Why do Protestants hate the Catholic Church?

[Peter_J]

I, personally, not only don’t try to move Roman Catholics to be Anglicans, I occasionally move Anglicans to become Roman Catholics. As long as they can affirm all the Roman particulars, why shouldn’t they? **RCs got valid orders and all that, **

I could say the same about the Orthodox (and not just me, but basically any Catholic who knows about such things). But would I encourage someone who is currently Catholic (ICWR) to depart for Orthodoxy?

(The answer I’m looking for is No.)

 

[Dorothy]

I could say the same about the Orthodox (and not just me, but basically any Catholic who knows about such things). But would I encourage someone who is currently Catholic (ICWR) to depart for Orthodoxy?

(The answer I’m looking for is No.)

We need Papa…the visible head of the Church!

 

[wmscott]

I don’t call myself a Protestant, but I am a non-Catholic. I don’t hate the Catholic Church. It just needs a lot more reform before I could consider joining it. I’m Episcopalian, and happy there.

So by reform what things are you referring to?

 

[LutheranScholar]

Very good question! I don’t see the Catholic Church as corrupt as it was at that time - and of course, that comes from the perspective of people who aren’t Catholic.

I can’t say, though, that I would be comfortable becoming a member of the Catholic Church for some of the teachings are still rather large hurdles for my comfort level. That doesn’t mean I hate the CC in response to the OP - it means at this point in my spiritual journey that I could not choose to embrace some of it’s doctrines.

I’m still learning…I take a couple steps forward and then I learn something difficult to take in and it sends me back several steps. Whether I ever join the CC or not does not lessen my need to learn - hence why I am here.

My original answer here was to plead for all of us to recognize the horrifying way we treated each other throughout the ages and recognize that we need to go forward with Christ’s admonition:

John 13:34-35

34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Blessings!

Rita

This right here.

 

[LutheranScholar]

This right here.

That, of course, tells you absolutely nothing of my own stance, although I maintain that the statement was well said. As a Confessional Lutheran on a Catholic Apologetics site, I enjoy the privilege to engage in conversation by those of another faith tradition, one that my own had separated from nearly 500 years ago. Let’s face it, Exsurge Domine or not, the split still would have happened. There were intense religious differences that still divide our church bodies today and the best thing to do is to stand up and admit it. " The Power and the Primacy of the Pope" is still part of our Lutheran Confessions ( hardly an ecumenical document) and the Catholic Church, I believe, still regards our movement as a heresy and as such, will not permit us to partake of their Eucharist any more than a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor would encourage a non- LCMS Lutheran to commune at the Lord’s table in his church. It’s not " we’re better than you are," so much as it is of a host* trying to protect the soul of his guest. *Unworthy partaking of a Sacrament can lead to literally damning consequences. When you go up to the Lord’s Table in a certain Communion, you are also assenting to the creeds of that Communion, so partaking can also be seen by others to be somewhat dishonest. Recognizing this doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t respect our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in fact called to do so. Reading and seeing the level of knowledge displayed by Catholics and Protestants alike is not only absorbing, but enlightening. In an age where so many believe in nothing at all, how refreshing it is to see good men and women standing up for their faith!

 

[Peter_J]

That, of course, tells you absolutely nothing of my own stance, although I maintain that the statement was well said. As a Confessional Lutheran on a Catholic Apologetics site, I enjoy the privilege to engage in conversation by those of another faith tradition, one that my own had separated from nearly 500 years ago. Let’s face it, Exsurge Domine or not, the split still would have happened. There were intense religious differences that still divide our church bodies today and the best thing to do is to stand up and admit it. " The Power and the Primacy of the Pope" is still part of our Lutheran Confessions ( hardly an ecumenical document) and the Catholic Church, I believe, still regards our movement as a heresy and as such, will not permit us to partake of their Eucharist any more than a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor would encourage a non- LCMS Lutheran to commune at the Lord’s table in his church. It’s not " we’re better than you are," so much as it is of a host* trying to protect the soul of his guest. *Unworthy partaking of a Sacrament can lead to literally damning consequences. When you go up to the Lord’s Table in a certain Communion, you are also assenting to the creeds of that Communion, so partaking can also be seen by others to be somewhat dishonest. Recognizing this doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t respect our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in fact called to do so. Reading and seeing the level of knowledge displayed by Catholics and Protestants alike is not only absorbing, but enlightening. In an age where so many believe in nothing at all, how refreshing it is to see good men and women standing up for their faith!

