What is the difference between Catholic and Protestant teaching?

(Before It's News)

Noted below is a brief, general profile of the differences in Catholoc and the Protestant teachings. This material has been provided by Pastor Ray of Restoration Church.   Pastor Ray is a Church Planter in the  Pacific Northwest. Your prayers and financial support are appreciated. CHURCH WEBSITE ( www.RestorationChurchCamano.com ). LINK TO ONLINE GIVING ( http://tinyurl.com/Giving-NWBC )

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The term Catholic means “Universal”. The term is positive as it speaks to how the New Testament Church is the guardian of truth, and that the Gospel message is universal  in nature.

A major splintering of the Catholic Church took place in the early 16^th century. This 16^th century split is  referred to as the “Protestant Reformation” (so named because of the many who were protesting against the teachings and practices of the Church). The  Protestant Reformation began in German in 1517. It was led by a priest (Martin Luther) who posted a list of theological concerns (the famous ’95 thesis’)  on the door of a prominent church. Luther had many followers who shared his concerns. In following decades Catholic leadership held a number of meetings to consider Luther’s theological arguments, but in the end labeled him a heretic and excommunicated him from the church. The famous Vatical I conference in the late 16th century showed that the Catholic Church would not reconsider doctrinal positions–this led many to leave the church and the establishment of many new denominations in the 16-18^th centuries (Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, etc.).  The theological  concerns Luther outlined  in 1517  in large part differentiate   Protestant and Catholic doctrine today. The significant differences are outlined below:

Important views Catholic and Protestant Churches share

1. The Trinity (that God reveals Himself in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
2. The existence of angels (archangels, cherubim, and seraphim)
3. The reality of demons and Satan
4. The power of prayer
5. The gifts of the Holy Spirit
6. The integrity of Scripture
7. The existence of heaven and hell

