difference between the REAL Catholic Church and other religious sects?

Question

whats the difference?

Answer 1

the real catholic church, has many practices that are not found in the bible which strikes me odd as this is suppose to be a bible based religion
examples:
1. they pray to saints. when Jesus said pray to the father in MY name, that the father would be glorified thru the son.
2. calling men father , Jesus said call God you father only(this was referring to religious practices)
3. they equal Mary to Jesus, that is found NO where in scripture
4. they believe you can not go to heaven unless you belong to their church..Jesus said I"am the way the truth the life NO man can come to the father but by me..
so on and so on

Answer 2

There are certainly some differences between Baptists and Catholics. Unfortunately, there are differences between Baptists and Baptists. Some Baptist churches agree with infant baptism, some don't. Some believe there are seven sacraments and some believe there are only two. Some believe it's okay to have an abortion and some don't. The list goes on...it's sad because the Baptist church is not united, they are very much fragmented. As for differences between the Catholic Church and the main Baptist beliefs... 1. The Eucharist. The Catholic Church stands by the belief that during the Last Supper Jesus gave us His most Precious Body and Blood to consume. We stand by this belief and it is backed up by both Scripture and Oral Tradition (the writings of the early church Fathers and such) 2. Baptism. The Catholic Church stands by the belief that baptism isn't just a sign, it's an actual Sacrament and those baptized receive many graces. We also agree with infant baptism, this can also be proved from both a Scriptural standpoint and from Oral Tradition. Again, the Church has been baptizing infants and adults since the very beginning of Christianity. 3. Authority. The Catholic Church stands by the belief that Jesus gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to St. Peter. We know that Jesus came to restore the Davidic Kingdom and as such, whenever the King leaves, his most trusted servant is given the keys and speaks for the King. We believe that St. Peter and his successors have stood in this position and will be until Jesus returns. This does not mean that whatever the Pope says goes or is infallible, nor does he have complete control over the Church. There are checks and balances, just as there is in the U.S. government. The President doesn't have complete control over America. The Baptist Church's authority is ruled by whoever is in charge of that specific church. Thus, one Baptist Church might teach tolerance towards gays and lesbians and the one down the street might teach hatred towards gays and lesbians. There is no united teaching, it is all up to how that pastor interprets the Bible. 4. Sacraments. The Catholic Church believes in 7 Sacraments: The Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Annoiting of the Sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders and Confession. Again, all of these can be found in the Bible and found in the Early Christians beliefs. The Baptist Church only believes in 2 usually: Lord's Supper and Baptism. 5. Bible. The Catholic Church holds true to the original Bible. The Old Testament includes the canon that Jesus and all the Jews followed. The New Testament is pretty much the same. Most Protestant religions follow the Old Testament canon decided in 90 A.D. where the Jews removed most of the Books that held Messionic Prophecies, the Catholic Church has kept these. There are more differences, but here's just a few.

Answer 3

"Real"? As opposed to what, the imaginary Catholic Church?

If you're asking what distinguishes Catholicism from the other sects of Christianity, I'd say it's 1) the clergical hierarchy and tradition (which they believe traces all the way to Jesus instructing Peter to build the church; Peter is recognized as being the first Pope), and 2) perhaps a little more emphasis on ritualized expression than other sects (with the sacraments and all).

I find it funny when non-Catholic Christians use the Bible to bash Catholics, when it was the Catholic Church who put the Bible together in the first place (deciding which of various works were considered "inspired" or not).

Answer 4

She means the differences between the Catholics who go under the Pope and the Catholics who abandoned the "official" Pope guided church after the Second Vatican Council, you dolts. Basically, the people in these little Catholic sects don't believe themselves to be ruled by the Pope and don't accept any of the changes. Most of the changes softened the church's stance on non-Catholics and changed the Latin mass to whatever native language the church is in. The most famous member of one of these sects that I know of is Mel Gibson.

Answer 5

Use of idols, confession, purgatory, praying to saints, Mary veneration, child baptism, communion are primarily performed or belived by the Catholic Church. Some other religions that may have broken away from the Catholic Church may also have these facets.

Answer 6

The main difference came through back during the Reformation.

Basically, some Catholics who read and studied the Bible extensively came to the conclusion that salvation was:
By, or because of, GRACE ALONE. "Sola Gratia"
By, or through, FAITH ALONE. "Sola Fide"
According to the SCRIPTURES ALONE. "Sola Scriptura"

These Catholics were ex-communicated by the Catholic church for these teachings...

Without going into too much detail, these are the major differences.

Most protestants would say they are saved because of (and solely because of) the grace of God.
Catholics would say they hope to be saved because of the grace of God and their good works.

Note that the protestant is confident that they are saved and going to heaven, while a Catholic can never be sure for absolute certainty.

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At least this is a start to sort through this tangled mess of confusion...!

Answer 7

"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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

What I believe to be an important difference is, Catholics believe they receive the Holy Spirit, just as the protestants do; the difference is Catholics believe they merit heaven as a result of their holy life. Protestants believe there is never any merit, all is by grace through faith. Can't be holy enough to merit heaven, even with the Holy Spirit.

Answer 9

They do not think Mary and Jesus are equal.
People are very ignorant when it comes to Mary and the Catholic ideas of her. It only takes a few seconds to do a quick google search. Please, learn something.

Answer 10

Here is what the founder of Protestantism had to say:
"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."
Martin Luther, (Sermon, September 1, 1522).
Every time you see someone persecuting the Catholic Church, or speaking falsely against her, be happy, because those people are merely helping Catholics to gain their eternal reward in Heaven.
It is a promise from Jesus Christ Himself.

"Do not be surprised, brethren, IF THE WORLD HATES YOU." 1John 3:13

"IF THE WORLD HATES YOU, KNOW THAT IT HATED ME BEFORE YOU.
IF YOU WERE OF THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD LOVE ITS OWN. BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATES YOU.
REMEMBER THE WORD THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU: NO SERVANT IS GREATER THAN HIS MASTER. IF THEY HAVE PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL PERSECUTE YOU ALSO; IF THEY HAVE KEPT MY WORD, THEY WILL KEEP YOURS ALSO.
BUT ALL OF THESE THINGS THEY WILL DO TO YOU FOR MY NAME'S SAKE, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW HIM WHO SENT ME.
IF I HAD NOT COME AND SPOKEN TO THEM, THEY WOULD HAVE NO SIN. BUT NOW THEY HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR THEIR SIN. HE WHO HATES ME HATES MY FATHER ALSO. IF I HAD NOT DONE AMONG THEM WORKS SUCH AS NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE, THEY WOULD HAVE NO SIN. BUT NOW THEY HAVE SEEN, AND HAVE HATED BOTH ME AND MY FATHER;
BUT THAT THE WORD WRITTEN IN THEIR LAW MAY BE FULFILLED, 'THEY HAVE HATED ME WITHOUT CAUSE', (Psalms 35:19)".
John 15:18-25
I would say that Jesus Christ said it all in these verses written with the inspired pen of Saint John wouldn't you?
Name another Church which is attacked so much on a daily basis as is the Catholic Church?
Jesus Christ warned us, "You will be HATED BY ALL NATIONS for My Name's sake."
Matthew 24:9

"Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for My sake. REJOICE AND EXULT, BECAUSE YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12