What is it with Protestants?

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Little Mary:
This may well turn into a history lesson for me, but if you are saying that leaving behind the Real Presence, ripping books out of the bible, introducing Sola Scriptura and forsaking Sacred Tradition- all of which resulted in thousands turning away from the One True Church, The Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ aren’t that significant, I disagree.
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LM,

We hold to the Real Presence, we follow Tradition where it does not conflict with scripture and we say the nicene or apostles creed every sunday, confessing our faith in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.

Lutherans, like Anglicans have not strayed as far as the average person may think. If you walked in to our Sunday worship, you’d be able to follow the liturgy step by step. It’s like a sung high Mass.

There are a few theological differences, mainly focusing on the role of redemptive grace. But overall, we’re very catholic.

John
 
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robertaf:
Greetings

Today is not a good day. I found out today that my daughter in law who I helped to bring into the Church and am God Mother to, is in danger of going back to the Protestant faith. Four children are involved here. I am 68 years old and Godmother to over 50 people. All but 8 have left the Church. Neither of my sons attend Mass. Well, they both do on Easter and Christmas.
I taught many of these folks the faith. I taught them well, and they all believe it. They will tell you what they believe and why and they are right where the Catechism is concerned. They know it and they agree. What is the problem? They are bored to death. They see a Religion that teaches the Power of God, that teaches Miracles and has the whole truth but lacks the … Good Lord, what is it?.. cannot put it in words or actions.
They believe firmly in the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist but see priests who look bored and do not preach the fullness of truth that we have. They seem afraid to offend. They are luke warm, neither teaching sin and hell or the pure joy of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and the mansions prepared for us in Heaven.
If, in my lifetime, these were the only ones, maybe, just maybe I wouldn’t feel so bad. But no, I helped with polls in our Catholic High School in Southern California where 75% of our Catholic students were attending non-denominational worship services. We wanted so badly to know why and what was missing in the Catholic Church. We got answers but no one cared. The kids were bored and were not hearing the Jesus message. Over and over I was told the same thing. They were going to be entertained and they would be back. THEY DIDN’T COME BACK.
I am a Catholic Charismatic. This Renewal movement has found favor, encouragement and blessings with the Holy Father. I have watched young people and older folks respond to this form of worship. I have seen 5 dozen young men answer Gods call to the Priesthood at one weekend Conference. These guys were followed up and the vast majority of them accepted the call. The “fruits” have been abundant.

There is no boredom here. Charismatic Priests have experienced “conversion” and renewal. They have experienced Pastoral gifts, including the gift of preaching and teaching. They preach with Power and Truth. God gives them all the tools to evangelize and bring folks in.

How do you treat them? How do you treat the folks they bring “home to Rome”?

I have watched a young girl her in these forums who was so happy and full of joy over Life Teen Mass, be told how wrong she is. A teenager, in love with the Church!

Sorry, I just cannot go on. I am very sorry.
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God bless you Roberta! Keep up your work.
 
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Harland:
I haven’t read every word of every post so if this has been covered plaese forgive me.

Lets face it. Being protestant is easy. You look for a church that beleives the same as you and everyone is happy. Abortion, devorce, confess to God, not having the embarrassment of actualy having to telling your sins to someone. If you don’t feel like going to church on Sunday no problem.
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Being protestant is far from easy. In alot of respects, fundamentalist protestantism is much more conservative. This is not the reason most stay. They have no reason to leave. Like someone else mentioned on another post, protestants don’t wake up saying to themselves, I need to change my whole way of life because everything I’ve ever known is wrong. It doesn’t happen.

Growing up a southern baptist, I never heard wild sermons about the evils of catholicism and why we are baptists. Most sermons are geared towards scripture readings and living the Christian life, not re-hashing what makes protestants different from Catholics.

Believe it or not, I was considering going into the Air Force at 21 years old. When the recruiter asked me a bunch of personal questions, one of them was whether I was a protestant or not. (They had to know in case I died or something). I didn’t know what he was talking about. With a puzzled look on my face, I told him that I was a baptist and he moved on. I’m dead serious about this.

Baptists and other protestants don’t wake up hating the Catholic Church - or thinking of ways to destroy the Catholic Church. They are concerned with reading the Bible, listening to what the preacher said on Sunday, loving their families and working for a living and living for God as best they can.

Being protestant is not easy.

God bless.
 
