Do Protestants Really Hate Catholicism?

[Ferde_Rombola]

As I tell myself when I’m too much in over my head “Get over yourself” In this case, everyone and their denominational background and theologies, etc. should get over themselves. I think we ought to pray for unity if it matters so much and not breed more arguments and words into our hearts over our differences. Just let it go…

Let what go? The truth? No, Catholics will not let the truth go. We are called to proclaim it and to spread it to the ends of the earth.

The truth is, Jesus came to form one Church and one only. That Church is the Catholic Church and it’s a matter of history, not opinion.

Praying for unity is a good idea, but if it isn’t unity under the Bishop of Rome, it’s a waste of time.

 

[Ferde_Rombola]

I learn that the Church of England will be reunited with the RCC. That is good news.

The Church of England, in addition to ordaining practicing homosexuals and making one of them a bishop, has decided to make some of its women ‘priestesses’ bishops, too.

There will never be a reunion between the heretic Church of England and the Catholic Church.

 

[Drlit]

The Church of England, in addition to ordaining practicing homosexuals and making one of them a bishop, has decided to make some of its women ‘priestesses’ bishops, too.

There will never be a reunion between the heretic Church of England and the Catholic Church.

Very true, but sad I think. Anglican and Episcopal liturgy is almost EXACTLY like that of the Catholic Mass. It’s the politics that differ greatly and keep us apart.

I’m not opposed to married priests or women priests or even openly gay priests, but that isn’t the current accepted point of view of my Church so I embrace it and pray.

 

[JosieElaine]

I humbly write this as a 47 year-old Catholic convert from Evangelical Protestantism from the Southern US. Still wet from swimming the Tiber.

I have extensive knowledge of the beliefs and history of the Catholic Church . The 1994 Cathechism is available to all who want to read it ; also all the documents from the Councils and the letters from the Popes. I also consult once a week the Osservatore Romano, the newspaper published weekly from the Vatican, to keep abreast of the latest developments in the Church . But I still want to remain a Baptist !
I agrre with the rest of your letter . Sarcasm and ridicule is not becoming to a follower of Christ . “By this sign you will recognize them , that they love one another .” The non-religious people are scandalized at our treatment of one another.

My experience informs me that:

• Many mainline Protestants (Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist) don’t hate Catholics or Catholicism. I have heard some good, productive theological dialogue from those people.
• Most Evangelical Christians in the South don’t hate Catholics…they hate what they think is Catholic doctrine. I say what they “think” because their knowledge of Catholic doctrine is usually based upon anti-Catholic propaganda. I believe they have good intentions, I cannot judge them, but they are misinformed.
• Both sides take cheap shots.

I would ask all to consider thinking twice before considering someone excluded from the Body of Christ. Let’s debate the theological differences but always with charity. We have more in common than some would believe.

Finally, in this dangerous time, we need to stand together for Christian values in an ever secularized society.

In Christ

 

[Maranatha33]

Timothy 3:16 doesn’t say Scripture means what it says, nor does it say Scripture is the only source of truth. It doesn’t even say Scripture is essential to an understanding of truth. It says Scripture is “useful.” Not really much to hang our hats on.

You’re still hedging. You seem reluctant to answer a ‘yes-or-no’ question with yes or no. Once again, do you believe Scripture means what it says?

In the wilderness, when Jesus was tempted by satan, His answers were “It is Written…” So if He answered questions with Scripture, why isn’t that sufficient for you?

“God breathed” means it comes from God. I did not think that this was questionable. So am I to assume that you think that God, through His Holy Word, doesn’t mean what He says?

You are correct that Scripture is not the only source of truth. One of Scriptures many abilities is to determine truth by comparing a belief to Scripture itself. This is VERY useful in gaining accurate knowledge. However, no additional knowledge is necessary to salvation, ONLY the Scriptures.

Jesus said " I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life, and nobody comes to the Father but by me." Thus the Scripture is not only essential, but exclusive to salvation. (see John 3:3,7,16. etc…)

You are assuming that “useful” is in the context of “sort of…” This is not necessarily true. “Useful” can be applied to essential matters as well.

