfranchised Catholics who never knew their faith in the first place saying nasty things about the church. Instead of seeing that Catholics truly are Christians (we are the original variety), they see a "good Christian guy" that's part of some horrible abomination that doesn't teach the Gospel.
They have no idea that we are chock full of the Gospel. In fact we are full to the brim. We possess the fullness of Christian Truth. Because that Truth is a Person, we have the fullness of Jesus Christ's revelation. Not only do we possess God's letter to us, the Bible (all 73 books of it), we possess the knowledge and the confidence that comes with the promise that Christ made to Peter: "Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it... Whatever you bind on earth is bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven." (St. Matthew 16:18-19) It's pretty easy to take Christ, the God-Man, at his words. We have the Church. We have God's promise that He will guide us and be with us throughout all time.
What constitutes the Church and how do you become a member of Christ's Church? The Church is described here. To become a member of the Church you must be baptized with water and the Spirit. In Acts 2:38, Peter says to all "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." By becoming a part of the Church that Christ founded, you can be confident of the promises that he made to it. That is how you become a follower of Christ, a Christian. There is an internal decision that also accompanies baptism. This notion that each believer is an island unto himself is a "new" development in Christianity. By over emphasising one aspect of your relationship to Christ, it seems you are cutting off another. Keep in mind as well, that the covenant was fulfilled by Christ, not abolished. Naturally, what was seen darkly in the old covenant was made light in the new. Thus, since intrance into the old covenant was through circumcision of small children, so the new sign of the the new covenant, baptism, takes its place. Just as a person took the faith of their parents and childhood and made it their own through their bar or bat mitzvah, so it is the same with Confirmation. Understanding of the sacramental nature of the church is essential when trying to understand other aspects of it.
So when someone asks if you are a Christian, you say a resounding "Yes, just the way the Bible says." Catholics are truly Christians. What makes it difficult to answer dissenteing opinions is that there is that so much background work that must be accomplished first. Understanding can come only through patience and through credible witness to the truths of Christianity in their fullness found only in the Catholic Church.
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