What's the difference between Catholic and Protestant?

Answer 1

Almost all important doctrine is completely agreed upon between Catholic Christians and other Christians.

There are some minor doctrine issues and some major cultural traditional differences which, I believe, do not matter that much.

A Catholic worships and follows Christ in the tradition of Catholicism which, among other things, recognizes that Christ made Peter the leader of His new Church and Pope Benedict XVI is Peter's direct successor.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The word Protestant is the key.

Protestant literally refers to those protesting and coming out from the Catholic church.

The word catholic means universal.

There are way too many differences to discuss here, but basically Catholics all over the world worship in what is known as celebration of the mass, which is a reenactment of the sacrifice of Christ; whereas Protestants talk about what Christ did and do not celebrate the mass.

Regarding the mass, you may find the following URL to be of some help.

I cannot direct you to a Protestant site because there are so many different Protestant faiths and they are all very different from each other.

Answer 3

Which protestant?

In some cases - for instance the Lutherans and Anglicans/Episcopalians - the differences are very slight. In the case of Lutherans, very slight - the liturgy is almost exactly the same, and the two churches signed an agreement two years ago stating that they agree on the same theology of Justification (which was what caused the split in the first place.)

Some differences remain - the role of the Pope is still in dispute; Catholics have church services every day, as do many Anglicans - the Lutherans, only on Sunday. But I really don't think they're that big a deal. In fact, at Sunday worship its hard to tell Lutheran from Catholic.

On the other hand, the differences tend to be very great between Catholics and non-liturgical churches, such as the baptists or non-denominationals. Catholics worship in a way that cycles daily readings all the way through the entire bible every three years. Bible quoting in Baptist churches tends to depend on what the pastor wants to preach about. On the other hand, baptists and catholics tend to teach the same things on political/moral issues (such as divorce, gay marriage, abortion, etc.)

So the difference really depends on which denomination.

BTW, Catholics have not "written some more" into the Bible. The Protestants took books out. The Maccabee, Sirach, Wisdom, books etc. had been in every Christian bible since the first century, books that were in the Septuagent LXX bible that Jesus himself quoted from.

Answer 4

"If Christianity is true, why are there so many denominations?"
In the early 1500s, a German monk named Martin Luther was so conscious of his sins, he spent up to six hours in the confessional. Through study of the Scriptures he found that salvation didn't come through anything he did, but simply through trusting in the finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. He listed the contradictions between what the Scriptures said, and what his church taught, and nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Martin Luther became the first to "protest" against the Roman church, and thus he became the father of the Protestant church. Since that split, there have been many disagreements about how much water one should baptize with, how to sing what and why, who should govern who, etc., causing thousands of splinter groups. Many of these groups are convinced that they are the only ones who are right. These have become known as Protestant "denominations." Despite the confusion, these churches subscribe to certain foundational beliefs such as the deity, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "...the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal - the Lord knows those that are His" (see 2 Timothy 2:19).

Answer 5

There are a lot of differences (95 at least) but one of the more important ones concerns the intervention of the Priest between the individual and God. Most protestant religions didn't get it right, but there is supposed to be a more direct relationship with the Godhead than there is in Catholism, wherein communication with God is mediated, and in many ways circumvented, by the Priest.

Answer 6

First of all, there are many Protestant denominations, not just one. While we are all Christian, the Catholic Church teaches that we have the Fullness of the Faith and the "Real Presence" of Jesus Christ present at each and every Mass when the bread and wine are Consecrated to become truly the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. We receive Jesus when we receive Holy Communion. We are guided always since the time of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit through His successors, Peter and the long line of Apostolic Succession through the Vicar of Christ, the Popes. This was unacceptable to many, including Martin Luther, who separated himself from the Catholic Church, hence the term "Protestant", protesting what he saw as abuses in the Catholic Church.

Answer 7

Catholics follow traditions and rituals that are not scriptural( or stated in the Bible), they say this is because the founders of the church started them but they have no immediate proof, or scripture for it.
Protestants go out of the Bible for thier rituals/ traditions etc...
Also Catholics regard the Pope as the messanger of God,( even if the Bible says one thing and the Pope says the total opposite), Catholics believe the Pope has say over the Bible.
Catholics also have more books, worship the saints and mother mary.
They also believe you must go through a priest to recieve forgivness from your sin, rather than talking to God. Protestants believe you ask God for forgivness not Priests.

Answer 8

Catholics have more books in there bible, catholics believe in purgatory, catholics have a pope, catholics believe that transubstanciation happens during the lords supper and protestants have other views, lutherans for example believe that the body and blood are in with and under the bread and wine, and other, but maybe not all, protestants think they just symbolize the body and blood

Answer 9

Catholic serve the pope protestants dont

Answer 10

Protestants,Christians have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Catholics may or may not have accepted Jesus as Savior and they have written some more to go with the bible, which is forbidden in the bible itself.