Hedging? No. I answered you with applicable Scripture. What I will NOT do is be used to set up your next argument. If you have something to say, then say it.

 

[michaelcollins]

In the wilderness, when Jesus was tempted by satan, His answers were “It is Written…” So if He answered questions with Scripture, why isn’t that sufficient for you?

“God breathed” means it comes from God. I did not think that this was questionable. So am I to assume that you think that God, through His Holy Word, doesn’t mean what He says?

You are correct that Scripture is not the only source of truth. One of Scriptures many abilities is to determine truth by comparing a belief to Scripture itself. This is VERY useful in gaining accurate knowledge. However, no additional knowledge is necessary to salvation, ONLY the Scriptures.

Jesus said " I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life, and nobody comes to the Father but by me." Thus the Scripture is not only essential, but exclusive to salvation. (see John 3:3,7,16. etc…)

You are assuming that “useful” is in the context of “sort of…” This is not necessarily true. “Useful” can be applied to essential matters as well.

Hedging? No. I answered you with applicable Scripture. What I will NOT do is be used to set up your next argument. If you have something to say, then say it.

its really simple you started this thread saying the Bible means what it says, the poster asked where does the Bible say that is how it is to be inteprted.he quoted a verse that says differently, you then come back with a verse that YOU intepret to say that it is (Bible) literal but w/out intepretation does not say what you intepret says living etc, does not say, intepret the Bible, scripture, ord of God only as written- do yo not think if that is what God intended he could have had it written that clearly so we today would not have this argument? I believe God is certainly capableof having your intepretation included in his word and did not do so for a reason.

 

[bksumm]

JosieElaine:
Good on you Josie for learning from Catholic sources. My experience has been that my Southern Baptist friends/family won’t touch a copy of the CCC as they think it is a heretical document. They prefer to consult Mike Gendron, Jack Chick, etc, to “learn” what Catholics really believe. The straw-man Catholic position they present to me is a real turn off and stops meaningful dialogue in it’s tracks.

 

[LarryGreen]

I was raised in a Mormon family. We were taught that the “gospel” was lost in the first century, and was restored by Joe Smith. I rejected its teachings and through prayer and research found that they were false. I became a Protestant and I was taught, “the gospel was lost in the first century and was restored by Martin Luther”. Sound familar, it sure does to me. Again research and prayer and I found this was false. Through research I have found that the “true church” is the Catholic Church.

PROBLEM: My Protestant wife was taught that the Catholic church was the anti-christ. She was taught a lot of lies about the Catholic church teaches. She refuses to listen to me to do her own research. I guess I must “go it alone”. Any prayers for her conversion would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Larry

 

[wlychan64]

As a Christian who is also a non-Catholic I can truthfully say that I do not hate Catholics. What I dislike is the idea that only Catholics will go to heaven. If that is true, then the statement that Jesus made to call upon His name and you SHALL be saved would have been useless. I have the assurance that I WILL be in heaven with my Father. I can honestly say that I do believe that the Catholic church was the very first organized church and that I hold much respect for that organization. But I disagree with the concept of having to officially belong to it in order for God to accept me into His Holy family. I know who my Father is and I accept His free gift of Grace through the shed blood of Jesus.

This previous message given by is mostly agreed and supported. I respect the Roman Catholic Church but it must not be taken for granted that it is the ony church that would provide a ticket to the heaven and bring bleesings of God to the earth. This cannot be true. Be humble and keep an open mind for all who claim Our Lord as our saviour is the key to be a true christian!!

wlychan64

 

[JosieElaine]

Let what go? The truth? No, Catholics will not let the truth go. We are called to proclaim it and to spread it to the ends of the earth.

The truth is, Jesus came to form one Church and one only. That Church is the Catholic Church and it’s a matter of history, not opinion.

Praying for unity is a good idea, but if it isn’t unity under the Bishop of Rome, it’s a waste of time.

As a matter of fact, you are mistaken …

From the Day of Pentecost to the year 311 A.D., there was no such thing as a “Catholic” church. The church was called the “Christian” church . Read the Book of Acts and the Epistles to verify this; also the Early Church Fathers .

