2007-01-13 02:56:59 · 29 answers · asked by rasheeda 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You're right!
Protestants are always accusing Catholics of following human traditions and ignoring the teachings found in the Bible, however, they are actually guilty of the very thing they are charging the Catholics...
- Protestants ignore the teachings and practices of the early Christians and follow what their founders first invented in the 16th century.
- Protestants ignore the Biblical injunction that all generations will call the virgin Mary "blessed", and follow a human tradition of ignoring her.
- Protestants ignore the verses in the Bible which call the Lord's supper the body and blood of Christ, and instead follow the idea that's its just a symbol; a human teaching first invented in the 15th century.
- Protestants ignore the Biblical teaching that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth, and instead use a human teaching that everyone can read and understand the Bible for himself.
- Protestants ignore the Jewish and early church's teachings on purgatory and instead construt their own ideas to replace them.
- Protestants have made up the teachings of the rapture in the 18th century, they made up the teachings of pentacostalism, they made up the doctrine of "once saved always saved" in the 16th century, and on and on.
The whole Protestant system is a human system.
2007-01-13 03:11:02 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. D 7 · 1⤊ 5⤋
Rip off? I'm Catholic and not really sure what you mean.
We're all Christians!
To clear up some misconceptions about the Catholic church:
Catholic is the original source of Christianity. Since there are some questions about the Catholic church, here is some historical perspective....
The Catholic church was the start of Christianity. This occurred when Jesus said to Peter:
"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." - Matthew 16:18
Peter was therefore the first Pope and each successor Pope was chosen to today. There is actually a trace of all the Pope's in the church back to Peter. There was of course a split in the church about 500 years ago that has led to the hundreds of Christian groups today. Hence so many different Bible interpretations. So, the Catholic church is the original source of Christianity. Now to be a true Christian, doesn't mean that you have to follow the Catholic church, but rather to follow Christ's teachings from the Bible.
By the way, you do not have to go through a priest to talk to God in the Catholic church. This is just for confession if you have performed "grave" sins like murder, adultery, abortion, etc.. It feels good to get mortal grave sins off of your soul.
Another misconception as overblown by the paper pushing media:
As far as pedophilia is concerned, 99% of the priests are devout, but just as in the general population, there are pedophiles. The Catholic church was picked on because of its size. The church cracked down and has a zero tolerance policy.
2007-01-13 11:00:49 · answer #2 · answered by charles 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋
It seems that your knowledge of Protestant vs. Catholic is quite limited. I'm not either and I could easily dispel your information. Don't blindly take what you've been told by others (priests, parents, etc.) as fact on such matters before doing your homework. Using your intelligence to learn for yourself won't put you at risk of being less of a Christian - or a Catholic...it will only serve to increase your knowledge and understanding of people and their beliefs. I have never understood why people want to perpetuate ignorance. What are you afraid of? Being "converted" to another view? You don't have to agree with the differences or change your spiritual beliefs...you will simply be more knowledgeable and better prepared to defend your own beliefs if necessary.
2007-01-13 11:10:30 · answer #3 · answered by Lea 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is true that Protestants are followers of man in a sense, since the founder of each denomination, and of Protestantism itself, was just a man (or woman in a few cases), while the Catholic Church was founded by God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. However, they are not followers of man "and not God". Rather, they are sincere followers of God to the extent that is possible through the manmade tradition of their human founder. Their manmade tradition is seriously lacking in many respects, but that doesn't mean they have rejected God. On the contrary many Protestants are devout Christians to the extent their tradition allows. Only the Catholic Church however possesses the fullness of Christian truth, the fullness of Christian worship, and the fullness of authority that Christ intended.
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2007-01-13 11:09:51 · answer #4 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You seem to be ignorant and illiterate.
Seek knowledge !
Protestants being thus impious enough to make liars of Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, and of the Apostles, need we wonder if they continually slander Catholics, telling and believing worse absurdities about them than the heathens did? What is more absurd than to preach that Catholics worship stocks and stones for gods; set up pictures of Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints, to pray to them, and put their confidence in them; that they adore a god of bread and wine; that their sins are forgiven by the priest, without repentance and amendment of life; that the pope or any other person can give leave to commit sin, or that for a sum of money the forgiveness of sins can be obtained ? To these and similar absurdities and slanders, we simply answer: "Cursed is he who believes in such absurdities and falsehoods, with which Protestants impiously charge the children of the Catholic Church. All those grievous transgressions are another source of their reprobation."
"But what faith can we learn from these false teachers when, in consequence of separating from the Church, they have no rule of faith? ... How often Calvin changed his opinions! And, during his life, Luther was constantly contradicting himself: on the single article of the Eucharist, he fell into thirty-three contradictions! A single contradiction is enough to show that they did not have the Spirit of God. "He cannot deny Himself" (II Timothy 2:13). In a word, take away the authority of the Church, and neither Divine Revelation nor natural reason itself is of any use, for each of them may be interpreted by every individual according to his own caprice ... Do they not see that from this accursed liberty of conscience has arisen the immense variety of heretical and atheistic sects? ... I repeat: if you take away obedience to the Church, there is no error which will not be embraced.
Source(s):
Against the Reformers
Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible online
Additional Reading
St Alphonsus Mary De Liguori (1696-1787)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
2007-01-13 14:24:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
For the most part, the Reformation Movement has taken man (a false god) further from God rather than closer to God. The Catholic church (when I went thru RCIA a few years ago, locally), was 'off track' but by in large the Reformation Movement has not corrected that 'off track' part in the USA presently.
2007-01-13 12:02:00 · answer #6 · answered by jefferyspringer57@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Let me see if I understand what you are saying. As a member of the Roman Catholic Church, who by the way copied the Jewish faith, even taking the same G-D, same Bible, and same traditions as a "start up", then persecuted them, you feel the protestants ripped off the Roman Church? Are you sure you don't want to rethink this question?
2007-01-13 11:08:13 · answer #7 · answered by wildfire 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
How exactly do Protestants rip off Catholics? I don't know what you mean.
2007-01-13 11:05:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that at all. I think that Catholics need the Bible spoon fed to them, but Protestants can read the Bible for themselves. Protestantism started after printing technology advanced. Similar to how there's the internet now, and that necessitates changes in society. I also prefer using the internet than watching TV. I would suppose that in general, Catholics would prefer watching TV, yet again for the same reasons.
2007-01-13 11:00:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Protestants follow God. They just don't feel the need for an intermediary (like a priest, or the Pope) like catholics do.
2007-01-13 11:00:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