Guest Hope Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 What's the difference between a Presbyterian Church & a Catholic Church in terms of belief? I know some basics...like no saints...and an elected presbytery, but other than that...i'm pretty much confused? Help anyone? Being as detailed as possible would be nice lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dUSt Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Their heritage, and much of what they believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him. Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways: they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members. Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. I often wonder why one Protestant denomination isn't another, as they all seem to have the same core set of beliefs. Why the different names? It's always baffled me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasJis Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Why the different names? It's always baffled me. To recieve multiple rebates. (Ony 1 rebate per household.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysologus Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Because they all want the perfect harmony of belief which the church is supposed to enjoy, but, like all human beings, they have disagreements which can't be settled without a religious authority, so they splinter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
God Conquers Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I think presbyterians believe in predestination as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Catholics believe in a vague kind of predestination, the dogma hasn't taken shape yet. yes i know trent condemned one form of predestination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
God Conquers Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Predestination is crazy. It eliminates free choice. It leads to us being either depressed or thinking we're invincible. It is the root of racism in many places and the basis for racial segregation politics. It aint good, and I hope the Church doesn't buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 St Paul taught it. To blanketly deny it which the Catholic Church doesn't do would be to deny scripture. It doesn't all have to be that terrifying Calvinistic/Augustinian pre-destinnation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Well if it's not the Calvinistic/Augustinian type of pre-destination, then what kind is it? Can you tell me more about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I dunno. As I said earlier it hasn't taken shape in Catholic theology yet. Both of the types I mentioned tend towards denying free will though...Likos? Don? somebody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 and whate'er the Church says about it won't deny free-will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hyper, Where have you heard about it in reference to Catholicism? Are you saying that based on your biblical reading, it appears to be an issue that should be address in Catholic doctrine or where did the idea come from? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katholikos Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 (edited) Catholics believe in a vague kind of predestination, the dogma hasn't taken shape yet. yes i know trent condemned one form of predestination. Whaddyamean "the dogma hasn't taken shape yet"? See Ludwig Ott's Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, pages 239-245. "The reality of Reprobation hasn't been formally defined, but it is the general teaching of the Church." God gives all innocent unbelievers (infideles negativi) sufficient grace to achieve eternal salvation. (p. 241) God, by an Eternal Resolve of His Will, predestines certain men on account of their foreseen sins, to eternal rejection. (p. 245) The Church teaches that God endowed man with free will. God knows, because he apprehends everything at once, in eternity, outside time, that some will reject him. In that sense, he "predestines certain men on account of their FORESEEN sins. God knows the future before it happens in time; it's not that He does not wish us all to be saved. In fact, Despite men's sins God truly and earnestly desires the salvation of all men. (p. 239) (Bold = Catholic dogma) Calvin's predestination (and that of the Presbyterians) is that God chooses to condemn certain men to hell, and some to heaven. They have no choice (no free will) in the matter. If God has predestined you for hell, you are going to hell, period. The Church condemns this teaching. Edited July 17, 2003 by Katholikos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Likos, So does that mean that the Church does teach a kind of predestination, I'm actually fairly certain She does. I just ain't certain what it is. I'm scatter-brained. If I'm wrong write you're wrong in big letters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 God, by an Eternal Resolve of His Will, predestines certain men on account of their foreseen sins, to eternal rejecton. (p. 245) Because God sees everything at the same time, the word "predestines" is interchangable with the other tenses (past and present), correct? If so I don't think this should be called deemed the undefined Catholic predestination doctrine. It's more like a clear understanding of God and time. Maybe I'm just sensitive to this topic because when I was much much younger I had a youth minister at a protestant church tell me I didn't have a choice in whether or not I went heaven because I was either predestined or not. It just kinda freaked me out at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now