Is there anything we can learn from Protestantism?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MiserereMei25
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
What kind of attitudes or ways protestants go about practicing their spirituality could we as individuals benefit from?
 
I think what we can learn from Protestants is emphasis on reading Sacred Scripture on our own; not just hearing it at Mass. beyond that; nothing.
 
I’ll grant that Protestants may have, in past decades, re-emphasized to Catholics the importance of Scripture as a form of prayer and the importance of getting familiar with the Bible beyond listening to the readings at Mass, and especially the importance of the OT.

Since the 1970s, Catholics everywhere I have been have emphasized Scripture and Bible study, so there isn’t as great a difference between Catholics and Protestants on this point as there used to be, and hence less need for Catholics to “learn from Protestants” on this point.
 
Lest I sound uncharitable, I will re-write TULIPed’s post from a Catholic’s perspective as to what I personally have learned from Protestants here and there:
  1. That there is nothing embarrassing about talking about Jesus or saying “Praise the Lord” from time to time throughout the day;
  2. That some Protestant preachers are awesome to listen to;
  3. That tent meetings are fun (so now Catholics are starting to have them too);
  4. Bible cartoons and comics are really neat even when made by Protestants;
  5. Also, Protestants have written some very good hymns;
  6. “Father God” is actually kind of a cool name for God the Father;
  7. Active Protestant churches make pretty good neighbors or at least the ones by me do;
  8. They don’t all hate Catholics or complain about idolatry or “Mary worship”, even if they don’t want to convert;
  9. There are many individual heroic Protestants;
  10. A lot of them are people I wish were on my team.
 
Last edited:
The title of this thread is asking if we can learn anything from another Christian religion.
That would include the theology of Protestantism. As the Church says, we can learn from others and find the light of truth within them.
This was made clear in the recent commemorative actions between the Vatican and Lutherans.
There are a few documents on that within a few CAF threads.
 
Please refer again to the threads on the commemoration of the Lutheran anniversary.
Pretty hot topic here for a while. We have a Clergy member who worked on that commemorative event on CAF.
 
Unfortunately, the particular clergy member is not in a position to comment on this thread right now. Hopefully he will be soon.

I know he and I have differed a bit on this point but the fact remains that from a doctrinal standpoint, we have nothing to learn from Protestants.

We can learn from some of their practices and examples in how they live out a Christian faith and of course there are individual Protestants who were very admirable, but from a theological standpoint, the Catholic Church possesses the whole truth, and the Protestants, who were once part of our faith, didn’t somehow take part of the whole truth with them when they left the fold.
 
Having been there and back again, what I think we can learn from the protestants is to SING! And if you can’t sing at least make a joyful noise. At least lip sync.
 
Let’s imagine we are talking about individual, everyday separated bretheren, non-Catholic, Christian believers who love our Lord Jesus Christ in 2019 and nevermind historical, traditional “Protestantism”. They pray to the Father in Jesus’ name and believe in the Holy Spirit as well. They also are validly baptized and look to Holy Scripture for direction and inspiration ❤️
 
Last edited:
CTBcin said:
40.png
PLeeD:
You mean like the way you guys strayed from the Orthodox?
Click to expand...
I think you have things backwards…
Click to expand...
I seriously cannot believe that post got deleted!

Nothing is backwards. Rome and the Eastern churches strayed from each other half a millennium before Luther, . IMO complaining now about protestantism is the pot calling the kettle black.
 
As I stated in one of my posts, individual Protestants can be quite admirable people. I am well aware of this since my husband, in-laws, and grandma were all Protestants of various denominations. My father was one until he converted, and I have worked with some nice Protestants, had some for friends, my mother had some for friends, and there are several deceased famous Protestants I ask to pray for me. When Billy Graham died I viewed the casket and sang 2 verses of How Great Thou Art with some lady standing next to me.

The question was learning from Protestantism, not learning from good folks who don’t happen to be Catholic, which is of course quite possible.
 
Last edited:
My apologies. I had a brain fart and thought the thread title said Protestants, not Protestantism. Sorry about that! 😳
 
Last edited:
Here in the following topic , post #6 or # 7
is a very relevant comment or two by Don Ruggero, a clergy member, on Protestantism , the use of the term ‘seperated brethren’ and Don Ruggero also includes a link to a much more appropriate document then the one I linked earlier, as rightly pointed out.
The document I should have linked as more appropriate is unitatis redintegratio.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_...ecree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html
40.png
Interesting essay about veiling and Latin Liturgy and Sacraments
Unitatis redintegratio, the Second Vatican Council’s decree on ecumenism: …it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. It is also wholly inappropriate to refer to Christians who are not Catholic as belonging to “sects”. Such language was done away with. As we read in Saint John Paul II’s encyclical, Ut Unum Sint: …
Click to expand...
Don Ruggero has posted quite a bit on the Lutheran commemoration, and also includes links to documents.
@MiserereMei25
 
Last edited:
To read the Bible more.

Historically Catholics are very poor when it comes to reading it and I think its something we should do more of. I know that the Church has a 3 year cycle where we cover most of the Bible but we shouldn’t just leave it up to Sundays.
 
Where does the old stereotype of Catholics not knowing or reading the Bible come from?

Perhaps it deserves its own thread but I keep seeing this repeated here and have heard it outside of here but I don’t really find it to be true, based on my experience. And I think it’s harmful to keep repeating it without any real basis or context for its origin.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top