Roman Catholics and Protestants

[B-A-C]

Depending on where you get your information there are hundreds of different Protestant denominations. Roman Catholics would say there is only one denomination in Catholicism, however in practice that isn't really true.
The word "Protestant" was originally a derogatory word coined by the Roman Catholics. It comes from the word "protest". What were the Protestant protesting? The Roman Catholic church. Most of this came from the
Protestant reformation by Martin Luther and others. The 95 Thesis was a core part of this. Martin Luther's 95 Theses , but there are many more differences also.

This has been discussed at length here on TalkJesus before. Usually these type of discussions don't end well, and can cause strife and division. In this case, there is already the division of denominations.
There really weren't denominations back in the BIble times. But somehow over the centuries it seems the church has grown more apart, than together.

So what are some of the things Protestants don't see eye to eye with Roman Catholics? Probably the biggest thing is putting things between people and God/Jesus. Here are some examples.

Jesus isn't the head of the church, the Pope is.
Jesus isn't our primary mediator, Mary also is.
You don't confess you sins to Jesus, you confess them to a Priest.
Jesus doesn't forgive your sins, the church does.
God isn't our only heavenly Father, your priest also is.
The Priest is a Vicar ( Vicar means substitute ) a replacement for Jesus is many cases.

There are more, but the jist here is... instead of directly dealing with Jesus, you go through.. the pope/the church/a priest/Mary etc...
Another big difference is, how churches are named. Protestant churches are typically named something like... Church of God, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, Church of Our Redeemer, Reformed Church, Baptist Church, Apostolic Church or
something similar. Roman Catholic churches, it seems more often that not, are named after Mary.
Church of the Virgin Mother. Church of the Rose of Lima. Church of our Lady of Guadalupe. Church of the Blessed Mother. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. etc...
An interesting note here is The Roman Catholics believe there have been "apparitions" of Mary through the centuries. Where Mary appears to someone for a brief period of time. Usually giving them a message of some type.
There has never been an apparition of Jesus.

In fact the veneration of Mary itself is another big difference. Roman Catholics often pray to Mary. She is officially called the "Mediatrix" by the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mediator between Christians and God.
Protestant believe Jesus/The Holy Spirit are the only mediators. Roman Catholics believe Mary was sinless until her death. Roman Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin until her death. Roman Catholics have a term
called the "Immaculate Conception". This is about an impregnation of a baby. However in this case, it isn't Jesus. It's Mary. The Immaculate Conception was Mary's conception. t seems Roman Catholics like statues.
Over 90% of the time, this statue is Mary. Not Jesus. They acknowledge Jesus has brothers and sisters, but they believe Joseph had other children before being engaged to Mary.

Intercessory prayer is also viewed differently. Roman Catholics sometimes pray to dead Saints. Some of them even have "patron Saints". As mentioned earlier they pray "through" Mary.
In Protestantism, intercessory prayer is done through the living, for the living. I pray for someone ( who is alive ) to Jesus. In Roman Catholicism, I pray to my Patron saint, or more frequently to Mary ( instead of Jesus )
for someone. In many cases, this person doesn't even have to be alive. Some Roman Catholics pray for relatives who have been dead for generations.

Then there is the concept of Purgatory. This is a tricky subject, because even Protestants don't agree on where the dead are. Many Protestants believe that Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.
It's difficult to get exact numbers, but likely an equal number believe in "soul sleep". That is, you lie in the ground until the rapture or resurrection. But all Protestants believe once you are dead, you're dead.
The die is cast, and your fate for eternity has been sealed the moment you die. Roman Catholics believe there is a place the unsaved dead go. They believe the living Christians can pray for them, do penance for them,
and pay indulgences for them to get them out of Purgatory and into heaven, even though they are already dead.

The concept of "indulgences" is a Roman Catholic thing. My understanding is that this has largely been eliminated from the Roman Catholic church, but still exists at a global level. In Protestantism, if you commit
a sin. You simply ask for forgiveness. In Roman Catholicism, you can give the church items of value ( usually money ) to "pay" for your sins. Much like the Old Testament practice of making a sacrifice or offering for
your sin(s).

I need to stop here for a moment. So far it seems the post is about "hard core" Protestant and "hard core" Roman Catholics. But there are some "middle ground" denominations. They usually consider themselves to
be Protestants, but most other Protestant denominations do not consider them to be. Some examples would be the Lutheran ELCA branch, and the Anglican church. Episcopal church, and Church of England.
These churches aren't really Roman Catholic, but they follow many Roman Catholic practices. For example they still have Priests, and they still have a human leader of the church like the Pope (i.e. the Archbishop of Canterbury ).

