IMO... It's better to be Protestant, but tell me why it's better to be Catholic

[One_in_Christ_1]

IMO it’s better to be Catholic. No other religion enrages the Devil and his angels more with its beliefs, traditions, teaching, prayers and devotions, so we must be on the right path.

Are you implying that non-Catholic Christians are on the wrong path?

 

[Mannyfit75]

It is better to be Catholic than Protestant because for several reasons.

1. We have the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. So Catholics who received Jesus Christ, have a much personal and imitate relationship with Jesus.
2. We part of the Communion of Saints. When all faithful, those on earth, those in heaven, and those in purgatory worship God when we celebrate Mass every Sunday. It is also heat warming if you have a deceased relative or friend, you feel united with them because we worship God when we pray as One Body. Protestantism lacks this Communion of Saints because they don’t ask their fallen brothers and sisters and ask them to join them in prayer to God. This communion of Saints include the Patriarches of Old, the Apostles, Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints who pass away before us like Christian martyrs.
3. We have feast days of saints to commemorate the lives of the saints.

Conclusion: Catholicism is more family oriented when we worship. Protestants are limited to themselves only since it is aways “Jesus and me.” Rather than Jesus, me, and the entire Christian family which include the fallen saints. Protestants don’t even pray for their dead… so Protestants are sort of isolate from the entire family of God, which is the Church, whose head is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

The Devil is absolutely terrified of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who shall crush his head with her heel, and who conquers his pride by her humility. No wonder the Devil reserves his greatest rage for Marian devotions, especially the rosary.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

Help me understand the Catholic interpretation of this verse. Is it Mary who shall crush Satan’s head with her heel, or do you mean Jesus Christ will crush Satan?

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

Answer to OP’s question:

The Real Presence. It’s obvious when I enter a Catholic Church with a tabernacle, vs. a Protestant church. The latter has no sense of transcendence whatsoever. I like Protestants as people; I respect them and all, but their churches are just buildings to me, no matter how may I enter, no matter how beautiful the architecture.

Reason #2 is the sacramental life.

Reason #3 is the incredibly rich history of prayer life.

Reason #4, linked somewhat to #3, is the communion of saints.

But if I had to choose one, it would be the first I named.

I think the word Protestant covers great diversity. A Lutheran or Anglican church service seems very Catholic to many modern day Protestants. Luther and Calvin believed in the presence of Christ to say the least in communion (Eucharist).

 

[Mannyfit75]

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

Help me understand the Catholic interpretation of this verse. Is it Mary who shall crush Satan’s head with her heel, or do you mean Jesus Christ will crush Satan?

Jimmy Akin wrote a column on this on This Rock Magazine here is what he wrote:

Genesis 3:15 is one of the most famous passages in Scripture, since it offers the first, veiled prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. But confusion results from differing translations of the passage.

In most editions of the Douay-Rheims Bible—the Catholic counterpart to the King James Version—Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmities between thee [the serpent] and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

In the New American Bible, and all other modern Bibles, it says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”

The difference turns on who will crush the serpent’s head and whom the serpent tries to strike. The Douay-Rheims uses feminine pronouns—“she” and “her”—implying that the woman is the person being described. Modern translations use masculine pronouns—“he” and “his”—implying that the seed of the woman is the serpent-crusher.

This disparity results from a manuscript difference. Modern translations follow what the original Hebrew of the passage says. The Douay-Rheims follows a textual variant found in many early Fathers and some editions of the Vulgate, though not the original. Jerome followed the Hebrew of this text in his edition of the Vulgate. The variant probably originated as a copyist’s error, when a scribe failed to note that the subject of the verse had shifted from the woman to the seed of the woman.

Today, people notice this variant because the expression found in the Douay-Rheims has been the basis of popular Catholic art showing a serene Mary standing over a crushed serpent. Her representation as Our Lady of Grace usually depicts her in this way.

Christians have recognized since the first century that the woman and her seed of Genesis 3:15 do not simply stand for Eve and one of her righteous sons, such as Abel or Seth. They prophetically foreshadow Mary and Jesus. The first half of the verse (speaking of the enmity between the serpent and the woman) has been applied to Mary, and so the second half (speaking of the crushed head and heel striking) also has been applied to Mary.

Though the variant that uses “she” and “her” probably came from a copyist’s error, the idea it expresses is true. There is a sense in which Mary crushed the serpent’s head and in which she was struck at by the serpent. She didn’t do these things directly, but indirectly, through her Son. It was Jesus who directly crushed the serpent’s head from the cross and Jesus whom the serpent directly struck on the cross. Yet Mary cooperated in these events.

She, not anyone else, was the person who agreed to become the human channel through which Christ would enter the world in order to crush the serpent’s head (Luke 1:38). She herself was wounded when the serpent struck Jesus. Simeon had prophesied to her that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also,” a prophecy fulfilled when Mary saw her Son hanging from the cross (John 19:25–27).

