Why do Protestants hate the Catholic Church?

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Gabbanelli911

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Why is it that most non-catholics (protestants) hate the Catholic Church? Every time someone knocks on my door, the first thing out of their mouths is something bad about the Catholic Church. I have a co-worker who, every time he sees me at work, he starts talking about the Catholic Church and how the Catholic teachings are not correct. I like hearing him because every time he tells me something (about salvation and works, Mary, the Eucharist, praying to the Saints, etc), I look it up and found information that makes me believe my Catholic faith even more.

His latest talk was about how the Catholic Church was created in 600 A.D. I said no, that it had been instituted by Christ and that it was born in Pentecost. He said that the CHURCH was born in Pentecost but that the Catholic Church was born 600 A.D. He then said that the Bible was formalized by the Council of Laodicea and that it has nothing to say about the Catholic Church.

So, I looked it up, and to my surprise, the Council of Laodicea does not include the books taken out by the Protestant Churches (Maccabees, Judith, Tobit, etc.) So I was confused. But upon carefully reading about the Canon in the Council of Laodicea, I found that the Book of Revelation was also not included in the Canon! So I did more research and found that the Canon was revised and in the Council of Carthrage (419 A.D.) added the book of Revelation along with Maccabees, Judith, etc. into the Canon. I also found that in many early Councils, especially on the Council of Nicea, the Catholic Church is mentioned.

So why do this protestant churches believe this??? Can’t they read??? Let’s become ONE STRONG CHURCH!
 
Gabbanelli911 said:
Why is it that most non-catholics (protestants) hate the Catholic Church? Every time someone knocks on my door, the first thing out of their mouths is something bad about the Catholic Church. I have a co-worker who, every time he sees me at work, he starts talking about the Catholic Church and how the Catholic teachings are not correct. I like hearing him because every time he tells me something (about salvation and works, Mary, the Eucharist, praying to the Saints, etc), I look it up and found information that makes me believe my Catholic faith even more.

His latest talk was about how the Catholic Church was created in 600 A.D. I said no, that it had been instituted by Christ and that it was born in Pentecost. He said that the CHURCH was born in Pentecost but that the Catholic Church was born 600 A.D. He then said that the Bible was formalized by the Council of Laodicea and that it has nothing to say about the Catholic Church.

So, I looked it up, and to my surprise, the Council of Laodicea does not include the books taken out by the Protestant Churches (Maccabees, Judith, Tobit, etc.) So I was confused. But upon carefully reading about the Canon in the Council of Laodicea, I found that the Book of Revelation was also not included in the Canon! So I did more research and found that the Canon was revised and in the Council of Carthrage (419 A.D.) added the book of Revelation along with Maccabees, Judith, etc. into the Canon. I also found that in many early Councils, especially on the Council of Nicea, the Catholic Church is mentioned.

So why do this protestant churches believe this??? Can’t they read??? Let’s become ONE STRONG CHURCH!
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It is said when a fellow Christian persecutes another because of the church they belong to. That is not very charitable or Christ like. Engaging in dialog so that iron sharpens iron is very rewarding. Bantering is sad and not needed.

I have had the same experience with Catholics. I simply pray for them that God grants them peace and thank them for being concerned with my salvation.

Sorry you have to deal with that:(
 
they don’t like rules they want to do what they want and that is the reason for so many denominaitons
 
I have been to many protestant churches and its my opinion and im sticking to it sorry
 
beckie_clark said:
I have been to many protestant churches and its my opinion and im sticking to it sorry
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Ok no problem. I have a lot opinions about the Catholic Church and if an one is proven false I change. No sense in sticking to something that false, but that is just me.

Have a great night
 
To give you some background, evangelical Protestants believe that salvation comes to a person when they make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, believe in His life, death and resurrection, repent of your sins and accept eternal life, then by the grace of God you will be saved completely from sin and death and will enjoy heaven. Furthermore, Protestants emphasize that salvation is totally by the grace of God and that human works can in no way contribute to a person’s salvation. These beliefs are based especially off of the following passages:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

There are many others, but I don’t have the time to list them now. Now, this is where their opposition to the Catholic Church comes in. Evangelical Protestants believe that the Catholic Church sets up an unnecessary and complex system of salvation, because she requires her adherence to go to the sacraments and teaches that the sacraments are vehicles of grace that lead us to salvation. They also believe that the heirarchy of priests, bishops and the pope are not inspired by God and that they are held in too high esteem, and actually can keep people away from truly knowing God and having a relationship with Him. For example, many protestants would object to the idea that a Catholic should go to confession to confess his/her sins because they would believe the priest has no authority to forgive the man’s sins, and that they should be able to go to God directly and ask for forgiveness. They would also object that the idea of going to confession is a superstition and is a form of works-based salvation. They also believe that our reverence to the saints and to the Virgin Mary is idolatrous and an abomination to God. They believe that our prayers through the saints liken them to God, and that this is a form of polytheism or paganism.

