Views On Protestants And Catholics

[Anastasia13]

Ok, so my intro to monotheistic religions class we were breifly discussing views of catholics and protestants of each other. In case we discuss it again, can anyone give me anything insiteful to say? Thanks.

[N/A Gone]

be more specific

[hoosieranna]

I'm not Catholic. One of the hardest concepts for me to grasp was the devotion to Mary. It can look like she is being worshipped rather than venerated. Believe me, I understand that it is not that at all. I just know what it can look like when you don't have a clue. Just a thought.

[Templari]

Well you can talk about Catholic verses protestant Culture.... Catholic Culture tended to be both more monocratic, and more accepting of other people. Protestant culture tends to be more elitist,(aristocratic parliament, and very national, IE. German, England and even the USA).

Catholicism calls for obedience, protestants are essentially responsable for making their own religion.

perhaps most important is the sacraments, Catholics believe
1) baptism is neccessary and makes you a christian
2) mortal sins need to be confessed to a priest
3) the Eucharist actually is Christ
4) marriage lasts till death
5) the priest becomes an Alter Christus(another Christ) and actually recieves more graces

Edited April 5, 2007 by Templari

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1230421' date='Apr 4 2007, 08:45 PM']be more specific[/quote]
Perceptions and misconceptions. The class discussion as occured today included how Protestants view the Catholic church as almost worshipping Mary and the saints. Catholics view Protestantism with sort of an anything goes once you define it for yourself instead of using tradition. There was one girl who mentioned that when she thought of Catholic she thought of something very old.

Templari, can you explain the part about elitist vs. accepting? I don't quite understand.

[Andreas E.]

Perception of Catholicism among Protestant ranges from "pity for the misguided brethren" as Catholics have to work their way to heaven, to the Catholic Church being the whore Babylon and the Pope the Antichrist. On a protestant radio show, the seven churches of Revelation (Apocalypse) were discussed, and the preacher laid them out as a timeline of the history of the church, from Pentecost until today. I forgot which one he said was the Catholic Church, but it was not one of the good ones!

[quote name='Light and Truth' post='1230764' date='Apr 4 2007, 10:38 PM']Perceptions and misconceptions. The class discussion as occured today included how Protestants view the Catholic church as almost worshipping Mary and the saints. Catholics view Protestantism with sort of an anything goes once you define it for yourself instead of using tradition. There was one girl who mentioned that when she thought of Catholic she thought of something very old.

Templari, can you explain the part about elitist vs. accepting? I don't quite understand.[/quote]

[Budge]

Elitist, maybe those high church mainline Prots...and wealthy mega-church neo-evangelicals, but your little country fundamentalist christian church is ANYTHING but elitist.

[cmotherofpirl]

Many protestants are arrogant about being "saved".

[thessalonian]

We tend to broadbrush protestants in to one group. I.e. Once Saved Always Saved. Yet there isn't a "Protestant" group that comes even close to representing them all.

Protestants are full of false dichotomies that prevent them from understanding Catholicism.

Examples

Peter can't be the rock because Jesus is.
If you love Mary it takes away from loving Jesus.
Saved by faith vs. saved with works.
Catholics believe the Pope is the head of the Church not Jesus.

Edited April 5, 2007 by thessalonian

[Templari]

By elitist, i meant that protestants have a tendency to think themselves better then everyone else. Not neccessarily in doctrine, and not universally either but it does happen especially where and when protestants have a strong hand on society.

Like Germany, England or USA, (or Geneva is a good example) again this is not even universal through the whole country or at all times. BUT all of these countries have a very strict "IM RIGHT YOUR WRONG" attitude, which leads to persecution of all others, and damning all others to hell. This is different from Catholic culture who is not personal (I'm right...) but falls back on an organization, and though at times she has persecuted people she has never been racist like the other places (Nazi's, americans from the south, and the English towards mainly the Irish). When Catholics persecute, she always gladly accepts conversions (this is really a poor simplification).

[Piamaria]

I don't get the Protestant thing about long sermons. I've only been to weddings and funerals but the sermons at the funerals seem creepy to me. Like trying to scare the mourners.

[Justified Saint]

[quote name='Templari' post='1231619' date='Apr 5 2007, 04:17 PM']By elitist, i meant that protestants have a tendency to think themselves better then everyone else. Not neccessarily in doctrine, and not universally either but it does happen especially where and when protestants have a strong hand on society.

Like Germany, England or USA, (or Geneva is a good example) again this is not even universal through the whole country or at all times. BUT all of these countries have a very strict "IM RIGHT YOUR WRONG" attitude, which leads to persecution of all others, and damning all others to hell. This is different from Catholic culture who is not personal (I'm right...) but falls back on an organization, and though at times she has persecuted people she has never been racist like the other places (Nazi's, americans from the south, and the English towards mainly the Irish). When Catholics persecute, she always gladly accepts conversions (this is really a poor simplification).[/quote]

This does seem to be a bit of a gross over-simplification. For one, Germany is about half Protestant and half Catholic, so it would be difficult to call it a country that was unconditionally Protestant. Hitler was a nominal Catholic after all.

Aside from occasional incidents of religious prejudice, the USA mostly pales in comparison to Europe when it comes to religious intolerance; I think the Europeans pretty much had that down pat. Now, if you mean that in general the USA has this elitist attitude, you may be right, but it could hardly be attributed solely to its Protestant identity.

Furthermore, I am not sure excatly what is meant by distinguishing between religious persecution that is racist or not. In any case, certain Catholic (and Protestant) persecutions of Jews throughout history could easily be considered racist.

That said, I don't think one group is necessarily more prone to a kind of religious fundamentalism than the other, just that they take different forms. Protestant fundamentalism just happens to be a much easier target with its doctrines like sola scriptura and sola fides.

[cmotherofpirl]

Here is something I doubt you would hear most protestants say:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There's laughter, cheer, and good red wine;
At least I have always found it so--
Benedicamos Domino!
--Hillaire Belloc

[Didacus]

According to Catholic doctrine, baptism is the only sacrament validly practiced by protestants.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='Pia' post='1231844' date='Apr 5 2007, 10:47 PM']I don't get the Protestant thing about long sermons. I've only been to weddings and funerals but the sermons at the funerals seem creepy to me. Like trying to scare the mourners.[/quote]


One of the main Protestant theologians, I think it was Spurgeon, said: "The greatest form of worship is a good sermon" or something to that effect. I think that probably has alot to do with it.

blessings

Edited April 6, 2007 by thessalonian