As I see it. There are so meany protestant denominations, just look in the phone book, it is hard to know how any of them understand the bible. The only thing I know about protestantism is what I see on tv, hear on the radio or read what other posters have to say, both Catholic and non-catholic. The people I see on tv and hear on the radio seem to be anticatholic. So if my understanding of what protestant really believe is destored I’m truly sorry. Maybe I read to much in some of the posts from noncatholics but I read animosity in some of them. Note I didn’t say all.

As I recall the milatary classifies people as Protastent, Catholic, Jew or Moslim. LDS and JWs are thrown in with the Protestants.
 
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mango_2003:
What I mean by what I said is that…a lot of the times, Roman Catholics try to figure out “what’s wrong with us” and don’t even consider the idea that we might not have a “fear of the RCC” or “ignorance of the faith” or what have you. Some of us just don’t agree with some of your denomination’s teachings.

That being said, I will admit there is a lot of ignorance as to what the RCC actually believes/teaches among Protestant circles. I do believe, however, that the numbers change considering geographic setting.

~mango~
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I’m not saying that you are wrong because I’ve never walked in your shoes. But as a cradle Catholic I’ve never heard other Catholics wondering “what’s wrong with” protestants. Anyway…if you have, it certainly doesn’t sound like a very nice approach. I know how I feel when someone says “what’s wrong with Catholics?” or something like it.

If you (anyone, really) simpley don’t agree with the Catholic faith, and you don’t publicly attack it either (Jack Chick, Ian Paisley, BJU library), then I’m OK with that - it’s between you and God.

There may be a lot of ignorance as to what the Catholic Church actually believes/teaches among protestant circles. This is my concern.

"I don’t care if you disagree with what I believe, but disagree with what I really believe" - John Martignoni

And you don’t necessarily have to answer this next question, I don’t mean it as an “attack”, just a way to give something to think about: How do you (any non-Catholic, not you personally)…How do you know that what you think the Church actually believes/teaches is accurate? I’m not saying you don’t know mind you, I’m asking do you know for certain that the information you have is accurate? Again, that goes for all non-Catholics, not picking on you mango, and again, it’s an honest question, not an attack.

Thanks.
 
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PXseeker:
LM,

We hold to the Real Presence, we follow Tradition where it does not conflict with scripture and we say the nicene or apostles creed every sunday, confessing our faith in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.

Lutherans, like Anglicans have not strayed as far as the average person may think. If you walked in to our Sunday worship, you’d be able to follow the liturgy step by step. It’s like a sung high Mass.

There are a few theological differences, mainly focusing on the role of redemptive grace. But overall, we’re very catholic.

John
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John,

The Real Presence? Are you sure?

A key phrase here is when you said you hold to Tradition when it does not conflict with scripture - I’ll bet if we went into that in detail we’d find some significant differences. Maybe?

Do you recognize the authority of the Pope? If not, that’s a significant difference too.

Thanks for your patience,
🙂
 
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ahimsaman72:
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Baptists and other protestants don’t wake up hating the Catholic Church - or thinking of ways to destroy the Catholic Church. They are concerned with reading the Bible, listening to what the preacher said on Sunday, loving their families and working for a living and living for God as best they can.

God bless.
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I’m sure that most of us know that Baptists and other protestants don’t wake up hating the Catholic Church or think of ways to destroy it. And the fact that they are in love with Jesus and the Bible and love their families and live as best they can for God is ALL GOOD.

My concern is with the good people who ARE exposed to the teachings of others who DO make a concerted effort to teach that the Catholic Church is evil and they utilize their pulpits to do it. God’ s children attend those churches in good faith and believe what comes from the pulpit. That is what is upsetting to me.

Then there are those who go so far as to pulish their own writings/art promoting anti-Catholic things and then they have the websites and it goes on and on and on. I wish that these people would take all that energy and put it to use doing what you said - love Jesus and love their families and live as best they can - rather than spreading hate and lies.

Agree?
 
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Harland:
As I see it. There are so meany protestant denominations, just look in the phone book, it is hard to know how any of them understand the bible. The only thing I know about protestantism is what I see on tv, hear on the radio or read what other posters have to say, both Catholic and non-catholic. The people I see on tv and hear on the radio seem to be anticatholic. So if my understanding of what protestant really believe is destored I’m truly sorry. Maybe I read to much in some of the posts from noncatholics but I read animosity in some of them. Note I didn’t say all.

As I recall the milatary classifies people as Protastent, Catholic, Jew or Moslim. LDS and JWs are thrown in with the Protestants.
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You don’t have to be sorry, my brother. What you see and hear are evangelists and preachers who want to make a name for themselves and fulfill some vendetta. When they went to seminary, they learned apologetics and of course they learned to disregard catholic teaching and preach against it. The people don’t have a clue. As I said before, they have other things to concern themselves with.

