Ask A Protestant

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grantklentzman1

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Hello, Catholic Friends. I am trying to get better at answering questions and in particular questions that Catholics have about the Protestant worldview. It would really help if you asked me the questions you have and I’ll answer as best as I can. Note, some questions I might not be able to answer because they’re either too technical or it’s not my expertise. All I ask is that you be respectful and loving to me and I’ll do the same for you. Also, if you disagree, please know that it is never my intention to offend and I ask that you accept the fact that we may not see eye to eye on things. Thank you and I would love to hear your questions.
 
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Do you believe in Baptist successionism? Welcome btw. Former protestant myself here. Use to be Non denominational, Pentecostal and Lutheran before becoming Catholic.
 
Not particularly. I just think that every church has the potential of falling into error at some point and therefore, we should let the Bible interpret what an individual believes rather than a church. Tell me about your spiritual journey. How did you come to believe that the Catholic Church was the true church?
 
Hi and welcome!

Why do you think there are so many variations of Protestant Christianity? Do you think there needs to be to accommodate every different interpretation of the Bible? Thanks!
 
grantklentzman1 said:
Tell me about your spiritual journey. How did you come to believe that the Catholic Church was the true church?
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I would hate to hijack this thread with my conversion story so ill just say I prayed a lot and studied Christian History and I came to the conclusion that protestantism (Of any variety) was not the Christianity of old, nor Sola Scriptura or “Bible alone” Biblical at all. And that did very much matter to me because I wanted to be sure I was learning the correct interpretation of The Bible

I have another question, if you do not mind. Are you here to try to convert Catholics?
 
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Do you think there is a wrong interpretation of the Bible? What criteria should be used to determine the correct vs incorrect interpretation?
 
Since we spend a great deal of time addressing accusations (challenges if you will) from the entire milieu of bible Christian sources, shouldn’t you instead be playing: Ask a Catholic?
  1. Protestantism is no longer definable, except in extremely broad and essentially worthless terms.
  2. You disagree with many brothers who agree with the Catholic Church in part.
  3. You also disagree with many brothers who disagree with the Catholic Church in part.
  4. Since Catholicism is the standard for those who disagree; and since they have no standards among themselves, do you have no curiosity as to what you are missing; what all the hubbub is about; where you got your bible from, etc. etc. etc.?
Inquiring minds and all that.
 
Welcome, @grantklentzman1 !

Ok, I’ll play (Protestant on her way to Rome here).

What is the main reason you are not Catholic ? Or, to say it in other words, what is the main reason you are Protestant ?

This is actually a serious question. From where I am right now in my journey, I cannot seem to find a reason not to be Catholic, so I’d like to hear what you think.
 
What denomination do you belong to? That mght help us limit our questions to
your expertise.

@grantklentzman1
 
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I agree with 7_Sorrows. Please tell us, if you’re happy to do so, to which Protestant community you belong. There are many Protestant communities and they don’t have the same beliefs. Therefore, you can’t really ask a generic question about Protestants. We could ask questions more relevant to your denomination, and you’d probably be in a better position to answer them, if we knew your denomination.
 
Thank you. I don’t look at people’s profiles so I didn’t know. However, I don’t think that helps because (a) there are many Baptist groups and (b) my understanding (which may be wrong) is each Baptist congregation is independent so may not reflect the general beliefs of the branch of the Baptist expression of Protestantism.
 
That is true, but they generally have some of the same theology, like most members of the Southern Baptist convention are going to have things in common.
 
Why Protestant? I find the idea of having several different things alone to be self-refuting, because then they are by definition, not alone.
 
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That’s a good point. It’s true of so many Protestant churches as well. It’s like we’d need a specific list of exactly which church and a list of differences between it and all other Baptist churches! 😂

It’d be even worse if he was non denominational!
 
I don’t disagree. My principal point was it would be much easier to put questions to the OP if we knew in which Protestant community he worshipped. All I know about the Southern Baptist Convention is it is the USA. I live in the UK and no nothing about them.
 
OddBird said:
This is actually a serious question. From where I am right now in my journey, I cannot seem to find a reason not to be Catholic, so I’d like to hear what you think.
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I started studying the Catholic church three years ago when my son, who was dating a Catholic girl (who is now his wife), told me that he may become Catholic. I read Rome Sweet Home (which his then gf gave him to read) and other Catholic books that tried to explain to non-Catholics what the Catholic church teaches and how it is different than Protestant/Evangelical Christianity.

I then started reading books on church history in an effort to see how much merit the Roman Catholic churches claims have. I’ve read both Protestant historians and Catholic Historians. I’ve also tried to actually find sources that they cite instead of just reading a quote they give. That helps with “quote bombing” which are often quotes taken from a source that isn’t even addressing the topic that the writer is trying to use to prove his/her point. I find it helps to read at least the section instead of just a quote taken out of a paragraph.

I’ve also read books that compare Protestant, in particular Reformed Theology with Catholic theology, both from Scripture and the historical record.

I’ve read books by ex-Protestants who are Catholic and ex-Catholics who are now Protestant. I also have a few ex-Catholics who go to church with me and I’ve had conversations about them about Catholicism and why the are now non-Catholic Christians.

I’ve read books and blogs both defending the “Five Solas” and telling why they are wrong. At this point I think it is fair to say that I understand the Catholic perspective, theology, and apologies more than most of your everyday Catholics. Not more than most of those on this board, but these folks aren’t your everyday Catholics either.

I said all that to say that in all of that I have found no compelling reason to swim the Tiber. If anything, it has moved me closer toward Reformed Theology, which is deeper and more intellectual than we get from most Evangelical churches.

I don’t want to hijack this thread but if you want more details feel free to PM me.
 
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