What`s the diferente between catholics and protestants?

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.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

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

It is easier to describe what a Catholic is and what a Protestant is not. Let me describe the problem of describing a Protestant.

Some Protestants believe in episcopacy, some do not; some believe in baptism, some do not; some require foot washing for salvation, some do not; some permit the ordination of women, some do not; some perform gay marriages, some do not; some use the bible heavily in their services, some never use it and some use it little; some services are a completely silent gathering, some are loud and boisterous and some are in the middle; some are liturgical and some are not; some have deacons and some do not; some ordain ministers and some do not; some believe marriage is sacred and some do not; some believe in tradition and some do not; some believe Jesus is God and Man, some believe he is a man; some use the Catholic Church's lectionary for weekly scripture readings and some do not; some have 73 books, some have 66 books and for a while one of the original churches had 63 books (Luther excluded James, Jude and Revelations); some speak in tongues and some do not; some use hymns and some do not; some use artwork and some do not....and the list goes on.

Protestants are best defined as "not Catholic." Most reject the authority of the papacy, although Anglicans have formally accepted Rome as the Church of last appeal at least in theory and the Evangelical Lutheran Church is in talks of full union with Rome. Most reject tradition or redefine what is contained in it, and so most believe in scripture alone. The faith/works debate has disappeared as most Churches have agreed the medieval debate was a false debate that the distinctions were never real. They were triggered by Luther's rejection of the book of James. Reinclusion of James collapses the debate.

Protestants generally reject the teachings of the Catholic episcopate, officially, but adopt them as their own anyway. For example, it is the Catholic Church which determined which books were in the New Testament...to even discuss the idea of scripture alone as a standard first required Pope Damasus to create the list. Likewise to support Trinitarian thought, which some Protestants do not, requires the Councils as Nicaea and Constantinople.

When Protestants disagree they form new denominations.

Catholics hold to "Holy Tradition," which includes the Bible, the services left by the apostles, some artwork and song left by the apostles, early practices and teachings left by the apostles, early writings left by people who were trained by the apostles and clarify the scripture writers intent.

As such, the Catholic belief system isn't subject to revision, even by Popes. When John Paul II was asked to consider ordaining women to the presbyterate, he rejected it. He ruled that while all reason points to the ordination of women, nothing in the early Church or the immediate period thereafter supports the idea. The word Catholic means "all embracing," and "according to the whole." A Catholic belief is a belief held by the whole church across time. So if there were no ordained female presbyters in the first century, or second century then there can be none in the 20th or 21st either. A belief may not change just because the understandings of the people change. It may have been only a practical reason for not ordaining women, or it may have been a theological reason. Jesus was a radical enough person that had he chose to make a woman an apostle, he could have. Likewise, the Twelve could have appointed women but did not and it is clear from the early writings that no one even considered it. Even a group that supports the ordination of women, admits on its website, that the early writings are against it and even the earliest conciliar documents on the ordination of women to the diaconate treat the ordination of women deacons of different in substance to men. The women were conceptually more like nuns while the men were deacons in the theological sense. The pope ruled he lacked the authority to ordain women, only the apostles could do that decision.

So the difference is that Catholics are bound by the first centuries and may not revisit earlier decisions, but Protestants are free to believe anything even if it would have been rejected outright by the Twelve.

Answer 3

The protestant religion started when the then current pope started bankrupting the catholic church through his excesses and the pope came up with the idea that you could buy your way into heaven also if you sinned you give the church money and your sins were forgiven. That was when Martin Luther nailed his letter to a church door in Hamburg and started gaining a following.

The protestants pray directly to God- not through Mary.
Catholics believe Mary was Holy- Protestants don't.
Catholics believe in Saints- Protestants say only God, Jesus and H.Ghost are Holy.
Catholics believe in the power of Holy Water and Rosaries and Crosses- Protestants say no object can be Holy.
C.Priests have to stay celibate- P.Ministers normally have families.
Catholics have to confess there sins- Protestants say only God can absolve your sins.

These are the basics.

I am sure God doesn't really care which way you follow as long as you believe and live your life right.

Answer 4

A lot of bigoted, silly and infantile mixture of replies amongst some very considered replies.
Certainly the authority of the Pope is a big issue and there are many doctrinal issues but it is far more complicated than has been mentioned.
Take the Eucharist for example. It is untrue to say that "protestants reject the Real Presence". The Church of England is on record as saying that it teaches the Real Presence - whether its members all believe it is apparently another issue.
There is certainly more that UNITES rather than DIVIDES. Lets pray to God that even if we cannot always agree, at least we can be friendly to one another!