The Eucharist is also viewed differently. Catholics call this Mass. Protestants call this "communion". Every so often, the believers in the church gather together to take a piece of bread ( usually unleavened ) and a small
drink of wine ( usually grape juice ). Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine literally become they body and blood of Jesus during Mass. (transubstantiation) Protestants simply believe these are symbols of Jesus's body and blood.
In Roman Catholicism, this has to be performed by a Priests ( who's main job was sacrifice in the old Testament ) So in a way, they are crucifying Jesus over and over again every time they have Mass. In Protesantism
communion is a ceremony of "remembrance". Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Protestant believe sin is sin. There are greater and lesser sins. But all sins lead to hell. Roman Catholics believe that there are "mortal" and "venial" sins. Mortal sins are bad enough to send you to hell. But venial sins, are just things
you shouldn't do, but have no bearing on your eternal future.

There are some other differences here as well, but I'm running out of time this morning. Perhaps I can get back to this soon.

 

[lentz]

And so in actuality and for all intents and purposes,Catholicism is a devilish,satanic cult,that draws souls from God and redemption.

 

[B-A-C]

Priests, another thing about Protestantism. No priests, Protestants believe in a doctrine called "the priesthood of believers". In other words, if you're a Christian you're a priest.
You are your own priest, you don't need another human priest to stand in for you. Protestant still have a "high priest" which is Jesus.

Now the word "catholic" is somewhat interesting in itself. It just means "global" or "world-wide". So in a way all churches are "catholic". Meaning they are all part of the same global part of believers.
However, when you put the word "Roman" in front of it. It changes meaning and context. Roman Catholics are specifically the church under the Pope in Rome and the Vatican bureaucracy.
Protestantism is less centered on denominations. For example Baptists generally believe that Pentecostals are saved Christians, Pentecostals generally believe that Baptists are saved. Even though they
don't agree on all doctrines, they generally believe the other denomination is "close enough". Roman Catholic's on the other hand. Believe they are the only saved denomination. If you aren't a
member of the Roman Catholic church, they would say you are not saved. In fact, if you didn't get married in a Roman Catholic church, they would say you are not married.

Infant baptisms vs dedications. Protestants will often have a dedication ceremony for new born infants. Sometimes just a few weeks old. But usually under two years of age. Protestants
don't believe the child is saved because they were dedicated. This is simply a ceremony in the church that says the parents are dedicating themselves to raising the child in a Christian/Biblical way
to the best of their ability. And the church pledges to help them to do this endeavor. Roman Catholics ( and some of the "middle of the road" denominations I mentioned above ) have an infant
baptism. They believe the child is "saved" at this moment. Even though the child wasn't old enough to make the decision for themselves. ( Usually they can't even walk or speak yet ).
Later on when they become a teenager, and it is assumed they have reached the age of accountability and responsibility. They have something called "confirmation". The process is different
in different churches, but generally there is a sponsor. Someone in good standing in the church, other than their parents. They may have some tutoring sessions, some devotionals, and even
some Bible studies for a days or weeks. Then there is a ceremony in the church that "confirms" their salvation ( that already happened when they were an infant ). Sometimes a confession
of belief is required during these ceremonies, but sometimes it is not required.

 

[B-A-C]

One of the things the Roman Catholic church has gotten a bad rap for over the centuries, is force of doctrinal acceptance. Some examples of these would be the Spanish Inquisition. ( a few other Inquistions as well )
But basically the church had it's own soldiers that went around and enforced the church belief upon people. You were asked if you believed certain things. Depending on your answer you could be killed, but more frequently
imprisoned or even tortured ... until you "came to your senses". And confessed the right things that the church said you needed to say.

There were also the "crusades". Over a period of a couple of hundred years, the Roman church sent military armies to Jerusalem ( the "Holy" lands in general ) to fight over who controlled Jerusalem. This was usually the Muslims.
There have been numerous debates through the centuries.. "Is this the way Jesus would have done it?" Some Roman Catholics have apologized for the history of involvement of the church in these things.
However Protestants have a few similar things in their past as well. The Puritan witch hunts in Salem for example, where people were burned at the stake for being witches.

 

[Brad Huber]

And in the sense of fairness, why dont you speak about those labeled under protestants that are messed up, like Jehova's witness's, mormon, 7th day adventists, and lots more. I have heard first hand stories of baptist churches that wife swapped. Their is a local church where the pastor was caught cheating on his wife, it was baptist, and the pastor left, started his own church and its nearly bigger than the one he left. I have heard of some of those churches more emotional based, like assemblies of God that more prone to have sexual sins inside the higher ranking church members.

Those certainly dont sound like good examples and thats because they arent, churches of all types are filled with messed up people.

 

[B-A-C]

And in the sense of fairness, why dont you speak about those labeled under protestants that are messed up, like Jehova's witness's, mormon, 7th day adventists, and lots more. I have heard first hand stories of baptist churches that wife swapped. Their is a local church where the pastor was caught cheating on his wife, it was baptist, and the pastor left, started his own church and its nearly bigger than the one he left. I have heard of some of those churches more emotional based, like assemblies of God that more prone to have sexual sins inside the higher ranking church members.

