Methodists

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What are the fundamental beliefs of Methodists and how do they differ from Catholicism?

Just curious…thanks!
 
I am not sure how much you know about basic Protestant beliefs but essentially you could sum most of them up…point to most Methodist churches and say…there you go. 😃

Methodists do not believe in the Immaculate Conception.
Methodists clergy can marry.
Methodists are officially pro-choice, with reservations of course if you read our official statement.
Methodists have open communion.
Methodists have a system of bishops but not one powerful bishop.
Methodists can be quite conservative or very very liberal.
Is there anything specific you are curious about?
I have two degrees from United Methodist schools and have officially been, although I also attend a house church, a Methodist for about 15 years or so.

BrianH
 
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JoaniB:
What are the fundamental beliefs of Methodists and how do they differ from Catholicism?

Just curious…thanks!
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Here is there website: United Methodist Church. Do you know enough about Catholic teaching to tell us the differences or are you comparing the two faiths as a disinterested person of neither? Here is our Catechism of the Catholic Church for reference in your researches.
 
Hi and thanks for the replies. I’m Catholic and I’m very familiar with the Church’s teachings.

I’ve become close friends with a woman who is Methodist and in sharing about our faiths, we concentrate on the similar; Christ. I only ask about the differences because lately she’s been asking me about such things as the Sacraments of the Church and praying the Rosary. She’s gotten very interested in watching EWTN, too.

I just like to meet folks where they’re at… 🙂
 
The Methodist Church was founded by John Welsey.
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ.

I would say that is the most fundamental difference. 😉
 
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IanS:
The Methodist Church was founded by John Welsey.
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ.

I would say that is the most fundamental difference. 😉
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Tsk, tsk, IanS! C’mon. No need to be sarcastic.

Joani, why not start with a basic encyclopedia and don’t forget, the Catholic Encyclopedia usually has pretty good coverage of things like this.
 
My husband was raised Methodist and he says it pretty much a “cafeteria” religion. They have very few doctrines. When he was taking confirmation class, whenver he’d ask their minister for the Churches position on anything, the answer was the church didn’t have, you decide what you want to believe.
 
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axolotl:
My husband was raised Methodist and he says it pretty much a “cafeteria” religion. They have very few doctrines. When he was taking confirmation class, whenver he’d ask their minister for the Churches position on anything, the answer was the church didn’t have, you decide what you want to believe.
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Mmm. I have a couple of Methodist clergy friends who are tearing their hair out over the state of the denomination today. Methodists used to be very strong on doctrine and discipline. No longer.
 
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JoaniB:
Hi and thanks for the replies. I’m Catholic and I’m very familiar with the Church’s teachings.

I’ve become close friends with a woman who is Methodist and in sharing about our faiths, we concentrate on the similar; Christ. I only ask about the differences because lately she’s been asking me about such things as the Sacraments of the Church and praying the Rosary. She’s gotten very interested in watching EWTN, too.

I just like to meet folks where they’re at… 🙂
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Perhaps a copy of “Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy: Meditations on the Rosary” by Neville J. Ward (An English Methodist) would be a great book to share with her.
 
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mercygate:
Tsk, tsk, IanS! C’mon. No need to be sarcastic.

Joani, why not start with a basic encyclopedia and don’t forget, the Catholic Encyclopedia usually has pretty good coverage of things like this.
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Sorry mercygate, just couldn’t help myself. I’ll try to be nice now. See the big smile. 😃
 
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axolotl:
My husband was raised Methodist and he says it pretty much a “cafeteria” religion. They have very few doctrines. When he was taking confirmation class, whenver he’d ask their minister for the Churches position on anything, the answer was the church didn’t have, you decide what you want to believe.
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Wow–that just conjured up one of my favorite quotes:

