what's the difference between the catholic religion and the Lutheran religion?

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

One of Martin Luther's big complaints back in the day was that within Catholic churches, the Bibles were chained to the altar, and only priests/deacons were allowed to read from them. Martin Luther felt that everyone should be able to read the Bible. However, there are other small differences as well.

As a Lutheran myself, I find this response to your very question to describe it best. Here is the copy and pasted response with the link below:

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Expert: Gordon F. Stoneburner
Date: 10/23/2003
Subject: lutheran religion vs. catholic

Question
what is the differance between lutheran and catholic, what are the main objectives to being a lutheran., what are the main beliefs as apposed to other religions in christianity?

Answer
Ashley:

There are similarities in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran church. Martin Luther, the protestant reformer who founded the Lutheran denomination, broke from the Roman Catholic Church, but kept the parts of the faith that were scriptural (based on the Bible). Later reformers did
not do this, which is why we have more similarities than other
denominations.

We both practice infant baptism, and communion as sacraments. Roman Catholics also include 3 more that we reject. We also reject purgatory, praying to the saints, and praying to Mary as unscriptural.

Our service is very similar in that we are both liturgical. There is a set format. We also have Bible readings, but a sermon that is based on the readings as well.

Lutheranism is based on scripture alone. Roman Catholism is based on scripture + Papal decrees + Church history.

Lutheran churches are governed locally, not from a big church hierarchy.

Answer 3

Let’s see, some of the striking differences coming from a Lutheran perspective:

Authority of the Bible:
RCC- Accept the Bible as the source of truth interpreted in the light of tradition.
Lutheran- Accept the Bible as the sole source of truth. The Holy Spirit interprets scripture and scripture interprets scripture.

Sacraments:
RCC- Celebrate seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Eucharist, Marriage, Orders and Anointing of the Sick.
Lutheran- Celebrate two sacraments (means of Grace): Eucharist and Baptism.

Eucharist:
RCC- Believe in Real Presence that the consecrated bread and wine turns into the body and blood of Christ
Lutheran- Believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The consecrated elements (bread and wine) is the bread and the wine and the ACTUAL Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. People really need to stop confusing the Lutheran belief on the Eucharist with the other Protestants (excluding the Anglicans and some Presbyterians).

Church Government:
RCC- College of Bishops shares authority with the Pope as the head of the College (called collegiality). Ultimately, the Pope is the visible head on earth of the Roman Catholic Church.
Lutheran- Congregational form of church government. I would like to point out that the Lutheran Church gets its Apostolic Succession through the Bishops of the Church of Sweden (Svenska kyrkan). See Gustavus Vasa 1527 and Pope Clement VII's decree on the Swedish Bishops.

The Priesthood:
RCC- Restricted to males who are forbidden to marry. From what I understand, there are some exceptions to this ruling if a married priest converts to Roman Catholicism, since they would have to divorce to remain celibate.
Lutheran- Ministers are allowed to marry. It can be pointed out that some Liberal Synods ordain women as ministers. It has to be pointed out that ordaining women is contrary to Scriptures and not a Confessional Lutheran belief.

The Virgin Mother:
RCC- Teach that the Virgin Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of her son Jesus Christ. They teach and believe that the Virgin Mary was born with out original sin (Immaculate Conception) and at the point of conception she was redeemed (full of grace, see Luke 2). Some Roman Catholics pray to Mary and over emphasis her role and claim she is a Co-Redempterix.
Lutheran- The Virgin Mary being a "Perpetual Virgin" is not taught in the Lutheran Church as cannon law. It is not discouraged if members believe she continued as a virgin after Jesus' birth. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and Co-Redempterix is not confessed or affirmed by the Lutheran Church.

Faith/Forgiveness of Sins/Means of Grace:
RCC- Faith not only can come by the Word and the sacraments, but Icons can be a visual representation of the Gospel.
Lutheran- Faith comes by the hearing of the Word and the receiving of the sacraments.

