Roman Catholicism vs Protestinism?

Question

Hi. I was just wondering what the differences between these two religions were and when I say "differences" I mean differences in history, beliefs, myths, etc. Also, what are some common rituals that occur during a Protestant vigil opposed to a Catholic vigil?

Answer 1

>>I mean differences in history, beliefs, myths, etc.<<

History:
Catholicism - founded by Christ in the 1st century AD.
Protestantism - founded by mere men much later.

Beliefs:
Catholicism - that which has been passed down from the Apostles.
Protestantism - kind of make it up as we go along, which is why various Protestant sects can't agree on whether or not abortion or homosexual actions are morally acceptable.

Answer 2

Well, there are many things that are the same and some differences. I will give you the differences that stand out the most.

The Catholic church is the original Christian church. Prior to the Reformation all Christian's were Catholics.

Catholic's believe in the authority of the scriptures, the magisterium and tradition. Protestants tend to believe in sola scriptura which is that the Bible is the only authority.

The Catholic church predates the Bible...so tradition is seen as just as important.

Also, Catholic's believe in the authority given to Peter from Christ himself. Peter started the Catholic church and has handed his authority down to each pope in succession. The Pope has the authority to rule for the people on faith and morals. This authority is given to him from Jesus Christ through Peter.

We also believe that Mary was born without the stain of original sin. That she remained a virgin her entire life.

We also believe that it is necessary to use the sacrament of confession. We go to the priest for forgiveness. He has the authority to loose and bind that was given from Jesus through the apostles.

We believe that the Holy Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divnity of Jesus Christ. It's callen transubstantiation. This is a miracle and it happens at every mass.

We believe that we can pray to Mary and to the Saints and ask for their prayers and intercessions.

We kneel during Mass because of the presence of Christ.

We have 7 sacraments:
Marriage
Baptisim
Confession
Confirmation
Holy Orders
Eucharist
Extreme Unction

All are biblical.

Protestants have 3 - baptism,confirmation and marriage

There are many things I've mentioned that on the surface may seem funny or even unbiblical. But with research and an open mind, you'll find out that the Catholic Church does nothing that goes against scripture...ever. Everything we do is not specifically mentioned by name in the Bible but when you read the Bible as a whole and see it in it's 3-dimensional form...you can see how and why Catholics have maintained that the traditions and teachings are from God and cannot be changed.

I'm a convert from Methodist. So...I've done a lot of research and what the Church teaches is overwhelmingly straight from God. It's awesome.

During the 30 years I was Methodist I never attended any service called a Vigil. But for the most part the services are nice, God centered...but the big part of the service is the sermon. In the Catholic Church the big part of the service is the sacrifice of the Mass. The miracle.

Check out:
http://www.catholic.com for any questions you might have. You can join the forums there and ask any thing...there are very knowlegeable people with great insight.

Also:
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/

Answer 3

I am Catholic but went to a Lutheran grammar school so I got a good taste of both religions. They are more similar than most Catholics will admit. The major differences I saw were that the Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary and have her statues around ---the Lutherans do not. The Catholics also pray to the Saints and have their statues around---the Lutherans do not. The Catholic priests cannot marry---the Lutherans can. The Catholics partake in the Communion ritual weekly---the Lutherans do not. The Lutherans also OK birth control and I beleive you can get married in the Lutheran Church after divorce---the Catholics cannot. I also felt more doom and gloom and guilt from the Catholic church.

Answer 4

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).

Protestantism is a Christian protest movement originating in the early 16th century in Germany opposing Roman Catholicism. Protestant churches are any of the western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic church that adhere to the doctrines of the Reformation. The name protestant is derived from the Latin protestatio meaning delaration which Martin Luther made when he and his supporters dissented "from the decision of the Diet of Spires (1529), which reaffirmed the edict of the Diet of Worms against the Reformation[1].

