chirstian vs catholic?

Question

i know that chrsitans and catholics are both under the unbrella of christianity but what are the differences between the two?
i want to join a church but i dont know which. i like the way the christian churches have the teen groups and things like that but when i go to thier umm mass? (i dont know what its called when everyone goes together) they start singing and i feel very awkward(maybe i just have to get used to it) .

ive only been to a catholic mass a few times and when i did it was in spanish so i didnt know what was going on (and i was younger at the time too) is that all that they do? i would want to get my catecism (im not sure if thats how you spell it) and all those things after that but do they have teen groups like the christian churches do? ive never heard of anything like that but maybe its just me.

DAMMIT WHY AM I CALLED STUPID WHEN I WANT TO BECOME RELIGIOUS AND IM JUST ASKING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO.

DONT LEAVE MEAN REMARKS. IF YOU DONT WANT TO ANSWER MY QUESTION THEN DONT!

and thanks to any of those who will answer it. thank you.

Answer 1

I think that you mean to say "Protestant vs. Catholic".

Catholics are Christian because we were the first Christians and still are. Another name for the Catholic Church is the Church of Christ.

Because you seem sincere, here are some awesome links to help you decide between Catholic and Protestant:

Catholic Answers
http://www.catholic.com/

Biblical Support for Catholicism
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/

EWTN's Catholic teachings
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/index.htm

The Pope's Website in Rome
http://www.vatican.va/

Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology (Dr. Scott Hahn's Website)
http://www.salvationhistory.com/

Catholic Online Free Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/
.

Answer 2

This is a hard question to answer. There are 46,000 Protestant denominations and each one makes a different claim as to what is true. Some believe Jesus is God, some do not, some believe that once you are saved you can commit any act of evil because once saved always saved, some believe this is false, some believe that God has already chosen who is saved and you cannot do anything about it and some believe that it is your faith alone that decides, some have bishops like the Catholic Church, some allow anyone who wants to be a minister to be one, some use the Catholic bible and some use the smaller bible that is sometimes called the Protestant bible, some have communion and some do not, some have baptism and some do not, some have confirmation and some do not, some believe marriage is sacred and some do not, some sing, some are silent, some preach some have a service that looks almost like a Catholic mass, some read from the bible and some do not, and if you include the Mormons then some believe in multiple wives and that Jesus appeared to the native Americans and left an extra bible with them but they lost it and so God rerevealed it to a missionary from New York in the 19th century.

The Catholic Mass is the Roman part of the Catholic Churches version of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is a foretaste of the divine Wedding of the Bride of Christ and the Lamb. The Mass is the minimum Catholics do. There is so much more, if you want to belong to it. Most Churches have some form of youth group though sometimes its informal rather than a formal youth group. In my parish the kids just get together and meet after church and do stuff. Likewise, some groups like the Knights of Columbus sometimes sponsor youth groups across an entire city instead of just locally in one parish.

Go see the minister of the Church you want to attend and meet with them. Don't feel awkward, many people join churches all the time and they all feel awkward and then they suddenly don't anymore.

You have 46,001 choices. Also do not forget the Orthodox. Like the Catholics, they still use the original Christian services, but because they were in different parts of the world, the services left by the apostles there look a little different. Also, there are Eastern rite Catholic Churches around whose services are identical to the Orthodox services as they are Eastern Churches in union with Rome instead of separated.

Your question cannot be answered because there is little that a Protestant must believe and still be Protestant.

Answer 3

Christian refers to all denominations that believe that Jesus died for our sins. There are many differences. Most protestants don't take communion. Those that do only do so every so often, and they only believe in consubstanciation, or the bread and wine (which is usually grape juice and one big loaf of bread) are only symbols of Christ's death and resurrection. Catholics, on the other hand, believe in transubstansiation, or that the bread and wine become Jesus's body and blood, while still retaining the form of an unleavened bread wafer and wine. If you can attend a Mass in english, you may be able to understand what is going on a bit better. but many times, for a person to really understand it, they have to go more than once. I've been Catholic all my life, but I rarely attended Mass until I started college 2 1/2 years ago. until I started really attending Mass and the Newman center (a group for college students interested in learning more about the Catholic faith) I learned that I had known very little about why the things in Catholicism are set up in the way that they are. You said you are a teen right? Well, many churches have what is called a Lifeteen Mass. I've never attended one, but from what it sounds like, they tend to have more of the modern rock type songs for their hymns, and it is geared towards teens, while still keeping the reverance of the Mass. They also have regular meetings each week that teach about the Catholic faith, much like youth groups of other denominations. Because I grew up in the faith, I took CCD classes each week when I was little, and I was confirmed at 15. Those who want to enter the Church in their teenage years and older, have to go through a program called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), which is about a 2 year program (I think, but I'm not sure, as I wasn't confirmed that way) that teaches about the Catholic faith. God Bless!