Thus Jesus directly crushed the serpent and was directly struck by the serpent, while Mary indirectly crushed it and was indirectly struck by it, due to her cooperation in becoming the mother of Christ.

Therefore, though the she/her and he/his readings of Genesis 3:15 are different, both are true, and Catholics have long recognized this. A footnote provided a couple of hundred years ago by Bishop Challoner, in his revision of the Douay-Rheims version, state, “The sense is the same: for it is by her seed, Jesus Christ, that the woman crushes the serpent’s head.” (For more information, see A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, Bernard Orchard, O.S.B., ed. [New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1953], p. 186.)

 

[phoooiee]

Okay, would you agree that being born from above is not a Catholic nor Protestant issue.

What would a Catholic agreeing to something like this accomplish?

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

You keep answering your own question. Yes the Protestants do have a dilemma. As a child I was taught in Catholic school that only Catholics had eternal life and I see no reason to change my beliefs now. Yes Protestants are separated along with other non Catholics. As another poster mentioned before, all outside of Catholicism are separated brethren. All are branches of the true faith, religions started by a mortal man. Why one would follow a mortal man’s ideas on scripture is beyond me.

So come join us in Catholicism and enjoy the fullness of truth that Jesus has offered/given us, and don’t throw his gift of himself(Real Presence) back in his face by not believing in the Real Presence.

God Bless

I’m just enjoying fellowship with other Christians. I think we are more similar and united than most would want to admit. There is only one body of Christ. For those united to Christ… we are actually “One in Christ” in reality.

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

What would a Catholic agreeing to something like this accomplish?

To make us One in Christ, and to help heal the division of Christendom.

 

[Vile_Servant]

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

Help me understand the Catholic interpretation of this verse. Is it Mary who shall crush Satan’s head with her heel, or do you mean Jesus Christ will crush Satan?

From the very beginning God foretold the victory and empire that our Queen would one day obtain over the serpent, when he announced that a woman should come into the world to conquer him: “I will put enmities between you and the woman. . . .” (Gen 3:15)
Who could this woman be but Mary, who by her fair humility and holy life always conquered him and beat down his strength? The Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ was promised in the person of that woman, as St. Cyprian remarks, for God did not say “I place enmities,” as if to refer to Eve, but “I will place” to point to Mary in the future.
The Septuagint says, “And he will crush your head,” while the Vulgate version has it, “she will crush your head.” This is the sense known by St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and a great many others.
However, it really does not matter, whether the Mother crushes the head of the serpent through her Son, or the Son overcomes Lucifer through His Mother who brought Him into the world to effect this. As St. Bernard remarks, this proud spirit, in spite of himself, was beaten down and trampled under foot by this most Blessed Virgin. As a slave conquered in war, the devil is forced to obey the commands of this Queen.

• St Alphonsus Liguori

 

[Mannyfit75]

On In Christ,

Here is another article that covers it.

catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9910chap.asp

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

Jimmy Akin wrote a column on this on This Rock Magazine here is what he wrote:

That was excellent, and thank you! I reality, we are basically saying the same thing. I think the original poster who posted this side topic forgot to add Jesus in the equation. Maybe Protestants have a tendency to forget Mary who is highly blessed. On the other hand, can Catholics have a tendency to downplay Jesus when speaking of Mary? This would be one example from my view.

The Devil is absolutely terrified of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who shall crush his head with her heel, and who conquers his pride by her humility. No wonder the Devil reserves his greatest rage for Marian devotions, especially the rosary.

 

[andyandely1997]

As stated in prior posts, the Catholic Church has the fullness of salvation & truth of Jesus Christ. I grew up Lutheran & was dead to the Holy Spirit within me. In 2004, I became an evangelical which awakened the Holy Spirit within me by the grace of God. I was led to the Catholic Church in 2006.

Being on both sides of the fence, I see how the Sacraments of the Catholic Church bring untold grace to my soul. The Sacrament of Penance, which cleanses my soul & helps me to see my faults along with striving for holiness. But even more importantly is the Eucharist, which brings one closer to Christ along with the grace to stay free from mortal sin. I have also grown in humility & have appreciation for redemptive suffering, accepting the crosses in our lives.

But I also believe some Catholics take the Church for granted & do not fully appreciate all the Church has to offer to us. As Mother Angelica would say, we are all in need of an interior pencance or conversion of heart which the Cathechism states the following:

IV. Interior Penance

1430
Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.23

1431
Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart).24

1432
The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart.25 Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him: "Restore us to thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored!"26 God gives us the strength to begin anew. It is in discovering the greatness of God’s love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin and begins to fear offending God by sin and being separated from him. The human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced:27

Let us fix our eyes on Christ’s blood and understand how precious it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation, it has brought to the whole world the grace of repentance.28

1433
Since Easter, the Holy Spirit has proved "the world wrong about sin,"29 i.e., proved that the world has not believed in him whom the Father has sent. But this same Spirit who brings sin to light is also the Consoler who gives the human heart grace for repentance and conversion.30

Sadly, many Catholics are ignorant of their faith, they do not read the Catechism or the Bible. They know about Christ, but may not love Christ. Because if you truly love someone, you will want to get to know them. And this interior penance or conversion heart, as the Catechism states, “will lead us to a radical reorientation of our whole life.”

