Why do some Catholics here believe Protestants are all Pro-abortion, Pro-this, Pro-that, Pro-sin?

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Bohm_Bawerk

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I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.

Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). A properly-informed Protestant, in my point of view, wouldn’t hold drastically different opinions from a Catholic on the nature of sin (perhaps disagreeing on birth control, as an example, as it isn’t explicitly alluded to in the Bible).

So why do some Catholics here, and quite a significant number, portray Protestants in such a negative light? If a person lives a life of sin and looks for ways to justify it, they are neither Catholic or Protestant but simply a non-practicing Christian. According to this forum however, Protestantism is synonymous with living the high life 😦
 
There are many protestant groups that claim ‘sola scriptura’ but ignore much of what Scripture has to say. Any protestant group that supports abortion, same-sex marriage, pre-marital sex, etc. is not following Scripture, simple as. And there are many of these groups in the USA that claim ‘just accept Jesus as your saviour and you’re saved’ and then you can just do whatever you want.
 
I thnik its because they all start with the letters PRO.

PRO testant
abortion
what ever
 
PerfectTiming said:
There are many protestant groups that claim ‘sola scriptura’ but ignore much of what Scripture has to say. Any protestant group that supports abortion, same-sex marriage, pre-marital sex, etc. is not following Scripture, simple as. And there are many of these groups in the USA that claim ‘just accept Jesus as your saviour and you’re saved’ and then you can just do whatever you want.
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I think that’s unfortunate. I used to read a website called gotquestions.org regularly, which is a Protestant website that helps Christians understand their faith more. Many things were similar to Catholic teaching, none of the “do as you wish” philosophy that is often attributed to Protestants. They even condemned birth control on the basis that children are gifts from God, but added that it may be acceptable if a couple is still in the “planning stages” of starting a family.

But thank you for reminding me about the “once saved, always saved” Protestants. I forgot about them for a moment…
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.

Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).
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It’s a huge stretch to claim that this passage applies to abortion. The point seems to be that God knew Jeremiah before Jeremiah existed. To me the use of this passage by prolife Protestants (and others like it) betrays desperation.

Of course, many Protestants are prolife. But Catholics have a valid point that this is pretty hard to substantiate from Scripture alone. What’s striking is that condemnations of abortion show up right from the beginning in the non-canonical tradition–in the Didache, for instance. So this is one of the best examples of what looks very much like an authentic apostolic tradition that just never got mentioned in the NT.

Edwin
 
Contarini said:
It’s a huge stretch to claim that this passage applies to abortion. The point seems to be that God knew Jeremiah before Jeremiah existed. To me the use of this passage by prolife Protestants (and others like it) betrays desperation.

Of course, many Protestants are prolife. But Catholics have a valid point that this is pretty hard to substantiate from Scripture alone. What’s striking is that condemnations of abortion show up right from the beginning in the non-canonical tradition–in the Didache, for instance. So this is one of the best examples of what looks very much like an authentic apostolic tradition that just never got mentioned in the NT.

Edwin
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Thank you for your thoughtful response 🙂
 
Because Protestants reject the moral authority of Christ’s Church. So most Protestant denominations sway with winds of modern culture. It is a faith built on sand.
And unfortunately well meaning individuals have been swept up in the over individualized faith that doesn’t stand united against the moral evils tearing apart society.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.

Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). A properly-informed Protestant, in my point of view, wouldn’t hold drastically different opinions from a Catholic on the nature of sin (perhaps disagreeing on birth control, as an example, as it isn’t explicitly alluded to in the Bible).

So why do some Catholics here, and quite a significant number, portray Protestants in such a negative light? If a person lives a life of sin and looks for ways to justify it, they are neither Catholic or Protestant but simply a non-practicing Christian. According to this forum however, Protestantism is synonymous with living the high life 😦
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I agree with all of your points. I would say that many are ignorant, though sincerely wanting to share their faith with Protestants. Some just want to score points, but by and large, I’d say their intentions are good. Sometimes the internet can bring out the worst in people.

