Explaining Baptist Church to Catholic Kids

[dean24us]

Hello! Recently, my 13 year old daughter asked what the difference between Catholics and Baptists are. Being a former Protestant myself, I was able to cite several differences: transubstantiation, infant baptism, literal interpretation of the Bible, apostolic succession, and the role of the Magestarium. However, I think the examples I provided might have been too “advanced” for a person of her age to understand and that she didn’t really grasp the concepts I was trying to explain.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to explain the difference between Catholics and Baptists to a young teen?

God bless,
Dean

 

[englishredrose]

From what I vagually remember the Baptist Church don’t have any pictures on the walls or stations of the cross etc. I think they don’t use Altar Servers and incense and candles etc. These are visual things that are included in most Catholic Masses and Catholics almost take for granted. They don’t have communion every single week? Though that might vary from church to church.

Explaining the difference. Would you feel comfortable taking the teens to a Baptist Service so that they can actually see the difference for themselves and that way they will understand far more than in strange words? The sermon be presented different. The priest will/may be in different clothing etc. The hymns will even be different.

Teens are tactile as a rule aren’t they? so taking them to a service so they can actually see the difference will do them no harm done rightly. Just a suggestion for you? Or look up a few Baptist Church websites and have a good look at them first before suggesting them to your teens?

 

[coachdennis]

Hello! Recently, my 13 year old daughter asked what the difference between Catholics and Baptists are. Being a former Protestant myself, I was able to cite several differences: transubstantiation, infant baptism, literal interpretation of the Bible, apostolic succession, and the role of the Magestarium. However, I think the examples I provided might have been too “advanced” for a person of her age to understand and that she didn’t really grasp the concepts I was trying to explain.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to explain the difference between Catholics and Baptists to a young teen?

God bless,
Dean

Your question reminds me of the old joke where a child asked his parents “Where did I Come from?” After hemming and hawing a very bad attempt to explain the facts of life, the child said, “But where did I come from? Jimmy down the street said he’s from Cleveland!”

Bad joke aside, maybe an approach is to ask your daughter why she was asking the question in the first place. What specific questions did she have. That way you might know if your answers satisfied her, went over her head, or she still has unanswered questions.

 

[Bismarck]

I would say we agree on the primary things like Christ is deity
and the trinity. We disagree on secondary issues like praying to Mary , purgatory.

Basically more in common than not.

 

[PaulinVA]

I would talk about the Catholic Church and the Reformation.

That’s why there are Baptists, Presbyterians, etc… They didn’t just spring up out of nowhere.

I think you do a Catholic kid a disservice if you paint it as if all denominations are equal and we picked Catholic and they picked Baptist.

 

[Corki]

I would talk about the Catholic Church and the Reformation.

That’s why there are Baptists, Presbyterians, etc… They didn’t just spring up out of nowhere.

I think you do a Catholic kid a disservice if you paint it as if all denominations are equal and we picked Catholic and they picked Baptist.

And chances are by 13, they have already been exposed to the history side, at least as it played out in the US. I know my kids had a short review of world religions in 6th grade, US history in 7th that included the missions in the Southwest and the Pilgrims in the Northeast as well as some of the other religious groups that influenced the colonies. If you fit the theology into the framework of what they already know, it is easier to add some more “advanced” topics.

 

[Allegra]

Hello! Recently, my 13 year old daughter asked what the difference between Catholics and Baptists are. Being a former Protestant myself, I was able to cite several differences: transubstantiation, infant baptism, literal interpretation of the Bible, apostolic succession, and the role of the Magestarium. However, I think the examples I provided might have been too “advanced” for a person of her age to understand and that she didn’t really grasp the concepts I was trying to explain.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to explain the difference between Catholics and Baptists to a young teen?

God bless,
Dean

Transubstantiation, infant Baptism, etc are all major differences in practice, but I consider them all to be more like symptoms of the main difference. The Catholic Church was established by Christ Himself and is guided by the authority of the Holy Spirit. Protestant denominations were established by heretics and are guided by the wives of the church’s current elected board members.

 

[AbideWithMe]

Transubstantiation, infant Baptism, etc are all major differences in practice, but I consider them all to be more like symptoms of the main difference. The Catholic Church was established by Christ Himself and is guided by the authority of the Holy Spirit. Protestant denominations were established by heretics and are guided by the wives of the church’s current elected board members.

Hopefully, Dean, in the course of answering your daughter, you can teach her to have more respect for other people’s religious convictions than is shown in this snarky answer.

 

[Allegra]

Hopefully, Dean, in the course of answering your daughter, you can teach her to have more respect for other people’s religious convictions than is shown in this snarky answer.

I apoligize if my reply came off as “snarky”. However, the plain truth is that IS the major difference. The other differences would only be matters of preference and inconsequential if it wasn’t for the fact that Christ Himself established the Catholic Church and the Holy Spirit guides it. If one was to piddle around with describing silly differences like style of worship music and absence of an advent wreath, they would be doing a tremendous disservice to the child in question. There is really only one difference that matters in the vast scheme of things. Now if the question was more along the lines of “what are the traditions that are distinctive to the Baptist church?” that would be another story.

