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Brendan_64
Guest
I doubt that he’s speaking for the whole human race, but according to the teachings of our Church Protestant beliefs are heretical and Protestant denominations are founded on heresy.
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Darryl_B
Guest
My friend, my favorite protestant is the ex-protestant, the Catholic revert. I use revert in the sense that their Catholic fore-fathers broke away from the Catholic Church for whatever reason, and generations later they revert their family back home to the fulness of Truth.
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Contarini
Guest
That’s not really true. They tend to be the most radical in their view of “sola scriptura” and hence among the least accepting of Catholic tradition. They also have a lot more traditions than they recognize, and these are typically Baptist in nature. They tend to take their implicit traditions and impose them in the guise of just following the Bible or “just trusting in Jesus.”
The closest to Catholicism are actually the traditions like Lutherans and Anglicans, who have retained much of the pre-Reformation tradition.
On the other hand, you do have a point–non-denominational Christians have an admirable desire to transcend denomination and simply affirm the basics of the Christian faith. I think that how they do this is misguided, but the desire does indeed bring them close to Catholicism in one important respect.
Edwin
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Contarini
Guest
And has some clear historical connections with late medieval piety, particularly that of the “Rhenish school” of mysticism. The concept of “gelassenheit,” developed in the late Middle Ages, is central to Anabaptist piety and I think you’re picking up on that.
It’s probably only fair to say that it can have some negative aspects as well. Some Amish (and other conservative Mennonite) leaders have gotten away with sexual abuse and other misbehavior because the culture makes people ill-disposed to question leaders or to behave in ways that might be seen as arrogant or unforgiving. Of course, this problem is far from unique to the Amish, and I am not necessarily saying that either the Amish or Catholics (or conservative evangelicals, who it’s increasingly clear have huge problems in this regard as well) are any worse in this respect than the general culture. Only that, given that these dynamics are common to a lot of groups (religious or otherwise), an otherwise admirable ethic of humility and discipline can reinforce the tendency to “turn a blind eye” to abuse out of a desire to be meek and forgiving.
Edwin
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Tom_Baum
Guest
You wrote, “Don’t you think it’s time we work to achieve that??”
I think that it is time that we should pray for God’s Will, irregardless of our beliefs and/or denominations.
You also wrote, “Stop all this arguing and study into what Jesus really taught.”
I am not arguing at all and I am not telling anyone else what they should or should not do or what they should or should not believe, I am just attempting to do what God chose for me to do.
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Tom_Baum
Guest
Most but not all of the “Protestants” believe that Jesus is God-Incarnate whereas another “religion” that does not believe this at all is not called “heretical”, can you tell me why?
Especially since Jesus being God-Incarnate is the very essence of Christianity, wouldn’t you say that this, Jesus being God-Incarnate, is the most basic of basic beliefs of Christianity?
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Brendan_64
Guest
Because they do not claim that what they follow is Christian doctrine.
CCC 2089: Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same.
The teachings of the Catholic Church are the definitive Christian teachings. As Catholics we are bound to believe that. Therefore any teaching that claims to be Christian, but that is at odds with Catholic teaching is heresy. To be guilty of heresy you must claim that what you believe is Christian, and then either deny that some of what the Catholic Church teaches is in fact truth or hold a belief at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Yes, but belief in that alone is not sufficient. The fullness of truth lies within the teachings of the Catholic Church, all her teachings.
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EvangelCatholic
Guest
How do you approach Orthodox Christians who do not view Mary’s immaculate conception or assumption into heaven as dogma? Also the Orthodox do not accept papal infallibility.
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Brendan_64
Guest
The Church’s teaching is that any belief that are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church is a heretical belief. The three beliefs you have stated above are indeed heretical.
The Church teaches that all her teachings represent Christian Truth. Alternative versions of truth cannot exist as truths. That is what our Church teaches. Heresy is the denial of a Christian truth. There are of course also many heretics within the Catholic Church (even within the clergy).
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IgnatianPhilo
Guest
Conservative Lutherans and Anglicans.
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drac16
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I like the southern baptists. There are quite a few things that they believe/practice that I could give an ‘amen’ to (hehehe… I feel weird saying that 
). Things like how they view abortion, homosexuality, carnal music, questioning the theory of evolution, dressing modestly and their fire-and-brimstone interpretation of Hell.
). Things like how they view abortion, homosexuality, carnal music, questioning the theory of evolution, dressing modestly and their fire-and-brimstone interpretation of Hell.
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shawnbm
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this ^
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Brandall
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I choose to answer the original question rather than get horribly sidetracked like some have.
My youth was spent in a Baptist Church and I enjoyed it greatly. I will always love and respect them.
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Tom_Baum
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You wrote, “The Church’s teaching is that any belief that are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church is a heretical belief.”
And you also wrote, “Because they do not claim that what they follow is Christian doctrine.”
The second thing you wrote in response to when I wrote, “Most but not all of the “Protestants” believe that Jesus is God-Incarnate whereas another “religion” that does not believe this at all is not called “heretical”, can you tell me why?”
Seems as if you are saying that it is not “heretical” since “they do not claim that what they follow is Christian doctrine” and that it is “heretical” since “The Church’s teaching is that any belief that are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church is a heretical belief”.
So is it “heretical” or “not heretical” or is it both since you seem to be saying that it is both at the same time?
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Brendan_64
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I am not saying both. Heresy is the obstinate** post-baptismal denial **of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith. If you haven’t been baptised, or claim to be Christian, you cannot be a heretic. A heretic is a person who claims to follow Christian doctrine yet denies Christian truths. Protestant beliefs are heretical (as are the beliefs of some Catholics) as they deny some or many of the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is not enough to simply believe that Jesus is God incarnate, to hold non-heretical Christian beliefs you must accept all the teachings of the Catholic Church.
