Why would someone choose a Protestant Religion over Catholicism?

[MillTownCath]

I’ve never been Protestant, and I’m only college age, so maybe someone here can help me understand something.

When I hear my Protestant friends talk about what their Church/Religion believes and how it works, it seems to be very disorganized and unclear.

There usually isn’t a central book, like the catechism, where people can go to learn about their Church’s theology.

There isn’t a central figure, like the Pope, that is actively speaking on behalf of the Church to many leaders of countries and organizations.

There usually isn’t a uniform doctrine and liturgy that connects the different churches together.

Overall, I just get a feeling that there isn’t much advice/guidelines that the Church gives for everyday life.

It seems that there is the Pastor’s sermon, and that’s about it.

I’m sorry if I wrote this in an insensitive way. I’m having trouble articulating my thoughts and it results in them sounding rather rude.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Learned Behavior or Free-Will.

 

[jnpl1185]

There usually isn’t a central book, like the catechism, where people can go to learn about their Church’s theology.

Depends on the tradition.

There isn’t a central figure, like the Pope, that is actively speaking on behalf of the Church to many leaders of countries and organizations.

1. Actually, many denominations have either a Presiding Bishop and many or most of those which do not usually have a President of some sort who is elected to serve for a period of time.
2. When you have the Bible and Jesus as your “central figure,” as we all do, what else do you absolutely need?

There usually isn’t a uniform doctrine and liturgy that connects the different churches together.

There is actually much ecumenical dialogue, especially among traditional protestant denominations (Episcopalians, Reformed, Lutheran, for example) and many actually keep the traditional liturgy used (with some changes of course as is also the case in Roman Catholicism) throughout the centuries. And is it doctrine that should keep us all together or our faith in God and our salvation through His Son?

Overall, I just get a feeling that there isn’t much advice/guidelines that the Church gives for everyday life.

How often do you go to services that are not Roman Catholic? Maybe your feeling would change if you went to a variety of different services of a variety of other denominations. I go to Roman Catholic services regularly, but I get no more from them than I do from a Lutheran service. Or an Anglican. No less, either.

Are any of these objections, in and of themselves, reasons to proclaim Protestant faiths inferior to Roman Catholicism? I would understand if you made an appeal to tradition and to history or to a certain depth of spirituality which many Catholics claim over Protestants, but the things you have mentioned seem secondary to what usually draws people to Roman Catholicism or away from any of the many Protestant denominations.

 

[Califman831]

Why choose to be a heretic? This is exactly what you are when you claim to be christian and choose not to be a Catholic.

 

[Big_Dummy]

I like the fact that one is allowed to think and question in protestant churches with the Bible being the primary authority.

 

[jnpl1185]

Califman831: there are ways of having intellectually and spiritually stimulating conversations which enlighten other readers. Shouting “heretic” to everyone who is not a Roman Catholic is not one of them. Grow up.

 

[PattiDay]

I like the fact that one is allowed to think and question in protestant churches with the Bible being the primary authority.

The Bible is full of contradictions, so to whom do you go with a question?

 

[Kristin234]

The Bible is full of contradictions, so to whom do you go with a question?

The Bible is the written word of God. It is written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. God does not contradict himself. If you believe the Bible is full of contradictions then it cannot be a holy and perfect book. If it is not a holy and perfect book then it is not from God.

 

[TeenageConvert]

It’s what they were raised to believe, they’re comfortable with it, they’re taught Catholicism is “bad” because it’s nothing but useless rituals, they got “saved” in protestant churches andd are taught that Sacraments are simply outward signs of inward grace as opposed to the correct belief that God actually uses those Sacraments to give us grace. So they don’t think it’s “necesarry” to become Catholic. Then they teach their children their beliefs who get “saved” in protestant churches and so that cycle continues.

They don’t normally “choose” one over the other, they just don’t normally give it a second thought.

I don’t mean to offend any protestants if I do it is by accident, my mother’s family and many of my friends are all membors of the Southern Methodist Church(it’s very small, it is closer to the truth than most other protestants but missing many truths) and the Church of the Nazorene(spelling?)
And the best friends I could ever ask for are Baptist, Southern Methodist, and Pentecostal

 

[JonNC]

Why choose to be a heretic? This is exactly what you are when you claim to be christian and choose not to be a Catholic.

