If Christianity is the truth then why is there such a HUGE gap between the Catholic and Protestant faith ?

Question

The very foundations of their faiths are galaxies apart......

.

Answer 1

Jesus is the truth ... not some religeous faction ...

Answer 2

God Bless you...

I respectfully disagree with you. Catholicism is not galaxies apart from Protestantism in the foundations...

We both believe that Christ was the very Son of God, meaning that He was God incarnate.

We both believe that he died on the cross for payment of the sin debt, and that He arose 3 days later to prove His power over death.

We both believe that He ascended and is at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the time of judgement to judge the living and the dead.

There are many many things we agree on, but those are the foundations of Christianity.

The areas we disagree on, such as the importance of the sacraments, the books of the Apocrypha, and most others are minor.

The major issue, as I see it between Catholicism and true Christianity (note that I did not say "Protestantism") is the issue of salvation. The Bible--even the Catholic Bible--teaches salvation by faith alone. The Catholic church, as well as several Protestant denominations, teach salvation by works.

Why is that important? Everything hinges on that. If you say that salvation requires you to do something to earn it, such as good deeds, or tithing, or anything else you are essentially saying that Christ's death on the cross was not sufficient. God could not pay your sin debt. You are saying that Jesus lied when He said "It is finished".

The only way that Christ's death on the cross meant anything is if salvation is by faith alone. John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9 both make this pretty clear, but the whole Gospel of John speaks about what is required for salvation, and it is not works. Faith--belief--in Jesus as your saviour is the ONLY way to heaven. Check out the thief on the cross in Luke 23:40-43. The Gospels and Epistles are very clear on salvation--it is not through works, but through faith alone by God's grace.

This is the very point on which Christianity and Catholicism divide.

Answer 3

This is a simple question with a complicated answer, because there are varying degrees of, and reasons for, animosity between any two religious groups. This particular battle is rooted in history. Degrees of reaction have ranged from friendly disagreement (as reflected in the numerous ecumenical dialogues produced between the two groups), to outright persecution and murder of Protestants at the hands of Rome. Reformation teachings that identify the Pope as the Beast of Revelation and / or Roman Catholicism as Mystery Babylon are still common among Protestants. Clearly, anyone with this view is not going to “warm up” to Rome any time soon.

For the most part, today at least, most of the animosity comes from basic human nature when dealing with fundamental disagreement over eternal truths. Passions are sure to ignite in the more weighty matters of life, and one's faith is (or at least should be) at the top of the heap. Many Protestants think Roman Catholics teach a works-gospel that cannot save, while Roman Catholics think Protestants teach easy-believism that requires nothing more than an emotional outburst brought on by manipulative preaching. Protestants blame Catholics for worshipping Mary and Catholics think Protestants are apparently too dull to understand the distinctions Rome has made in this regard. These caricatures are often difficult to overcome.

Behind the particular disagreements over the role of faith and works, the sacraments, the canon of Scripture, the role of the priesthood, prayers to saints, and all the issues surrounding Mary and the Pope, etc., lies the biggest rift between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism: the issue of authority. How one answers the authority question will generally solve all the others. When it comes down to deciding a theological issue about defined Catholic dogma, there isn’t really much to discuss on the Catholic's side because once Rome speaks, it is settled. This is a problem when trying to debate a Roman Catholic - reason and Scripture are not the Catholic’s final authority, they can always retreat into the “safe zone” of Roman Catholic authority.

Thus, many of the arguments between a Protestant and a Catholic will revolve around one's “private interpretation” of Scripture as against the "official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Catholics claim to successfully avoid the legitimate problems of private interpretation by their reliance on their tradition. But this merely pushes the question back a step. The truth is that both Roman Catholics and Protestants must, in the end, rely upon their reasoning abilities (to choose their authority) and their interpretive skills (to understand what that authority teaches) in order to determine what they will believe. Protestants are simply more willing to admit that this is the case.

Both sides can also be fiercely loyal to their family's faith or the church they grew up in without much thought to doctrinal arguments. Obviously there are a lot of possible reasons, and while we should not divide over secondary issues, both sides agree that we must divide when it comes to primary issues. Beyond that, we can agree to disagree and worship where we find ourselves most in agreement. When it comes to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, the differences are just too great to ignore. However, that does not give license for caricatures or ignorant judgments - both sides need to be honest in their assessments and try not go beyond what God has revealed.

Recommended Resource: The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God by James McCarthy.

Answer 4

Catholicism, in essence, is the result of the Roman Empire swallowing Christianity and fusing various pagan beliefs with it in order to gain 'converts' throughout the empire. (They both kinda followed the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality.)

Protestantism is the result of a bunch of different breakaways from the Catholic Church, some for reasons as petty as forbidding of divorce (Anglican/Episcopalian Church). Just b/c they broke away from the dominance of the Catholic Church, however, doesn't mean that the beliefs weren't tainted by certain Babylonian teachings.

Answer 5

It depends upon the Protestant denomination. Catholic and Baptist or Pentecostal... yeah, HUGE difference. Catholic and Lutheran, small difference. Lutheran and Pentecostal or Lutheran and Baptist....again, HUGE difference. Heck, I would be more inclined to send my girls to vacation bible school with a Catholic than with a Baptist! They'd be closer to getting good info with the Catholics!

Answer 6

Their foundation is identical: Jesus Christ.

The differences come from freewill, opinion, and unbending traditions. In short: SIN.

Sin comes from the devil, who is constantly trying to undermine the foundation of Christianity.

Mark

Answer 7

If you haven't noticed, there is a gap between every sect of every religion...some small, some bit, but it seems that most are worth killing over. It's a sad state of affairs, to be honest!

Answer 8

Good question. Dont' forget to mention the division among the protestants.

Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian etc.

Answer 9

true believers are children of GOD. God is not Catholic or Protestant, etc.....

God is our father and we are HIS. How many times do you guys ask the same stuid questions?

also mormons are HIS kids.

Answer 10

They both believe in God and that Jesus dies for their sins. Thir beliefs seem pretty identical to me. But for whatever reason, they still hate eachother.

Answer 11

the foundations of our faiths are belief in Christ