Is there really a difference between Catholics and Protestants?

Question

Not so much. Anything called a church is built upon the premise that someone else has a greater privilege to interpret something than you do. Otherwise, you'd just read and think for yourself. So, if you don't trust a pope, why in the world would you trust anyone called a "minister" or "preacher?" Same junk, different name.

Answer 1

"What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us." (Pope John XXIII)

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

Here is the joint declaration of justification by Catholics (1999), Lutherans (1999), and Methodists (2006):

By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works.

There are many 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

Yes, there is a massive difference. I am a "protestant" (hate that word) Christian. Catholics have an tremendous amount of unnecessary rituals and practises that I do not find important. They put way to much emphasis on Mary and the saints, almost worshiping them instead of God. She was just a normal women like every one else. Then there is the thing about purgatory where you could supposely buy some of your deceased family members out of hell and back into heaven. This goes against biblical teaching.

You also don't have to go to the priest to forgive your sins for you. You can ask God anywhere to forgive your sins and He will.

Those are the main differences.

Answer 3

The term Jew is used in at least two senses in Scripture: to refer to those who are ethnically Jews and to those who are religiously Jews. Jesus was a Jew in both senses. In fact, he completed the Jewish religion by serving as the Messiah (Christ) whom the prophets had long foretold.

The completed form of the Jewish religion is known as Christianity, and its adherents are Christians or "followers of the Christ." Unfortunately, many people who were ethnically Jewish did not recognize Jesus’ role as Messiah and so did not accept Christianity, the completed form of Judaism. Instead, they stayed with a partial, incomplete form of Judaism. Other Jews (the apostles and their followers) did recognize that Jesus was the Messiah and embraced the new, completed form of Judaism.

Shortly thereafter it was recognized that one could be a follower of Christ even if one did not ethnically join the Jewish people. Thus the apostles began to make many Gentile converts to the Christian faith. It is thus possible for a person to be a Jew religiously (because he has accepted Christianity, the completed form of the Jewish faith) but not be a Jew ethnically. This is the case with most Christians today.

It is this difference between being a Jew ethnically and religiously that lies behind Paul’s statement in Romans 2:28–29: "For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal."

Christians are those who Paul refers to as being inwardly (religiously) Jewish, while non-Christian Jews are those who he refers to as being outwardly (ethnically) Jewish. The former condition, he stresses, is the more important.

Unfortunately, over the course of time some Christians broke away from the Church that Jesus founded, and so a name was needed to distinguish this Church from the ones that broke off from it. Because all the breakaways were particular, local groups, it was decided to call the Church Jesus founded the "universal" (Greek, kataholos = "according to the whole") Church, and thus the name Catholic was applied to it.

That is why Jesus was a Jew and we are Catholics: Jesus came to complete the Jewish religion by creating a Church that would serve as its fulfillment and be open to people of all races, not just ethnic Jews. As Catholics, we are those who have accepted the fulfillment of the Jewish faith by joining the Church that Jesus founded.

Answer 4

Yes, the main difference is in authority.

Regardless if the authority is Pope, Bishops (both sectors), or Priest/Ministers --- we need to remember that Jesus is the only "Sin Free" person who walked the earth. Jesus through the Holy Spirit protects the Holy Sacrements (Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, Confession, & Holy Orders). These are what is sought.

Certalinly, these ppl are holy and should be treated with respect, and we should pray that they can lead without misleading people.

Answer 5

There is absolutely a difference, and this is the very thing that "Protestants" protested: We do not believe that you need an intermediary to get to God. We do not need another human being to have access to our Savior. We can confess our sins directly to God (not a priest), He assures us of his forgiveness through his Word (not a priest telling us, nor giving us a certain # of "Hail Mary"s or "Lord's Prayer"s to recite as our penance) We also believe that there is no human being on earth who is more righteous than any other (ie to Protestants, the Pope may be a Holy man, but he has no more righteousness before God than the lowliest believer).
In a nutshell: Catholics have an elaborate set of (largely man-made) laws which must be kept (ie go to confession, go to Mass at least once a week , don't die without having Last Rites, don't eat meat on Fridays, etc. down to the most infinitesimal things).
Protestants think that if you believe that Jesus Christ is God who came to earth in human form, died on a cross as the payment for the sins of mankind, you are saved (ie will have eternal life). No other requirement. Of course, if you do believe this in your heart, your life may look different on the outside than a non-believers, esp. as you grow in faith, but there is *nothing* which you must do to be a Protestant, which is very different than the requirements for being a "good Catholic."

Answer 6

I think there are a lot of differences. I was born and raised catholic, but have been to many different protestant churches. I am disturbed that many of these churches are misinformed about catholics. Most of these people haven't studied or even stepped inside a catholic church, but they preach against it. The whole bull about praying to Mary, and getting drunk on Saturday, only to go to confession on Sunday, and the list goes on. I have not once been at a catholic mass, and had a priest criticize another religion or make fun of one. I have been in many protestant churches that do this to the catholic church. Many churches criticize the catholic church because they don't understand it, haven't tried to understand it, and they preach against it to bolster their congregations.

Answer 7

Sassy-35.....You are so right! There is so much ignorance it's almost sickening.

Answer 8

Thank you for stating the obvious.

Wish there were more like you.

Answer 9

i guess you are rigth buddy...