The doctrines of the Reformation can be summarized as a) the rejection of papal authority, b) rejection of some fundamental Roman Catholic doctrines, c) the priesthood of all believers, d) the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth, and e) the belief in justification by faith alone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity
http://www.religioustolerance.org/christ.htm

Answer 5

There isn't enough space to list all things, but both believe Jesus is Lord. The Catholic Bible has the books of the protestant Bible... but also a few more that Protestants don't accept. Catholics go to a Priest for confession, where protestants pray directly to God for forgiveness. These are just a few.

Answer 6

In the 11th century the Bishop of Rome declared himself Pope and split from the Orthodox Church, starting the Roman Catholic Church, he then declared the joint authority, a doctrine he had previously accepted, as a heresy.

Appalled by simony (The selling of atonement) and many other dubious practices or the Catholic Church, in 1517 a German Monk, Martin Luther nailed his 97 thesis to the door of a church, inviting the Pope to a disputation.

Though Luther's aim was reformation of the Catholic Church it led to the formation of Protestantism.

Answer 7

The Protestant Movement started in 1517. Because it is now almost 500 years old, many of them are not unlike Catholics and often no longer dislike us.

Answer 8

nicely, i'm Baptist and we have confidence that absolutely everyone believers are saints no longer in ordinary terms some that have been approved via the church to sainthood. We have confidence that we confess our sins to our Father in heaven, no longer some earthly being who's stated as father in the church. we don't have fathers, or clergymen in our church, we call them pastors. those pastors pontificate from a text cloth in scripture, in many situations something that is educational to the believers. we've communion, yet no longer a week. distinctive Baptist church homes have communion on distinctive schedules. some extra popular, and others much less popular. we've small disposable communion cups that we use so as that no person has to sip from a cup after somebody else has sipped from it. Our communions are in many situations on Sunday nights and not on Sunday mornings. we haven't any robes for the pastor, in ordinary terms the choir. The pastor in many situations wears a business enterprise wholesome. Our church has an excellent choir of roughly one hundred-a hundred twenty five individuals and an entire symphony orchestra, a pipe organ and 2 grand pianos as nicely. we've a separate chapel for weddings, and it incredibly is a time-honored wedding ceremony with the time-honored wedding ceremony vows till the couple have written their own as I did for my 2nd marriage. I survived one marriage and am now in yet another one. we've some funeral centers in the church, yet they are in many situations executed on the funeral domicile next to a cemetary the place they are going to be buried. we don't have myths in our church till you join the concept that any perception in a God is a fantasy. Many in this communicate board do have confidence that. I genuinely do no longer. some protestant church homes recite the Apostles Creed, ours would not. we've approximately twenty minutes of congregational singing of hymns, and one variety via the choir in ordinary terms, in the past the sermon. As to historic previous, the Baptist church homes weren't in contact in the Crusades. grace2u

Answer 9

Okay, here are as many as I can think off the top o' my head:

Catholicism:
-mostly focused on rituals and sacrements
-pope, bishop, cardinal,etc.
-used to do some pretty bad things in the early times like sell hell insurance
-creates idols like statues of Jesus and Mary
-"adores" Mary because of her virginity
-lots of focus on saints
-thinks pope is holy, almost like God
-doesn't seem really as religious or focused on the Bible itself
-nuns
-sometimes makes lies (some said when the pope died, even Muslims felt sorry)
-prays to saints and mary, not God

Protestant:
-focused a lot on God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost
-just mostly ministers and priests, nothing too powerful and "holy"
-developed by Martin Luther and some other protesting reformers complaining about the Catholic Church and how it was gaining too much power and therefore becoming evil
-forbids making of idols or violating any of the ten commandments
-thinks Mary is a virgin and all that, but she isn't holy or too emphasized
-what in the world is a pope?
-focused a lot on the Bible
-no nuns or people with funny hats capable of concealing a derringer
-always trying to stay firm and true to God and Jesus Christ's teachings
-prays always directly to God

I hope this helped a little...

Answer 10

Wow! That's a huge question. Look up the Reformation movement in Europe for your answers.
OR
Catholics are right and everybody else is wrong.
Take your pick.