A Hindu is not a heretic through believing what he believes if he hasn’t been baptised as a Christian and doesn’t claim to be a Christian. He is however wrong in what he believes. To be guilty of heresy you must claim to be Christian and not accept some of the teachings of the One True Church.
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Vouthon
Guest
I’ve always admired elements of Anglicanism, Methodism, Anabaptism and the Quakers.
I love the Anglican liturgy, high church rituals, choral evensong, choirs and figures such as Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Traherne, the Metaphysical poets, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, William Law, CS Lewis and so forth. There is a great deal to love and admire about Anglicanism.
Methodism - I love the Arminian approach to soteriology, the evangelism, the tolerance shown towards other confessions, the spirituality, the holiness movement and Christian Perfection, the social outreach to the poor and sick, the hymns and much more. The Wesley brothers, William Booth and other luminaries. Again there is a lot to love about Methodism.
Anabaptism - I appreciate the pacifism, the communalistic aspects, the regard for liberty of conscience, the mystical impulse (ie Hans Denck), the commitment to separation of church and state, the almost monastic non-conformity to the world and more.
The Quakers - their mystical understanding of the faith, their contemplative solitude and reverence for silence, their activism against slavery and on behalf of the rights of the oppressed. I class them among Protestant offshoot sects. Always admired them.
I love the Anglican liturgy, high church rituals, choral evensong, choirs and figures such as Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Traherne, the Metaphysical poets, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, William Law, CS Lewis and so forth. There is a great deal to love and admire about Anglicanism.
Methodism - I love the Arminian approach to soteriology, the evangelism, the tolerance shown towards other confessions, the spirituality, the holiness movement and Christian Perfection, the social outreach to the poor and sick, the hymns and much more. The Wesley brothers, William Booth and other luminaries. Again there is a lot to love about Methodism.
Anabaptism - I appreciate the pacifism, the communalistic aspects, the regard for liberty of conscience, the mystical impulse (ie Hans Denck), the commitment to separation of church and state, the almost monastic non-conformity to the world and more.
The Quakers - their mystical understanding of the faith, their contemplative solitude and reverence for silence, their activism against slavery and on behalf of the rights of the oppressed. I class them among Protestant offshoot sects. Always admired them.
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LatinByzCath
Guest
I revere highly the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. I used to belong to one, and my spiritual development was deeply enriched by Eastern Christian spirituality. I wouldn’t call them Protestants, but they’re not a part of the Church, so I wanted to mention them.
I’m all for theological, liturgical and social conservatism, so I suppose I could get on with the more traditional Protestant Churches, like the “Continuing Anglicans” or the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
The less traditional conservative Protestant groups, however, I like even less than liberal mainlines. I can’t abide praise bands, speaking in tongues, or snake charming. They also, in my experience, tend to have a much less “catholic” attitude, and are quick to condemn even fellow Christians. I know there are many exceptions, but on the whole, no thank you.
Among the new-fangled Protestants, I admire the Anabaptists (Mennonites) and Quakers for their dedication to simplicity, deeply rooted faith, dedication to Christian pacifism, and the strong appreciation of contemplative silence.
I’m all for theological, liturgical and social conservatism, so I suppose I could get on with the more traditional Protestant Churches, like the “Continuing Anglicans” or the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
The less traditional conservative Protestant groups, however, I like even less than liberal mainlines. I can’t abide praise bands, speaking in tongues, or snake charming. They also, in my experience, tend to have a much less “catholic” attitude, and are quick to condemn even fellow Christians. I know there are many exceptions, but on the whole, no thank you.
Among the new-fangled Protestants, I admire the Anabaptists (Mennonites) and Quakers for their dedication to simplicity, deeply rooted faith, dedication to Christian pacifism, and the strong appreciation of contemplative silence.
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LatinByzCath
Guest
It took me a long time, and three Churches, before I was able to find this again. I had it in my old non-Catholic Church. Leaving was hard, but what made it even harder was that I had no community to look to for fellowship and support. I finally found it at a Traditional Latin Mass parish. Fellowship is such an important aspect of our faith, but I didn’t realize it until I didn’t have it anymore.
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Butaperson
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I joined a non-denominational Bible study at my school last year. There weren’t a lot of people, but I would say about half the group (3 guys) were Pentecostal, I knew a girl who was Evangelical, a girl who was non-denominational (but attending Baptist church), and a guy who was just kinda searching. There weren’t many of us, and our school is not very heavily Christian in general, so we found a way to put aside differences and just discuss Jesus and what we think about a particular passage of Scripture.
I respect that a lot. I don’t have a favorite denomination, I would say, because so far my experience with all Protestants has been roughly the same. They might not like that I pray the rosary, and I might not like that they totally reject the sacraments, but we were all able to look past that for the moment and unite together under our common belief in Jesus Christ. So I think that all Christians are pretty cool, and even though Catholics certainly have the fullness of truth, all of us at that Bible study had a heck of a lot more truth than many kids at that school.
I respect that a lot. I don’t have a favorite denomination, I would say, because so far my experience with all Protestants has been roughly the same. They might not like that I pray the rosary, and I might not like that they totally reject the sacraments, but we were all able to look past that for the moment and unite together under our common belief in Jesus Christ. So I think that all Christians are pretty cool, and even though Catholics certainly have the fullness of truth, all of us at that Bible study had a heck of a lot more truth than many kids at that school.
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Memaw
Guest
Amen, God Bless, Memaw
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