Sadly there are many who do not share those sentiments: I frequently see Lutherans (and Anglicans) griping about Catholics not allowing them to receive communion … And I’m also well aware of some of my fellow Catholics making similar statements about the Orthodox.

 

[crai7]

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!

‘We’ (at least the majority of Protestants I’ve met) don’t hate the Catholic Church. Growing up in a Protestant church (CESA) I only heard about the Catholic Church once-in-a-while, the usual stuff about the main points of disagreement, and only in passing. In my study of Catholicism, I’ve learned to go to the original source, rather than relying on second-hand information from Protestant sources.

The same applies in any field of study - go to the original source if at all possible.

You do unfortunately get hot heads and conspiracy theorists who take things to an extreme, and some people who get downright nasty. They are not following Christ’s example, and should be ignored.

A sincere Christian who is trying to understand why all these differences exist, is going to dig for information, engage in debate and look for answers. But yes, there is a minority who are very close minded - one Pentecostal told me all mainstream churches are really bad, full stop.

 

[LutheranScholar]

Sadly there are many who do not share those sentiments: I frequently see Lutherans (and Anglicans) griping about Catholics not allowing them to receive communion … And I’m also well aware of some of my fellow Catholics making similar statements about the Orthodox.

I’m sure they could always take instruction and be confirmed in those Communions if the issue is that important to them. Under a host ( yeah, I know, ha, ha, the Host)'s roof, the host’s rules should be followed. Every now and then I think wistfully about the Greek Orthodox church, but then I realize that it wouldn’t be for me and I put it out of my mind and move on. I think a lot of it has to do with the basic human need to belong. If everybody else is doing it, why can’t we ( with apologies to the Cranberries band)? It’s their worship space and it’s their Communion. When one shows up as a guest, one should pretty much respect the rules of their host.

 

[crai7]

Sadly there are many who do not share those sentiments: I frequently see Lutherans (and Anglicans) griping about Catholics not allowing them to receive communion … And I’m also well aware of some of my fellow Catholics making similar statements about the Orthodox.

Why would they complain about the Catholic Church not allowing them to receive communion, unless they are in a region where there are no Protestant churches available?

 

[Peter_J]

I’m sure they could always take instruction and be confirmed in those Communions if the issue is that important to them.

Heh.

But seriously, I’ve known some who did just that. I don’t recall 100% of the conversation, but one thing I remember is that they made it clear that they intended to continue receiving communion from their old church as well.

 

[LutheranScholar]

Heh.

But seriously, I’ve known some who did just that. I don’t recall 100% of the conversation, but one thing I remember is that they made it clear that they intended to continue receiving communion from their old church as well.

:banghead: You know, sometimes people just have to make a stand and sometimes, that means saying to one’s former church, " thank you for teaching me about Jesus, but I can follow Him best elsewhere." Generally ( not always, but generally) that means transferring one’s allegiance to his or her new church and ceasing to take Communion at their old one. So, if one converts from a denomination where the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to one where the Lord is dynamically and fully Present in the Bread and the Wine and exclusive allegiance is demanded in the new church ( backed up by an affirmation of faith and very serious vows to God taken), how could they even think of betraying their vows by flitting from church to church? I’ve known people like that myself and those are people who, in my experience, don’t tend to take a whole lot very seriously.

