Be better to focus on the 10,000 where there is unity
Very good explanation.....
It would be nice to live in a time where the Catholics, Orthodox, and Lutherans could sit down and rationally discuss their differences, recognizing their mutual Christian faith. The problem is not what Catholics believe that Lutherans don’t (or vice versa); the problem today is the rampant heresy and destruction of Christianity in both Catholicism (Francis) and Lutheranism (ELCA), and how to conquer the demonic forces that are overtaking both, and in many ways all, churches.
Ten pillars across a chasm
Thanks for posting, these are 10 critical differences for Baptists as well.
Catholics do not believe that the Holy Eucharist is literally the Body and Blood of Jesus. If it were literally so, there would be visible human flesh and blood on the altar. More accurately, Catholics believe in the true and real presence of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine. They are really and truly transubstantiated (changed in substance) into his Body and Blood in all but appearance.
Holy Mary, full of grace
Help me win this stock car race
The Pope’s Conversation with A Space Alien
Pope Bob: “Seriously?! Jesus visits you twice a year? We’ve been waiting 2 thousand years ...
Marvin the Martian: “Oh yeah. He-s a cool guy. And we pull out all the stops. What did you guys do the last time He visited?”
Awkward silence
Rome claims they do nothing apart from the unanimous consent of the fathers.
Yet, when one actually examines Rome's claims and what the ECFs wrote one finds the ECFs are not in unanimous consent on many issues near and dear to Roman Catholicism.
And this business of uncovering truths hidden??? There is no hidden truth.
We have all we need on how to have a saving faith in Christ and only Christ through Scripture.
A New Pope: 10 Convictions That Divide Protestants And Catholics
OK, right off the bat I see that they mischaracterize (and then sort of retract) sola scriptura.
And a little bit further down...
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances—symbolic acts of obedience that commemorate Christ’s work and strengthen the believer’s faith, without conferring saving grace in themselves.
Uhhh, some sorts of protestants. Not others.
and further down, point 10, on eschatology. Kind-a tells me exactly what sort of protestant is behind this particular site.
10 convictions that divide catholics and satan.
Original article:
https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=8217
Count them up, the article and 28 comments, and you see eight scripture references. Like a hamburger with an ounce of beef.
Meaning, Rome has defined and interpreted Tradition to mean that it only consists of and means what she authoritatively says it does, as it is impossible to assuredly know what is of God apart from her.
Thus Rome has presumed to infallibly declare she is and will be perpetually infallible whenever she speaks in accordance with her infallibly defined (scope and subject-based criteria: pope or ecumenical in union w/ him defining a matter of faith and morals for the whole church). Which means that her declaration (Pastor Aeternus) itself that she is infallible, is infallible, as well as all else she accordingly declares, past, present and future. She also essentially presumes protection from at least salvific error in non-infallible magisterial teaching on faith and morals.
Thus,
"Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the Church, should be held as the supreme law;... all interpretation is foolish and false which...is opposed to the doctrine of the Church.(Providentissimus Deus;
As Cardinal Dr. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning summed it up,
“It was the charge of the Reformers that the Catholic doctrines were not primitive, and their pretension was to revert to antiquity. But the appeal to antiquity is both a treason and a heresy. It is a treason because it rejects the Divine voice of the Church at this hour, and a heresy because it denies that voice to be Divine.... Historical evidence and biblical criticism are human after all, and amount to no more than opinion, probability, human judgment, human tradition. I may say in strict truth that the Church has no antiquity. It rests upon its own supernatural and perpetual consciousness. Its past is present with it, for both are one to a mind which is immutable. Primitive and modern are predicates, not of truth, but of ourselves... The only Divine evidence to us of what was primitive is the witness and voice of the Church at this hour. — Most Rev. Dr. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning, Lord Archbishop of Westminster, “The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost: Or Reason and Revelation,” " (Dr. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning, Lord Archbishop of Westminster, “The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost: Or Reason and Revelation, pp. 227-228
However, the fact is that the RCC did not come first, but before that a body of wholly God-inspired authoritative writings had been established without an infallible magisterium, and which which provided the doctrinal and prophetic epistemological foundation for the NT church
And men such as the apostles could speak and write as wholly inspired of God and also provide new public revelation thereby (in conflation with what had been written), neither popes and councils cannot claim to do. Thus the latter can only self-proclaim that she cannot teach salvific error, or any error in certain formats.
Protestant conviction: Sola Scriptura insists the Bible alone governs faith and practice.
Protestantism, as wrongly defined as any professed Christian or group that is not in communion with the “Catholic Church,” is too diverse (some do not even believe the Bible is the sure supreme accurate standard on Divine Truth) to be identified as inclusively having a certain belief, and many or most negate SS by impugning its authority.
However, in what is called Protestantism, those who most strongly esteem Scripture as the accurate and wholly God-inspired sure and supreme authority have long testified to being far more unified in basic beliefs than those who Rome manifestly considers members in life and in death.
