Do Catholics and non Catholic view God's relationship to man differently?

[valentino]

Do protestants believe that God wants all men to be happy here on earth?Do Catholic view happiness different than protestants?Do protestants think more of material goods when they think of God wanting all men to be happy?It used to be that some protestant denominations viewed wealth as as an indicator as to how well you were serving God?Catholics don’t view wealth as necessarily bad or that one is doomed to hell if he is rich but are his chances of getting to heaven diminished by the richer in material goods he has?

 

[HelenRose]

With more than 32,000 different Protestant Churches and Organizations, it would be hard to make comparisons such as these. Some believe one way, some believe the other.

 

[JRKH]

While I reject the 32,000 number, I agree with the res of what is HelenRose says above.

 

[Waiting]

Do protestants believe that God wants all men to be happy here on earth?Do Catholic view happiness different than protestants?Do protestants think more of material goods when they think of God wanting all men to be happy?It used to be that some protestant denominations viewed wealth as as an indicator as to how well you were serving God?Catholics don’t view wealth as necessarily bad or that one is doomed to hell if he is rich but are his chances of getting to heaven diminished by the richer in material goods he has?

No one can speak to this with assurance, since there are so many denominations of Protestants, vastly different from each other in beliefs, but just judging by the witness of my own Protestant friends, I can say that they only differ from Catholics in actual faith issues. I’ve never heard one speak of material possessions being an indicator of God’s love. Everyone is aware that God didn’t even place His own Son in an affuent siituation.

 

[valentino]

thanks to all of you for your opinions.I understand from your posts that you think that protestantism in general is not different than Catholicm.Not fundamentally.And that protestantism doesn’t view material wealth significantly different than Catholics.I heard a recent preacher on tv say that "some people think that God doesn’t expect us to prosper that some think that God wants us to be poor(obviously he was referring to Catholicm because in the past and even today some Catholics,such as Mother Angelica i believe)say it was a virtue to be poor.In other words that the poor are blessed by God.The rich aaren’t so luckily blessed.Im assuming she was implying that the rich have a harder time getting to heaven as the parable of the rich man so stated.

 

[JRKH]

thanks to all of you for your opinions.I understand from your posts that you think that protestantism in general is not different than Catholicism.Not fundamentally.And that protestantism doesn’t view material wealth significantly different than Catholics.I heard a recent preacher on tv say that "some people think that God doesn’t expect us to prosper that some think that God wants us to be poor(obviously he was referring to Catholicism because in the past and even today some Catholics,such as Mother Angelica i believe)say it was a virtue to be poor.In other words that the poor are blessed by God.The rich aren’t so luckily blessed.I’m assuming she was implying that the rich have a harder time getting to heaven as the parable of the rich man so stated.

It sounds like you were listening to one of the preachers promoting the “Prosperity Gospel”. This is a false and misleading Gospel that tends to equate temporal wealth with the blessings of God - A very OT way to look at things and not at all what Jesus taught.

As to the reference to Mother Angelica, the idea here would be that the “temporally poor” person is blessed not to have the temptations that wealth places in front of a person.

Remember the beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. In fact, not one of the beatitudes mentions money or power or prosperity or anything temporal.
God’s ways are not our ways. God is looking at the heart, not the bank account.

Peace
James

 

[HelenRose]

The two issues that are fundamently different between most main stream Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church are:

The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is indeed that Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Most Protestant Chuches teach that Communiun is a symbol

The dignity of the human being is that God has given each one of us Free Will. This means that we are able to choose to follow God or we are free to reject Him. Many Protestant Churches teach that God’s Grace is all powerful and that humans do not have the power to make this decision.

There are compelling arguments for all these views.

I accept the teachings of the Catholic Church.
My Prebyterian Minister son does not.

 

[valentino]

It sounds like you were listening to one of the preachers promoting the “Prosperity Gospel”. This is a false and misleading Gospel that tends to equate temporal wealth with the blessings of God - A very OT way to look at things and not at all what Jesus taught.

As to the reference to Mother Angelica, the idea here would be that the “temporally poor” person is blessed not to have the temptations that wealth places in front of a person.

Remember the beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. In fact, not one of the beatitudes mentions money or power or prosperity or anything temporal.
God’s ways are not our ways. God is looking at the heart, not the bank account.

Peace
James

right.The earthly poor are blessed.The people with not much temporal wealth.we are in agreement.