After 311 , when Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor , he proposed a union of church and state in a political move to bring peace to his empire . After more than 3 centuries of persecution , the church, weary of such persecutions, accepted . Actually, the Pope at the time , was somewhat worried about the social, religious and political implications of this and did not make a public move to accept, but the following pope, (314 A.D.) Sylvester I, accepted readily . After that , the Christian church came slowly to be recognized as the “Catholic” church. Catholic means “universal” ; this was the intention of Constantine and the following emperors, that their empire became a world empire .
After the schism of the Orthodox church around 1250 I think, ( not sure of the exact date), the Catholic church became known as the “Roman Catholic Church”, to distinguish it from its counterpart at Constantinople . Of course , both sides, the west and the east, to this day claim to be the only “Church of Christ”

Now, this does not change much to the Catholic theology, but it is better to know the facts of history … Non-Catholic people accuses you of willfully promoting lies . Personally, I believe, it is more ignorance that lies . The “Roman Catholic” Archbishop of the city of NewCastle , in England, said recently that Catholics are “amazingly ignorant” of their own religion. Many are surprised when I , a Baptist, take their Catechism, and show them what exactly their Church teaches . Many Catholics nowadays believe all kind of stuff that are contrary to their church’s beliefs and are “under anathema” for that . Your Church says that, not I !

 

[bksumm]

Dear wlychan64 ,

CCC 818 tells us that “all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”

“Outside the Church there is no salvation” is presented thusly in CCC 846 “it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body.”

I don’t hate Protestants nor do I believe they are not saved. That’s not my position nor the position of the Church. We are all brothers in Christ.

However, many Evangelical Protestants wouldn’t say the same of Catholics. I know this from personal experience. Why in the world are Catholics always asked “have you been saved?” The underlying assumption is that they haven’t.

I am not saying that we should have an ecumenical love fest. But we should all start and end our dialoge by being respectful of other Christians.

 

[bksumm]

Josie,

From St Ignatius of Antioch ca. A.D. 110: “Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”

I notice in a lot of Protestant translations of ECFs they omit “catholic” from the text. Why is that?

I have to run some errands but will check in later.

In Christ,

bksumm

 

[JosieElaine]

I was raised in a Mormon family. We were taught that the “gospel” was lost in the first century, and was restored by Joe Smith. I rejected its teachings and through prayer and research found that they were false. I became a Protestant and I was taught, “the gospel was lost in the first century and was restored by Martin Luther”. Sound familar, it sure does to me. Again research and prayer and I found this was false. Through research I have found that the “true church” is the Catholic Church.

PROBLEM: My Protestant wife was taught that the Catholic church was the anti-christ. She was taught a lot of lies about the Catholic church teaches. She refuses to listen to me to do her own research. I guess I must “go it alone”. Any prayers for her conversion would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Larry

From what I read about Martin Luther , he never taught the Gospel was lost anytime.; he taught some verses were mis-understood . Even Pope John Paul II said that Martin Luther was a man “ahead of his time” and that he never intended to separate from the Church . His main purpose was to reform it and correct what he considered false teachings and behaviours . It was the Catholic church who excommunicated him . Of course , the teachings of Luther have been changed to mean different things by his own “Lutheran” adherents over the centuries . Satan enjoys seeing us throwing mud in each others faces while we forget to love and honor God
Yes , I will pray for you and your wife . Both your situation of being “unequally yoked with an unbeliever” is not the ideal situation . Continue to show love and understanding to one another . I am living a similar situation as my daughter, my son-in-law and my two grand-children are VERY Catholic and I am a Baptist . We have decided to pray for one another and leave it at that . Surely, the Lord can unravel all the mixed-threads of this ball of yarn, can’t he ?
P.S. Tell your wife the AntiChrist has not shown up yet !

 

[erikhnh]

As a matter of fact, you are mistaken …

From the Day of Pentecost to the year 311 A.D., there was no such thing as a “Catholic” church. The church was called the “Christian” church . Read the Book of Acts and the Epistles to verify this; also the Early Church Fathers .

