The Protestant Christ

[Trying2overcome]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments. He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

P.s. when I say “protestants” im talking about all non catholic believers in Jesus…

 

[Micosil]

I wouldn’t go so far as to say “liar”; in general, Protestants just have a different understanding of the word “church”. Indeed, I also find it problematic that the “bulwark of truth” could be such a diverse and often contradictory body of believers, which is another reason I feel more at ease about to step into the Catholic Church, as opposed to a Protestant denomination. But that discussion is for another place.

By the way, the Orthodox, both Eastern and Oriental, as well as the Assyrian Church of the East are “non-Catholic believers in Jesus”, yet not traditionally called Protestants. Just wanted to clarify that.

 

[MaryT777]

I wouldn’t go so far as to say “liar”; in general, Protestants just have a different understanding of the word “church”. Indeed, I also find it problematic that the “bulwark of truth” could be such a diverse and often contradictory body of believers, which is another reason I feel more at ease about to step into the Catholic Church, as opposed to a Protestant denomination. But that discussion is for another place.

By the way, the Orthodox, both Eastern and Oriental, as well as the Assyrian Church of the East are “non-Catholic believers in Jesus”, yet not traditionally called Protestants. Just wanted to clarify that.

Well said.

 

[SalusaSecondus]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments. He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

P.s. when I say “protestants” im talking about all non catholic believers in Jesus…

Not at all, we just have a different understanding of church, papacy, and sacraments, and saints.

 

[captainrick]

Sounds like you don’t know much about Protestants. They believe Christ gave us the Church and sacraments. As SalusaSecondus said, it’s a matter of having a different understanding.

As a Protestant, I always considered Catholics as brothers and sisters in Christ. I certainly would never think anything ridiculous like “the Christ of the Catholics” is a different Christ, and a liar.

 

[BartholomewB]

By the way, the Orthodox, both Eastern and Oriental, as well as the Assyrian Church of the East are “non-Catholic believers in Jesus”

The Greek Orthodox, at least, would disagree with you there. I was once (very politely) corrected by a Greek Orthodox priest for using the word “Catholic” when I should have specified “Roman Catholic.” They, too, are Catholic, in their own understanding of the term.

 

[808Catholic]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments. He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

P.s. when I say “protestants” im talking about all non catholic believers in Jesus…

The short answer, “no”. Our Protestant brothers and sisters confuse Christ with His Church. Jesus did establish His Church, the supremacy of Peter among the Apostles, and the Sacraments. They misinterpret His establishment but that is not to be confused with their understanding of Christ. As far as I know, all Christians believe in Christ as God Incarnate so, by extension, believe in the Triune God: three Persons in One God. Jews also believe in the One God and their understanding is very similar to ours; they just don’t believe in Jesus as Christ and the Holy Trinity. I suggest we all focus on what we have in common and accept everyone’s understanding may be different from our’s.

 

[Micosil]

The Greek Orthodox, at least, would disagree with you there. I was once (very politely) corrected by a Greek Orthodox priest for using the word “Catholic” when I should have specified “Roman Catholic.” They, too, are Catholic, in their own understanding of the term.

I personally always try to avoid using the term Roman Catholic (even though in a few cases, the Church has used this term to refer to herself in official documents); first of all it was developed by the Anglicans precisely so that they could claim Catholicity for themselves.

Second, while it is true that the Eastern Orthodox Church often refers to itself as the Orthodox Catholic Church, I think this is very confusing, as when someone says “Catholic Church”, the vast majority of people will probably think of the Vatican, Rome, or something else strongly associated with the Catholic Church.

 

[Young_Ludovicus]

The Greek Orthodox, at least, would disagree with you there. I was once (very politely) corrected by a Greek Orthodox priest for using the word “Catholic” when I should have specified “Roman Catholic.” They, too, are Catholic, in their own understanding of the term.

Catholics also see themselves like ‘Catholic, Apostolic and Orthodox’.
When a Greek comes to Italy and says he is Orthodox, I don’t think the Italian priest would say… ‘Well, we are orthodox in our own understanding of the term’ So you should specify that you are Greek Orthodox’!

 

[SjMelnychuk]

From my perspective being a Catholic Convert from a Pentecostal church background.

As a Protestant, looking back I found it difficult to see Jesus as both God and Man. Though I knew that was true. The Scripture that stated that Jesus laid aside His deity and became man, I think some Protestant believers have a difficult time calling Mary the Mother of God. That’s the difference.