Those protestants who come to this forum to argue with Catholics are misguided and misinformed. They heard from somebody that Catholics taught something.

Yeah, there’s every flavor of protestant church you can think of around. It is very sad. Even as a devout baptist, I hated the fact that we all couldn’t get along. My childhood church split a few times in the many years I attended. It was horrible. “Jack” didn’t like “John” and thought “Joe” and “John” were in cahoots with each other to do something and the craziness goes on and on.

In fact, even disagreeing with Catholics and other groups theologically, my hope always was that we could be united as one and fight the same causes together in order to defeat Satan’s works in the world.

Now, I’m on my way to becoming Catholic and I can’t wait to say offficially that I belong to the Church, the original Church.

God bless you Harlan.
 
Little Mary:
I’m sure that most of us know that Baptists and other protestants don’t wake up hating the Catholic Church or think of ways to destroy it. And the fact that they are in love with Jesus and the Bible and love their families and live as best they can for God is ALL GOOD.

My concern is with the good people who ARE exposed to the teachings of others who DO make a concerted effort to teach that the Catholic Church is evil and they utilize their pulpits to do it. God’ s children attend those churches in good faith and believe what comes from the pulpit. That is what is upsetting to me.

Then there are those who go so far as to pulish their own writings/art promoting anti-Catholic things and then they have the websites and it goes on and on and on. I wish that these people would take all that energy and put it to use doing what you said - love Jesus and love their families and live as best they can - rather than spreading hate and lies.

Agree?
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Little Mary, I absolutely agree with you. The people are misguided and misinformed and are living out generations of passed on misconceptions and ignorance. I’ve always detested either side (protestant or catholic) publishing hateful “anti” material. There’s a poor misguided soul that has a website, www.yourgoingtohell.com that is so wretched in and need of God’s love. I feel truly sorry for him, truly sorry. We need to pray for this lunatic. He thinks he’s doing God a favor (reminds you of Hitler, doesnt it?). You are absolutely right, we all as a people in this world need to love rather than hate - absolutely. Just so you know, love ya sister.
Peace…
 
And you don’t necessarily have to answer this next question, I don’t mean it as an “attack”, just a way to give something to think about: How do you (any non-Catholic, not you personally)…How do you know that what you think the Church actually believes/teaches is accurate? I’m not saying you don’t know mind you, I’m asking do you know for certain that the information you have is accurate? Again, that goes for all non-Catholics, not picking on you mango, and again, it’s an honest question, not an attack.

Thanks.
LM,
What I did when I started looking into Catholicism was not read my denominational literature. I went right to the source of teaching - the Catechism. I also came to this website and others to see what was taught by the Catholic faithful. Then i came back to my denominational or protestant teachings about the church and saw the obvious bias and flaws in protestant teaching. Now, thank God and this website, I am on my way home to becoming a Catholic next month. (Even though I have a “baptism of desire” and am already in communion with the church because of that)

God bless…
 
Little Mary:
I’m sure that most of us know that Baptists and other protestants don’t wake up hating the Catholic Church or think of ways to destroy it. And the fact that they are in love with Jesus and the Bible and love their families and live as best they can for God is ALL GOOD.

My concern is with the good people who ARE exposed to the teachings of others who DO make a concerted effort to teach that the Catholic Church is evil and they utilize their pulpits to do it. God’ s children attend those churches in good faith and believe what comes from the pulpit. That is what is upsetting to me.

Then there are those who go so far as to pulish their own writings/art promoting anti-Catholic things and then they have the websites and it goes on and on and on. I wish that these people would take all that energy and put it to use doing what you said - love Jesus and love their families and live as best they can - rather than spreading hate and lies.

Agree?
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Absolutely!

I have seen and been handed tracts from Protestants with titles like:

“Is the Catholic Church Christian?”
“The Whore of Babylon”

Do you see Catholics giving out anti-Protestant literature? No!

As I see it they have to condemn the Church in order to justify their belief is correct.

Catholics do not need to justify to the Protestants. We know we are right.
🙂
 
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wanerious:
Maybe, but the three choices above perhaps uncharitably leave out a 4th option, which is a willing choice. As a protestant, it is very hard for me to become comfortable with submission to an interpretive authority. I enjoy reading Church teachings, and agree with a great deal of it, but I and other protestants choose to imagine that there may be some teachings that we disagree with; and, as non-subscribers to the idea that there is an infallible interpreter of scripture, we must keep that possibility open.
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I understand what you are saying here, but that raises an important question. How can we be made free if truth is, ultimately, unknowable?