After 311 , when Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor , he proposed a union of church and state in a political move to bring peace to his empire . After more than 3 centuries of persecution , the church, weary of such persecutions, accepted . Actually, the Pope at the time , was somewhat worried about the social, religious and political implications of this and did not make a public move to accept, but the following pope, (314 A.D.) Sylvester I, accepted readily . After that , the Christian church came slowly to be recognized as the “Catholic” church. Catholic means “universal” ; this was the intention of Constantine and the following emperors, that their empire became a world empire .
After the schism of the Orthodox church around 1250 I think, ( not sure of the exact date), the Catholic church became known as the “Roman Catholic Church”, to distinguish it from its counterpart at Constantinople . Of course , both sides, the west and the east, to this day claim to be the only “Church of Christ”

Now, this does not change much to the Catholic theology, but it is better to know the facts of history … Non-Catholic people accuses you of willfully promoting lies . Personally, I believe, it is more ignorance that lies . The “Roman Catholic” Archbishop of the city of NewCastle , in England, said recently that Catholics are “amazingly ignorant” of their own religion. Many are surprised when I , a Baptist, take their Catechism, and show them what exactly their Church teaches . Many Catholics nowadays believe all kind of stuff that are contrary to their church’s beliefs and are “under anathema” for that . Your Church says that, not I !

Actually, If I remember correctly, Ignatius of Antioch , a disciple of the Apostle John, used the term Catholic in the early second century (100’s) to describe the church.

 

[wabrams]

In the wilderness, when Jesus was tempted by satan, His answers were “It is Written…” So if He answered questions with Scripture, why isn’t that sufficient for you?

“God breathed” means it comes from God. I did not think that this was questionable. So am I to assume that you think that God, through His Holy Word, doesn’t mean what He says?

You are correct that Scripture is not the only source of truth. One of Scriptures many abilities is to determine truth by comparing a belief to Scripture itself. This is VERY useful in gaining accurate knowledge. However, no additional knowledge is necessary to salvation, ONLY the Scriptures.

Jesus said " I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life, and nobody comes to the Father but by me." Thus the Scripture is not only essential, but exclusive to salvation. (see John 3:3,7,16. etc…)

You are assuming that “useful” is in the context of “sort of…” This is not necessarily true. “Useful” can be applied to essential matters as well.

Hedging? No. I answered you with applicable Scripture. What I will NOT do is be used to set up your next argument. If you have something to say, then say it.

Out of sheer curiousity, can you tell me where in the Bible it says which books should be in it and which ones should be left out? If it doesn’t, then can you tell me who decided?

 

[wlychan64]

Dear wlychan64 ,

CCC 818 tells us that “all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”

“Outside the Church there is no salvation” is presented thusly in CCC 846 “it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body.”

I don’t hate Protestants nor do I believe they are not saved. That’s not my position nor the position of the Church. We are all brothers in Christ.

However, many Evangelical Protestants wouldn’t say the same of Catholics. I know this from personal experience. Why in the world are Catholics always asked “have you been saved?” The underlying assumption is that they haven’t.

I am not saying that we should have an ecumenical love fest. But we should all start and end our dialoge by being respectful of other Christians.

Dear friend

Thank you for the quick reply.
Let me be honest with you that I cannot entirely agree that no one can be saved other than via the Catholic Church.
However, I dislike protestants keep asking Catholic if they have been saved. How could they question Catholic on their salvations. I am sure all Catholic have their salvations even though they are different from those beliefs held by some Protestant churches.
I insist no matter you are a Catholic or non-Catholic christians, you and I can only be saved by Jesus Christ our Lord. Once we are saved, it does not matter which church you attend. It is what you and I would do in honour of our Lord after our salvations.

best wishes from wlychan64

 

[JosieElaine]

Actually, If I remember correctly, Ignatius of Antioch , a disciple of the Apostle John, used the term Catholic in the early second century (100’s) to describe the church.