The difference is: In protestant churches people stop short of calling Mary the Mother of God. She’s the mother of Jesus but somehow not the Mother of God. But we know Mary if the Mother of God because Jesus was always fully God and fully Man.

I think, as is in most cases it’s rather a difficult doctrine to explain. However, if a Protestant believer has any theological understanding at all they’d understand that they believe in the same Jesus as Catholic’s do. I think at times though they stop short of calling Mary the Mother of God because then that would mean lifting up Mary to be the Queen Mother. But as is always the case, Mary has always been the dividing point among Protestants and Catholic’s. If anything, my changed understanding of who Mary is has caused me to reverence Jesus even more to understand that Jesus was always divine within his humanity.

So in short … not a different Jesus. The difference is with certain Catholic teachings, Papal Authority, Sacraments of the Catholic Church ie Confession, calling Priests Father, who Mary is, praying to the Saints and Mary… these doctrinal differences is what separates us in our faith but we worship the same God and we believe in the same Jesus.

 

[JonNC]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments.

P.s. when I say “protestants” im talking about all non catholic believers in Jesus…

Trying,
Is the Orthodox Christ a liar since they don’t have the same view of Papacy?

He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

Why do you think all protestants think Christ didn’t give us sacraments, or the Blessed Virgin and the saints to pray with and for us? Every week we pray with all of the company of Heaven. We know they pray for us. And we regularly receive Absolution and the Eucharist, having been baptized.

Jon

 

[JustaServant]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments. He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

P.s. when I say “protestants” im talking about all non catholic believers in Jesus…

No.
There is no “Protestant Christ” and a “Catholic Christ”.
There is only ONE Christ, yesterday, today and forever.

 

[Belshazzar]

Putting aside for now the issues of Mary, the saints, concepts of what “church” means, etc., what do Catholics believe about Christ that non- Catholic Christians do not believe?

 

[SteveVH]

Putting aside for now the issues of Mary, the saints, concepts of what “church” means, etc., what do Catholics believe about Christ that non- Catholic Christians do not believe?

As is evident by the posts on this thread, that is a question that cannot be answered. Lutherans believe in the real presence. Baptists do not. "Non-Catholic Christians " is too broad a term to discuss.

That Christ remains present in the Church through the Holy Eucharist and other sacraments is a position that is at odds with probably all *non-liturgical *communities.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

As is evident by the posts on this thread, that is a question that cannot be answered. Lutherans believe in the real presence. Baptists do not. "Non-Catholic Christians " is too broad a term to discuss.

I also believe that ‘non-Catholic Christians’ is broad, but even the term ‘Protestants’ is too broad in this case. My experience has been that when Catholics think of ‘other’ Christians, they tend to use the word Protestant. Well, there are a whole lot more non-Catholics than those that fall under the umbrella of Protestant. How about we categorize non-Catholics with words such as Liturgical Christians? Evangelical Christians? Mormons? Christian Scientists? Anglicans? Eastern Orthodox? We are all different, you know.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

I’ve been wondering: is the Christ of the protestants a liar? I’m asking because “our” Christ set up a Church, the Papacy, & the sacraments. He gave us His Mother and His Saints to pray with and for us. But according to protestants, He did none of these things…so are these 2 “different” Christs or what?

I am always quite careful about boxing in God. When I pray with my Quaker friend, Christ is there in the silence. I have no need of anything else. And when I feed the hungry, there is Christ looking right back at me. God is not to be confined. Whenever I try to make God/Christ nice and neat and ‘mine’, I pretty much get kicked in the seat. But that is my experience.

Who was it that said, ‘If you think you understand [God], it isn’t.’ Søren Kierkegaard, I believe.

 

[Sy_Noe]

The Greek Orthodox, at least, would disagree with you there. I was once (very politely) corrected by a Greek Orthodox priest for using the word “Catholic” when I should have specified “Roman Catholic.” They, too, are Catholic, in their own understanding of the term.

I as well was once politely corrected but by an Episcopal priest. Nevertheless the folks who have spoken about different faith understandings I believe are correct. It’s not at all about being liars nor about “our” Christ vs “theirs” or about different Christs.

 

[Sy_Noe]

I am always quite careful about boxing in God. When I pray with my Quaker friend, Christ is there in the silence. I have no need of anything else. And when I feed the hungry, there is Christ looking right back at me. God is not to be confined. Whenever I try to make God/Christ nice and neat and ‘mine’, I pretty much get kicked in the seat. But that is my experience.

Who was it that said, ‘If you think you understand [God], it isn’t.’ Søren Kierkegaard, I believe.

:clapping: Well said.