Answer 4

About Protestants and Catholics.

The Protestants have their origin with the Reformation the 16 th century. The Catholics (and Orthodox) started with the apostles.

The Protestants place greater emphasis on the authority of the Bible. The Catholics claim to have started the Bible... they just say that the canon of scripture was instituted in their councils.

The Protestants can sing better and they have better youth groups. The Catholics have better saints, devotionals, and a sense of the sacred.

Protestants can pretty much believe anything they can make the Bible say. The Catholics have to follow historical precedent, and church teachings as well as the Bible.

If you like you can start you own Protestant Church. Just believe in Jesus. Or you can decide to join one on the spot. To become a Catholic you have to go through a long process - it takes about a year. Event then the Catholic Church has to receive you into the Church.

Overall, they both believe in Jesus, the Bible, the teachings of the early church councils, and they both believe in doing good to everyone. Catholics are just older and more organized. Protestants are a looser group with less structure.

Answer 5

Well Catholic _is_ a Christian church. There are so many denominations of Christian churches. There's Lutheran, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist, Catholic... and the list goes on and on. Basically what they all have in common is that they believe in God, they believe in Jesus, and they use the Bible as their holy book.

Catholics have the same kinds of activities that other churches have. They have teen youth groups. They have religious education. They have children's masses, they have community potlucks, and stuff like that.

As for singing... well most churches, whether they're Catholic or not, have singing in them. Some have more than others.

I would suggest trying a bunch of different Christian churches. If you have friends who go to church go with them and see how you like it. That's really the only way you're going to find out what kind of Christian church you like.

And if you're really interested in Catholocism go ahead and read up about it, or go to your local Catholic church to a mass to see if you like it.

I'm sure you'll find your place somewhere. Just look around a bit and you'll find it. :)

P.S. Oh and don't worry about the people who get all upset at you and say mean things. That's why you have to go around and try a few different churches. Otherwise you might run into people who forget that part of being Christian is to welcome people to the flock, not insult them.

I'm sure you'll be fine, hon. God Bless!

Answer 6

That's a difficult question because it's complicated and involved, but here goes--I'll hit a few high points.

Protestants take the Bible as their basis for what they believe. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox take the Bible too but add tradition (the Roman Catholics lean toward what the Popes have decreed is the truth, especially regarding practice, Christian living).
Protestants depend then on the individual's understanding of what the Bible says, usually understood within the framework of a particular denomination. But Catholics and Orthodox add tradition (a whole bunch of historical understandings and interpretations of the truth).
Wow that's sounding heavy. Let's approach it differently: For Roman Catholics the Pope is infallible (can't make a mistake when speaking officially). For Eastern Orthodox it's the Church and her tradition that's infallible. For Protestants, no one is in fallible, but the Bible is written so that I can be sufficiently understood by regular people reading it, for the purpose of getting saved and for Christian living.
So these are important distinctions between these major branches of the Christian faith--who is the ultimate decider of just what the truth is?

Another point, an important one: With the Roman Catholic and Orthdox belief systems, you can never know for sure that you are saved and going to heaven. There's no real assurance. (And, I feel that this is not only cruel and unnecessary, it's tantamount to a spiritual crime!). Some of these people might claim that this is not true, but the bottom line is that is what they believe (you can't be sure). Most times you have to study (like in a cathchism class) for a while before you discover this!.
Protestants, most of them, feel that they have eternal security. Simply put, this means that once you truly commit yourself to Christ and trust him for salvation, and at least continue to believe in Him, you have been saved and are safe (Mark 13:13!) and will go to heaven.

Again, this is a complicated question.
This I recommend: look carefully before you join. Take the time. That means, among other things, that you check what each church believes and what they base their beliefs on.
Most decent churches have teen groups, by the way.
I would also recommend visiting all these types of churches, and see how you feel in each--Ask yourself, Which one do I like the most?. But again, be careful. It is a great deal easier to join than to leave.
May God bless you and lead you in your search.

Answer 7

I am going to talk about your main question. "What church Should I go to?"