Papal Authority:
RCC- The Roman Catholic Church claims the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, has primacy of honor (universal immediate jurisdiction) and infallibility on matters of Christian living and faith. They claim the Pope is the direct successor of St. Peter (the first Pope).
Lutheran- Because Lutherans affirm Apostolic Succession, the Popes before the Reformation are considered first among equals. They do not affirm primacy of honor, infallibility and the title of Vicar of Christ.

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W, your answer is so wrong you are misinformed.

Atticus Finch,
You might want to look up what Consubstantiation means.

Answer 4

The Luthern church was the first church to break from the Catholics in what is called the Protestant Reformation. It is named for Martin Luther, whose teachings began the Reformation. Lutherns are (as stated) Protestant. They tend to us a lot of rituals and readings that are similar to the Catholic church (no Latin). But they place less importance on the Eucharist (Communion). It is not served at every service. They do not believe that it physically becomes the body and blood of Christ. They do not acknowledge the Pope as the Vicar of Christ or the head of the church. They believe in what is called "the priesthood of all believers", that is each person can go directly to God of forgiveness of sin. There is no "confessions". They do not believe in praying to (or through) Mary and the saints. Priest are allowed to marry and have families. There are no "nuns" or "monks" in the Luthern faith. Beyond that, they believe in the diety of Jesus, the Trinity, salvation by faith, the death and ressurection of Jesus, and that the Bible contains the word of God. Each Luthern church will vary according to the pastor who leads the church. So probably the best thing to do would be to sit down with the Luthern pastor and talk to him. Ask about the issues that concern you, and learn what he believes and teaches. That is the only way to really know if you would be comfortable in that church. I will say that if you decide to move the move from Catholic to Protestant, the Luthern church is probably one of the best to do it in. They tend to be more like the Catholic in the style of their services then most other Protestant church. Probably because their "founder" had been a Catholic priest for many years.

Answer 5

Lutherans are Protestant and they believe in consubstantiation. That means that Jesus is only present in the Holy Eucharist during the Mass. Catholics believe in transubstantiation, which means Jesus is present once the bread has been consecrated and He always will be. Lutherans also don't believe in confessing our sins to a priest.

Answer 6

Marriage of Clergy

Allowance of liberal Divorce

Not as much attention to Saints and the Virgin Mary

A slightly different Bible

Hymns

NO kneeling

No wafers

No incense

No head gear on clergy

Answer 7

catholics believe in a "communion of saints" and lutherans do not. lutherans belive the host is symbolic, cath. belive it is actually jesus present

Answer 8

In 1550 it was life and death.

Answer 9

little boys

Answer 10

Lutherans are Protestant Christians.
One of the first major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism is the issue of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the sole source of God’s special revelation to mankind, and as such it teaches us all that is necessary for our salvation from sin. Protestants view the Bible as the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. This belief is commonly referred to as “Sola Scriptura” and is one of the “Five Solas” (sola being Latin for “alone”) that came out of the Protestant Reformation as summaries of some of the important differences between Catholics and Protestants.



While there are many verses in the Bible that establish it’s authority and it’s sufficiency for all matters of faith and practice, one of the clearest is 2 Timothy 3:16 where we see that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Catholics on the other hand reject the doctrine of “Sola Scriptura” and do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They believe that both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition are equally binding upon the Christian. Many Roman Catholics doctrines, such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc. have little or no basis at all in Scripture, but are based solely on Roman Catholic traditions. Essentially the Roman Catholic Church’s denial of “Sola Scriptura” and their insistence that both the Bible and their “Sacred Tradition” are equal in authority undermines the sufficiency, authority and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many of, if not all, the differences between Catholics and Protestants.