Answer 5

Essentially, catholics believe there are two sources for religion: the bible and tradition.
Protestants rely solely on the bible (Sola Scriptura: Scriptures only).

That is the main difference, and it is the source of many, many other differences, not only between catholics and protestants but between prostestant denominations as well.
Since traidtion is an additional source of reference for the catholic church, it is a highly hierarchical structure with the Pope at its head. The pope is the final voice in deciding specific points of dogma.

Because protestants only rely on the bible, they generally don't rely on a hierarchy to decide those points, they rather rely on their interpretation of the bible.

Some differences include:
Catholic side: adoration of Mary, prayer to the saints, transsubstantiation, sacraments, infallibility of the Pope.
Protestant side: salvation for the elected only (calvinists), Jesus in America shortly after the resurrection (Latter-day saints), no hierarchical structure or a very loose one (most denominations), only 144,000 saved (Jehovah's Witnesses)...

In short, there are tons of differences, some small, some big.

Answer 6

Catholics have allgience to the Pope and protestants got that name because they were against catholism

Answer 7

Catholics have more rules and rituals. Catholics have a structure in our establishment of religion.

Protestants have sects and few rituals

Answer 8

Speaking as a Catholic, the main difference is that Catholics see the Pope as part of the apostolic succession, going back to Peter: 'Thou art Peter and upon this rock I shall build my church.'

But the situation is complicated because the various protestant churches came about because of the Reformation, which was an understandable revolt against aspects of the Church which needed reform. This revolt was in part taken up by the German Princes who saw an opportunity to withhold monies from the Vatican.

Once Politics became involved in the revolt, the reformation was destined to cause a split in the Church, with a number of different Protestant churches breaking away. This led to a divided Europe and wars would be fought often along religious lines. Often a change of ruler would lead to a change of religion for the whole country. Property would often be awarded to those families which fell in line, and removed from those who would not change. Laws would be passed forbidding the 'other side' from practicing their faith.

Later the Counter-Reformation went some way to remove the excesses of the Catholic Church, though it was not really until the Second Vatican Council that the Church dragged itself into the 20th Century.

The overdue reforms in the Catholic Church came too late, and the various Protestant churches have grown and had their own reformations and schisms. There are now a large number of Protestant Churches, some of which hold strongly to the past, and hold the King James Bible translation as 'gospel'. Others are more flexible and modern in outlook, as you can see by the number of translations of the Bible.

There is a growing desire among many Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, to grow into a deeper understanding and come to a fuller sense of communion, as Christ hoped for.

This brings me to the another main difference, which is the question of Communion or the Eucharist. Catholics believe in the Real Presence, in which somehow, the Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine on the alter, into the Body and Blood of Jesus. In this way we not only do this 'in memory of me', but also believe that Jesus' words at the Last Supper upon breaking and sharing the bread and wine, 'this is my body, this is my blood', is enacted at each mass by the working of the Holy Spirit.

In opposition to this, Protestants do not believe in the Real Presence, but the Eucharist is a memorial of the Last Supper.

There are other differences, but this is complicated by the number of different Protestant churches, as they don't always agree among themselves, due to the primacy of the written Word, the Bible, which allows for many possible interpretations. And this is of course the other main difference, because the Catholic Church believes in the written Word, the Bible, but considers the great wealth of theology coming from the early days of the Church through to modern time, as enormously helpful in gaining an understanding of God's Word.

Opposed to this, Protestants hold that the Bible is complete, and nothing can be added. That hasn't stopped them adding numerous commentaries on the Bible for the benefit of their communities.

Finally, the one difference which needs to be mentioned is that we are all human, and striving to follow God's Word, and as in all families, whether close-knit, or distant cousins, diffences will occur. With love they can be overcome.

Answer 9

The main difference is that when Christ was crucified on the cross the veil in the temple was rent and now Christians can go directly to God thruogh Jesus Christ.

Catholics still believe they have to confess to a priest.. How can a priest grant forgiveness?

Answer 10

a lot...just some basic things; catholics have the pope, saints, and place importance on mary. protestantism doesn't do those. (well, protestants don't put much emphasis on mary).