No doubt, there is certainly truth in what you are saying. I don't know of a single mainstream Protestant church that considers JW's or Mormons a protestant denomination. However some do consider 7th day Adventists to be Protestant.
One of the definitions of a cult has to do with the Nicene creed and the deity of Jesus. Jehovah's witnesses flat out deny that Jesus is God. Mormon's are a little different, they would say that Jesus is god, but they would say he was a man who became a god.
In fact any Christian can become a god. So the argument is, if everyone can become god, then no one is really "the" God. Roman Catholic's do acknowledge the deity of Jesus. So they are not a cult.

As for sin in the church. It happens, but it's generally not a doctrinally accepted thing. Adultery and fornication happens in all kinds of churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant, I don't deny it.
But I will say, I know of no Roman Catholic or Protestant church that accepts it, and teaches that God is OK with it.

There is another church you did not mention here, the Unitarian Universalist church. We have had a few of these here on TalkJesus from time to time. They believe everyone is going to heaven no matter what.
Even if you're a gay Satanist or a pedophile Atheist, they believe you will still go to heaven, and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[B-A-C]

why dont you speak about those labeled under protestants that are messed up

Going back and reading my posts in this thread, I don't anywhere I condemned the Roman Catholics, or even said they were wrong. I simply pointed out the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
I did not even post any scripture to support or condemn one side or the other. I was merely showing the differences.

 

[Dave M]

Jesus doesn't forgive your sins, the church does.

meaning that your sins are never really forgiven. To many people go to a preist confess their sins and are confused that they are forgiven of their sin, but have not repented. So you have no change of life people are not getting born again.

this is a serious issue and sends many people to hell because instead of reading the bible they take the word of the church. Once anyone starts reading the bible and searching for God with all their heart they will see the truth. I know once
I started reading the bible I could not get out of the roman catholic church fast eno

 

[Bill]

Depending on where you get your information there are hundreds of different Protestant denominations. Roman Catholics would say there is only one denomination in Catholicism, however in practice that isn't really true.
The word "Protestant" was originally a derogatory word coined by the Roman Catholics. It comes from the word "protest". What were the Protestant protesting? The Roman Catholic church. Most of this came from the
Protestant reformation by Martin Luther and others. The 95 Thesis was a core part of this. Martin Luther's 95 Theses , but there are many more differences also.

This has been discussed at length here on TalkJesus before. Usually these type of discussions don't end well, and can cause strife and division. In this case, there is already the division of denominations.
There really weren't denominations back in the BIble times. But somehow over the centuries it seems the church has grown more apart, than together.

So what are some of the things Protestants don't see eye to eye with Roman Catholics? Probably the biggest thing is putting things between people and God/Jesus. Here are some examples.

Jesus isn't the head of the church, the Pope is.
Jesus isn't our primary mediator, Mary also is.
You don't confess you sins to Jesus, you confess them to a Priest.
Jesus doesn't forgive your sins, the church does.
God isn't our only heavenly Father, your priest also is.
The Priest is a Vicar ( Vicar means substitute ) a replacement for Jesus is many cases.

There are more, but the jist here is... instead of directly dealing with Jesus, you go through.. the pope/the church/a priest/Mary etc...
Another big difference is, how churches are named. Protestant churches are typically named something like... Church of God, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, Church of Our Redeemer, Reformed Church, Baptist Church, Apostolic Church or
something similar. Roman Catholic churches, it seems more often that not, are named after Mary.
Church of the Virgin Mother. Church of the Rose of Lima. Church of our Lady of Guadalupe. Church of the Blessed Mother. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. etc...
An interesting note here is The Roman Catholics believe there have been "apparitions" of Mary through the centuries. Where Mary appears to someone for a brief period of time. Usually giving them a message of some type.
There has never been an apparition of Jesus.

In fact the veneration of Mary itself is another big difference. Roman Catholics often pray to Mary. She is officially called the "Mediatrix" by the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mediator between Christians and God.
Protestant believe Jesus/The Holy Spirit are the only mediators. Roman Catholics believe Mary was sinless until her death. Roman Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin until her death. Roman Catholics have a term
called the "Immaculate Conception". This is about an impregnation of a baby. However in this case, it isn't Jesus. It's Mary. The Immaculate Conception was Mary's conception. t seems Roman Catholics like statues.
Over 90% of the time, this statue is Mary. Not Jesus. They acknowledge Jesus has brothers and sisters, but they believe Joseph had other children before being engaged to Mary.

Intercessory prayer is also viewed differently. Roman Catholics sometimes pray to dead Saints. Some of them even have "patron Saints". As mentioned earlier they pray "through" Mary.
In Protestantism, intercessory prayer is done through the living, for the living. I pray for someone ( who is alive ) to Jesus. In Roman Catholicism, I pray to my Patron saint, or more frequently to Mary ( instead of Jesus )
for someone. In many cases, this person doesn't even have to be alive. Some Roman Catholics pray for relatives who have been dead for generations.

