what the diffrences from a catholic and a protestant?

Question

i need to know what the diffences?

Answer 1

Catholics are green and scaly and bent over and speak with a lisp.
Protestants are all tall and strong and cheerful and extremely polite.
(Sorry, but the question is too broad to address seriously)

Answer 2

I'll take it that you are trying to ask what are the differences between a Catholic and a Protestant ...
A Catholic believes that the 'most important part' of the 'religious ceremony' is the Eucharist (Communion) ... and the 'whole Bible' is 'read out loud' in church throughout each year. We have 'homilies' about being a 'good Christian' and not 'sermons' telling us what we have done 'wrong' ...

A Protestant doesn't put nearly as much in the 'communion' ritual, and most have 'sermons' ... and there is much less 'ritual' in a Protestant church than in a Catholic church.

The Protestant churches were originally 'offshoots' of the Catholic church, and were run by people who 'protested' against the 'hard and fast rules' of Catholicism, hence the name 'protestant' ...

The Catholic church has 'changed' a lot since the 'old days' and now the 'regular people' take both the wine and the bread at communion (before they got only the bread and the priests drank the wine and took the bread, too) ... but the 'biggest thing' is that ONLY the 'Catholic' (INCLUDING the Orthodox and the Episcopalians) churches can trace the 'ordination of priests' back 'in a straight line' to the Apostles of Jesus ... and the Catholics believe that ONLY MEN can become priests and must be 'celibate' and unmarried... while the Episcopalians now ordain women as priests, and ANY/ALL priests can marry.

Answer 3

There are too many differences among Protestants to list. However, Protestants reject anything from the larger Christian Tradition(Pre-Reformation) and from the traditions of other Protestants that don't go along with a
particular interpetation of the Bible. Catholics maintain that there is one united visible infallible apostolic Catholic (universal) Church going back to Christ's founding and most Protestants do not.
Protestants claim to go by the Bible alone but Catholics claim to interpret the Bible(which latter have a longer OT than the standard Protestant Old Testament)by Apostolic Tradition and by an authoritative Church that is united around the successor of St Peter( the Pope of Rome) as the leader of the Church on Earth. Catholics believe that only the Catholic Church can authoritatively interpret the Bible.
Most Protestants maintain that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone while the Catholic Church teaches salvation by Grace alone by faith which works through love and the works of faith-hope-love.
Most Protestants believe that it is wrong to ask the saints in Heaven to pray for the living or to believe in Purgatory as the purifying experience of God's love and the final stage of conversion for many of the saved or to pray for the dead. Catholics do all of the above
Eastern Orthodox are more like Catholics than Protestants.

Answer 4

The Catholic church is governed by the papacy. The Protestants broke of from the Catholic church (this is the meaning of "Protestant" - to protest) because they disagreed with certain aspects of what the Catholic church taught. I believe that Henry the VIII had a hand in this. Fundamentally, both are Christians.
Someone here brought up the use of birth control. The Catholic church only approves the rhythm as birth control. The reason is because it doesn't allow the sperm and egg to ever come together because you don't have sex during the time that you are capable of conceiving. However, some protestant churches disapprove of any other method of birth control as well.

Answer 5

The Catholic Church as been around since Christ founded her 2,000 years ago. She has preserved, taught, and protected His teachings from the beginning.

Most Christians - catholic and protestant - have the same basic beliefs: that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, in His life, death and resurrection, repentance and forgiveness of sins, and the hope of eternal life. After this, it's difficult to explain.

Protestantism is a break from the Catholic Church around the year 1500, and includes all non-Catholic Christian churches.

When one tries to understand what Protestants teach, they soon discover that there are as many different beliefs as there are protestants. The reason is that Protestantism fractures every time there is a difference of opinion about belief. This is why we have over 54,000 different protestant denominations. When faced with this daunting number, someone trying to find the true teachings of Christ would feel this is impossible. Ironically, while each denomination is different from the other, they each claim to have Christ's true teachings and each condemn the other. It's crazy.

For the fullness of Christ's teachings and to be part of the Church He originally set down, we must study and live our Catholic Christian faith.

God bless and take care.