In Christ,
Andrew
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.

Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). A properly-informed Protestant, in my point of view, wouldn’t hold drastically different opinions from a Catholic on the nature of sin (perhaps disagreeing on birth control, as an example, as it isn’t explicitly alluded to in the Bible).

So why do some Catholics here, and quite a significant number, portray Protestants in such a negative light? If a person lives a life of sin and looks for ways to justify it, they are neither Catholic or Protestant but simply a non-practicing Christian. According to this forum however, Protestantism is synonymous with living the high life 😦
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Please provide proof, including links, for your assertions that ‘according to this forum,’ et cetera.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.

Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). A properly-informed Protestant, in my point of view, wouldn’t hold drastically different opinions from a Catholic on the nature of sin (perhaps disagreeing on birth control, as an example, as it isn’t explicitly alluded to in the Bible).

So why do some Catholics here, and quite a significant number, portray Protestants in such a negative light? If a person lives a life of sin and looks for ways to justify it, they are neither Catholic or Protestant but simply a non-practicing Christian. According to this forum however, Protestantism is synonymous with living the high life 😦
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I agree with what you said. One cannot generalize them all because that is not fair. Unfortunately, with so many denominations and non-denominations and all sorts of beliefs and teachings getting balled-up, it is understandable why many tend to clump them all into one group. However, in every religious faith there exist people who simply do not follow the teachings of their respective community who may not support child abortion,same-sex marriages,etc. Shoot, I know of many Catholics who believe same-sex marriages should be allowed? :eek: :tsktsk:
 
PerfectTiming said:
There are many protestant groups that claim ‘sola scriptura’ but ignore much of what Scripture has to say. Any protestant group that supports abortion, same-sex marriage, pre-marital sex, etc. is not following Scripture, simple as. And there are many of these groups in the USA that claim ‘just accept Jesus as your saviour and you’re saved’ and then you can just do whatever you want.
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I would have to agree with you on your first point. There are Christian groups out there who hold view on topics like same-sex marriage that aren’t compatible with Scripture (at least, according to my understanding). I don’t think that’s right, just to ignore the bits that we aren’t so comfortable with in a 21st century society. These liberal churches are only a sub-set of Protestants, though, and numerically in the minority, thank God.

As for ‘once saved, always saved’, just because we believe we can be secure in our salvation doesn’t mean we think we can do whatever we like. lol I’ve never heard anything of the sort, either taught in church, or from an individual Christian (I’ve not bumped into anyone from the groups in the USA you mention). Sin is still sin, and to be avoided. Righteousness is still to be vigourously persued.And from what I’ve read here, my understanding of what those things mean is pretty similar to the Catholic understanding. In my church, we sing many songs that talk about surrendering our whole lives to Jesus, and ‘the upward call of God in Christ’. If I don’t try to live a Christian life, it makes my baptism and confirmation a lie.
 
One problem is that some protestant denominations (you can never say all) hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith (or equivalent documents) which allows for direct abortions in order to save a mother’s life. While this is just one concrete example, the logic has been adopted by several protestant denominations. While I definitely agree you can never use a blanket statement when referring to protestants (because nothing applies to all of them and many do not have any record of their beliefs which makes changing them easier), you can see that there are some who use the Bible to defend abortion.

The problem is that this opens Pandora’s box as to what is really jeopardizing the mother’s life. Is it up to the doctor’s judgement? If someone tells you it MAY jeopardize your life, does that mean you can procure a direct abortion?

The Catholic Church teaches that procuring a direct abortion is always intrinsically evil. Only procedures that may, as a side effect, abort an unborn child CAN fall under the “double effect” principle. The concept is that the ends do not justify the means and that there are always alternatives to direct abortion that make an effort to save the child if the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

This is just my opinion, but if you are willing, for any reason, to directly kill an innocent child, you are pro-abortion. You can put whatever spin you want on it and you can make any justification for your answer, but in the end you are directly killing an innocent human life. It just makes you some variant degree of pro-abortion. You are either for preventing the murder of children in the womb or you are for allowing the legal destruction of human life, there is none of this pro-choice garbage, nor is there a pro-life except in X situation.