Then there is the concept of Purgatory. This is a tricky subject, because even Protestants don't agree on where the dead are. Many Protestants believe that Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.
It's difficult to get exact numbers, but likely an equal number believe in "soul sleep". That is, you lie in the ground until the rapture or resurrection. But all Protestants believe once you are dead, you're dead.
The die is cast, and your fate for eternity has been sealed the moment you die. Roman Catholics believe there is a place the unsaved dead go. They believe the living Christians can pray for them, do penance for them,
and pay indulgences for them to get them out of Purgatory and into heaven, even though they are already dead.

The concept of "indulgences" is a Roman Catholic thing. My understanding is that this has largely been eliminated from the Roman Catholic church, but still exists at a global level. In Protestantism, if you commit
a sin. You simply ask for forgiveness. In Roman Catholicism, you can give the church items of value ( usually money ) to "pay" for your sins. Much like the Old Testament practice of making a sacrifice or offering for
your sin(s).

I need to stop here for a moment. So far it seems the post is about "hard core" Protestant and "hard core" Roman Catholics. But there are some "middle ground" denominations. They usually consider themselves to
be Protestants, but most other Protestant denominations do not consider them to be. Some examples would be the Lutheran ELCA branch, and the Anglican church. Episcopal church, and Church of England.
These churches aren't really Roman Catholic, but they follow many Roman Catholic practices. For example they still have Priests, and they still have a human leader of the church like the Pope (i.e. the Archbishop of Canterbury ).

The Eucharist is also viewed differently. Catholics call this Mass. Protestants call this "communion". Every so often, the believers in the church gather together to take a piece of bread ( usually unleavened ) and a small
drink of wine ( usually grape juice ). Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine literally become they body and blood of Jesus during Mass. (transubstantiation) Protestants simply believe these are symbols of Jesus's body and blood.
In Roman Catholicism, this has to be performed by a Priests ( who's main job was sacrifice in the old Testament ) So in a way, they are crucifying Jesus over and over again every time they have Mass. In Protesantism
communion is a ceremony of "remembrance". Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Protestant believe sin is sin. There are greater and lesser sins. But all sins lead to hell. Roman Catholics believe that there are "mortal" and "venial" sins. Mortal sins are bad enough to send you to hell. But venial sins, are just things
you shouldn't do, but have no bearing on your eternal future.

There are some other differences here as well, but I'm running out of time this morning. Perhaps I can get back to this soon.

The Roman Catholics and the Protestants. It's kind of like saying my brothers and my sisters.

Tell me do we always talk about our brothers and sisters in the same way. Do we expect them to be just like we are? Of course not. But I do expect my brothers and sisters in the Lord to be in the Lord. To love from your hearts, to have faith, to forgive, and let God live in your heart.

 

[Bill]

meaning that your sins are never really forgiven. To many people go to a preist confess their sins and are confused that they are forgiven of their sin, but have not repented. So you have no change of life people are not getting born again.

this is a serious issue and sends many people to hell because instead of reading the bible they take the word of the church. Once anyone starts reading the bible and searching for God with all their heart they will see the truth. I know once
I started reading the bible I could not get out of the roman catholic church fast eno

People are silly.

 

[Bill]

Going back and reading my posts in this thread, I don't anywhere I condemned the Roman Catholics, or even said they were wrong. I simply pointed out the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
I did not even post any scripture to support or condemn one side or the other. I was merely showing the differences.

My brother, there are no real differences. Sure we can sit there and say that we received the Eucharist. As Catholics. But if the Catholics understood the truth of what Jesus is, then they would also know that the Protestants also received the Eucharist when they receive the word into their heart.

People feel they know God. The truth is that they don't really know God. God loves all of his children, every single one. He has no favorites.

I am a Catholic, and I understand our dilemma with the hierarchy that is so off base. And I speak against the actions of the Pope all the time. It does not mean that the Catholic Church itself is a false church because it's not. It would be like me trying to tell the Baptist that the Baptist Church is a false Church or the Lutheran Church is a false Church or the Church of God is a false Church. When none of them are a false Church.

God understands mankind, and are failing as well as our magnificence.

I wish people could see how God loves us the way that he has shown me. I wish that I could share with you the understanding of what the Eucharist is. Of the scripture of Jesus blessing and handing out the bread and the wine, saying take and eat.

As Catholics we understand this, only in the idea of the Eucharist being the bread and the wine.

But the Eucharist is Jesus and Jesus is the Eucharist. The same thing can be said with the scripture the scripture is Jesus and Jesus is the scripture, so long as you take the scripture into your heart.

