Why do so many other christians dislike catholics?

Question

Please explain, I'm curious.

Answer 1

we dislike roman catholicism, not catholics

it is steeped in idolatry and teaches their followers to pray to dead people, which the bible strictly forbids

their popes have spilled much blood in the name of our saviour, Jesus Christ
the pope is evil

Answer 2

1. extremist philosophies always splinter off into groups that antagonize each other. Example: Sunni vs. Shea, Catholic vs. Protestant. The idea that there is one true faith which makes all other spiritual paths false and paths to damnation is an extreme notion. When someone comes along with a slightly different idea, they are cast out and attacked for not having the 'real truth'.
2. It is said that having other intermediaries to God, aside from Jesus, is idolatry and boarders on polytheism.
3. They hear this from their own churches, have never looked into Catholocism or it's roots (done some research that is), and are just doing what they are supposed to do: follow the flock and repeat what they are told.
Personally, I don't get it. You all worship, are baptised in, and spread the message of Christ. This makes you all Christians, as I understand that to be. I think it's the extreme splintering thing since no two groups can have the 'real message', one must be wrong in many people's eyes.

Answer 3

That's like asking the question why do so many Christians dislike gays. And the answer as has been given many many times on YA is that it is not the people who are disliked it is what they do. It is not Catholics that we are against but Catholicism. This battle has been going on since Catholicism started in the 300s under the reign of Constantine. We have always opposed the catholic church creating their own doctrine independent of the Bible. In the 1500's the protestant reformation took place over the issue of whether people became saved through faith or through works. That is still the dividing issue to this day and the doctrine of works in the catholic church is still protested by protestants now.

Answer 4

I am not so certain this is true. Can you provide some quantitative data supporting the words "so many other" in your question?

There are Christians who have wandered away from the "love thy neighbor" reservation who speak first and think later, but I doubt there is some wholesale dislike of Catholicism.

Sure, during the Reformation, the Catholic church took quite a bit of vitriol from the emergent reformers, but there is nothing like that today.

Update: Don't know why so many are hung up on "false doctrines" argument for disliking Catholics. The doctrinal differences around the topic of redemption and eternal salvation are not going to jeopardize anyone's eternal soul. Anything else is just window dressing when it comes to what matters and what doesn't.

Answer 5

Not sure but they sure do. My friend changed from Sikh to Christain...she is always asking me if Catholics read the bible...I have a prayer book that includes the mass prayers and all the readings...again she says that the Catholics added books...
finally I asked her who wrote the bible first: Catholics or Christains? Naturally she said Christians...Although they were called Christians in the beginning, they were really Catholics which means universal...we didn't add books, Christains took a few out...read the history about Henry II and Henry VIII and seehow the Chistian belief changed and they called themselves Christians. Christians are great people just a little bit too into believing what they were taught.

Answer 6

I don't think it's jealousy or pride. I think it's ignorance. People perish for lack of knowledge. I say this because I used to dislike Catholic religion because much of the ritual that takes place within that religion is not biblical. However, Paul wrote that we shouldn't be concerned about the rituals of a different type of Christian church and that we shouldn't judge them. The only thing that matters is that they believe that Jesus died for our sins and that repentance is necessary in our walk with God. So long as the foundation of our faith is there then all of the other bells and whistles are left up to the discretion of the leaders of the churchs.

Answer 7

I am a born again evangelical Christian. I believe the answer is that the Roman Catholic doctrine of a priestly intercessor with God is the major splitting point between Protestants and Catholics. Otherwise we are much the same as we believe that the human death by Christ on the cross paid for all of humanities sins and wrongs and that by coming to Christ, for forgiveness, we attain salvation by faith. There are many other small differences but by almost all accounts we both believe Christ is Lord.

Answer 8

I think partly it's because Catholicism is the largest branch, with 1 billion+ members. It's similar to how other countries hate the United States. Envy and jealousy come in to play. However, some protestants definitely know their religion and actually dislike Catholicism for certain teachings. The Pope and the Virgin Mary are two big targets.

Answer 9

I have wondered about that also, and I can't come up with any reasonable reason(s), therefore I could just say the other christians should probably look at themselves in the mirror and perhaps see in their eyes why they dislike catholics. I, personally, dislike catholicism due to the their failure to stop and purge their ranks for the sexual exploitations of the alter boys.

Answer 10

This is a simple question with a complicated answer, because there are varying degrees of, and reasons for, animosity between any two religious groups. This particular battle is rooted in history. Degrees of reaction have ranged from friendly disagreement (as reflected in the numerous ecumenical dialogues produced between the two groups), to outright persecution and murder of Protestants at the hands of Rome. Reformation teachings that identify the Pope as the Beast of Revelation and / or Roman Catholicism as Mystery Babylon are still common among Protestants. Clearly, anyone with this view is not going to “warm up” to Rome any time soon.



For the most part, today at least, most of the animosity comes from basic human nature when dealing with fundamental disagreement over eternal truths. Passions are sure to ignite in the more weighty matters of life, and one's faith is (or at least should be) at the top of the heap. Many Protestants think Roman Catholics teach a works-gospel that cannot save, while Roman Catholics think Protestants teach easy-believism that requires nothing more than an emotional outburst brought on by manipulative preaching. Protestants blame Catholics for worshipping Mary and Catholics think Protestants are apparently too dull to understand the distinctions Rome has made in this regard. These caricatures are often difficult to overcome.



Behind the particular disagreements over the role of faith and works, the sacraments, the canon of Scripture, the role of the priesthood, prayers to saints, and all the issues surrounding Mary and the Pope, etc., lies the biggest rift between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism: the issue of authority. How one answers the authority question will generally solve all the others. When it comes down to deciding a theological issue about defined Catholic dogma, there isn’t really much to discuss on the Catholic's side because once Rome speaks, it is settled. This is a problem when trying to debate a Roman Catholic - reason and Scripture are not the Catholic’s final authority, they can always retreat into the “safe zone” of Roman Catholic authority.



Thus, many of the arguments between a Protestant and a Catholic will revolve around one's “private interpretation” of Scripture as against the "official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Catholics claim to successfully avoid the legitimate problems of private interpretation by their reliance on their tradition. But this merely pushes the question back a step. The truth is that both Roman Catholics and Protestants must, in the end, rely upon their reasoning abilities (to choose their authority) and their interpretive skills (to understand what that authority teaches) in order to determine what they will believe. Protestants are simply more willing to admit that this is the case.



Both sides can also be fiercely loyal to their family's faith or the church they grew up in without much thought to doctrinal arguments. Obviously there are a lot of possible reasons, and while we should not divide over secondary issues, both sides agree that we must divide when it comes to primary issues. Beyond that, we can agree to disagree and worship where we find ourselves most in agreement. When it comes to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, the differences are just too great to ignore. However, that does not give license for caricatures or ignorant judgments - both sides need to be honest in their assessments and try not go beyond what God has revealed.

Answer 11

Corporate competition for market share. Religion is big business. Why do so many computer developers and software creators hate Microsoft. The Catholic Church is still the biggy even though their patent and monopoly on the faith has long expired.