I grew up evangelical and later became Catholic, so I have looked into all of these matters and have come to a Catholic understanding of these things and have found support for them in scripture, etc. so yes, we have solid ground to stand on. I don’t have time to explain everything here but you can read a lot of articles here on Catholic Answers and also books by people like Scott Hahn and Karl Keating on the subject; I would recommend Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn and also (though I haven’t read it) Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating.

God bless!
 
The thing is they don’t hate the Catholic Church.

They hate what they think the Catholic Church is. But their opinion is usually based on falsehoods, misinterpretations and misunderstandings, and on stereotypes. I think Fulton Sheen said something along those lines.
 
Why do many Protestants dislike the Catholic Church?

Some are just ignorant or were taught from a tender age to despise the Church. But the majority of sincere Protestants who have “issues” with the Church are actually terrified that Catholicism possesses the fullness of the faith.

Deep down, they see the inconsistencies and bad expedient compromises upon which their denominations rest and it frightens them. In response they become entrenched in their opposition to the faith so they can shout down their consciences.
 
Gabbanelli911 said:
Why is it that most non-catholics (protestants) hate the Catholic Church? Every time someone knocks on my door, the first thing out of their mouths is something bad about the Catholic Church. I have a co-worker who, every time he sees me at work, he starts talking about the Catholic Church and how the Catholic teachings are not correct. I like hearing him because every time he tells me something (about salvation and works, Mary, the Eucharist, praying to the Saints, etc), I look it up and found information that makes me believe my Catholic faith even more.

His latest talk was about how the Catholic Church was created in 600 A.D. I said no, that it had been instituted by Christ and that it was born in Pentecost. He said that the CHURCH was born in Pentecost but that the Catholic Church was born 600 A.D. He then said that the Bible was formalized by the Council of Laodicea and that it has nothing to say about the Catholic Church.

So, I looked it up, and to my surprise, the Council of Laodicea does not include the books taken out by the Protestant Churches (Maccabees, Judith, Tobit, etc.) So I was confused. But upon carefully reading about the Canon in the Council of Laodicea, I found that the Book of Revelation was also not included in the Canon! So I did more research and found that the Canon was revised and in the Council of Carthrage (419 A.D.) added the book of Revelation along with Maccabees, Judith, etc. into the Canon. I also found that in many early Councils, especially on the Council of Nicea, the Catholic Church is mentioned.

So why do this protestant churches believe this??? Can’t they read??? Let’s become ONE STRONG CHURCH!
Click to expand...
First I should say that not all protestants hate the Catholic church. There are very many that are working towards unity and do accept Catholics as fellow Christians. That being said,…

I am an ex-protestant and from my experience it is mostly because of a misunderstanding of Catholic doctrine that causes one to dislike the Catholic church. Many protestants believe that Catholics work to earn their salvation and that we are very “legalistic”. In my time as a protestant when another Christian was specific about following any type of ritual or a religious way of doing something someone would label them legalistic. Of course there are other doctrines that are misunderstood.

Also, it is very hard to accept ones own limitations and it is hard for all of us to have someone over us. Being told that someone else knows better or is in charge is sometimes hard to swallow, so sometimes even if one does come to an understanding of Catholic doctrine they have to be willing to accept it. As someone else said, many protestants feel the Pope and Bishops are held in too high of esteem.

One thing also to remember is that not all protestants even like each other. It is sad but my time in the protestant church proved to show not just different interpretations of scripture but debates on who is a Christian and who isn’t.

I like the Catholic view of “separated brothers and sisters” in Christ. I agree, lets work toward a strong Church, a strong Christian witness.

God bless.
 
I don’t think they do.
I think they have been grossly misinformed by people/preachers with an agenda.
If they were solidly informed of what the Church really is, teaches, and continues to offer, they would be with us.
It’s not an easy road, but the true one. Your response to these attacks will speak volumes about our faith. Be prepared for these discussions.
 
Maybe it’s because they don’t have the sacraments, and that makes them grumpy. 🤷
 
Boy_Wonder said:
Why do many Protestants dislike the Catholic Church?

Some are just ignorant or were taught from a tender age to despise the Church. But the majority of sincere Protestants who have “issues” with the Church are actually terrified that Catholicism possesses the fullness of the faith.

Deep down, they see the inconsistencies and bad expedient compromises upon which their denominations rest and it frightens them. In response they become entrenched in their opposition to the faith so they can shout down their consciences.
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Do you have anything to back these statements up?