Protestants Catholics all titles, we need to learn to come together as one, as God the Father is One, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit

 

[Bill]

And in the sense of fairness, why dont you speak about those labeled under protestants that are messed up, like Jehova's witness's, mormon, 7th day adventists, and lots more. I have heard first hand stories of baptist churches that wife swapped. Their is a local church where the pastor was caught cheating on his wife, it was baptist, and the pastor left, started his own church and its nearly bigger than the one he left. I have heard of some of those churches more emotional based, like assemblies of God that more prone to have sexual sins inside the higher ranking church members.

Those certainly dont sound like good examples and thats because they arent, churches of all types are filled with messed up people.

I don't know about you, but I would never consider the Jehovah Witnesses or the Mormons as Protestants. At least in my mind I look at Protestants as those who believe that Jesus is God and who Loved Jesus in their hearts

 

[Bill]

And in the sense of fairness, why dont you speak about those labeled under protestants that are messed up, like Jehova's witness's, mormon, 7th day adventists, and lots more. I have heard first hand stories of baptist churches that wife swapped. Their is a local church where the pastor was caught cheating on his wife, it was baptist, and the pastor left, started his own church and its nearly bigger than the one he left. I have heard of some of those churches more emotional based, like assemblies of God that more prone to have sexual sins inside the higher ranking church members.

Those certainly dont sound like good examples and thats because they arent, churches of all types are filled with messed up people.

My brother, there are many many people in all of the churches that love God, and God loves all of them.

 

[Hekuran]

My brother, there are many many people in all of the churches that love God, and God loves all of them.

I appreciate your attitude to this @Bill Anyone who loves the Lord Jesus and follows him is a brother or a sister in Christ.

No matter our different views on some subjects, different styles and traditions, we are all heading in the same direction.

 

[Admon Mikha'el]

Depending on where you get your information there are hundreds of different Protestant denominations. Roman Catholics would say there is only one denomination in Catholicism, however in practice that isn't really true.
The word "Protestant" was originally a derogatory word coined by the Roman Catholics. It comes from the word "protest". What were the Protestant protesting? The Roman Catholic church. Most of this came from the
Protestant reformation by Martin Luther and others. The 95 Thesis was a core part of this. Martin Luther's 95 Theses , but there are many more differences also.

This has been discussed at length here on TalkJesus before. Usually these type of discussions don't end well, and can cause strife and division. In this case, there is already the division of denominations.
There really weren't denominations back in the BIble times. But somehow over the centuries it seems the church has grown more apart, than together.

So what are some of the things Protestants don't see eye to eye with Roman Catholics? Probably the biggest thing is putting things between people and God/Jesus. Here are some examples.

Jesus isn't the head of the church, the Pope is.
Jesus isn't our primary mediator, Mary also is.
You don't confess you sins to Jesus, you confess them to a Priest.
Jesus doesn't forgive your sins, the church does.
God isn't our only heavenly Father, your priest also is.
The Priest is a Vicar ( Vicar means substitute ) a replacement for Jesus is many cases.

There are more, but the jist here is... instead of directly dealing with Jesus, you go through.. the pope/the church/a priest/Mary etc...
Another big difference is, how churches are named. Protestant churches are typically named something like... Church of God, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, Church of Our Redeemer, Reformed Church, Baptist Church, Apostolic Church or
something similar. Roman Catholic churches, it seems more often that not, are named after Mary.
Church of the Virgin Mother. Church of the Rose of Lima. Church of our Lady of Guadalupe. Church of the Blessed Mother. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. etc...
An interesting note here is The Roman Catholics believe there have been "apparitions" of Mary through the centuries. Where Mary appears to someone for a brief period of time. Usually giving them a message of some type.
There has never been an apparition of Jesus.

In fact the veneration of Mary itself is another big difference. Roman Catholics often pray to Mary. She is officially called the "Mediatrix" by the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mediator between Christians and God.
Protestant believe Jesus/The Holy Spirit are the only mediators. Roman Catholics believe Mary was sinless until her death. Roman Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin until her death. Roman Catholics have a term
called the "Immaculate Conception". This is about an impregnation of a baby. However in this case, it isn't Jesus. It's Mary. The Immaculate Conception was Mary's conception. t seems Roman Catholics like statues.
Over 90% of the time, this statue is Mary. Not Jesus. They acknowledge Jesus has brothers and sisters, but they believe Joseph had other children before being engaged to Mary.

Intercessory prayer is also viewed differently. Roman Catholics sometimes pray to dead Saints. Some of them even have "patron Saints". As mentioned earlier they pray "through" Mary.
In Protestantism, intercessory prayer is done through the living, for the living. I pray for someone ( who is alive ) to Jesus. In Roman Catholicism, I pray to my Patron saint, or more frequently to Mary ( instead of Jesus )
for someone. In many cases, this person doesn't even have to be alive. Some Roman Catholics pray for relatives who have been dead for generations.