“The difficulty in the way of giving an answer is a profound one. Ultimately it is due to the fact that there is no appropriate category in Catholic thought for the phenomenon of Protestantism today (one could say the same of the relationship to the separated churches of the East). It is obvious that the old category of ‘heresy’ is no longer of any value. Heresy, for Scripture and the early Church, includes the idea of a personal decision against the unity of the Church, and heresy’s characteristic is pertinacia, the obstinacy of him who persists in his own private way. This, however, cannot be regarded as an appropriate description of the spiritual situation of the Protestant Christian. In the course of a now centuries-old history, Protestantism has made an important contribution to the realization of Christian faith, fulfilling a positive function in the development of the Christian message and, above all, often giving rise to a sincere and profound faith in the individual non-Catholic Christian, whose separation from the Catholic affirmation has nothing to do with the pertinacia characteristic of heresy. Perhaps we may here invert a saying of St. Augustine’s: that an old schism becomes a heresy. The very passage of time alters the character of a division, so that an old division is something essentially different from a new one. Something that was once rightly condemned as heresy cannot later simply become true, but it can gradually develop its own positive ecclesial nature, with which the individual is presented as his church and in which he lives as a believer, not as a heretic. This organization of one group, however, ultimately has an effect on the whole. The conclusion is inescapable, then: Protestantism today is something different from heresy in the traditional sense, a phenomenon whose true theological place has not yet been determined.”

-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Jon

 

[jnpl1185]

TeenageConvert: Who is the “they” you are referring to? How do you explain the denominations which still practice and believe in the sacraments? i.e. Lutheranism and Anglicanism. What about those who conscientiously convert to these groups from RC? I know several myself. There are valid doctrinal concerns among other groups of Christians, regardless of whether you agree with those concerns or not.

I would strongly urge against Catholics using the term “Protestant” to signify anything that is not Roman Catholicism, as many ignorant claims usually follow. This is not directed only to you, but to many of the people here and it seems to be a huge cause for misunderstanding and strife.

JonNC: Right on, brothah. What is that from?

 

[TeenageConvert]

The Bible is full of contradictions, so to whom do you go with a question?

What!??

No no no, the bible may be difficult to understand but is still inspired by God The Holy Spirit who cannot be the author of confusion. which is why we have the magiserium to teach us what it means, the same way the government interprets what the constitution means

If the bible was “full of conttradictions” how could we trust anything??

How could we know anything in the bible was true??

Sorry I don’t mean to derail the thread I just couldn’t let that go without correction!

 

[elgar]

Why choose to be a heretic? This is exactly what you are when you claim to be christian and choose not to be a Catholic.

So, Protestantism=heresy? Care to elaborate? Most of the so-called self-proclaimed Catholics I know have logs in their eyes and pick and choose what they want to believe as Catholics. I am a Bible believing Protestant who worships in a very Catholic liturgical style and I don’t broad brush fellow Christians. And yes, I do believe heresy exists.

 

[babylonsfalling]

I like the fact that one is allowed to think and question in protestant churches with the Bible being the primary authority.

I think we all know that Catholics think and ask questions, the notion that they don’t is kind of silly.
And in my experience, non Catholic Churches have not regarded the Bible as the primary authority. They’ve regarded it as the ONLY authority which would seem to allow less thought than Catholic Churches because in the Catholic Church you have two sources to consider…which obviously takes a bit more thought than just one, or even mostly one and a little of the other.

 

[Nicea325]

Why choose to be a heretic? This is exactly what you are when you claim to be christian and choose not to be a Catholic.

I am sorry,but you are wrong. As a Catholic you should know the church does not call our separated brothers and sisters as heretics. Time to look up the Vatican II documents my friend.

Peace

 

[Nicea325]

-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Jon

Blessings Jon! Jon it really pains me when Catholics view Protestants as heretics. The Church does not consider our separated brethren as heretics. I am sorry and I hope you do not feel all Catholics feel the same way?