 

[Elizabeth502]

A Lutheran or Anglican church service seems very Catholic to many modern day Protestants.

But not to many Catholics.

And again, the Real Presence makes all the difference. I even know when the consecrated hosts have been removed from the tabnernacle. There’s a completely different sense in the church.

 

[phoooiee]

To make us One in Christ, and to help heal the division of Christendom.

I think we all have to be careful; we are all so passionate, and we all want the same thing. Matthew 7:3 helps me. May we all find the kingdom of God within ourselves!

 

[Vile_Servant]

As stated in prior posts, the Catholic Church has the fullness of salvation & truth of Jesus Christ. I grew up Lutheran & was dead to the Holy Spirit within me. In 2004, I became an evangelical which awakened the Holy Spirit within me by the grace of God. I was led to the Catholic Church in 2006.

Being on both sides of the fence, I see how the Sacraments of the Catholic Church bring untold grace to my soul. The Sacrament of Penance, which cleanses my soul & helps me to see my faults along with striving for holiness. But even more importantly is the Eucharist, which brings one closer to Christ along with the grace to stay free from mortal sin. I have also grown in humility & have appreciation for redemptive suffering, accepting the crosses in our lives.

But I also believe some Catholics take the Church for granted & do not fully appreciate all the Church has to offer to us. As Mother Angelica would say, we are all in need of an interior pencance or conversion of heart which the Cathechism states the following:

IV. Interior Penance

1430
Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.23

1431
Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart).24

1432
The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart.25 Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him: "Restore us to thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored!"26 God gives us the strength to begin anew. It is in discovering the greatness of God’s love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin and begins to fear offending God by sin and being separated from him. The human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced:27

Let us fix our eyes on Christ’s blood and understand how precious it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation, it has brought to the whole world the grace of repentance.28

1433
Since Easter, the Holy Spirit has proved "the world wrong about sin,"29 i.e., proved that the world has not believed in him whom the Father has sent. But this same Spirit who brings sin to light is also the Consoler who gives the human heart grace for repentance and conversion.30

Sadly, many Catholics are ignorant of their faith, they do not read the Catechism or the Bible. They know about Christ, but may not love Christ. Because if you truly love someone, you will want to get to know them. And this interior penance or conversion heart, as the Catechism states, “will lead us to a radical reorientation of our whole life.”

Amen to that.

 

[One_in_Christ_1]

But not to many Catholics.

And again, the Real Presence makes all the difference. I even know when the consecrated hosts have been removed from the tabnernacle. There’s a completely different sense in the church.

Reformed Churches and Lutheran churches, and probably other Protestant churches believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

 

[tweetymom]

Since I have been both, and I enjoy and love going to church whatever the name. I love being a Christian. Jesus is in my heart so I take Him with me when I go to church.

 

[Carlan]

That was excellent, and thank you! I reality, we are basically saying the same thing. I think the original poster who posted this side topic forgot to add Jesus in the equation. Maybe Protestants have a tendency to forget Mary who is highly blessed. On the other hand, can Catholics have a tendency to downplay Jesus when speaking of Mary? This would be one example from my view.

Absolutely not, Mary does not do anything other than lead us to her Son and Savior and our Savior Jesus Christ! God bless, Carlan

 

[CWBetts]

IMO…it’s better to be Protestant, but tell me why it’s better to be Catholic. But remember, Catholics and Protestants are one in Christ for those who actually are known by God through Christ. Please try to keep your responses grounded in official Catholic teaching. I’ll start:

1. It’s better to be Protestant because historic Protestant theology rest in the finished work of Christ for our eternal standing before God, We are justified by the person and work of Jesus Christ who earned our complete forgiveness and reconciliation for us, We are saved from God to God, and for God on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, historic Protestant theology teaches that we have eternal peace with God because of the merit of Jesus Christ.

Its better to be a Catholic because Catholicism allows for suffering of Christians. We, too believe in the finished work on Calvary, but our suffering allows us to participate in this sacrifice.

 

[reteeks21]

Its better to be a Catholic because Catholicism allows for suffering of Christians. We, too believe in the finished work on Calvary, but our suffering allows us to participate in this sacrifice.

Thank you. Excellent points. I think though the thread starter comes across as kind, too many false assertions about what we truly believe keep being slid into posts. When reading some of them I am forced to wonder if they really do think we are truly Christians.