Then there is the concept of Purgatory. This is a tricky subject, because even Protestants don't agree on where the dead are. Many Protestants believe that Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.
It's difficult to get exact numbers, but likely an equal number believe in "soul sleep". That is, you lie in the ground until the rapture or resurrection. But all Protestants believe once you are dead, you're dead.
The die is cast, and your fate for eternity has been sealed the moment you die. Roman Catholics believe there is a place the unsaved dead go. They believe the living Christians can pray for them, do penance for them,
and pay indulgences for them to get them out of Purgatory and into heaven, even though they are already dead.

The concept of "indulgences" is a Roman Catholic thing. My understanding is that this has largely been eliminated from the Roman Catholic church, but still exists at a global level. In Protestantism, if you commit
a sin. You simply ask for forgiveness. In Roman Catholicism, you can give the church items of value ( usually money ) to "pay" for your sins. Much like the Old Testament practice of making a sacrifice or offering for
your sin(s).

I need to stop here for a moment. So far it seems the post is about "hard core" Protestant and "hard core" Roman Catholics. But there are some "middle ground" denominations. They usually consider themselves to
be Protestants, but most other Protestant denominations do not consider them to be. Some examples would be the Lutheran ELCA branch, and the Anglican church. Episcopal church, and Church of England.
These churches aren't really Roman Catholic, but they follow many Roman Catholic practices. For example they still have Priests, and they still have a human leader of the church like the Pope (i.e. the Archbishop of Canterbury ).

The Eucharist is also viewed differently. Catholics call this Mass. Protestants call this "communion". Every so often, the believers in the church gather together to take a piece of bread ( usually unleavened ) and a small
drink of wine ( usually grape juice ). Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine literally become they body and blood of Jesus during Mass. (transubstantiation) Protestants simply believe these are symbols of Jesus's body and blood.
In Roman Catholicism, this has to be performed by a Priests ( who's main job was sacrifice in the old Testament ) So in a way, they are crucifying Jesus over and over again every time they have Mass. In Protesantism
communion is a ceremony of "remembrance". Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Protestant believe sin is sin. There are greater and lesser sins. But all sins lead to hell. Roman Catholics believe that there are "mortal" and "venial" sins. Mortal sins are bad enough to send you to hell. But venial sins, are just things
you shouldn't do, but have no bearing on your eternal future.

There are some other differences here as well, but I'm running out of time this morning. Perhaps I can get back to this soon.

I was raised in the Catholic church. I do believe it is a devilish religion, no two ways about it. BUT!!! In protesting the Romanist religion, one must always remember that there are a great many people in there that are born again Christians...priests and lay people alike. You cannot condemn any of the Catholic people. Don't ever do it! There are many people in the Catholic religion that are seeking Jesus and many that already know Him. When its time, Jesus WILL call them out and free them. Our job is to accept them and love them....They are no different than we are....

 

[Admon Mikha'el]

Actually too, when it comes to denominationalism....as soon as the church was born, Satan came in with the spirit of division and caused denominationalism.

1 Corinthians 3:4-9
4 For when one says, “I follow Sha’ul” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you being merely human? 5 After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha’ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — 8 planter and waterer are the same.
However, each will be rewarded according to his work. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
​

This scripture shows the beginning of denominationalism.​

Denominations are based on unbelief. One chooses to disbelieve the Word in some areas and put in their own opinions....Thats basically saying that God is a liar or that He does not know what He's talking about....That puts one into the position of 'self god' and a position of pride. Therefore denominationalism is sin. It ought not to be.

 

[Snake Bait]

Depending on where you get your information there are hundreds of different Protestant denominations. Roman Catholics would say there is only one denomination in Catholicism, however in practice that isn't really true.
The word "Protestant" was originally a derogatory word coined by the Roman Catholics. It comes from the word "protest". What were the Protestant protesting? The Roman Catholic church. Most of this came from the
Protestant reformation by Martin Luther and others. The 95 Thesis was a core part of this. Martin Luther's 95 Theses , but there are many more differences also.

This has been discussed at length here on TalkJesus before. Usually these type of discussions don't end well, and can cause strife and division. In this case, there is already the division of denominations.
There really weren't denominations back in the BIble times. But somehow over the centuries it seems the church has grown more apart, than together.

So what are some of the things Protestants don't see eye to eye with Roman Catholics? Probably the biggest thing is putting things between people and God/Jesus. Here are some examples.

Jesus isn't the head of the church, the Pope is.
Jesus isn't our primary mediator, Mary also is.
You don't confess you sins to Jesus, you confess them to a Priest.
Jesus doesn't forgive your sins, the church does.
God isn't our only heavenly Father, your priest also is.
The Priest is a Vicar ( Vicar means substitute ) a replacement for Jesus is many cases.

