What are the main differences between Catholics and Protestants (In belief system)?

Question

And also, what is the difference between Christians and Jevonah Witnesses beliefs?

Answer 1

Between Catholics and Protestants, there is only one core difference and from that difference all others follow.

As the split between Luther and the Catholic Church grew, Martin Luther had a problem. All the books of the bible were chosen and authorized solely by papal authority. The official list of books were discussed at Laodicea, Hippo Regius, Carthage and at Rome during synods, but it is Pope's Damasus and Innocent that actually promulgated the current list of books. Luther was citing scripture and more orthodox Catholics were citing scripture right back at him as well as other historical statements of early Christianity.

Luther did something really interesting. He repicked the books. He accepted the protocanonical books such as Genesis, Exodus or Luke. He then started picking through the deuterocanonical books, the books early Christians debated and accepted some and rejected others. The deuterocanonicals are:
Tobit
Judith
Parts of Esther
Wisdom
Sirach
Parts of Daniel
1&2 Maccabees
Hebrews
2 Peter
2 John
3 John
James
Jude
Revelations

Of these, he rejected all of the OT deuterocanonicals because the Jewish community rejected them after the apostolic period. The rejected books were in the Septuagint and both Jesus and the apostles quote them, but were rejected later because their original language was not Hebrew. The rabbi's ruled that God would not reveal himself in Greek, and hence the New Testament is false too. Luther did not realize the rejection of these books was an attack on Christianity. He also rejected James, Jude and Revelations as false books.

Luther then did something else that increased the divide, he insisted that Christianity ignore the first sixteen centuries of its existence and in particular the early writings that were not in his list.

The effect of this was to remove three hundred years of history prior to the birth of Christ from the belief system. It was to eliminate the writings of those who were trained by the apostles and clarified the scriptures.

What Protestants often do not realize is that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church operate pretty much in the same way with the same beliefs that you would find in very early Christianity. For example, all Catholic and Orthodox services are based upon services written by James, Mark or Peter. Luther, by rejecting any book not in his list, also rejected these services. The relations of the churches come from the early writings as well.

Protestants reject certain beliefs as unscriptural, but ignore the fact that it was Catholics who initially chose the books and found no contradictions in them. In fact, one of the criteria was that the books chosen supported Catholic and Orthodox belief. Catholics read the bible in the service once every three years in the Roman part of the Catholic church and slightly quicker in the Eastern parts of the Catholic church. So someone who is sixty, if they attend every Sunday, should have heard the entire bible twenty times even if they never picked it up on their own or if they were illiterate.

Protestants act as though Catholics either are ignorant of scripture, ignore scripture or just don't read it. It does not seem to cross their mind that Catholics are as active a set of readers as they are. One distinguishes Catholics from Protestants is that we include all these ancient texts. Hymns from the first century are still in use. There is art that is believed to be from the first century (Luke painted) though in copy form not original.

Lutherans later returned James, Jude and Revelations to the bible, but did not reinclude the apocrypha.

There is one other key difference between Catholics and Protestants. When Protestants disagree, each presume they are the ones who are correct and a new denomination forms. There are now 46,000 Protestant denominations and but one Catholic Church. The difference is in the name. Protestants claim a belief in a very narrow and particular way of seeing things. When others don't agree they divide. This is so anti-scriptural it is amazing.

The word Catholic means "all embracing," or "according to the whole." This is important. To be Catholic is to attempt to embrace all. As a result, the Catholic Church has more internal diversity within it, than Protestantism has across it. We just don't see a need to split up and fight over little things. The standard of truth in the Catholic Church is "according to the whole." What has the whole Church held across all periods of time? That is the standard. Local areas may have their own expression of the truth or believe things other parts do not believe. Generally, that is fine. It rarely becomes an issue. A good example is the Rosary. It descends to us from ancient times, the earliest writing was in the year 200 and it was mentioned in passing as a most ancient practice and from the apostolic period. However, it is universally used. If you don't use it, no big deal. If you do and it helps your relationship with Christ, great. If you love one another, you do not need to share a world view. One person can be a stone age tribesman and another a female neurosurgeon from New York, both can be Catholic and not see anything the same way.

Jehovah's Witnessess believe Jesus was a god, not the god. They also believe God will only save 144,000 people and the rest burn in Hell. Only Jehovah's Witnessess will be among the 144,000.

Answer 2

The protestant was founded from a monk and Prof. of Theologie of the "Augustiner" cloister in 1517. His name was Martin Luther
and he condemmed the evil practices of the catholic church. He
posted 95 thems (Thesen), where the church did not doe the will of God - as stated in the Bible - on the door of the catholic church at "Wittenberg in Germany".
He also translated the Bible into german.

From this other protestant churches splittet up in Europe.

From the reforms of Martin Luther is little left in the modern protestant church.

The main differences today are: No Child-Baptism, no human is holy, no worship of Mary - only Jesus, woman can be priests,
priests can mary.
This differences are the result of an exact study of the Bible.

The differences between so called christians and Jehovas Witnesses: JW try to study the will of God as written in the Bible,
and try to live accordingly.
Thats why they don't except blood transfers, don't speek the oath
on the am. Flag (worship), don't go into wars or military services
ect.

Their problems is that their understanding of the biblical will to
narrow and sometimes wrong is. In that case their followers have to suffer. More info to this point you'll find under:
www.silentlambs.org!

Answer 3

The Protestants broke off from the Catholic Church, hence the name Protestants. The differences vary from one Protestant faith to another in comparison with Catholicism. The big differences though are that Catholics pray through Mary and the saints and ask them to also pray to God for them, Catholics have several more sacraments including the Eucharist. This means that Catholics believe that they actually eat the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ at every mass on Sunday. Catholics believe that after death, most souls that are headed to heaven go to purgatory where they are purified so that they may enter heaven.

Catholics follow the Pope who is the leader of the Church. Protestants do not. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ set up the Church on earth with his apostles and that our moden day priests come from a direct line of those apostles. They believe that the Pope descends from the direct line of Peter the Apostle, the first pope.

Catholics believe in the sacrament of Reconciliation, one of the sacraments that Protestants don't have. This means that Catholics confess their sins to God through a priest. Protestants do not have any formal confession and confess personally through prayer.

Most protestant faiths believe that salvation is attained through faith alone, while Catholics believe that salvation must be attained through faith and also deeds. Both come into play when you are talking about salvation.

Some protestants believe in the Rapture, Catholics do not.

Catholics believe in original sin, some protestants do not. Catholics believe in mortal sin, being in a serious state of sin that cuts off your relationship with God and your access into heaven until you repent and confess, and most, if not all, protestants do not believe in this.


There are many more small differences, but I think that these are most of the big ones.

Answer 4

Actually Episcopalians have many of the same garish robes and silly hats of the Catholics. Of course we're not transubstaniators. I guess I'm nit picking here, but not all protestant churches are alike, so if you're going to be rude at least be correct.

Answer 5

Between Catholics and Protestants?... Nothing, really, Protestants just don't have the "Sacrements", like infant baptism, confession, etc. Both believe in the Holy Trinity and such, but they each show it differently. As for Christians and J.W's? I have no idea.

Answer 6

main difference is that catholics have statues, etc, which is strictly unacceptable by God's standard. In His commandments, he already said there shall be no other gods before him and we shall not make any carved image

besides, no one knows how Jesus or any of those people in the Bible REALLY looks like

Answer 7

catholics and protestants share the same beliefs
only tht the catholics honor saints also (and ya, honoring is not worshipping)

Answer 8

no honour to mary?