Differences between Protestants and Catholics
The Christians in the Bible are people who love the Truth (2 Tessalonicesi 2:10). If a person loves truth must hate the lies, errors and all distortions of truth. however, just as God hates sin, but she loves all sinners, Christians are to love everyone equally, all people and God's creatures, even if they teach or believe in something that is not right or true. So Catholics and Protestants must love one another, even if they do not agree on what the other does or believes.
Catholics and Protestants believe in many of the same things (like the figure of Jesus Christ and the Trinity concept), but also they have several differences, some of which are trivial, but others are fundamental.
The Catholic Church has had a long history and time has changed in many ways, sometimes in better, sometimes in a worse.
Protestant Christianity began in 1500 when some people, who began to deepen his study of Sacred Scripture, They rebelled against the wrong things that the Catholic Church was doing and teaching. So they broke away and formed their own church, more in line with the biblical truth. Just as the Catholic Church, Protestant churches are not perfect, and this precisely because the church is made up of imperfect people, by sinful believers, as we all are. Can not be done, indeed, believe that one or the other church made no mistake and has never wrong, and these mistakes are visible proof of the groundlessness of the Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility, the fact that the Catholic Church is the church of God. No man is perfect in this world (Strait 14:3; Romans 3:23). And there are no religions, denominations or confessions that are never wrong, precisely because religions are founded by imperfect humans. Only Jesus Christ saves, faith in Him, and not mere membership in a church or religion.
The main problem is that Catholics have believed and done some things differently from what the Bible teaches. The Protestants defend what God said through the Bible. The Catholic Church has admitted some of the mistakes he made in the past and has changed. But there are still, within it, some beliefs and practices that are contrary to what the Bible teaches.
An example of change in the Catholic church, the fact that today, the Catholic Church encourages the reading of the Bible, although it claims that you have to follow the ecclesiastical interpretations. But in the past, the Catholic Church has discouraged personal study of the Bible by inserting it in the Index of Forbidden Books. Only a few people were been authorized to do so. People who read the Bible were spread or even killed by the Catholic Church, as William Tyndale who was one of the first to translate the Bible into English.
In Catholic Bibles are some books that should not be there: the clearly apocryphal books are not inspired by God.
Once almost all the books of the Catholic Church were entirely in Latin, and only a few people could understand Latin. This is no longer case.
Because Protestantism was born only in 1500?
And 'why the Catholic pride to say "Our church has existed for over two thousand years and this is proof that it is the Church that Christ founded".
sure, It has existed for two thousand years, but as he has carried on this power? Through political agreements with the rulers, i re, the emperors, to compromise, thing that the church of Jesus Christ should not do as they should not mix in political affairs, but only and always defend the content of Scripture without giving other interpretations. Obtaining protection and wealth through them. Repressing the blood other religions. And preventing the reading of Sacred Scripture to the people, as the Bible, as well as patristic writings, It was written in Latin and only those who had studied could understand it. And if you think that the culture at the time was something for a small percentage of people who had, We understand why the Catholic Church has been going on. Then with the invention of printing, the Renaissance and the revaluation of the intellectual capacities of all men, some have gone so far as to want to translate the Scriptures and disseminate, and with great regret we have realized that what was always preached by a corrupt political system, He did not conform to the Word of God. Here's Why. In response to the Protestant Reformation, and to defend unbiblical doctrines that spread, the Catholic Church has entered the deuterocanonical books in the Bible canon, books that until then there were no, and it established the Index of Forbidden Books, and has established that those who had not kept to what the system taught, It would be considered a heretic and burned at the stake. And how many Christian martyrs who were burned alive! Unfortunately, still they are told things like, "The Catholic church is willed by God" within the Catholic circles, but if it was the Church willed by God, on which God had put his hand, certainly would not stained with blood and all this certainly would not have proclaimed false doctrines do not conform, patently, with the Bible.
