Don't you think that a Protestant should at least know what it is they are protesting with Catholic teaching..

Question

instead of protesting what they mistakenly think is the teaching of the Catholic Church? The only way to know for sure what it means to be Catholic is to go to an official Catholic source (i.e. the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Code of Canon Law, official Papal document), otherwise you will always appear ignorant to others and have zero credibility for your accusations against the Church.

Would it make sense if a magazine like Car and Driver (to give an example) gave a review about a car without being willing to crack open the manufacturer's user manual and if they just gave their review based on rumor that they heard from someone? How much credibility do you think they would have?

Answer 1

I have to say hurrah for you. It is time that someone said this! I get so frustrated at all the misjudgements and wrong comments made about catholics, just because a pastor, etc. told them this.

I have also sat in another family members church (methodist), and actually heard a reverend misguide everyone in that church about how catholics only celebrate the death of christ dying and don't really know that Easter is about Christs rising from the dead. (how misconstrued is that idea?)

I have to say that both catholics and protestants are to blame for this: Catholics unfortunately in a lot of ways do not keep up with their faith and teaching like they should and often do not answer the questions that are asked correctly, or they just say, "I don't know, we just believe things because we are told to". Or "I guess we aren't meant to understand everything about our church". If more catholics really learned what their faith was all about, they would be able to put some of the untruths to rest.

As for the protestants, if you do not study actual CATHOLIC writings and lessons, only protestant teachings ABOUT catholics, then you cannot acurately make negative comments about the church.

Answer 2

Very true indeed. Every protestant should know chapter and verse the things they believe in as well as what they are protesting against, just as the Catholics should know what the bible says as well as what the church says, the traditions, and why any tradition should be taken instead of the bible. Also, what the protestant believes so they can know where they are coming from too. If all people studied one anothers religious beliefs, there would be so much less confusion and bickering about all the little things that separate them. I can speak for or against the Catholic church as I have been there, done that, as well as found the truth of the bible and can show in any bible you want to hand me, everything I believe, whether from the Catholic version or the regular version such as the King James or NKJ. I also have a mother that is still in the Catholic Church as well as friends that are priests and I have the Catholic Catechism and encyclopedias that tell the whole history of the church. Also have the beliefs of all the mainstream protestant churches. In the end, there will be only two churches, those that believe in the Ten Commandments as true and binding and those that believe the Pope has the authority to change God's laws. Sorry to say it will come down to God and the Pope/Papacy. Which will you believe in?

Answer 3

Yes, however, the protestant church leaders would be scared because the Catholic church makes too much sense and their congregation would leave them. Maybe because I'm in Canada, perhaps, we're more tolerant of each other, but I don't hear as much slagging out and about as I have on here. I've found that people up here that don't like the Catholic church have reasons more along the lines of that they perceive it as a) too much work, b) too serious, c) too traditional and d) too full of guilt. My response to them is:

a) How is loving God work?
b) Priests have the best sense of humour, should listen to their homilies sometime, I could tell you a story about a talking frog and an old man that I learned from on Homily :)
c) Yep, I love the tradition, every part of it. I brought my friend to Easter Vigil, while it's long she was amazed at how beautiful it was...
d) If you're living according to His Word, what's there to feel guilty about?

What they don't see is how much fun and active parish life is! Where Protestants get to sing a few songs more pop oriented during their services, we have awesome Praise & Worship sessions outside of the Mass. That's only one of dozens of activities going on.

With regards to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I have explained, and luckily it was right after I had studied a section, how really everything in the Catholic church relates back to the original Church starting with St. Peter and is based entirely on the teachings of Christ. The CCC, clarifies and explains a lot of which is already in the bible and how X is sacred. Any modifications have generally been done to ensure clarity on a point or issue, as are the Encyclicals, etc.

So, yes, in regards to your second paragraph, a lot of what goes around is just heresay being spread by those who don't know and don't want to find out, because if they did find out, they'd find out they're wrong and then they'd have to change? (WOW! Seriously poor grammar and run-on sentence, good thing I'm not an Editor by trade:)

Great question, God bless!!!

Answer 4

i'm additionally having concern information your question. You look interpreting the scriptures based on the concept the Catholic form is the only one that suits the passages. I additionally disagree which includes your assertion that Protestants inevitably deny that the Holy Spirit coaching is lacking in Catholicism. i understand that some Protestant denominations and persons do, yet no longer all. the best distinction between Catholic and Protestant Christianity is the doctrine of 'sola scriptura'. Protestants have faith that the 'Bible on my own' is God's optimum authoritative source to humanity. while the Catholic Church considers itself to have equivalent doctrinal authority to the Bible (or a minimum of is the only employer qualified to interpret the Bible). The doctrine of a Protestant Christian could desire to continuously be examined against the authority of the scriptures. No Protestant doctrine could be legitimately taught dogmatically aside from the categorical help of the Bible. that may not inevitably the case with Catholicism. So Protestants will cope with some Catholic doctrines with mistrust.

Answer 5

No, I don't. I think that issue only matters to the Catholic Church at this point. The Protestant churches are NOT actively protesting anything and havn't in centuries. This whole Catholic idea that one day all will be reunited in the Catholic faith once again is simply a pipe dream. Time for them to move on.

Answer 6

The protestant faith that emerged from Martin Luther's work was less a protest that a rejection of the corruption that had spoiled the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has since rejected most of what Luther found objectionable. However, now, as it was then, the protestant faith is based on Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura. These are two key differences between Catholicism and Protestantism that probably won't be bridged until Jesus comes back.

But if you believe that Jesus is God, that He died for your sins, and that faith in Jesus is what saves you, then we can embrace one day in heaven. I love you.

Answer 7

First, you're jumping to conclusions about what protestants, think and believe.

Protestants don't go around protesting against catholics, they merely serve God in their own way.

Second, the reason why protestants are called protestants is because of Martin Luther's thesis protesting the catholic priest's use of indulgences and the need to pay for one's "salvation", as the case was at that time. Furthermore, the idea that a person can ask for penance in advance, and then go and commit their sin, such as adultery, etc., as though God allows a person to deliberately commit sin just because they admitted to it in advance, when the Bible says "Should we continue in sin because grace abounds? God forbid, no!"

Most people who go to a protestant church don't really even know any of these things. They merely go to the church their parents went to.

But to those of us that are aware of the reasons why Martin Luther split from the catholic church, we choose our church intelligently, not just because our parents went.

Furthermore, most of us don't like the idea of bowing before a statue, in deference to God's command to not make any graven images, or to pray to those who have already left this earth (ie physically died).

Answer 8

I agree. There are a lot of Protestants out there who have crazy accusations about the Catholic Church but yet they truly know nothing about the Catholic faith. I think they need to know what they're talking about before they go around throwing accusations.

Answer 9

Since part of what Protestants are protesting is the actual existance of Papal documents (or at least the papal see that produces them), in one sense it doesn't really matter what they say. We do not recognize the need for a pope or other church sanctioned official to stand between us and our God.

Specifically, what accusations against the church are you referring to?

Answer 10

As a Catholic, I can personally say that most Protestants are decent hard working people who are trying to make a difference in peoples lives as well as their own. That issue is not really an issue with them or us. The only Catholics who believe that the whole of the Christian community will one day return to the Catholic Church is the pope himself. Not saying much there.
Protestants have enough problems with the differing factions within its own faith without having to concern itself with Catholism. . . . .and vice-versa.