God Bless you again my friend.

 

[Kristin234]

It’s what they were raised to believe, they’re comfortable with it, they’re taught Catholicism is “bad” because it’s nothing but useless rituals, they got “saved” in protestant churches andd are taught that Sacraments are simply outward signs of inward grace as opposed to the correct belief that God actually uses those Sacraments to give us grace. So they don’t think it’s “necesarry” to become Catholic. Then they teach their children their beliefs who get “saved” in protestant churches and so that cycle continues.

They don’t normally “choose” one over the other, they just don’t normally give it a second thought.

I was definitely not raised Protestant. I was raised in a family where half the members are Orthodox (and a majority of them are very heavily involved in the church) and the other half are a part of the Catholic Church (including my uncle who is a priest). I chose to follow what I follow because I gave it a lot of thought. I got a lot of family members disagreeing with me and trying to persuade me to stay in the Orthodox Church or to join the Catholic Church. So I did give it a second thought. I actually gave it more than a second thought.

I was actually raised by both sides who knew nothing about Protestantism and would feed me lies about Protestants.

By the way, the majority of the parents in my church are educated about the Catholic Church and they teach it to their kids. My pastor’s daughter actually did look into the Catholic Church and even considered it.

I have a friend whose very Catholic dad told her not to hang out with me as much anymore because he told her all the lies about Protestantism and he was terrified of her converting.

So it can go both ways :yup:

 

[Califman831]

Califman831: there are ways of having intellectually and spiritually stimulating conversations which enlighten other readers. Shouting “heretic” to everyone who is not a Roman Catholic is not one of them. Grow up.

You wish me to deny a truth in order to enable those who have not learned there is only one real church in the economy of salvation.

Let us pray also, for heretics and schismatics, that our Lord and God may deliver them from all their errors, and vouchsafe to recall them to their holy Mother, the Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let us pray.

Almighty, eternal God, Who dost save all, and willest not that any should perish, look upon the souls deceived by diabolical fraud, that, abandoning all heretical depravity, the hearts of the erring may regain sanity and return to the unity of truth. Through our Lord.

Amen.

 

[TeenageConvert]

So, Protestantism=heresy? Care to elaborate? Most of the so-called self-proclaimed Catholics I know have logs in their eyes and pick and choose what they want to believe as Catholics. I am a Bible believing Protestant who worships in a very Catholic liturgical style and I don’t broad brush fellow Christians. And yes, I do believe heresy exists.

Catholics believe there is one Church, the Catholic Church. All people who have been Baptized in the Name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are “incomplete” membors of the Catholic Church and because protestants fit this description and they do not accept Catholic doctrines y’all are considered heretical.

 

[JonNC]

I’ve never been Protestant, and I’m only college age, so maybe someone here can help me understand something.

When I hear my Protestant friends talk about what their Church/Religion believes and how it works, it seems to be very disorganized and unclear.

There usually isn’t a central book, like the catechism, where people can go to learn about their Church’s theology.

There isn’t a central figure, like the Pope, that is actively speaking on behalf of the Church to many leaders of countries and organizations.

There usually isn’t a uniform doctrine and liturgy that connects the different churches together.

Overall, I just get a feeling that there isn’t much advice/guidelines that the Church gives for everyday life.

It seems that there is the Pastor’s sermon, and that’s about it.

I’m sorry if I wrote this in an insensitive way. I’m having trouble articulating my thoughts and it results in them sounding rather rude.

It isn’t insensitive, Mill, its just broad-brushed. Some of the things you say do indeed apply to some western non-Catholic Christian communions.

From my own perspective as a Lutheran, the Book of Concord, the Lutheran Confession, is rather clear about what we believe. The Small Catechism was in fact designed by Luther as a tool for the Lay father to teach is family about the catholic faith. it is the central teaching tool in Lutheran catechesis today.

The Lutheran divine service is far more than homiletics, though that’s important, too. The sacraments of Absolution, the Eucharist, and Baptism are central to Lutheran worship, along with the word of God.

Jon