Another major but closely related difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is over the office and authority of the Pope. According to Catholicism the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ” (a vicar is a substitute), and takes the place of Jesus as the visible head of the Church. As such he has the ability to speak “ex cathedra” (with authority on matters of faith and practice), and when he does so his teachings are considered infallible and binding upon all Christians. On the other hand, Protestants believe that no human being is infallible, and that Christ alone is the head of the church. Catholics rely on apostolic succession as a way of trying to establishing the Pope’s authority. But Protestants believe that the church’s authority does not come from apostolic succession, but instead is derived from the Word of God. Spiritual power and authority does not rest in the hands of a mere man, but in the very Word of God recorded in Scripture. While Catholicism teaches that only the Catholic Church can properly and correctly interpret the Bible, Protestants believe that the Bible teaches that God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all born again believers, enabling all believers to understand the message of the Bible.



This is clearly seen in passages such as John 14:16-17: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (See also John 14:26 and 1 John 2:27). While Catholicism teaches that only the Roman Catholic Church has the authority and power to interpret the Bible, Protestantism acknowledges the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, and that individual Christians can trust the Holy Spirit for guidance in reading and interpreting the Bible for themselves.



A third major difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is how one is saved. Another of the “Five Solas” of the reformation was “Sola Fide” (faith alone), which affirms the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, according to Roman Catholicism, man cannot be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. They teach that the Christian must rely on faith plus “meritorious works” in order to be saved. Essential to the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation are the Seven Sacraments, which are: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, anointing of the sick, Holy Orders, and matrimony. Protestants believe that on the basis of faith in Christ alone, believers are justified by God as all their sins are paid for by Christ on the cross and His righteousness is imputed to them. Catholics on the other hand believe that Christ’s righteousness is imparted to the believer by “grace through faith,” but in itself is not sufficient to justify the believer. The believer must “supplement” the righteousness of Christ imparted to him with meritorious works.



Catholics and Protestants also disagree on what it means to be justified before God. To the Catholic, justification involves being made righteous and holy. They believe that faith in Christ is only the beginning of salvation, and that the individual must build upon that with good works because “man has to merit God’s grace of justification and eternal salvation.” Of course this view of justification contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture in passages such as Romans 4:1-12; Titus 3:3-7, as well as many others. On the other hand, Protestants distinguish between the one time act of justification (when we are declared righteous and holy by God based on our faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross), and sanctification (the ongoing process of being made righteous that continues throughout our lives on earth.) While Protestants recognize that works are important, they believe they are the result or fruit of salvation, but never the means to it. Catholics blend justification and sanctification together into one ongoing process, which leads to confusion about how one is saved.



A fourth major difference between Catholics and Protestants has to do with what happens after men die. While both believe that unbelievers will spend eternity in hell, there is significant and important differences as to what happens to believers. From their church traditions and their reliance of non-canonical books, the Catholics have developed the doctrine of purgatory. Purgatory, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, is a “place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” On the other hand, Protestants believe that because we are justified by faith in Christ alone, and that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us – when we die we will go straight to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord (Corinthians 5:6-10 and Philippians 1:23).



Yet even more disturbing about the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is the fact that they believe that man must or even can pay or make satisfaction for his own sins. This along with their misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about how man is justified before God, results in a low view of the sufficiency and efficiency of Christ’s atonement on the cross. Simply put, the Roman Catholic viewpoint on salvation implies that Christ’s atonement on the cross was not sufficient payment for the sins of those who believe in Him, and that even a believer must atone or pay for his own sins, either through acts of penance, or time in purgatory. Yet the Bible teaches over and over again that it is Christ’s death alone that can satisfy or propitiate God’s wrath against sinners (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Our works of righteousness cannot add to what Christ has already accomplished.



While there are numerous other differences between what Catholics and Protestants believe, these four should be adequate to establish that there are serious differences between the two. In much the same way as the Judiziers (Jews who said that Gentile Christians had to obey the Old Testament law to be saved) that Paul wrote about in Galatians, Catholics, by making works necessary for one to be justified by God, end up with a completely different gospel. The differences between Catholicism and evangelical Protestants are important and significant.