AREAS OF MARKED DISAGREEMENT  

1. Catholics place ultimate interpretive authority in the Pope.   Protestants place it with the individual Christian and his/her interpretation of the Bible. 
2. Catholics view the Pope as having the ability to speak “excathedra”, that is, without error  and with the voice of Christ. In this the Pope is referred to as the ‘Vicar of Christ’ (the presence of Christ) on earth.  The Protestant view is that all humans are fallen creatures (Rom. 3:23, 6:23), and no one can claim to speak with the voice/authority of Jesus Christ.
3. Protestants believe in “Sola Scriptura”, which means that only Scripture is to be used in the formation of doctrine.   The Catholic position is that Scripture  and  church tradition is to be used in the formation of church doctrine. An example of this is Infant Baptism. The protestant position is that infants should not be baptized as there is no biblical model or Scriptural support for this practice. The Catholic Church endorses infant baptism and has made it an important (if not required) sacrament, not because there is a biblical precedent, but because it was long embraced as a  church tradition.  The Catholic position is that doctrine can be established  based on  church tradition or practice,  because it is believed that church traditions and teachings are  equal in binding force as Scripture.
4. Protestants believe in “Sola Gratia”, which means  by grace alone—that is, that believers are saved by grace alone (not by works or deeds—Cf. Ephesians 2:8-10). The Catholic position is that one is saved by grace, but that the sacraments of the church (confession, communion, baptism, confirmation, last rites, etc.) are vehicles by which one receives this grace.
5. Since 1215 AD, the  Catholic Church has supported the doctrine of Transubstantiation,  which holds that during the mass (service), the priest has the power and authority to manifest a change in the communion elements of bread and wine, such that they actually and literally become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Protestant position (Consubstantiation) holds that the communion elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus.
6. Since the early 13^th century AD, the Catholic Church has taught that in order to be forgiven, one must confess sins to a priest. The priest therefore stands as mediator between humanity and God. The Protestant position is that Christ is the mediator, and that the biblical model is for believers to confess their sins to, and find absolution from, God.
7. Since 1090 AD, the Catholic Church has made praying The Rosary (a series of prayers which focuses on honoring [if not exalting] Mary, the mother of Jesus) a required work. Praying The Rosary is mandatory for adult Catholics during the Easter (Lenten) season. It has been asserted that Mary has appeared about  a dozen times since the year 1500, each time promising that if individuals pray The Rosary there will be peace on earth.
8. In 1079 Pope Gregory VII  announced it was God’s will that priests and nuns remain celibate. Prior to this the Pope, and all priestly orders could marry.   
9. The doctrine of Purgatory was formalized in 1459, but its teaching was popularized by Church leaders during the Crusades  (it was taught that those who signed up to fight in the Crusades would not have to go to Purgatory). The teaching is that most die with unconfessed or unresolved  sin. Therefore,  the deceased must be cleansed or purged prior to going to heaven. This is done in a place called Purgatory. There is no biblical foundation for this teaching, though it is possible that the belief of a midway station (between heaven and hell) is peripherally mentioned in the non-canonical books of 1^st and 2^nd Maccabeas.  The Protestant position is that just because something is referenced in the Bible, it does not mean that it is true. For example, Matthew references how the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Further, the word or concept of Purgatory is not referenced in the original canon of Scripture (the 66 book Bible we have today), and the idea that the living can pray for or offer money to the church (sometimes referred to as indulgences) to hasten the removal of the departed from Purgatory, is clearly contrary to Scripture. 
10. In 1220 the Catholic Church forbade laity to read, study, interpret, translate or print the Bible (the only Bibles available were in Latin—a language which only priests and a select few could understand). Early English Bible translations (by Tyndale and Wycliffe), were aggressively opposed by the Church. Tyndale and Wycliffe were branded heretics and murdered by church officials. It was not until the late 19^th century that personal Bible reading and interpretation was permitted by Church officials.
11. The Catholic position is that infants should be baptized (for without experiencing this Sacrament one cannot enter heaven). Catholics believe that baptism cleanses one from original sin.  The Protestant position is that baptism is a witness of one’s desire to turn from sin and walk with Christ. It is to be a thoughtful decision  and powerful witness and therefore should not/cannot be made by an infant. Baptism does not cleanse one from sin (only Jesus can do that, and only after   sins are confessed to Him). There are no examples of infant baptism in the Scripture. And though baptism is important, it is not a requisite for salvation. For example, the “thief on the cross” who asked Jesus to “remember Him” was told, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  The man was not baptized, but did inherit eternal life.
12. The traditional Catholic position is that it is a sin for a Catholic to date outside the faith.  One who marries outside the church can be denied communion (which is a grace earning sacrament), and subsequently fated to Purgatory.
13. The Catholic Church requires parishioners to observe “holy days of obligation.”   This includes Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter), during which parishioners are required to go to mass, recite The Rosary, abstain from meat on certain days, and sacrifice something as a form of fasting to the Lord.  Failure to observe the “holy days of obligation” is considered a sin.
14. The Catholic Church highly exalts Mary, the mother of Jesus. Now Catholics take issue with the Protestant charge that they worship Mary. The official Catholic position regarding Mary is referred to as the  “Veneration of Mary.” In this the Catholic Church has established traditions about Mary such that her life parallels that of Jesus. In Catholic teaching, Mary had a miraculous birth (a kind of immaculate conception), lived a sinless and celibate, did not die but ascended into heaven, mediates our prayers and has returned to earth a number of times to give comfort and counsel.   There is no biblical foundation for this teaching.
15. The Catholic Bible includes fifteen more books than the Protestant Bible. Collectively, these books are referred to as the Apocrypha. They are Old Testament period writings, covering the 400 or so year history between Malachi and Matthew. The Jews established a canon of sacred writings which became what we consider the Old Testament—Apocrypha books were known, but not included in their canon of Scripture. A few centuries after the canon of the Old Testament was established,  a Catholic priest began to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew into Latin (which was quickly becoming the intellectual language of the day). This translation is known as the Vulgate translation. The Pope wanted the Vulgate translation to include Apocryphal writings. The author of Bible translation (Jerome) refused, but died before his work was completed. Church officials completed and added to his work and included Apocrypha writings in the Vulgate. This caused a great dispute, and when the  New Testament Church formalized the canon of Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament writings) at the end of the fourth century AD, Apocrypha books were not included in the Bible. The Catholic Church did not elevate the status of Apocryphal books (to being equal to the inspired nature of the 66 books in the Protestant Bible), until the late 16^th century. By and large, these books present good history, but just because a book is good, or accurate or true, it does not mean the writing is inspired.   Apocryphal books provide good and interesting history, and profile some spiritual events (such as the background to the celebration of Hanukkah), but from the very beginning Jewish and Christian leaders did not consider them to be inspired writings.

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