If a woman can procure a direct abortion to save her life, then the direct abortion must be legal and the life of the child must be considered to be worth less than that of the mother’s. And if abortion is legal, even under this one instance, it will open the option for doctor’s to lie in order to legally abort children at the mother’s request.

I think there are more protestant denominations than you think that would support the concept of no direct abortion unless . Good luck in the research, you will have to talk to 30,000+ pastors to get some answers since even some who adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith don’t really follow that either and there are a lot who have no written record of what they believe. Even if they do, they may not come out directly and say anything against it. It is the exact same as with contraception in the 30s.
 
Protestants believe there will be no consequences from God from sin so some Catholics think they won’t take sin seriously enough.
 
I think it’s easy to lump everyone together into one category and then make sweeping generalizations about that category. Some Protestants are for abortion (in varying degrees) others are not, some are accepting of LGBT people, others are not. My mom, for instance, knows that there’s a difference between Protestants and Catholics, but she doesn’t have a clue regarding the beliefs of certain denominations like, say, our friend’s Presbyterian faith and our neighbour’s Methodist one, and of course, individuals will have their own beliefs, which may or may not be in line with the official opinion of their church.
 
Maybe it’s because they equate Protestantism with secularism. Just a thought.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I think that’s unfortunate. I used to read a website called gotquestions.org regularly, which is a Protestant website that helps Christians understand their faith more. Many things were similar to Catholic teaching, none of the “do as you wish” philosophy that is often attributed to Protestants. They even condemned birth control on the basis that children are gifts from God, but added that it may be acceptable if a couple is still in the “planning stages” of starting a family.

But thank you for reminding me about the “once saved, always saved” Protestants. I forgot about them for a moment…
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Oh I know the website. It’s a terrible site. It’s one of these ‘Catholics are not Christians’ and teaches complete lies about the Church. And it promotes ‘once saved always saved’ and ‘Mary was not ever-virgin’ and is pro-contraception. It is nothing like Catholic teaching.
 
Protestants are full blown heretics. There is no arguing about that. All I can do is pray for them.I hope they realize the only true church and way of life is the Roman Catholic church.
 
=Bohm Bawerk;8000354]I’m often left astonished at the assumptions made here about Protestants, that Protestantism is really based on the philosophy of “living a life of sin and looking for ways to justify it”.
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Fortunately, that’s far from reality. Protestants, in general, simply look for what the Bible has to say on a certain topic (i.e. sola-scriptura). Abortion, to use an example, would be considered a sin on the basis of several passages, most notably, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). A properly-informed Protestant, in my point of view, wouldn’t hold drastically different opinions from a Catholic on the nature of sin (perhaps disagreeing on birth control, as an example, as it isn’t explicitly alluded to in the Bible).
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So why do some Catholics here, and quite a significant number, portray Protestants in such a negative light? If a person lives a life of sin and looks for ways to justify it, they are neither Catholic or Protestant but simply a non-practicing Christian. According to this forum however, Protestantism is synonymous with living the high life 😦
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My dear FRIEND in Christ;

I’m a bit surprised at you’re positions. I have seen numerous post[and have written some myself] on the Grave Moral Tragety of name only catholics who election after election lend their support and become GRAVELY / Mortally complicit in there acts to KNOWN Pro choice candidates becasue they are members of the same political party. SHOCKING!

I have never even once seen such on “protestants” 🤷

And as a FYI: Sola Scriptoria clearly is NOT a bible founded theology; nor can anyone show that it is. MANY have tried Not one has succeeded.

You’re views of how “we Forum folks” feel about protestants is WAY OFF BASE [IMO]. While we have many disagreements [their can after all be ONLY ONE TRUTH on every precise issue] most of us here are trying to share this singular set of truths and ACCEPT as brethern in the Love of God, love of Jesus, all who call themselves Christian. We have many areas on which we can and do agree.

God Bless you friend,
pat
 
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