VIRGIN MARY
Maria, the Mother of Jesus is of great importance for Catholics, but the Bible says very little about her. Here is a summary of what the Bible says:
- The Bible describes Mary as the physical mother of Jesus, and that she was impregnated by God. (Matteo 1:16, Luca 1:26-42, Luca 2:5-19)
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He paid a visit to her cousin Elizabeth (Lc 1:39-56)
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Maria attended a festival in Jerusalem with his family. (Luca 2:48-51)
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Mary was present at the wedding at Cana. (Teacher 2,1-10)
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Mary followed Jesus to his ordeal (Teacher 19,25-27)
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Mary was entrusted in the care of John, disciple of Jesus (Giovanni 19:27),
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Mary has lived with the disciples in Jerusalem for a while’ (At 1,14).
So all you Catholics say Mary, that is not in the Bible, It is based on tradition, rather than the truth revealed to us in God's Word. Nowhere in the Bible it is written that Mary was more than any other Christian, it was only a human being like all of us. The Bible does not say that people should give her a worship and pray. The Bible does not say that Mary prays for us.
Some Catholics may believe and teach that Mary is a mediator between people and God, but this is the opposite for the Bible says that: Jesus is the one mediator between God and humanity. (1 Timoteo 2:5). A mediator is someone who negotiates a solution between the two people who are separated because of some problem. pray to Mary, making hymns, and it fell down or kissing statues of Mary, It could also be classified as a form of idolatry that Jesus has forbidden.. Because He said that we should worship and serve only God (Matteo 4:10). E Maria was a person.
Mary is not the gate of heaven, as some say Catholics, because Jesus himself said that "He is the way, and no one comes to the Father except through Him" (Giovanni 14:6). And the Bible also says, "There is no other name than that of Jesus, for by whom we are saved " (At 4,12).
A popular belief among Catholics is that Maria has not done any sin, but the Bible says that "all have sinned" (Romans 5:12-13, 1 Re 8:46, 1 Giovanni 1:8-10, Salmo 53:3). Maria also admitted that he needed a Savior, because he called God his Saviour (Lc 1,46-47). Jesus is the only person who has not sinned, and Jesus was God.
Some Catholics believe that Mary never had other children. But the Bible says that Mary had other children (Matteo 13:55-56).
Some Catholics often call Mary the Mother of God, but God does not have a mother, God and Jesus existed before Creation (Isaiah 43:10). Mary was not the mother of God, but simply a means by which Jesus came into the world physically.
DAD
The Pope is a man. Catholics argue that it is a mediator between God and humanity. But as we said Jesus is the only mediator between God and men (1 Timoteo 2:5). The Catholics also claim the Pope is the head of the Church on earth, but the Bible says that Jesus is the head of the Church (Colossesi 1:18, Ephesians 1:22, Colossesi 2:9-10). We must not give any man the honor that belongs only to Jesus.
CONFESSION
It is believed among Catholics that a certain group of people called priests, They have the power and authority to forgive sins. So the sins must be confessed to priests. But such beliefs are the opposite of what is found in the Bible, which states that only Jesus has the power to forgive sins (Matteo 9:6). Furthermore, no human priest is a mediator between God and man. The Bible also teaches us we can ask God for forgiveness for ourselves, and He promises to forgive us and cleanse us (1 Giovanni 1:9). Peter also said, in the Bible, that through the name of Jesus, whoever believes in him receives forgiveness of sins (proceedings 10:43). The Bible does not teach that today there should be a special class of people called priests, because God sees all Christians as priests themselves (1 Pt 2,9).
PENANCE
Catholics generally believe that sin causes spiritual sanctions, and not all of these sanctions are removed even if the guilt of sin is forgiven. They believe that these remaining sanctions can be removed or reduced through penance, which would correspond to good works. What these good works are, it was decided by the priest, after a confession. According to Catholic beliefs any remaining sanctions will be paid in distress in a place called purgatory after death.
however, The Bible says nothing of penance, God does not ask things like that for the forgiveness of sins. God's forgiveness is a free gift that we receive detaching ourselves from our wrong way of living and putting faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior (Galati 2:16, Romans 1:17). According to the Bible, good works do not make a person a Christian, but good works should be the sign, a consequence, of a person who has become Christian. Good works are the result of becoming a Christian. And we become Christians turning away from sin and turning our lives to Jesus.
PURGATORY
Purgatory is a place where Catholics believe that will go after death, to serve unpaid fines, a place of suffering we know where we will purify our sins before entering heaven.
