How much should I care about differences and divisions between Protestants and Catholics?

[Obsidion]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

 

[FollowChrist34]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

I am with your mother. That is not to say I don’t understand the importance of adhering to doctrine and tradition - I do. I don’t embrace the different strokes for different folks mentality at all when it comes to the Christian creed or basic doctrine. But I do believe that we have a living Christ. Christian denominations (Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox) face a very different world than they did in 800 or 1500 or 1800 or even 1980. Devout traditional Christians have a lot in common. I honestly think more and more of us see this and are struggling with it - what to do about it. (I guess I am going in the opposite direction from you…)
I see myself as a defender of tradition, but not a traditionalist. I have seen too many doctrine/theology devotees end up with closed hearts, Protestant or Catholic. And I actually agree with the Pope when he observes this kind of thing disapprovingly and characterizes it as pharisaism. We can’t as Christians get to the point where we are dismissive of charity as “unsound” or “untrustworthy.”

I just follow my informed instinct on this one: I respect all fellow Christians as my brethren within orthodoxy. The more “Christ-like” the better (not necessarily the more consciously “correct or docrtrinally sound” OR the more consciously “liberal” or “merciful”) Justice and mercy.

I sound vague - but that is on purpose. For me, humility is in order when trying to work out one’s views on Christians of other denominations. It is more Christian to say I don’t know the answer than that I do. I prefer to error on the side of mercy here.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

Your mother is right, and I would add, you need to grow closer to Jesus or you’ll fail to see him in other people and other things.

Many people have religion, but not spirituality. I would suggest you start learning about St Francis of Assisi as a starting point.

Jim

 

[AttendeDomine]

I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith.

I think you should apply what the Church used to more openly teach about this: refrain from reading materials written by Protestants which are overtly about Faith or morals, don’t listen to sermons by them, and don’t go to their services.

This is not meant to be a slight against Protestants, but is in keeping with an obligation each Catholic has — don’t expose yourself to materials that could undermine your faith, and don’t think you know so much, or are so well-grounded, that you’ll be perfectly fine no matter what sort of religious material you read. To do those things without truly sufficient reason, in most cases, is venially sinful, IMO.

While its obviously true that Protestants are Christian, it’s also true that the various Protestant sects have beliefs which, for one reason or another, happen to be heretical. As such, they can present us with an obstacle to the proper understanding of truth, as revealed by God through His Church.

Look, people are so quick to mention that this sect has this truth, or that that religion has these 17 solid doctrines. But how on earth do we know that? Frankly, we know it because those things are already taught by the Church, and therefore we recognize them as true. So why don’t we just stick to the Church, and leave the error aside. No one in their right mind would eat a spaghetti dinner because it “only” had a little bit of antifreeze in its sauce. So it should be in our approach to sects or to other religions: “only” a little error is too much.

 

[AttendeDomine]

Many people have religion, but not spirituality.

If by this you mean that many Catholics don’t take their faith seriously enough, and that their spiritual life is often bereft of serious prayer and a serious pursuit of virtue, then I quite agree. How shameful that I can refer to myself as that sort of Catholic more often than not, and that I am constantly in need of deeper conversion.

If by this you mean that “spirituality” involves actively endangering your faith by exposing yourself to things that are erroneous, then I couldn’t disagree more.

“Finding Christ in others” does not involve delving into various religions or mystical philosophies, and hoping to find therein some grain or nugget of truth which the Church is somehow unaware of.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

If by this you mean that many Catholics don’t take their faith seriously enough, and that their spiritual life is often bereft of serious prayer and a serious pursuit of virtue, then I quite agree. How shameful that I can refer to myself as that sort of Catholic more often than not, and that I am constantly in need of deeper conversion.

If by this you mean that “spirituality” involves actively endangering your faith by exposing yourself to things that are erroneous, then I couldn’t disagree more.

“Finding Christ in others” does not involve delving into various religions or mystical philosophies, and hoping to find therein some grain or nugget of truth which the Church is somehow unaware of.

If you do not see Christ in others, you don’t know him.

Spirituality is the love of Jesus Christ which draws us toward interior prayer where He dwells and gives us transforming grace in which we begin to love as He loves.

It is the richness of Catholicism found in the spiritual masters going back to the 4th Century of Abba Isaac and St John Cassian and through St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross.

