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

[One_in_Christ_1]

Since the beginning of time, God has permitted things. The fall of Satan, the fall of man. These things go in line with what He has willed. If He permits me to suffer, then it helps add to what His plans - or Will for my life is. Difference. “Will” is more of the big picture, so to speak.

I think God has His hand on us with “Will.” “Permit” is all us.

:twocents:

Thanks for the fellowship. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.

 

[CWBetts]

I don’t believe the Protestant Reformation was evil, rather it was the will of God. If it wasn’t the will of God, then how did it come to pass?

So by your reasoning,everything is ordained by God? WRONG. The Protestant Reformation was straight from Hell.

 

[phoooiee]

Very good point. I see that all Christians know in part and should learn from other Christian communities and traditions than they belong to. For instances, many modern day Protestants should look to the Catholic Church on how they view tradition and church history, the creeds and confession… within a scope allowing them to remain distinctively Protestant. I think Catholics can look at the Protestant view of justification within range of still remaining Catholic. We are one in Christ with each one of us knowing in part, still struggling with sin that remains in us… which limits are perspective of our understanding of the Infinite.

Now this makes more sense to me. We should all try to learn from one another. I as a Catholic am all for understanding, as long as it doesn’t require me to renounce any part of Catholicism. Unfortunately, some aspects of Protestantism would require me to renounce part of my Catholic faith, including the Protestant view of justification. It is not up to me or you to decide what Catholics can and cannot look at within range of still remaining Catholic. It is my choice as a Catholic to follow my religion faithfully and let the wisdom of Church authority speak on this matter.

As much as I can’t resist a debate, I just have to bow out of this one. Thanks for all the discussion.

 

[Carlan]

Please go back to the book of Job and reconsider your answer. Suffering for the Christian is willed by God for His purposes and our good!

Philippians 1:29
*For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,*God doesn’t cause us to disobey his commandments, we do that on our own. By the grace of God, we are enabled to obey His commandments. Without the grace of God, can we obey Him? Therefore, God provides to some what is needed to please Him.

Yes, and part of Catholic spirituality is offering up our suffering for the redemption of sinners.
But our merciful God does not cause our suffering so that we can suffer for his sake,

when suffering comes our way for what ever reason,God allows it, and then if we offer it up to him as redemptive suffering for the sin of the world ,it pleases him. it is not wasted.

Gosh, I’m not explaining this very well am I?, come to my aid here Catholics.

I just don’t think our Protestant friend is going to get it, not the way I am expressing it anyway, Peace and God’s love to all. Carlan

 

[Podo2005]

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.

Catholics believe that they are saved by Christ also…I don’t understand your point

 

[Loboto-Me]

Yes, and part of Catholic spirituality is offering up our suffering for the redemption of sinners.
But our merciful God does not cause our suffering so that we can suffer for his sake,

when suffering comes our way for what ever reason,God allows it, and then if we offer it up to him as redemptive suffering for the sin of the world ,it pleases him. it is not wasted.

Gosh, I’m not explaining this very well am I?, come to my aid here Catholics.

I just don’t think our Protestant friend is going to get it, not the way I am expressing it anyway, Peace and God’s love to all. Carlan

Hence “Only through the Church is salvation” lol . We get to suffer for everyone

Ok seriously, I understood perfectly what you’re saying, so I can’t clarify it any better.

 

[teranicole]

For me, it’s better to be Catholic because, while Protestantism teaches salvation through Jesus Christ, it doesn’t always provide as clear a path for a practicing Christian.

Here’s the way I look at it:
The Bible is inerrant, but very complicated. More time spent reading it would be better than less. It would be extremely dangerous to claim that by reading the Bible only a little, one could gain all its wisdom.
If someone were to spend 20 minutes reading the Bible, they would be wiser than they were before they started
If someone were to spend 2 years reading the Bible, the wisdom they would gain would be greater

I think it’s a similar comparison when you think of thousands of years of Catholic religious dedicating their whole lives to the reading and the studying of the Bible and Christianity, and working together to interpret it for the faithful. This greater sense of unity, as well as the greater collective period of time spent on study, yields different results than each individual having full responsibility to arrive at their own conclusion, even though the materials used (the Bible) are equal.

I also think that this is why there are so many Protestant sects. To me, it’s just a whole bunch of slightly differing but incomplete understandings of what is there.

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts!

You couldn’t have said it any more perfect than that! Good Job! Theres no arguing with that, its the truth!

 

[spn82756]

reteeks21:
Just curious, but does this not assert that we dirty Catholics DON’T trust in the finished work of Christ?

I just don’t see that really being called for. One in Christ has not in anyway denigrated Catholicism. As a matter of fact…all his/her posts have been in the interest of unity…not arguing.

 

[spn82756]

There are so many reasons why I think that being Catholic is better than being protestant. The biggest one is it’s easier to get to heaven. Here’s some reasons why:

1. We have 7 sacraments where we can receive God’s grace. Can protestants receive God’s grace? Absolutely, but they don’t have 7 sacraments they can access frequently to obtain it. It has to happen more extraordinarily.
2. We have the fullness of Truth. Do protestants have truth? Yes, they have some, but without the Authority of the Church, they don’t know how to interpret the Bible and that’s why there are 40,000 protestant denominations. They can’t all be right - Truth doesn’t contradict itself. Catholics have the Fullness of Truth.
3. We have Mary and the saints praying for our intersession. Who wouldn’t want people we know are in heaven praying for you? These people are more alive than we are and they are in heaven. Can you pray straight to God? Absolutely, and you should. But the more people you have praying for you, the better.