If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.
~~St. Augustine
 
Joani,

Methodists do have doctrines, although they are relatively vague compared to those of Catholics, and many Methodists don’t care much about doctrine. A Methodist theologian named Scott Jones has written a book called *United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, *which sums things up about as well as any. For the official teachings of the UMC, you can consult their website which gives their “Doctrinal Standards.” The Articles of Religion are adapted from the 39 Articles of the Anglican Church (the “Confession of Faith” belonged to a denomination with a similar history which merged with the Methodists several decades ago). The UMC has a “magisterium,” which is vested in the General Conference. This is a representative body that meets every four years. Because it is basically a democratic body, its decisions tend to sound rather wishy-washy and they frequently go back and forth on various issues. I’m not claiming that it looks much like the Catholic Magisterium, but it is an official teaching authority to which United Methodists are obliged to pay at least some respect. The Doctrinal Standards on the page to which I linked, however, cannot be altered by General Conference without a 3/4 vote of General Conference and a 3/4 vote of every Annual Conference (that’s like a diocese; essentially this is like amending the Constitution).

British Methodists, if I’m not mistaken, do not have official doctrines like this–they are far more officially undogmatic! Most other Methodists throughout the world follow either the British or the American model.

Edwin

Edwin
 
I grew up a Methodist at Sunrise United Methodist Church, we had a wonderful minister Reverend Rod MacDonald. We were read Bible stories and we sang songs about Jesus in Sunday School.I never heard a bad thing said about Catholism from the pulpit, or any other denomination for that matter. I never knew we were protesting anything we were just a church going family who happen to Methodist. That’s how I believe most Protestants are raised just to love Jesus and the Bible.

I found my way home to the Catholic Church after I was married to a Catholic and I attended Mass with my in-laws. There was just something there in the Catholic Church that I couldn’t find at my Methodist Church, turned out it was 1500 years of church history. I am enjoying the journey of exploring the true Church of God.

savedbygrace
 
My understanding of the Methodist is that one of their core beliefs is predestiny. I either read or heard about that a few years back…can not be for certain…
 
That’s right. Actually everyone believes in predestination (all orthodox Christians anyway)–the question debated among Christians is whether predestination is based on foreknowledge or not, and if it isn’t, how it is compatible with free will. Catholics are bound to believe in free will and harmonize their beliefs about predestination with that. Calvinists (the group you are thinking of, Joey) believe that predestination is based only on God’s sovereign will (not foreknowledge), and they differ regarding how and whether that is compatible with free will (most of the folks who go around talking about being Calvinists these days will just say “no free will,” but historic Calvinism has usually been more nuanced). So moderate Calvinists and Augustinian/Thomist Catholics are not that far apart (though there are still some significant differences, such as the Calvinist belief that all the regenerate will persevere, better known as OSAS)…

Methodists believe that God offers grace freely to all. They have generally interpreted that to mean that predestination is based on foreknowledge.

Edwin
 
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Contarini:
That’s right. Actually everyone believes in predestination (all orthodox Christians anyway)–the question debated among Christians is whether predestination is based on foreknowledge or not, and if it isn’t, how it is compatible with free will. Catholics are bound to believe in free will and harmonize their beliefs about predestination with that. Calvinists (the group you are thinking of, Joey) believe that predestination is based only on God’s sovereign will (not foreknowledge), and they differ regarding how and whether that is compatible with free will (most of the folks who go around talking about being Calvinists these days will just say “no free will,” but historic Calvinism has usually been more nuanced). So moderate Calvinists and Augustinian/Thomist Catholics are not that far apart (though there are still some significant differences, such as the Calvinist belief that all the regenerate will persevere, better known as OSAS)…

Methodists believe that God offers grace freely to all. They have generally interpreted that to mean that predestination is based on foreknowledge.

Edwin
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Edwin, you seem very knowledgeable. Did Methodists stop requiring total abstinence from alcohol? If so, when was that? Do they now use wine for the celebration of the Lord’s supper?
 
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mercygate:
Edwin, you seem very knowledgeable. Did Methodists stop requiring total abstinence from alcohol? If so, when was that? Do they now use wine for the celebration of the Lord’s supper?
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I don’t know about now, but when I was attending a Methodist Church from 1977 to 1980, grape juice was used…
 
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