Closest Denominations?

Non-Catholic Religions
#1

I was having a discussion with one of my Baptist friends, and the topic of how similar our Church teachings are. I was wondering, out of the Protestant denominations, which are closest to Catholicism in teachings?

I am fairly sure that Lutheran, Anglican, and Orthodox are close, but what about others like Baptists?

#2

Orthodox arn’t in the usual sense a protestant denomination;

But in general you would be able to line them up really by what they believe in, Sacraments, Works, Purgatory, Real presence, etc. etc.

The closest you would probably get (as far as I am aware) are;

The Orthodox Church,
High Church Anglicans,

Baptists are very different, having perculiar views about the sacraments rebaptism, no infant baptism, no real presence, no purgatory, a general denial of works etc. etc.

#3

After Orthodox and Anglican, in my experience and understanding I would put Lutheran next and Methodist after that. There are probably some smaller groups that could be more similar, but I can only speak to what I know and also restricting it to major denominations.

#4

That is the common consensus. My own claim is a personal joke because of my work on Mormonism. I am actually Roman Catholic with Native ancestry.

#5

From my own personal experience and research: LCMS and High Anglican Churches.

God bless

#6

I agree with Roman Catholic that it would be particulars of the Anglican Church…closest denominations would mean to me a charitable attitude towards other people of faith as well.

#7

Here are my 3 related groupings of Christians:

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox
Anglican
Lutheran
Methodist

Baptists
Evangelicals
Mennonites and Amish

Jehovah’s Witness
Seventh Day Adventists

#8

The Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ is similiar in that Communion is celebrated at EVERY meeting. This is so incredibly different than most evangelical denominations, where Communion is once a month or sometimes only a few times a year. Communion is given the prominent and central place in the worship service at a Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ fellowship.

Also, the Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ teach that a person must be baptized to be saved. Again, this is so different than the other evangelical churches, where baptism is merely an outward sign of an inward change.

The Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ was founded by the Campbell brothers, who had the idea of “Restoration” of the church to the New Testament church. Obviously this means that many of these churches resemble the Catholic Church, since the Catholic Church IS the New Testament church.

My husband and I attended a Christian church during our college years, and we both feel that the seeds were planted in our lives that would eventually grow into the desire for the Eucharist, a desire that inevitably led us into the Catholic Church. We were part of many other evangelical denominations for the first 47 years of our lives, but it was the Christian church that made us hungry for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Please realize that the Church of Christ in the above paragraphs is NOT the same as the United Church of Christ, which is a mainline Protestant denomination that has become a disgrace in the last few decades due to their hearty endorsement of gay pastors, gay marriage, abortion, and other sinful practices.

Also please realize that since the Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ are non-denominational and have no central governing body, some of these churches have fallen into heresy or have become cult-like. Jim Jones was a minister in the Christian church, and the lack of supervision was perhaps one reason why he was able to develop his deadly cult. He didn’t have a Magisterium to stop him. If you visit a Christian church/Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ fellowship, you cannot count on consistency of worship practices from fellowship to fellowship. The churches vary greatly in their “style.” Some are very traditional and old-fashioned, while others are extremely modern and innovative.

#9

As an example to the inconsistency of the Disciples of Christ movement…
I attend, unfortunately :(, a Church of Christ with my family. And everything you said fit very well with what is done in this church except that, although Communion is weekly, it is not the central nor most important part of the service. :rolleyes:

  Soon however, I will be off to college and able to become a full member of the Catholic Church. The true Church of Christ:thumbsup:
#10

I think the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church takes the cake about being the closes to Roman Catholicism.

Differences with Catholics
–66 books of the Bible, not 72
–Claims apostolic succession through an excommunicated bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

Oh, their charismatic, but technically the Catholic Church has had its charismatic revival.

Thats it. Transubstantiation, Mary, the whole nine yards.

#11

From what I’ve seen and heard, those Protestants closest to the Roman Catholic Church are:

High Anglican (although not officially part of the Protestant Revolution)
Lutheran
Episcopalians
Methodist

To reiterate an earlier post, look at those that support the sacraments. Many of the more “distant” protestants do not really have sacraments, but have replaced them with “ordinances”. They may use the term “sacrament”, but their definition is far different from the Roman Catholic definition. Therein lies the real difference.

CSJ