You might be right . I would have to see the exact quote before I rectify my opinion . Have you read that from his actual text or did someone tell you he said that ? “Catholic” not meaning then what it means now, neveetheless …

 

[wlychan64]

I was raised in a Mormon family. We were taught that the “gospel” was lost in the first century, and was restored by Joe Smith. I rejected its teachings and through prayer and research found that they were false. I became a Protestant and I was taught, “the gospel was lost in the first century and was restored by Martin Luther”. Sound familar, it sure does to me. Again research and prayer and I found this was false. Through research I have found that the “true church” is the Catholic Church.

PROBLEM: My Protestant wife was taught that the Catholic church was the anti-christ. She was taught a lot of lies about the Catholic church teaches. She refuses to listen to me to do her own research. I guess I must “go it alone”. Any prayers for her conversion would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Larry

Larry,

thank you for the sharing. I just wonder which church you wife is attending. Even if her church does not favour the Roman Catholic Church (RC), it is wrong to say the RC is anti-christ. They are not. Whoever share our views and beliefs are our brothers and sisters.

Anyway, every one will pray for you and your wife.

wlychan64

 

[Rainman2]

As a matter of fact, you are mistaken …

From the Day of Pentecost to the year 311 A.D., there was no such thing as a “Catholic” church. The church was called the “Christian” church . Read the Book of Acts and the Epistles to verify this; also the Early Church Fathers .

After 311 , when Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor , he proposed a union of church and state in a political move to bring peace to his empire . After more than 3 centuries of persecution , the church, weary of such persecutions, accepted . Actually, the Pope at the time , was somewhat worried about the social, religious and political implications of this and did not make a public move to accept, but the following pope, (314 A.D.) Sylvester I, accepted readily . After that , the Christian church came slowly to be recognized as the “Catholic” church. Catholic means “universal” ; this was the intention of Constantine and the following emperors, that their empire became a world empire .
After the schism of the Orthodox church around 1250 I think, ( not sure of the exact date), the Catholic church became known as the “Roman Catholic Church”, to distinguish it from its counterpart at Constantinople . Of course , both sides, the west and the east, to this day claim to be the only “Church of Christ”

Now, this does not change much to the Catholic theology, but it is better to know the facts of history … Non-Catholic people accuses you of willfully promoting lies . Personally, I believe, it is more ignorance that lies . The “Roman Catholic” Archbishop of the city of NewCastle , in England, said recently that Catholics are “amazingly ignorant” of their own religion. Many are surprised when I , a Baptist, take their Catechism, and show them what exactly their Church teaches . Many Catholics nowadays believe all kind of stuff that are contrary to their church’s beliefs and are “under anathema” for that . Your Church says that, not I !

You must have missed this early church father:
The first recorded use of the word Catholic is from St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrneans, paragraph 8,
of 107 A.D., “Where the Bishop appears, there let the people be, just as
where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”

 

[Frankieitalian]

*When I was growing up, Mama was Methodist and Daddy was a Jew. It was not the Protestants that hated us. It was the Catholics. They hated us because they said the Jews killed Christ.

Daddy told us that it was the Romans who killed Christ and not to get mad at the little [Daddy was an Archie Bunker so I will not tell you what term he used, although he did not mean it as an insult] because they were only repeating what their parents said.

There were also Catholic children in our neighbourhood who believed Jews had horns.

I never heard anything like this from any of the Protestant kids.*

---

Well as a Catholic that also has many members of my family of the Jewish Faith, I did not see that in New York City. Perhaps some small American towns had that but in the big cities we tended to get along and respect each other well. It also shows ignorance on the side of the local Catholic schools that they did not teach the children better. As for the term you father used…i doubt it was NOT meant as an insult…terms to describe Italians, Irish, etc were well known to be insulting and its only now that people use the excuse that it was just a term and not meant to be insulting. I have been called a “dago” before then told it was not meant to be insulting. I wonder if you father used the “n” word that it could be construed as not insulting. As for Protestants…my entire life I have seen bigotry, ignorance and predjudice shown by Protestants. Especially the fundamentalists. I ask those that say that Protestants don’t hate Cathoics to simply go to a Fundamentalist Church a few times and ask the pastor if Catholics are Christians…you may be surprised at their response.

Pax