What's the difference between Catholicism and Methodism?

Question

My friend is Methodist, and I'm Catholic. I know all about the Catholic faith, absolutely nothing about the Methodist faith, so what are the differences?

Answer 1

John Wesley formed the Methodist Church. I think he broke away from the Catholic Church. Both churches believe in Jesus as Lord, both take communion. Methodists pray directly to God for forgiveness, they don't go to confession. Also, Methodists don't consider Mary as being extra special, but the mother of Jesus. Methodists don't believe in Purgatory, as some Catholics do or did. These are a few of the similarities and differences.

Answer 2

As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective καθολικός, meaning "general" or "universal"[1] - is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as follows:

~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western, (c) the Latin Church after that separation, (d) the part of the Latin Church that remained under the Roman obedience after the Reformation, (e) any church (as the Anglican) claiming continuity with (b)."[1]
Leaving aside the historical meanings indicated under (b) and (c) above, the Oxford English Dictionary thus associates present-day Catholicism with:

(a) "the whole body of Christians". The actual extension of Catholicism in this sense varies with the different understandings of what it means to be a Christian.
(d) "the part of the Latin Church that remained under the Roman obedience after the Reformation", i.e. the Catholic or Roman Catholic Church. This definition of Catholicism should be expanded to cover the Eastern particular Churches that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, and that the Church in question sees as no less part of Catholicism than the Latin particular Church.
(e) "any church (as the Anglican) claiming continuity with the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western". Churches that make this claim of continuity include not only those of the Anglican Communion, but, among others, the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Assyrian Church of the East. The claim of continuity may be based on apostolic succession, especially in conjunction with adherence to the Nicene Creed. Some interpret Catholicism as adherence to the traditional beliefs that Protestant Reformers denied (see, for example, the Oxford Movement).

Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. It originated in 18th century Britain, and through vigorous missionary activity, spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond. Originally it appealed especially to workers, agricultural workers, and slaves. Theologically most Methodists are Arminian, emphasizing that everyone can be saved (as opposed to Calvinist predestination), and low church in liturgy (although this varies greatly in individual chapels. The Wesleys themselves greatly valued Anglican liturgy and tradition). There are also a number of Calvinistic Methodists in Wales. By 2006 Methodism claimed some 75 million members worldwide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodism

Answer 3

Methodism is a Protestant denomination. Generally, they believe that religion is a personal experience and that everyone can be saved, as opposed to predestination. That's really all I know, but I've heard this joke several times regarding Methodists:

How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
This statement was issued: "We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that a light bulb works for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb (or light source, or non-dark resource), and present it next month at our annual light bulb Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life, and tinted--all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence."

Answer 4

Too many things for me to know them all. Some of them are, Pastors are the equivalent of Priests but they can marry. Methodists believe that the bread and wine are "symbolic" only of Jesus' body and blood. They have no statues, Rosary or Saints and do not revere the virgin Mary as "the mother of God". Mary is the woman that God selected for Jesus to develop into a human being. They don't believe in confession of individual sins, (in a confessional explaining confessing "wrongs"). They believe in a "corporate" confession in which as a group they confess their sins "seen and unseen" believing there is no way for us to know all of sins because we sin without knowing. There is also no penance for sin...Jesus died for our sins, what more needs to be done. For the most part Methodist's only kneel for communion. They also use grape juice for communion and believe alcohol is a product of evil. The wine in the Bible is consider to refer to grape juice with such a small amount of fermentation that it would be impossible to get intoxicated. As I said there is much more, but these are the more significant that I can think of right now.

Answer 5

Three things really.

Less ritualism. There's no communion, you don't say 'and with you' after the pastor says something, etc.

Less restrictions. Pastors can be married, they don't have an issue with birth control, etc.

Less frills. They don't have saints, they don't have holy orders, it's just belief in Jesus Christ.

That's pretty much it. Methodists tend to be more giving and involved in the community, too.

Answer 6

The primary difference is that each thinks that they go to heaven and the other goes to hell.

Answer 7

Who cares? You both believe in God, and Jesus. There are just minor differences. In the eye if your god, your both going to heaven. Stop worrying, be happy. :)

Answer 8

About two divorces.