What is the difference between Catholics and protestants.

[Root of Jesse]

Just plain nonsense.

See what I mean? A perfect example. We include them, but they separate themselves from us.

 

[Albion]

See what I mean? A perfect example. We include them, but they separate themselves from us.

You're funny.

 

[steve_bakr]

I don't have a beef with them, at all, breing the only Catholic in my family, they all being Baptist.
But when they, or Catholics, for that matter, mischaracterize the Catholic faith, I have to try to correct them, as gently as I can, at least to correct the misperceptions. Michael Coren has written a beautiful book which does just that. It helps a great deal for people of good will to understand the truth of Catholicism.

Let me give you an example. This is how Rahner would approach the subject. The teaching that Protestants are part of the Catholic Church can be interpreted in different ways, but, OK, you are taking it to mean the visible Catholic Church.

Rahner would tell you that it is a teaching that we tell ourselves, not to Protestants. Why? Because it comes off as arrogant and condescending. Plus it's not helpful. I'm sure you realize that, too. Maybe, it is part of your family dynamics to do that to each other, and it feels normal.

I got an atheist upset at me when I was explaining the concept of an anonymous Christian. He felt that I was saying that he was really a Christian, whether he knew it or agreed with it or not, no matter how much he objected. I had to approach my thesis in a different way because he was offended.

So, you are going to offend Protestants by implying that they are really Catholic, because they have issues with the Catholic Church that their consciences don't agree with.

 

[I am a Christian]

Catholic

Savior: Jesus Christ

Practices: All Catholics are expected to participate in the liturgical life of the Church, but personal prayer and devotions are entirely a matter of personal preference.

Scriptures: Holy Bible (Douay version)

Belief: The Catholics believe that salvation to eternal life is God's will for all people. You must believe Jesus was the son of God to obtain this.

Place of worship: Church, chapel, Cathedral

About: Catholics follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as transmitted through the Old & New Testament via Rome and the Vatican and Follow the Catechism. Catholicism claims its Church is the original Church.

Literal Meaning: catholic - from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning "general" or "universal"

Confessing sins: To God or to priests

Means of salvation: Received at baptism; may be lost by mortal sin; regained by faith and penance.

View of other Abrahamic religions: According to Catholic doctrine, Catholicism is the original Christian Church. Christianity is the true religion.

Human Nature: Humans are free to devote themselves to knowledge and communion in the image of God. "original sin" inherited from Adam - tendency towards evil (Infants must be baptized)

Identity of Jesus: The Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father the Son is one and the same God. The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us.

Concept of Deity: Believe in the Trinity of God. Three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Resurrection of Jesus: Affirmed

Death of Jesus: Death by Crucifixion

Belief of God: Catholics believe that there is only one God and argue that he has revealed himself as the trinity.

Use of statues and pictures: Permitted

Birth of Jesus: Virgin Birth

Second coming of Jesus: Affirmed

Religious Law: canon law (Catholics)

Geographical predominance: Italy, Philippines, Brazil

Status of Adam:Sin came into the world, through Adam.

Geographical distribution and predominance: France, Italy, Spain, Latin America, USA

Clergy: priests, monks, ministers, pastors, bishops, arch-bishops

Status of women: Variable but treated with respect. Women are not allowed to be priests. However, they can become nuns.

Use of statues: Common

Holy days: Christmas, Easter, New Year, Pentecost, Saints' Feast Days.

God's role in salvation: Christ can save people and can help in salvation.

Place of origin: Palestine & Rome; Western Roman Empire

Day of worship: Sunday (and on any other day too)

Time of origin: c. 33 AD

Original Language(s): Aramaic, Greek, and Latin

 

[I am a Christian]

Protestant

Savior: Jesus Christ

Practices: Regularly visit the church, especially on Sundays.

Scriptures: Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament)

Belief: Believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah & the Saviour. Nearly always believe in being born again.

Place of worship: Church, chapel, Cathedral

About: Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church, & follow strict adherance to their own interpretations of the Bible.

Literal Meaning: Protestant - to 'protest'

Confessing sins: To God

Means of salvation: Faith alone and being born again.

View of other Abrahamic religions: Judaism is a true religion, but they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. Islam is a false religion, pagan religions are also false.

Human Nature: "original sin" inherited from Adam, tendency towards evil, but the sins of the father do not pass through the son, therefore Children are holy, and until they reach the age where they can know good from evil, their sins are not held against them.

Identity of Jesus: Son of God, God Incarnate, Saviour of the world.

Concept of Deity: Most believe in the Trinity; three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Resurrection of Jesus: Affirmed

Death of Jesus: Death by Crucifixion

Belief of God: Most Protestants believe in the Trinity of God.

Use of statues and pictures: Not used

Birth of Jesus: Virgin Birth

Second coming of Jesus: Affirmed

Religious Law: canon law (Anglicans(Episcopalians))

Geographical predominance: North America and Europe

Status of Adam: Disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Geographical distribution and predominance: North America, Europe

Clergy: ministers, pastors, reverends.

Status of women: Variable. Conservatives and liberals differ greatly. Variable. Although woman can work in the church as sunday school teachers, piano players etc.

Use of statues: Not for worship or praying and they are hardly ever used for any other purpose.

Holy days: Christmas, Easter, New Year, Pentecost

God's role in salvation: predestination, various forms of grace. They believe Jesus gets you to heaven threw being born again.

Place of origin: Germany

Day of worship: Sunday

Time of origin: Approx. 1500 A.D.

Original Language(s): German

 

[I am a Christian]

See what I mean? A perfect example. We include them, but they separate themselves from us.

We all believe in Jesus Christ

 

[RightHandMan]

The Protestants believed that the Catholic Church was twisting the scriptures and obsessed with power. The early Protestants beloved that the pope was actually the antichrist. While Protestants and Catholics have a lot in common Their interpretations can be quite different. The gap between catholic and Protestant has narrowed a bit but 500 years ago Catholics were burning Protestants at the stake for heresy and there is still a lot of distrust a d theological differences on what it means yo be a christian

Word for word 100% correct

 

[Albion]

Word for word 100% correct

Not exactly, but the problem is that "Protestant" is an arbitrary, catch-all classification. The churches that are so classified have certain things in common (mainly the five 'Solas') but that's about it, other than not being Catholic.

They are not descended from the same church, were not necessarily ever united with the others, don't usually claim to have the same statement of faith as any of the others, and may have substantially different practices and beliefs except for the few commonly-held basics.

That's why "definitions" that attempt to be too precise--such as "I am a Christian's"--wind up identifying one Protestant church in one part of the answer, and another in a different part, etc.

 

[Root of Jesse]

We all believe in Jesus Christ

Absolutely.

But Muslims also believe in Christ. It's what we believe about Him that separates us.

Muslims believe he was a prophet and great teacher. Catholics and Protestants believe He is God the Son, but we interpret the writings of his time on earth differently. Case in point, John 6 says that we must eat Jesus' flesh and drink Jesus' blood, or we have no life in us. (paraphrase). Catholics believe he meant it literally, because many turned away from him when he said it. Some believe that Jesus didn't actually multiply the loaves and fishes, even though that's what it says. Catholics take Jesus at his word, and rely on those who were alive during and just after his time to tell us the context of those writings.

 

[Root of Jesse]

Word for word 100% correct

But they were wrong...and there's the rub.

 

[steve_bakr]

I would say that Catholics and Protestants have more in common than we have differences. My Deacon has always said to concentrate on our commonalities.