To Catholics: What do you like about Protestantism?

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I miss the great old hymns that we used to belt out on a Sunday morning. Everyone sang. No one just stood there and mouthed the words.

Of course a lot of the hymns that we sang were written by Martin Luther so I guess we couldn’t sing them in the Catholic Church. 🙂
 
I am a convert and I love Holy Mother Church. However, and I say this with after being a Catholic now for 50 years, if I had judged the Roman Catholic Church by some of the Catholics I have known, I would never have converted.
Why, simply because of all the many reasons I like about the Protestants.

I love their caring for one another. If one member suffers, *as a rule, *everyone jumps in to help in some way. Last year I was operated on for lung cancer. My Pastor knew as did a deacon. I never received one call, nor did my husband or one word during my 7 week radiation therapy and convalescents. We could learn from our non catholic brothers and sisters on this one.

I love their deep love for Holy Scripture. Bible studies are continual and strongly attended. They are also very interesting.
Most of the Catholic Bible studies I have attended were dry and boring and very poorly attended.

Music, ah yes the music. It is seen as a lovely ministry in most non Catholic churches. Just in our own Redding area there are at least 4 radio stations with Christian music, from old traditional hymns to worship and praise to christian rock. A station for almost everyone. Protestants tend to find favor in all ways of worshipping our Lord in Music.
In many Catholic Parishes, few folks bother to even sing. Read these forums and you can see why. Lots of you would ban all but what you think is perfect liturgical music and of course that always ends up being the type YOU like.

Prayer is a biggy. If I tell an evangelical friend or workmate that I need prayer, they will stop everything and come and pray, even over the phone at that moment when it is most needed.
Most Catholics will not pray spontaneously but will say I will remember you when I say my Rosary or I will not forget to pray for you. I even heard a priest tell a woman who asked him for prayer, “we Catholics do not pray over folks”. Although that is not entirely true, it shocked me he would tell a needy person such a thing.

That is only a few things. There are many many more.
I love my non Catholic brothers and sisters deeply and pray for the day that we can get our selfish pride out of the way and honor Jesus prayer in the Gospel of John, “that we might be one as He and the Father are one, so that the world will know that the Father sent him”.
 
The protestants (in protestants forum) teach me to readthe Bible more, and thanks God that i found out that Catholic belief is really Biblical.

The protestants (in protestants forum) attack the TRADITION, and thanks GOD that i learn that the Bible is not the complete Tradition and teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

The protestants (in protestants forum) accuse the CC of evil things, and thanks God that i develop my love for my enemies, patience and humility, and my faith to God and the CC.

The protestants (in protestants forum) are really biblical and i am happy with that but it is sometimes sad that though they love the bible they don’t practice what the bible thought.
 
Protestantism was my cradle, so I cannot put it down for that reason alone. They taught me that there are such things as an order to worship, the bible, prayer, Jesus, Trinity, Incarnation, service to others, love, bishops, Easter, singing, baptism and confirmation, etc. I thank them for showing me these things.
 
This isn’t an all-inclusive list of course, but I like how High Anglicans have good sacred music, and they use it. I like how baptists and other calvinists learn the Bible pretty well. Fundamentalist Megachurches have better coffee. (most church coffee is disgusting, but some of the fundamentalist megachurches have decent coffee- it doesn’t taste like paper). Also, Protestant churches in general provide a Christian social environment and circle of friends, which is greatly needed in society today.
 
Gilbert Keith:
Yet Scripture tells us the early Christians met daily. So why don’t Protestants have a daily service, like Catholics?
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Gilbert, just to let you know, the Church as it is interpreted by Protestants is any body of believers. The Scriptures also say where three or more gather in Jesus name, He also is there. So when I get together with two or three of my Christian buddies, and we talk about what God has done in our lives, we “meet daily”.
 
Justathough - that shows what a big gulf there is between Protestant and Catholic teaching. Because to us, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, “going to Church” means going to the parish to participate in worship and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. It is so much more than just meeting together with fellow Christians.
 
To be honest I don’t like protestanism… But i know some good people who are protestants.
 
I’m a convert, the only one in my family.

I like the emphasis on a committed relationship with Christ. I miss some of the old hymns. I really miss the sermons (not the length, but the delivery).

But that’s it. They don’t have the Eucharist, they don’t have the orders of ministry, and they sure didn’t have Popes John Paul the Great or Benedict XVI.
 
What I like about Protestantism in general is very little.

The exception to that comment is the individual orientation sometimes adopted by certain members of that general community. The people there can be extremely nice.

It is my little observation from a family cross-section that when the Protestant is working on developing a personal relationship with Christ … in the spirit of seeking the truth and following it… We are united in the Holy Spirit.

The individual path required for this or that soul and any time line of progress…is up to our dear loving Lord…
 
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bengeorge:
Ok, so there’s lot’s to criticise about Protestants, but let’s have a positive thread, what do you like about Protestantism (or any other non-Catholic religion, for that matter?)

I like the fervor of Evangelicals, and their willingness to try new methods of spreading the Gospel.