There are more, but the jist here is... instead of directly dealing with Jesus, you go through.. the pope/the church/a priest/Mary etc...
Another big difference is, how churches are named. Protestant churches are typically named something like... Church of God, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, Church of Our Redeemer, Reformed Church, Baptist Church, Apostolic Church or
something similar. Roman Catholic churches, it seems more often that not, are named after Mary.
Church of the Virgin Mother. Church of the Rose of Lima. Church of our Lady of Guadalupe. Church of the Blessed Mother. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. etc...
An interesting note here is The Roman Catholics believe there have been "apparitions" of Mary through the centuries. Where Mary appears to someone for a brief period of time. Usually giving them a message of some type.
There has never been an apparition of Jesus.

In fact the veneration of Mary itself is another big difference. Roman Catholics often pray to Mary. She is officially called the "Mediatrix" by the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mediator between Christians and God.
Protestant believe Jesus/The Holy Spirit are the only mediators. Roman Catholics believe Mary was sinless until her death. Roman Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin until her death. Roman Catholics have a term
called the "Immaculate Conception". This is about an impregnation of a baby. However in this case, it isn't Jesus. It's Mary. The Immaculate Conception was Mary's conception. t seems Roman Catholics like statues.
Over 90% of the time, this statue is Mary. Not Jesus. They acknowledge Jesus has brothers and sisters, but they believe Joseph had other children before being engaged to Mary.

Intercessory prayer is also viewed differently. Roman Catholics sometimes pray to dead Saints. Some of them even have "patron Saints". As mentioned earlier they pray "through" Mary.
In Protestantism, intercessory prayer is done through the living, for the living. I pray for someone ( who is alive ) to Jesus. In Roman Catholicism, I pray to my Patron saint, or more frequently to Mary ( instead of Jesus )
for someone. In many cases, this person doesn't even have to be alive. Some Roman Catholics pray for relatives who have been dead for generations.

Then there is the concept of Purgatory. This is a tricky subject, because even Protestants don't agree on where the dead are. Many Protestants believe that Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.
It's difficult to get exact numbers, but likely an equal number believe in "soul sleep". That is, you lie in the ground until the rapture or resurrection. But all Protestants believe once you are dead, you're dead.
The die is cast, and your fate for eternity has been sealed the moment you die. Roman Catholics believe there is a place the unsaved dead go. They believe the living Christians can pray for them, do penance for them,
and pay indulgences for them to get them out of Purgatory and into heaven, even though they are already dead.

The concept of "indulgences" is a Roman Catholic thing. My understanding is that this has largely been eliminated from the Roman Catholic church, but still exists at a global level. In Protestantism, if you commit
a sin. You simply ask for forgiveness. In Roman Catholicism, you can give the church items of value ( usually money ) to "pay" for your sins. Much like the Old Testament practice of making a sacrifice or offering for
your sin(s).

I need to stop here for a moment. So far it seems the post is about "hard core" Protestant and "hard core" Roman Catholics. But there are some "middle ground" denominations. They usually consider themselves to
be Protestants, but most other Protestant denominations do not consider them to be. Some examples would be the Lutheran ELCA branch, and the Anglican church. Episcopal church, and Church of England.
These churches aren't really Roman Catholic, but they follow many Roman Catholic practices. For example they still have Priests, and they still have a human leader of the church like the Pope (i.e. the Archbishop of Canterbury ).

The Eucharist is also viewed differently. Catholics call this Mass. Protestants call this "communion". Every so often, the believers in the church gather together to take a piece of bread ( usually unleavened ) and a small
drink of wine ( usually grape juice ). Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine literally become they body and blood of Jesus during Mass. (transubstantiation) Protestants simply believe these are symbols of Jesus's body and blood.
In Roman Catholicism, this has to be performed by a Priests ( who's main job was sacrifice in the old Testament ) So in a way, they are crucifying Jesus over and over again every time they have Mass. In Protesantism
communion is a ceremony of "remembrance". Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Protestant believe sin is sin. There are greater and lesser sins. But all sins lead to hell. Roman Catholics believe that there are "mortal" and "venial" sins. Mortal sins are bad enough to send you to hell. But venial sins, are just things
you shouldn't do, but have no bearing on your eternal future.

There are some other differences here as well, but I'm running out of time this morning. Perhaps I can get back to this soon.

Well let me help you with some of that as I can tell you what we really think. Or at least my understanding of it. Catholics believe there is only one Church. And if you look at the definition of what the word Catholic is it means one Church. Think of it kind of like the United States, where there are a variety of people's living in one country. As an example of the Hawaiians are completely different than the people in Boston. Yet they are proud to be Americans.

Although you do not regard yourselves as Catholics, when we all Gather in one place which is heaven we will all be of one mind.
.........
The Protestants, as you are called is correct in the sense that the Catholic Church referred to you as protesting people, therefore Protestants.