Jim

 

[PJM]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

A conditional question warrants a conditional reply

We live in a time of rampant “MESM”. An its ALL about me culture. Adding to the problem is a lack of CLEAR Moral Leadership within the ranks of all Christian faiths.

So I would conditionally agree with your mon. It is FAR better to have GOOD Christian friends than BAD Catholics.

I say this because friends, especially when we are younger, have a great influence on what kind of person you are; and you will be.

BUT your position of being staunchly CATHOLIC is also something each of must strive daily to be.

What is critically important in both cases is to have a ROCK- SOLID Catholic Faith education; so that if and when the Holy Spirit calls you to explain or defend Catholicism, one is able to do so with clarity [facts] and charity [love.]

God Bless you,
Patrick
.

 

[Peter_J]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

Mostly you just want to avoid extremes.

Recently I was talking with someone I know, and for some reason I brought up the fact that the Orthodox don’t practice intercommunion. His answer is worth repeating, partly because of its simplicity: We don’t either.

On the other hand, we do pray with other Christians. As a matter of fact, it so happens that the Thanksgiving service I went to this week involve Christians of all kinds praying together.

 

[Peter_J]

P.S. I’d like to add another piece of advice, but I have to confess that I’m not very good at doing it myself (though I try): keep a limit on the amount of time you spend on Internet Discussion Forums. In particular, once in a while read one of these instead: vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/index.htm

 

[johnnyc176]

I feel like the more I learn about Catholicism, the more distant I feel towards Protestants. I feel like there are too many important differences between the two, and can’t connect with anything spoken or written by Protestants the way I used to before I got serious about my faith. I was talking to my mom about this, and she says that rather than focusing on our differences, we should be grateful just to have good Christians around us where we can, regardless of denomination. Is this the right attitude to take? Or should we still be more firm in our faith? How important are the differences?

You should care very much. Jesus commissioned His disciples (the Catholic Church) to go out to all the world and preach the Gospel. That commission did not end with their deaths. Another key mission given to the Catholic Church by Christ is the salvation of souls. Pope Emeritus Benedict tells us that Truth was the main motivating factor for the early Catholic Church but Truth can be compromised in the name of ecumenism and be deadly to your own Faith.

catholicworldreport.com/Blog/3466/pope_emeritus_benedict_xvi_dialogue_cannot_substitute_for_mission.aspx

“The risen Lord instructed his apostles, and through them his disciples in all ages, to take his word to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all people,” retired Pope Benedict wrote. "‘But does that still apply?’ many inside and outside the church ask themselves today. ‘Is mission still something for today? Would it not be more appropriate to meet in dialogue among religions and serve together the cause of world peace?’ The counter-question is: ‘Can dialogue substitute for mission?’

“In fact, many today think religions should respect each other and, in their dialogue, become a common force for peace. According to this way of thinking, it is usually taken for granted that different religions are variants of one and the same reality,” the retired pope wrote. "The question of truth, that which originally motivated Christians more than any other, is here put inside parentheses. It is assumed that the authentic truth about God is in the last analysis unreachable and that at best one can represent the ineffable with a variety of symbols. This renunciation of truth seems realistic and useful for peace among religions in the world.

“It is nevertheless lethal to faith. In fact, faith loses its binding character and its seriousness, everything is reduced to interchangeable symbols, capable of referring only distantly to the inaccessible mystery of the divine,” he wrote.

Ecumenism can be a good thing but if it compromises the Truth then it is false and doesn’t do anyone any good.

 

[Confiteor_Deo]

You certainly should care about the differences. It is because of the differences that the Protestants are living in error and in danger of falling into Hell. If you truly cared for the Protestants, you would not ignore the differences because that would be like ignoring the fatal illness of your friend. That doesn’t mean that all you focus on is the differences, but don’t ignore them as if they are trivial.

 

[multitude]

You should care about it enough. I’ve been in Evangelical Protestant circles before reverting several years ago (then had an agnostic stint but that’s another story). There is far too much compromise at the end of the day. Also, I get the sense that this position seems rather triumphalist to some, except, I don’t actually presume anything, but it is precisely the reason why I steer clear of anything that seems less than Catholic nowadays. It’s not triumphalist, because we’re still running the race.