This imaginary place makes many Catholics live in fear for life, because you can never be sure how much we will spend time there. This fear hurts many Catholics live and lose the joy and peace that comes from knowing that Jesus paid the full price for sin. Catholics often teach that the time spent in purgatory can be reduced with cash gifts, priests prayers, and doing other things. Through these teachings of the Catholic Church he has collected billions of wealth, making it one of the richest institutions in the world.
However nothing about purgatory can be found in the Bible. Jesus said in the Bible: "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, He has everlasting life; and cometh not into judgment, but it is passed from death to life. " (Giovanni 5:24). The Bible says that "God does not remember their iniquities" (Jews 10:17). The Bible also says that, once that Christians die, They will stand with God (2 Cor 5,8-9), there is a middle.
INDULGENCES
Catholics teach that unpaid fines can lead to people punishments in this life in various forms of suffering, and that which remains unpaid on earth shall be paid in purgatory. Catholics believe that these sanctions can be reduced with what Catholics call indulgences, ie good works, the prayers, the rosary, the confession, the Eucharist, or do something else.
The whole concept of indulgences goes against the Bible, which teaches that the divine gift of life is free, and the punishment for all sins has been paid by Jesus once and for all (Jews 10:10).
INSECURITY OF SALVATION
Because of the belief in purgatory, any Catholic person is sure he will go to Heaven when he dies, He believes it could go to purgatory. But the Bible says that if we Christians walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light, we are with each other with the blood of the Son of God who has washed us our sins. Jesus cleanses us from all our sins (1 Giovanni 1:7).
CELIBACY
The Catholic faith does not allow clergy to have a wife, because they are leaders in the Church. Yet in the Bible we read of married Christian leaders, as the apostle Peter (Matteo 8:14, Marco 1:30, Luca 4:38), and Paul, who was a Christian leader and wrote most of the New Testament, also allowed the marriage (1 Corinthians 9:5). The Bible also says it is wrong to forbid a marriage (1 Timoteo 4:3).
PRAYER
Catholics often repeat the same prayer many times in memory. But this is a practice that the Bible says is wrong. Jesus told his followers not to repeat memorized prayers as the heathen, and how some who think to be heard because of their beautiful and repeated words. Jesus went on to say that our Heavenly Father knows what we need, before we ask it to him (Matteo 6:7-8).
RITUALS
A common Catholic tradition teaches kissing and bowing down before the images and statues of Mary, Jesus, the dead and the angels. The Bible says that this is wrong, and items like that should not even be built (Exodus 20:4-5). Jesus told us to worship God in spirit and truth (Teacher 4,23-24) without the aid of visual images. There are many other Catholic practices and beliefs, that are not found in the Bible, how to say prayers for the dead, the rosary, the sign of the cross, holy water, etc. Typically in the Catholic Church are rituals and ceremonies that are not found in the Bible, rather they are from it condemned as pagan and were invented by people. God condemns human traditions (Marco 7:6-7). God said in the Bible that is more interested in what is in people's hearts than to rituals.
CONCLUSION
The system of Catholic beliefs has complicated the simple message of the Gospel, added new doctrines, He has misled the people of God. The Bible contains everything we need to attain salvation and being in communion with God. rites, traditions and beliefs came after are only to be rejected. We will have eternal life only if we place our faith in Jesus, as the Scripture says: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (Giovanni 3:36).
The Bible warns against those who seek to distort the Scriptures (2 Corinthians 11:3; Galati 1:8). The simple truth and faith are a gift from God and the sin of the world was entirely washed by Jesus on the cross. We can receive salvation and eternal security in this life by accepting Jesus as our Lord, It is not something that we can get by doing good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Then, if you want to sit at the right hand of God, You must apply directly to Jesus, not to a particular church, religious organization or individual human. Jesus said,, "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matteo 11:28). We are not saved because they belong to a Church, Catholic or Protestant to be. There are only a type of Christians, those who have made Jesus, Lord of their lives, and the most simple and correct definition for the “vera” Church (gr. ekklesia, which means assembly, and no religious edifice or ecclesiastical organization) is any group of people united by a common passion for Jesus Christ.
