Is Catholicism a Cult?

Michie · Sep 30, 2023

Is Catholicism a cult?

This is a fun question. When some Protestants call Catholicism a “cult,” there has never been a better example of the proverbial pot calling the kettle “black!” Religions are defined by their definition of God. If Catholicism is a “cult,” then so is every Protestant denomination and affiliation, as they all subscribe to the same Catholic doctrine of the Holy Trinity and belief that Jesus Christ is God.

Protestants (particularly Evangelicals) are connected to Catholicism both through history and baptism. They are essentially catholics (with a small “c”) because, unlike some churches that also use the name Christian (These include; Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, just to name a few.), Protestant churches accept the Trinity, as well as other distinctively Catholic traits.

These functionally catholic Christians actively protest various teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, hence the name Protest-ant. Some Protestants prefer to be called Reformed, Evangelical or “born again” Christians. Others just prefer to be labeled according to their denomination. (The term “Protestant” itself is simply a descriptive way to refer to all of them and is in no way intended as a pejorative.) They all accept the Trinitarian definition of God. They worship Jesus Christ as God the Son. They use a New Testament that was compiled and canonized by the Catholic Church sixteen-hundred years ago. They celebrate Christian feasts (Christmas, Easter, All Hallows Eve, Saint Patrick’s Day & Saint Valentine’s Day) according to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar (Eastern Christians use a completely different liturgical calendar, marking different dates for Christmas and Easter, as well as different Saint days. While Protestants continue to cling to the Western calendar, formulated by the Roman Catholic Church, for the celebration of these holidays.). They follow the Catholic practice of worshipping on Sundays. They arrange their churches with pews, an elevated sanctuary and occasionally an altar. All of these are essentially Roman Catholic traits. They’ve even retained some traditional Catholic hymns in some cases.

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