I’m sorry but as a Protestant with many in my family Protestants as well, most don’t even think about the Catholic Church. We attend worship on Sundays and Bible studies throughout the week. We surround ourselves with the Word in order to be kept safe from the enemy. We do not believe that we are saved for life just because we made a public commitment to Christ. Each day is a new day where we ask God to be present and use the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to spread the news of our redemption in Jesus.

I’m sorry if any of you have experienced hatred or contempt from Evangelical Christians…That is not taught in the majority of Protestant churches.

God bless!!

Rita
 
Gabbanelli911 said:
I also found that in many early Councils, especially on the Council of Nicea, the Catholic Church is mentioned.
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In the Early Church, that expression does not actually mean “the church centred in Rome”: it means “the whole church”.

Having said that, your church is an evolved version of part of that church, and so dates back to the first century.
So why do this protestant churches believe this???
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In the sixteenth century, various political interests coincided with various theological interests, and led to certain countries and clergy splitting off from the Catholic church. This led to war. Wars produce propaganda, and some of it survives today (q.v. Jack Chick), and so some people today are taught to believe the same old stories.
 
But actually there is huge variance among non-Catholic churches as to how they perceive the Catholic Church. Don’t you think? I must admit, though, I have ran into some serious anti-Catholic Churches or should I say people indoctrinated into those beliefs. It can be hard to change their minds to say the least, but by our patience, our love, and God’s Grace, those who are open to considering alternative view points will receive the Truth.

Let our life example be the strongest proclamation of the Gospel.
 
JamalChristophr said:
Maybe it’s because they don’t have the sacraments, and that makes them grumpy. 🤷
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I get grumpy, but it’s not because of the lack of sacraments…God is so gracious! He loves us all so much! I spend a lot of my time focusing on my blessings in my life…Oh, so many blessings!!

I know you don’t recognize our sacraments but my walk with Jesus is made so much easier when I kneel at the altar to receive communion. He’s there, with me, in all my decisions in my life. I find out soon enough when I don’t go the direction I should and He guides me gently back on the right path. I was baptized at the age of 21 in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and I celebrate the wonderful grace He shares with me every day because of it.

Jamal, I’m not upset with your statement - I’m thinking you were making a joke and to me that’s all right. We’re brothers and sisters in Christ and I hope we can share more about each other’s faith.

God bless you all!!

Rita
 
spedteacherita said:
I get grumpy, but it’s not because of the lack of sacraments…God is so gracious! He loves us all so much! I spend a lot of my time focusing on my blessings in my life…Oh, so many blessings!!

I know you don’t recognize our sacraments but my walk with Jesus is made so much easier when I kneel at the altar to receive communion. He’s there, with me, in all my decisions in my life. I find out soon enough when I don’t go the direction I should and He guides me gently back on the right path. I was baptized at the age of 21 in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and I celebrate the wonderful grace He shares with me every day because of it.

Jamal, I’m not upset with your statement - I’m thinking you were making a joke and to me that’s all right. We’re brothers and sisters in Christ and I hope we can share more about each other’s faith.

God bless you all!!

Rita
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God Bless you, too, Rita. I have had a number of good friends that are not Catholic, and yes, I was just being tongue and cheek.

I’m not a theologian, but I think Christ honors a souls’s desire to receive Grace. God’s grace can operate outside the Catholic Church and outside our Sacraments in a very substantial way. In a way, it has similarities to what we call making a spiritual communion. And I don’t think I’m saying anything here that is not in accord with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
 
This discussion is so interesting to me! I’m a protestant and really want to learn more about Catholicism. I surely don’t hate the Catholic Church. I admire a lot about it. There are things I used to think Catholics believed, and then kind people explained to me what you really believe, and it helped so much. But I’m still learning and I really want to understand better and not judge you or look down on Catholics, and I’m glad I can be here.

I go to a Reformed Evangelical church and my pastor doesn’t hate Catholics. I’ve heard him speak very positively about a Catholic man who runs a wonderful Christian organization around here.

I do know that Catholics are horribly judged by some, though, and it makes me feel so sad. A dear girl told me that J.R.R. Tolkien wasn’t a Christian because he was a Catholic. To her Catholic meant: not a Christian. I told her I disagreed. I think she was probably taught that by her parents. And that type of thing is why I want to understand better what you believe, so I can be better able to help others understand.

Oh, and regarding sacraments, at my church we believe that the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, but I think it helps with sanctification, rather than with justification (which we believe occurs immediately upon salvation).
 
many protestants are afraid, jealous and ignorant about the catholic church.

their religion is divided into a tens of thousands of splinters; they see the catholic church as a monolithic monstrosity, rather than The One True Church that has survived the eons & that the gates of Hell will never prevail against

when “Pastor Bob” passes, well then there is always the gathering across the street
 
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