I like the friendliness of Mormons, their focus on family life, and their coordinated missionary efforts.
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Mormonism is Protestant in the same sense as Santeria is Catholic.​

IOW - it’s not ##
 
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CheesusPowerKid:
…share the love of Christ in your actions and words, yes, but question someone else’s salvation based on their religion, that gets me every time.
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True, but do you consider Mormons to be saved? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Jews? Muslims? Zoroastrians, Hindus, or Buddhists? The only way to get around questioning someone else’s salvation based upon religion is to be completely pluralist.
 
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Philena:
Justathough - that shows what a big gulf there is between Protestant and Catholic teaching. Because to us, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, “going to Church” means going to the parish to participate in worship and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. It is so much more than just meeting together with fellow Christians.
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With respect, I do not think that you can fairly say that it is “so much more” than meeting with fellow Christians until you know exactly what meeting with fellow Christians means to Justathought: the significance of this event may, for hir, be incomparably greater than what you expect.
 
For most of us Catholics just meeting with fellow Christians, doesn’t compare to the Eucharist since that is the most intimate closest and special event at Church.

What I like about Protestantism, is the music, at least from my experience, having a band up front is one of the innovations that makes the particular brand of non-denominationalism very popular. Anyone who can sing, play a guitar, drums, bass or if you can’t play, (tamborine) can participate. In addition to that there is a cafe on site, a big store, daycare, all sorts of things to get you involved. It really brings a sense of community to the church.

Now I don’t agree that that is the reason you should go, since you should come just to worship God, but they get people who would rather stay home and watch tv to go to church. They get people involved who might not give a second thought to God to start thinking of Him.

That is what made it so difficult for me to start searching for truth. Why do you want to leave behind something that is so involved? You have friends, you have marriage, you have a relationship with God, sometimes it is your source of income. Why chance it? That is what many people struggle with.

Sometimes I would just lie in bed with thoughts racing through my head. My marriage was so difficult as I started investigating Catholicism.

But the reason I became Catholic is because of Protestantism. My search for truth and honesty with myself forced me. But if not for Protestantism I wouldn’t have even seeked truth. I would have been content to just live a non-commited life. (God could wait until I was older) Thanks to Protestantism I have a better, deeper relationship with Jesus, and I have peace as I have come home. My wife by the way has made the journey with me and we couldn’t be happier.

God Bless
Scylla
 
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scylla:
But the reason I became Catholic is because of Protestantism. My search for truth and honesty with myself forced me. But if not for Protestantism I wouldn’t have even seeked truth. I would have been content to just live a non-commited life. (God could wait until I was older) Thanks to Protestantism I have a better, deeper relationship with Jesus, and I have peace as I have come home. My wife by the way has made the journey with me and we couldn’t be happier.

God Bless
Scylla
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Scylla,

What truth did you find in modern Catholisism that was absent in Protestantism?

Peace be upon all who read this
 
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justathought:
Scylla,

What truth did you find in modern Catholisism that was absent in Protestantism?

Peace be upon all who read this
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I realize your question is to Scylla but many of us are converts. For me, the Scriptural foundation of the Church by Christ “upon this Rock” in communion with the See of Peter, the Sacramental authenticity and the graces which flow through the Apostolic line, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Confession via Christ’s commission through the Church were so compelling that I could no longer resist.

But the irony is that I learned all of that as an Episcopalian.
 
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mercygate:
For me, the Scriptural foundation of the Church by Christ “upon this Rock” in communion with the See of Peter
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Mercygate,

Thank you for your response. Now, I truly mean no offense in this response, but I do have a question on the Scriptural foundation of the Catholic church. Where are the ideas of the pope, monks, nuns, bishops, cardinals, and even priests from? According to Paul’s letters, there should be deacons and preachers in the New Testament Church, but there is no mention of the others. Again, I mean no offense, I am only seeking Truth.

Peace be upon all who read this
 
its going to sound nasty but i dont like any thing about there thing but i like them as people i proud to be roman catholic
 
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MEP:
What I think is interesting about Mormons is the involvement of their active members in their church. Every one of them ends up acting as a teacher or minister at one point or another (those who are active at least)… It just seems that Mormons who go to church are expected to engage in these activities and it’s hard for them to get out of them (unless they just stop going to church, which is maybe the downside. Some react to the pressure of “callings” in a negative way). I’d love it if I saw more Catholics get just as involved in their parishes as the Mormons I know are in theirs.
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I like Mormons too. They are kind and neighborly, and incredibly family oriented. That said, I caution you and anyone else to exclude Mormonism from the body of Protestant Christians. If there is truly a church that teaches “salvation by works,” it is the Latter Day Saints. Their involement stems from the doctrine that requires the type of involvment you mentioned above in order to enter heaven, which obscures any sense of altruism on the part of Mormon believers when witnessing their faith to others. Yes, their commitment is attractive, but hardly admirable when examining the motivation for their actions.

Protestants, like Catholics, believe that church life involves sacrifice, with no motive for attaining any more love and acceptance from God. God conveys His message to the world through us, and we are merely God’s pencils, as Mother Theresa might have said. I like that Protestants agree with so much of what the Catholic Church teaches.
 
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