2. Justification: Faith + Works vs. Faith Alone Catholic position: Justification is infused by grace, then sustained by faith and cooperative works through the sacraments, culminating in final sanctification.
Meaning salvation by merit thru grace. The act itself of baptism, even apart from the required (Acts 2:38, 8:36, 37) personal repentant faith, effects regeneration which renders the subject good enough to go directly to be with God, until the subject realizes he/she is not, and unless they achieve and die in the required rarefied state of perfection, must suffer purifying torments in RC (not EO) Purgatory until they become good enough to be with/see God, as well as atone for sins they failed make full satisfaction for on earth.
Protestant conviction: Sola Fide teaches that we are declared righteous solely through faith in Christ’s atoning work (Ephesians 2:8–9).
No, it is by faith in a person, the risen Lord Jesus, the Divine Son of God, who saves sinners by His sinless shed blood, and ever lives to make intercession for them.
More precisely, The redeemed are those who come to God as sinners knowing their desperate need of salvation - not as souls saved by their works or religious heritage, but as destitute of any means or merit whereby they may find salvation - and with a humble and penitent heart (that at least implicitly wants a new life following Christ) believe on the crucified and risen Lord Jesus who alone can save them on His account, by His sinless shed blood and righteousness. (Romans 3:9 - 5:1) And who are thus baptized to follow the Lord Jesus with persevering faith. And who thus are baptized and follow Him (John 10:27-29; Acts 8:12; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10) - and effectually repent when they find that they failed to do so. (Psalms 32:5, 6, 51:3; Hosea 5:15; 1 John 1:9) For penitent, heart-purifying, regenerating effectual faith, (Acts 10:43-47, 15:7-9) is that which is imputed for righteousness, (Romans 4:5) and is shown in baptism and following the Lord, (Acts 2:38-47; Jn. 10:27, 28) and by which faith the believer is completely forgiven and "accepted in the Beloved" and positionally seated with Him in Heaven. Ephesians 1:6, 2:6; cf. Phil. 3:21) And wherever Scripture clearly speak of the next conscious reality for those who die in that effectual faith then it is with the Lord, at death or His return (whatever comes first), by the grace of God. (Lk. 23:43 [cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7]; Phil 1:23; 2Cor. 5:8 [“we”]; 1Cor. 15:51ff'; 1Thess. 4:17) Thanks be to God. https://www.quora.com/Can-a-sinner-be-forgiven-if-he-she-does-not-repent/answer/Daniel-Hamilton-53
3. The Priesthood: Ordained Clergy vs. Universal Priesthood Catholic position: A distinct, apostolic priesthood—conferred through Holy Orders—acts in persona Christi, especially in celebrating the Eucharist.
Catholic priesthood is requires since since RC priests cannot confect what a strictly literal reading of the Lord's words of consecration at the last supper, which would mean, in which bread and wine would look, taste, smell, etc. as human flesh and blood as it always did on earth. Since they cannot confect this (and claimed special miracles do not conform to eucharistic theology) , then they must jump thru metaphysical hoops in order to justify how inanimate objects are the true body and blood of Christ, though unlike that of the incarnated Christ whose manifest physicality the Holy Spirit emphasizes (versus one whose appearance did not correspond to what He materially was), it is admitted that it would scientifically test to be just what is looks like, though Catholicism insist that what appears no longer exists.
Yet once this transubstantiated non-existent bread and or wine (as per eucharistic theology) begins to visibly (for only the visible particles are said to be Christ) act (decaying) consistent with what the are, then the body of Christ which they are supposed to be no longer locally exists either under that form either.
Meanwhile, the word of God is the only spiritual food described which gives life, being "milk" (1Pt. 2:2) and "meat" Heb. 5:12-14 by which one is nourished (1Tim. 4:6) and built up, (Acts 20:32) and who are to let the word of God dwell in them richly, and thereby teach others, (Col. 3:16) and with the preaching of it the evident means of feeding the flock. (Acts 20:28; cf. 2 Timothy 4:2)
6. Mary and the Saints: Veneration vs. Direct Access to Christ Catholic position: Mary and the saints intercede for believers; devotions honor their example and seek their prayers.
Which is proof that the Catholicism did not edit the Bible, for it would not be hard to add an instance of prayer to created beings in Heaven, which Catholicism teaches despite
Which is just one of the distinctive Catholic teachings are not manifest in the only wholly God-inspired, substantive, authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture,esp. Acts through Revelation, which best shows how the NT church understood the gospels)
Read the article.
Am more convinced than ever of the Protestant disconnection from the true church instituted by Jesus, the one Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church.
It's a pretty good summary of the errors that I constantly identify with that religion.
And WHY would anyone title an article "12 Differences Between Catholics and Christians" - is that some kind of acknowledgement that Catholics are not Christians?
I see that distinction used regularly.