Can protestants (or anyone for that matter) get to heaven? Absolutely. Its just harder. Are there Catholics that don’t make it there? Most likely, but it was because they didn’t use all the Church had to offer.

Are there things that protestant churches do better than the Catholic Church? I think so. But it has nothing to do with their theology.

Just my humble opinion.

I am Catholic because I feel it is the right choice. But…to more knowledge is given…to more is expected. Many Catholics are Catholic in name only. I’m not sure it’s fair to say that it’s easier for Catholics to get to heaven. God knows what’s in everyone’s heart. Never should we consider ourselves to be better than anyone else of a different Christian faith…lest we become as the man in the Gospel that thanked God that he wasn’t like the sinner that bowed his head while the proud man made his claim to God looking proudly to heaven.

 

[spn82756]

For me it is better to be Catholic.
see John chapter 6.
Jesus said----unless you eat my body and drink my blood you will not have eternal life— my paraphrasing.

It is only in the Catholic church that we receive the Real Body and Blood of Christ. The Protestant churches do not have the Real Presence because their ministers are not of the apostolic succession.

Jeanne

Ummm…and what about the Orthodox? Sorry…not just Catholic.

 

[spn82756]

The phrase “Catholic Christian” is redundant. Its like saying “Senator politician” the one mandates the other.

I am a Catholic because it is the Church founded by Christ himself upon Peter (who was the visible head of His invisible Church). We have the total teachings of all the apostles, doctors of the Church, saints, and the Magisterium. The way I put it is if you go to a protestant denomination you can receive some of the graces guaranteed by Christ through His Church (the graces you receive are equal to the amount/degree that that church is in communion with the one true Church, the CC). But if you are Catholic then you have the opportunity to receive ALL of the graces guaranteed by Christ to his followers. To reject one of the teachings of Christ willfully and in full knowledge is to reject it all, IMHO, and I cannot, couldnot, and will not do that.

FSC

Just as redundant as Protestant Christian.

 

[spn82756]

aye yiiii yiiii yiiii yiiii…

Does anyone here dispute that we are all Christians? Brothers and sisters in Christ?

When I get the answer…I’ll make my next post. It’s so profound and yet so ignored.

 

[Loboto-Me]

Just as redundant as Protestant Christian.

Who are you to proclaim that this person’s reason is “redundant”? Is it not true that through the Catholic Church you get to take advantage of all the graces that God offered the Church to help with our salvation as compared to the Protestant Church?

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I don’t dispute it. We just have theological differences that we all think are important. We all should hope for mutual salvation. I wish my Protestant and Orthodox brethren the very best and hope for salvation for all.

aye yiiii yiiii yiiii yiiii…

Does anyone here dispute that we are all Christians? Brothers and sisters in Christ?

When I get the answer…I’ll make my next post. It’s so profound and yet so ignored.

 

[spn82756]

Who are you to proclaim that this person’s reason is “redundant”? Is it not true that through the Catholic Church you get to take advantage of all the graces that God offered the Church to help with our salvation as compared to the Protestant Church?

I’m not proclaiming anything. I’m using mere definition. Catholics are Christians as Protestants are Christians. We may have the fuller knowledge of the truth…but we are all Christians. So yes…it is redundant.

BTW…the Catholic Church recognizes all the Orthodox Sacraments as being just as efficacious.

 

[spn82756]

I don’t dispute it. We just have theological differences that we all think are important. We all should hope for mutual salvation. I wish my Protestant and Orthodox brethren the very best and hope for salvation for all.

I think that is part of what Jesus meant when He said you will know them for the love for each other.

 

[PJM]

":

One in Christ, post:115, topic:190101"]
I don’t believe the Protestant Reformation was evil, rather it was the will of God. If it wasn’t the will of God, then how did it come to pass?

Satan! Now there are thousands!

There can be NO DOUBT that God intended, willed and instituted ONLY One Church. This is proveable Biblically, historically and logically, as for MANY hundreds of years; far beyond the Canon of the Bible, The CC was the worlds ONLY Christian Church.

So after 1500 years God changed His mind? IMPOSSIBLE!

Sorry friend, your just completely wrong on this understanding.

 

[kepha1]

I’m hoping someone would address the differences in atonement, and why subsitutional or penal atonement is incompatable with Catholicism. I’d do it myself, but I’m having a lazy spell:blush:

"…Many Protestants see the Catholic/Protestant split as a tragic necessity, although the staunchly anti-Catholic kind of Protestant often sees nothing tragic about it. Or if he does, the tragedy is that there ever was such a thing as the Roman Catholic Church that the Reformers had to separate from. His motto is “Come out from among them” and five centuries of Christian disunity has done nothing to cool his anti-Roman fervor.

Yet for most Protestants, even for most conservative Protestants, this is not so. They believe God “raised up” Luther and the other Reformers to restore the Gospel in its purity. They regret that this required a break with Roman Catholics (hence the tragedy) but fidelity to Christ, on their view, demanded it (hence the necessity).
*Catholics agree with their more agreeable Protestant brethren that the sixteenth century division among Christians was tragic. But most Catholics who think about it also see it as unnecessary. At least unnecessary in the sense that what Catholics might regard as genuine issues raised by the Reformers could, on the Catholic view, have been addressed without the tragedy of dividing Christendom…" *
Why Only Catholicism Can Make Protestantism Work:
Louis Bouyer on the Reformation

comments by MARK BRUMLEY

 

[tweetymom]

So you hold to what the separated church believes. We Catholics pray for unity of the flock as Jesus desired it in every Mass celebrated, Carlan

Good for you Carlan.

 

[tweetymom]

I think that is part of what Jesus meant when He said you will know them for the love for each other.

Amen and thanks