What's the difference between a Catholic and a Protestant Christian?

Question

What's the difference between a Catholic and a Protestant Christian?
thanks!

Answer 1

That one's so difficult to answer I'm not even going to get into it. But I will give one word of caution on this, there is no single Protestant Christianity that believes on thing; there are hundreds of Protestant denominations that believe different things. There is one single Catholic dogma (but individual Catholics may believe many different things).

Catholics and virtually all Protestant denominations believe that Jesus was the son of God, that he died for our sins, and that our salvation depends on believing this.

The main difference between Protestants and Catholics seems to be on who has authority to decide on diffferences in Scriptural interpretation (or whether anyone has authority has to decide all). I also know of no Protestant denomination that requires celibacy of its priests.

If you want to look at it from a historical point of view, then Martin Luther was the original Protestant and you should look there for further information.

Answer 2

If you are talking tradional Catholic then there is a worshiping of the Virgin Mother, the saints, belief that the priest, cardinal and Pope can make law for how you should worship, live and die. They also are led to believe that they can count beads to absolve their sin which has to be confessed to a priest. A 'Protestant' Christian knows that a relationship with God is a personal thing and they don't have to have someone direct their lifr. The Pastor or Preacher is the spiritual guide not director. They can confess their sins to their God directly through prayer. One other thing is the tithe. The Protestant can give as they feel led not as dictated by the church. The Protestant if in a true relationship with God cannot lose the promise of a place in the kingdom or Heaven and the church cannot hold a ritual of ex-communication because they did or did not do something to the liking of the church. The Catholic Church is very ritualistic and will not vary in any situation. Catholics believe a person can become a saint through works, while a Protestant knows sainthood is only obtainable through a relationship. From what I have learned, there will be a lot of good working Catholics in Purgatory because they never had a true relationship with their God. There are many Catholics today that realize the need for the relationship and are in a different level of belief than most that follow the church teaching to the letter.

Answer 3

Some of the major differences in the religions are that Protestants believe the eucharist is a symbol of the last supper, in which the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Christ. Catholics do not believe that the eucharist is a symbol of the last supper, but rather that the eucharist at mass actually becomes the body and blood of Christ. Catholics believe that the Pope is the the head of the Church and the closest person to God, Protestants do not believe in the Pope at all. Protestants ministers can marry, Catholic priests cannot. Protestants do not believe in saints, or praying to saints or to the Virgin Mary, Catholics pray to both saints and the Virgin Mary. The masses are very similar, both have scripture readings, songs and a homily by the priest or minister. Baptism is the same and transfers between both Churches, although Baptists wait until their children are older to have them Baptised. Marriage vows are similar and politically, both Churches teach the same doctrines on most political issues. Catholics also confess their sins to a priest in the sacrament of reconcillation, where they receive penace and forgiveness. Some protestant sects believe in predetermination, which it is decided at birth if you are going to heaven or hell. There is only one Catholic church, in which all catholics beleive and worship the same, there are dozens of protestant sects, which all have their own beliefs to an extent.

Answer 4

When I answer a question like this, I usually just state the historical differences and not the doctrinal because there are just too many differing beliefs and denominations in protestantism to list them all.

In short, the Catholic Church is the original Church founded by Christ 2,000 years ago. She was charged with teaching and protecting the one Faith that Jesus gave us, and has done so ever since.

Everyone pretty much knows that Protestantism is a break from the Church around 1500; most of them believe in sola scripture (bible alone - a heresy that doesn't even hold water against historical analysis). Since the break, it has continued to fracture again and again into the thousands of different denominations we have today. Each teaches and believes differently but each also claims to be right. Chaos.

Well, that's the short version. Hope this helps. God bless.

Answer 5

At one time, everyone was a Catholic christian. The Protestant church was formed in Britain (under the scope of the King of England) as opposition to the Catholic church and it's rules which were under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Lutheran church also was formed as opposition to the Catholic rule.

Today, both churches follow similar, but not identical philosophies. Protestant churches now allow female ministers, whereas Catholic churches do not- Protestant churches also have a more open philosophy towards homosexuality. The Catholic church is also headed by the Pope, whereas the Protestant faith does not recogize the Pope as its figurehead. The protestant church, I believe, still falls under the Queen's rule, so to speak.

Hope this helps as a starter.

Answer 6

There is a fundamental error in your question as you refer to the difference between Catholics and Protestants. All mainstream Protestant denominations would say that they are 'catholic' in a broad sense - they subscribe to the Creeds which contains the words 'I believe in the holy catholic church'* or ' We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church'**. Catholic merely means universal. The difference lies between 'Roman' Catholics and Protestants - the greatest difference being in the word 'Roman' as RCs believe in the primacy of the Pope which no Protestant church does.

*Apostles Creed
** Nicene Creed (English Language Liturgical Commission translation)

Answer 7

Pretty much what yellow_s stated except that there is more than one type of catholic. Traditional catholics such as Mel Gibson and his family pretty much hold to the beliefs and practices of the church prior to 'Vatican II', which was a meeting to modernise the church. Traditionals don't accept the changes that were made.

The protestant churches come in all forms from ones which have no priests or church buildings at all to ones that are very similar to the catholic church such as the high church of England (Anglicans).

Answer 8

protestant christians do not believe that the pope is supreme in the church, hence the name PROTESTants.
There are different types of protestants, including baptists, presbyterians, etc. cuz they believe in different doctrines
ie. baptists believe that members ought to be baptized before partaking in the Lord's supper
but there is only one branch of catholics...which are the catholics