 

[Corki]

Hopefully, Dean, in the course of answering your daughter, you can teach her to have more respect for other people’s religious convictions than is shown in this snarky answer.

This is the balancing act we all walk as parents. Absolutely, we need to emphasize respect for people of all religious backgrounds. But we also have to be firm in why we believe Catholicism to be right. It’s the “why” that is important for kids, especially teens to understand. Teaching indifferentialism is abdicating parental responsibility.

 

[dean24us]

Thanks to everyone for the replies! A few people asked the circumstances of why my daughter asked this in the first place. In short, several of her friends are Baptist (and various “flavors” of Protestantism), which invariably leads to questions along the lines of “why are they different?”

Allegra and a few others more eloquently ‘hit the nail on the head’ than I did in my OP. The part I’m having trouble with is how to describe the differences between Catholics and Baptists while:

1. Asserting why Catholicism is ‘right’ and what Jesus intended for his Church.

– AND –

1. Avoiding any type of elitism, arrogance, etc on my daughter’s part in dealing with her friends. I know many of her friends and their parents, and they are good (albeit Protestant) Christians. I want to avoid anything that might cause my daughter to treat them differently.

Thanks again for the help!

God bless,
Dean

 

[dean24us]

This is the balancing act we all walk as parents. Absolutely, we need to emphasize respect for people of all religious backgrounds. But we also have to be firm in why we believe Catholicism to be right. It’s the “why” that is important for kids, especially teens to understand. Teaching indifferentialism is abdicating parental responsibility.

This.

 

[AbideWithMe]

Protestant …are guided by the wives of the church’s current elected board members.

Allegra—It’s this part that is disrespectful and untrue. I as understand that as a Catholic you believe all the reformers were heretics—that’s fine. Though I disagree with that belief, I respect that it’s part of Catholicism. There’s nothing really wrong with saying it, since according to Catholic belief it’s true…it may be undiplomatic or unhelpful, however.

But the part I quoted here is the untrue and snarky part. The Holy Spirit is at work in many Protestant churches, guiding them. Again, as a Catholic you’re free to believe the Holy Spirit most closely guides the Catholic Churches, but you’re not free to speak against–even in thoughtless jest— the work He does among Protestants and attribute it all to “the wives of the church’s current elected board members.”

 

[SaintPatrick333]

I would say we agree on the primary things like Christ is deity
and the trinity. We disagree on secondary issues like praying to Mary , purgatory.

Basically more in common than not.

But also that they do not have Apostolic Succession and thus their sacraments are invalid with the exception of baptism and their marriages (so long as they aren’t civil unions). They lack the real presence in Christ at their services, they lack the fullness of Scriptures or the proper context to go with them. Important things to note. I wouldn’t go in that easy on it otherwise it’s like putting them on the same level when the difference is practically heaven and hell lol (I don’t mean that’s where people are going but just comparing and contrasting that’s how big of a jump it is between protestant and Catholic).

 

[Allegra]

Allegra—It’s this part that is disrespectful and untrue. I as understand that as a Catholic you believe all the reformers were heretics—that’s fine. Though I disagree with that belief, I respect that it’s part of Catholicism. There’s nothing really wrong with saying it, since according to Catholic belief it’s true…it may be undiplomatic or unhelpful, however.

But the part I quoted here is the untrue and snarky part. The Holy Spirit is at work in many Protestant churches, guiding them. Again, as a Catholic you’re free to believe the Holy Spirit most closely guides the Catholic Churches, but you’re not free to speak against–even in thoughtless jest— the work He does among Protestants and attribute it all to “the wives of the church’s current elected board members.”

While I understand your assertion that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of Protestants and the works of Protestant churches, that is not the same thing as what I’m talking about. The Catholic Church gets its authority directly from Jesus. The Holy Spirit continues to protect the Church from error on matters of theology. The Lord promised us it would be this way in scripture. Protestant churches do not have this same protection, as evidenced by the hundreds of different denominations that all believe different things and interpret scripture in different ways. Protestants give the authority to interpret scripture and declare teachings to different people and groups. (ex. ministers, church elders, elected boards, etc.) Certainly, not all Protestant churches are governed by the wives of the board. That was a joke and I’m sorry if it was distasteful. My point was that whoever is governing them, they do not have the authority or the protection that was given to the Catholic Church by God. It was this special protection I was refering to, not the general way the Holy Spirit works in the life of every believer. I forgot that some forum members aren’t aware that this is a Catholic teaching and so I understand why my post seemed disrespectful to you. I agologize again.

 

[AbideWithMe]

Certainly, not all Protestant churches are governed by the wives of the board. That was a joke and I’m sorry if it was distasteful. My point was that whoever is governing them, they do not have the authority or the protection that was given to the Catholic Church by God. It was this special protection I was refering to, not the general way the Holy Spirit works in the life of every believer. I forgot that some forum members aren’t aware that this is a Catholic teaching and so I understand why my post seemed disrespectful to you. I agologize again.

Hi Allegra–I do understand the Catholic teaching about guidance. You apologized for the distasteful joke…apology accepted, no problem.