A preacher once talked about How most people pick a church
The main reasons people go to church
"It's close to my house"
"Its the church my family has always attended"
"I go there because the people are friendly"
"I go there because they have a choir or (insert activity) that I like to do"
"Because they have a great children's program for my kids"
"Because the preacher is charismatic"
"Because its where all important people go"

All these things are nice and we all want them, but that is not the main reason to choose a church. The main reason to choose a church is based on what are their teachings and are they based on the Bible(the word of God).

Many churches of different beliefs have teen programs but you have to pick a church based on the teachings.

This video talks about how How most people pick a church and how we should pick a church. The first few minutes are question and answers about the Bible. .
http://prophecycode.com/Resources/Video/PCVideo/ProphecyCode_17.asx
The topic starts at about 26 min

http://www.mostamazingprophecies.com/portals/6/mapmedia/map_4.asx


There are many differences between Christians and Catholics, but to simplify it I think almost everyone would agree that Catholics believe in Scripture and Tradition, and Christians believe only in the Scripture. Almost all differences come from this debate.



Choose your church based on the Bible and see if what the church teaches matches up with the Bible


Check out this FREE online video Bible study. It will help you in your search. Just enroll and the class is free and you can go at your own pace.
http://www.amazingfacts.org/school/af_logon.asp




If you have other questions about finding a church or anything else feel free to e-mail me. God Bless

Answer 8

Pastor Billy says: Well it's a good thing I showed up as I see too many insulting comments and incorrect statements on Catholicism. Firstly see my questions tab regarding "Why would someone ask a non-Catholic about Catholicism?"
Secondly go to any of sources below especially www.catholic.com
Thirdly listen to avemarieradio.net on the Internet.
Fourthly ask yourself this question, do you want to become more religious to know God and have a relationship with him or do you see going to church as a social gathering for you to primarily meet other people and have fun? Making new relationships is fun but loving God we are told should come first. Therefore going to church has to be deeper than great hymns and a large parking lot, and coffee after service, and a great youth group. Going to church should primarily surround you in authentic Godly worship. You'll have to make the final decision on what is Christian and what isn't Christian before accepting a final Church authority to join and follow but until than I suggest much research and do this from first source information like www.vatican.va and not from those who wish to continue to divide Christianity. Catholics are Christians in fact they are first Christians :)
Which Church is 2000 years old? Study our Christian history
I think the reason you already sense discomfort at the non-catholic service (the protestant gatherings) is because God is already directing you

Dec 19th 8PM: ahh coundrum showed up with his falacy representation. The difference between Catholicism and Protestantism isn't tradition over scripture as all groups have tradition but only Catholics admit it. Take the SDA for example the ones who push amazingfarce.com, therir tradition is to accept the biblical interpretation of Ellen G. White and call her prophetese. Ellen helpped start this group much like Joseph Smith for the mormons or Charles T Russell for the JW organization all less than 150 years ago.

Answer 9

First, let me apologize for all of the rude responses that you have gotten from your question. I have only been doing this a few days, but already I have learned that there are many rude and inconsiderate people out here. I am sure none of whom would be as brave face to face.

To answer your question I suggest you get a copy of the Scripture and find the church that most closely follows it. Whenever the church you go to does anything ask them where in the Bible it says to do that particular thing. That is what I did and I am very satisfied as a result. No church is going to follow the Word perfectly, but the one you go to should be making the best effort possible.

Answer 10

Catholic Churches should have all the same teen groups as 'Christians' (the term you want is 'Protestants'). If neither group seems to be a good fit, try the Greek Orthodox. The bigger the Church, the more they will offer.

Protestant meetings are usually called "services" or "church" (as in 'going to church').

Whichever you choose, I think you will find the experience rewarding.

Answer 11

If you really want to know God, don't become a Catholic. I was a Catholic for a long time, worked at the church, was an altar boy, the whole thing. I never really understood a thing.
I'm Baptist now, and know so much more than I did as a Catholic, it's like I didn't learn a thing as a Catholic.
The Catholic mass and prayers are by rote, and rituals. It is based a lot on a works theology.
My chuch, on Sunday when we have a worship service (that's what we call it), starts with singing, then prayer, then a sermon by the pastor straight from the bible. We are encourged to bring our bibles to church every time we come there, whether it's for a chuch service or not.
You must be saved by faith, and realize there is nothing you can do to satisfy God's standards of righteousness.
It's all about repenting and faith and trusting in Jesus. Faith and salvation results in good works, not the other way around.
We don't have a catchecism (I can't spell it either)
We have bible study every Sunday, and specialized studies during the week for those who are interested. e-mail me anytime