God’s word says that the truth will make you free which means that, ultimately, freedom is impossible since being infallibley certain of truth is impossible.

If the possiblity for error is ALWAYS there, then truth is ALWAYS unknowable thereby making freedom impossible.Why would God make freedom dependent upon something that is, according to your above statement, impossible to attain?

The Catholic answer: He wouldn’t. He DID give us an authoriatative voice that functions in the world as the upholder, protector and defender of the TRUTH (1 tim 3:15).
 
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Annunciata:
Why do you think that Protestants reject the Catholic Church?
  • Out of ignorance?
  • Stubbornness?
  • Lack of good example by Catholics?
I think it’s out of ingnorance of the Faith…if they really new what the Church teaches then they would be breaking down the doors!
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I think there are two reasons. Ignorance (even though they are absolutely, infallibely certain that they know our faith even better than we do) and the high moral standard. These are the same two reasons why Catholics leave the Church.
 
II Paradox II:
You may also want to consider the possibility that some of us simply disagree with what the church teaches.

ken
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This may be true, as far as it goes. The trouble is that MANY Protestants disagree with what they mistakenly believe the Church teaches rather than with what the Church really teaches.
 
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PXseeker:
I don’t reject the Catholic Faith, which I believe is bigger than the institutional church. I chose to reject the institution becuse I feel that the bishops and cardinals are not good stewards. Their primary motivations. IMO, are power and personal success; the good of needy and spiritual matters are secondary concerns, if even that high on their agendas.

Having rejected an institution run by a bunch of Enron-executive lookalikes, I then sat around for 6 months without any connections. I found a wonderful family of faith and now I’m “protestant”.

The bishops are driving many away. Those of us who for years may not have agreed with all dogma and declarations, but felt that the church was focused on the poor and needy, are leaving. When we found out that the bishops and manipulative lawyers were buying silence by bullying abuse victims; when they moved abusers with full knowledge; when they chose to put their careers and aspirations first; that witness they gave by their actions caused many of us cradle Catholics to cry “ENOUGH !”

So add “Corrupt and morally bankrupt hierarchy” to your list and you’ll have a more objective listing of reasons.
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The truths taught by the Church are not in the least effected by the bad behavior of individual members. With all due respect, you threw out the baby with the bathwater.
 
Little Mary:
And you don’t necessarily have to answer this next question, I don’t mean it as an “attack”, just a way to give something to think about: How do you (any non-Catholic, not you personally)…How do you know that what you think the Church actually believes/teaches is accurate? I’m not saying you don’t know mind you, I’m asking do you know for certain that the information you have is accurate? Again, that goes for all non-Catholics, not picking on you mango, and again, it’s an honest question, not an attack.

Thanks.
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I suppose I get my information from various sources. Roman Catholic friends, the Roman Catholic Catechism, text books, etc.

I don’t know if everything is 100% accurate…but I’m pretty sure the the Catechism is as close as I’m gonna get.

~mango~
 
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Catholic4aReasn:
The truths taught by the Church are not in the least effected by the bad behavior of individual members. With all due respect, you threw out the baby with the bathwater.
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Which is why I don’t reject catholicism, per se. To extend your analogy, I just found out there is more than one tub, and some are less stinky than others!.

Peace,
John
 
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mango_2003:
I suppose I get my information from various sources. Roman Catholic friends
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Please be sure that the friends from whom you are getting information know their stuff.
I don’t know if everything is 100% accurate…but I’m pretty sure the the Catechism is as close as I’m gonna get.
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Unfortunately even the CCC can be quoted out of context and used to “prove” that the Church teaches things she doesn’t…like that only Catholics are going to heaven, for example.

In Christ,
Nancy 🙂
 
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PXseeker:
Which is why I don’t reject catholicism, per se. To extend your analogy, I just found out there is more than one tub, and some are less stinky than others!.

Peace,
John
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Ah! There’s the rub. There is only ONE tub. Some are IN the tub while others are satisfied with just sticking in their toes. 🙂
 
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Catholic4aReasn:
Ah! There’s the rub. There is only ONE tub. Some are IN the tub while others are satisfied with just sticking in their toes. 🙂
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Rub - a - dub dub there’s only one tub.

It’s definitely the one I sat in.

When I stood up and look at the sides…

The signs, they weren’t in Latin.
C4R,

The “one tub” is bigger than any one tradition, imo. I know you feel differently, but hey that’s what keeps it interesting.

Peace,
John
 
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