And the 95 thesis which was the view of Martin Luther is the primary for the Protestant churches in the first place. And there were others like the Mormons that came along as well.
On a side note, do you know that Martin Luther was also a priest in the Catholic Church?
........
All right so I need to clear up some misunderstandings of how you view US and what the truth is.
The pope is the head of the church, but it's Jesus that we worship not the Pope.

The status of the Pope is the head Bishop among a group of Bishops and Cardinals. Somewhat like a general in the army. Although in this particular Pope's case, Francis. He has definitely gone over the line and away from everything I stand for as Catholic.
So for myself, it makes it difficult to try to show you the truth about who we are as Catholics. Because I have to put up with the BS that comes out of this particular hierarchy. And again I can compare it to the United States, because you and I that are members of the United States, our Beloved Country have to put up with the idiocy of those who run the country.
........
Jesus is God, Mary is not God. I have a great honor for Mary, because she said yes to the angel and became the mother of my Lord Jesus.
Mary is the chosen vessel, the Covenant Box respectively. And did not the Israelites have great honor for the Covenant Box? And isn't Jesus the Covenant? And Mary bore him in her womb for 9 months.

So not only do I honor Mary just because of who she is, but because she is the Fulfillment of the scripture.

There is another thing, that was misunderstood in your writing. Mary had no other children. And we do not believe Joseph had children either. I'm not sure where you got the information from about Joseph having children beforehand.

We have to remember that both Joseph and Mary followed the laws of Moses. And for Mary to conceive children with Joseph after Jesus was born would be a grave violation of the laws of Moses.

I really do not understand how so many of you throw the laws of Moses in the Wind whenever it comes to the passage in Scripture about Jesus brothers and sisters. Because although it says brothers and sisters, it should be common sense that Joseph could not have sexual relations with Mary because of the laws of Moses.

It states in the laws of Moses that the only way a person can be remarried is at the death of a spouse. And as we know God the Father doesn't die. Also the confirmation of the birth of Jesus, is another proof of the Union of the Father and Mary.

Now you may wonder why I keep referring to God the Father as her spouse, it is only because Jesus refers to God the Father as the Father and Daddy. And the father refers to Jesus as His Son.

So for Mary to have more children with Joseph would be a sin.
............
Confessing your sins.
It is true that we go to a priest to confess our sins, sometimes. I would say maybe even the vast majority of Catholics do that. However it is not the priest that we're confessing our sins too, but to Jesus.

The priest is there as a minister of Christ. But he is not the one that is can forgiving the sins. Nor is the church forgiving the sins. It is Jesus by way of the priest That Forgives the sins.

Let me put it this way if the only way your sins can be forgiven is by letting them be revealed. Then it is like seeds being thrown out of the ground, and they need to sprout. So even though the one who works at the farm does not own the land nor is he the master of the land. But he is only the servant of the one who owns the land.

I hope this makes sense to you.
All the priest is doing, is to cultivate the land which is you. And helps you to understand what you have done, and helps you to open up and Express your desire to be forgiven by God.

People will tell you who have not gone to confession or have not spoken to God of repentance. People will tell you that it is easier to talk to someone else.

I wanted to add a note here about confession and why it's necessary. I know that a large number of Protestants believe that once you're forgiven you're always forgiven and I don't agree with that philosophy.
What that does is it opens Cornucopia problems, as an example a person that confesses to be a Christian and believes that all their future sins are forgiven will allow that person to do any kind of sin because it's already forgiven.

How I feel about accepting Jesus as Lord, the sins that have been forgiven are the ones from the time I was born up to the moment of accepting Jesus as Lord and savior. Now the sins that I commit from that moment on, I still have to go and confess the Lord what I have done.
...........
I about had to choke back a laugh when I read that last one. There is only one God. The priest is not the substitute of God.

Any priest would tell you that they worship God, and they will tell you that they are not God.

Just as your own ministers are Ministers of God so are the priests, Ministers of God.

 

[Snake Bait]

Another problem that arises from having these conversations about Catholics and Protestants, is that who takes the time to learn about the other person's faith. Often the ones who are anti-catholic or anti Protestant are people that have a Vengeance against the other.

 

[Dave M]

Another problem that arises from having these conversations about Catholics and Protestants, is that who takes the time to learn about the other person's faith. Often the ones who are anti-catholic or anti Protestant are people that have a Vengeance against the other.

would love to know why you chose snake bait as your user name, thanks

 

[Dave M]

Confessing your sins.
It is true that we go to a priest to confess our sins, sometimes. I would say maybe even the vast majority of Catholics do that. However it is not the priest that we're confessing our sins too, but to Jesus

This whole practice is unbiblical ,,,,,from calling the preist Father ,,,,to the preist becoming the mediator,,,,, between you and God. Sorry the word is clear on this. this is why GOd has given us his word so we can have direct relationship to him through Jesus his son, not a preist