Answer 6

They both believe in Jesus Christ as their savior and their are more similarities than differences. However, they Catholics have a few books in their Bible that the protestants don't include. The books together are called the apocrypha. From what I understand, Catholics also believe in Limbo and purgatory which are two places in between heaven and hell. Most protestant churches will allow you to take communion no matter what but the Catholic church has closed communion which means you have to be Catholic and all confessed up. Protestants don't have confession all though a lot of them go to their pastors for counseling or prayer. Protestants don't seem to hold Mary in as high a position as Catholics. A lot of people are confused when they think Catholics worship Mary, saints or the pope. That is just not the case. Mary, Saints and the pope are held in higher positions but they are not worshiped. Most protestant churches regard any believer as a saint and they do not have statues in the sanctuary. Most protestant pastors can be married and some of them are even woman. Their are several different religions that make up "Protestants" and they are just as different as protestants and Catholics. Baptist don't dance, Pentecostal's speak in tongues, Methodist children go through confirmation much like Catholics...the big thing to remember in being a Christian at all is to believe that Jesus is your savior and to make Him LORD of your life. That is what is really important. There are too many people hung up on little things that God doesn't want His people arguing about in the first place. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all you soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself... that is what its all about to all Christians. God bless!

Answer 7

ok, I'm going to give you the best answer here. CATHOLICS ARE CHRISTIANS, ok? They are very similiar in theology to Protestants in many ways. The ways they differ? Catholics are very liturgical, which means they use incense, sprinkling of water, recitation of creeds, etc quite regularly. Protestants prefer to be more casual. Protestant churches may have more than one minister, all being free to marry and copulate within that marital relationship. Catholic priests do not.

Catholics have saints which are 'heroes of the faith,' such as John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, Saint Peter and others, even early martyrs that few have heard of can be saints. Protestants are leery of that because they think it can lead to idolatry. Some Catholics believe that the bread and wine of communion actually turns into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Most Protestants do not.

Catholics mostly pray and study the Bible during mass or confession. Protestants are encouraged to pray and study the Bible on their own, as well as in worship services.

Protestants could learn a thing or two from Catholic confessions. Individual autonomy usually gets out of hand within Protestant churches. However, Catholic churches seem to be full of believers that have to be told what to do when the Bible is readily available in English and easy to read (I didn't say easy to understand, though).

I know that's not it....lemme think for a sec. Catholics adhere to a pope. Protestants have associations within their denomination, still they don't have a definitive head of the faith other than Jesus himself. The Catholics have the Apocrypha in their Bible (books that were not accepted in the Protestant Bible due to inconsistencies in relating to the other books, questionable authenticity or author's validity).

However, amongst all that Catholics and Protestants both believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. They both believe that faith is the key to salvation. However, good works proves that faith. James 2 denies the absence of good deeds. They both believe in heaven and hell. They both believe in the power of prayer in Jesus' name. They both are traditionally conservative. The majority of both are 'peace' churches and prefer non-violent reactionary initiatives. They both believe in Creation. Neither are very humanistic. They both believe in the Trinity.

There are many more similarities but I think I have gone on far enough.

I hope one day Protestants (such as myself) can except the fact that Catholics are just as Christian as we are. Just because they worship differently doesn't make their God different.

Answer 8

Well, that's hard to say since there are many protestant groups out there.

Catholics believe in transubstantiation in the Eucharist, that is, that the bread and wine of the Eucharist become on a spiritual level the body and blood of Christ. Protestants have varying views, but usually don't have that one, exactly.

Protestants believe that the Holy Spirit stopped revealing God to mankind after the bible was completed, where-as Catholics believe that divine revelation has continued and will continue throughout history, meaning that the Holy Spirit has spoken through venues other than the Bible.

EDIT: I have to add that many protestants believe that you are saved through faith in Christ alone. Catholics believe that God will save you solely because of your faith in Christ, but that if you truly believe in Christ, you will do good in the world, so one who does not do good in the world, no matter how much he claims to believe in Christ, is unlikely to be saved.

Answer 9

"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 10

Haven't you ever heard that a Protestant is in fact a Protesting Catholic? Hence the name Protest-ant.

Answer 11

Christian Protestant and Catholicism Theologies:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/catholic_protestant.htm
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/catholicism.htm