 

[Koineman]

Echoing what some others have already said, I don’t hate the Catholic Church. In fact, one of the direct and lasting results of my seriously exploring the RCC and EOC not long ago is a strong respect for both traditions. You could say that I respect them from a distance. You could further say that I have a soft spot for them.

But, similar to what others have also pointed out, there are things in both churches that I am not comfortable with and so could not, in good conscience, join either one.

 

[Koineman]

‘We’ (at least the majority of Protestants I’ve met) don’t hate the Catholic Church. Growing up in a Protestant church (CESA) I only heard about the Catholic Church once-in-a-while, the usual stuff about the main points of disagreement, and only in passing. **In my study of Catholicism, I’ve learned to go to the original source, rather than relying on second-hand information from Protestant sources.

The same applies in any field of study - go to the original source if at all possible.**

This!

When I studied the RCC and EOC, I did not use Protestant sources but those churches’ own materials, such as:

RCC: Catholic Catechism, a graduate course on Mariology, books by Catholic apologists/theologians, RCIA, getting involved in actual Catholic services

EOC: Books by Kallistos Ware and other EO theologians, participating in liturgy (though not taking communion), participating in an introductory class at a Greek Orthodox church

 

[JonNC]

Why would they complain about the Catholic Church not allowing them to receive communion, unless they are in a region where there are no Protestant churches available?

They shouldn’t complain. But as a Lutheran, the proximity of virtually any other protestant Church is, frankly, meaningless when it comes to the sacraments.

Jon

 

[gcnuss]

They shouldn’t complain. But as a Lutheran, the proximity of virtually any other protestant Church is, frankly, meaningless when it comes to the sacraments.

Jon

I agree completely. I have said before that if I were to land in some remote place where only two churches were available – Catholic and some protestant church with a memorialist view of the Eucharist – I would have to take seriously the challenge of joining the Catholic church.

 

[LutheranScholar]

I agree completely. I have said before that if I were to land in some remote place where only two churches were available – Catholic and some protestant church with a memorialist view of the Eucharist – I would have to take seriously the challenge of joining the Catholic church.

I suppose Lutheran church planting might be available as an option as well… this is, of course, making the assumption that the remote place is somewhere under American jurisdiction ( like some Pueblo in Nevada, or some holler in Appalachia).

 

[benjohnson]

I suppose Lutheran church planting might be available as an option as well… this is, of course, making the assumption that the remote place is somewhere under American jurisdiction ( like some Pueblo in Nevada, or some holler in Appalachia).

Not entirely necessary that it be a ‘american’ or ‘european’ jurisdiction - for example there’s more confessional Lutherans in Ethiopia than there are in the United States.

 

[jinglebelle]

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!

the never ending catholic obsession with what protestants think.Its like the prayers for the catholytic conversion of england? Its simply not needed,we are left to practice our religion freely.Perhaps Luther appeared as a catalyst due to the absolute power and abuse of the Church standing

 

[Peter_J]

Why would they complain about the Catholic Church not allowing them to receive communion, unless they are in a region where there are no Protestant churches available?

I agree completely. I have said before that if I were to land in some remote place where only two churches were available – Catholic and some protestant church with a memorialist view of the Eucharist – I would have to take seriously the challenge of joining the Catholic church.

Well, in terms of Eastern Orthodox, they wouldn’t permit Catholics (ICWR) or Protestants to receive even if none of their own ministers were available.

But in terms of Catholics (ICWR) our practice is somewhat different: we sometimes permit Protestants to receive if none of their own ministers are available. (*Sometimes *because it would also depend on, in particular, whether they share our belief in the Eucharist.)

 

[LutheranScholar]

Not entirely necessary that it be a ‘american’ or ‘european’ jurisdiction - for example there’s more confessional Lutherans in Ethiopia than there are in the United States.

Excellent point. I understand that Confessional Lutherans have an extremely strong presence in Tanzania, as well… one of our elders here is actually Tanzanian…