Replies

>> I think the only reason a FReeper starts one of these threads is that they like to instigate arguments between Catholics and non-Catholics. <<<

The problem with a thread like this is people can post "facts" about what "Protestants" believe vs. what Catholics believe, because Protestant beliefs vary widely from church to church. The only thing they all agree on is that Catholics are wrong and that they don't think the Pope has any authority as head of the universal Christian church.

For example, someone angrily posted that it's unfair to say Protestants rarely observe communion because he's Protestant and his church observes communion regularly. That may be true in his church, but in other Protestant churches it's not true. Communion in a protestant church can vary from taking it every Sunday, to never observing communion at all.

Someone else posted that Catholics have closed communion and protestants have open communion. Again, some protestant churches may invite anyone to communion who wants to come (maybe even non-Christians!). Others might allow only members of their congregation in good standing to partake of communion. There is so set "Protestant" rule with these things.

Some of these churches, like Lutherans, are definitely "Protestant" by any definition of the word, and completely broke away from the Catholic Church, but they continue to follow the Catholic doctrine on these matters.

Alot of these threads also falsely claim "the rest of Christianity" disagrees with Catholics on doctrines like communion and veneration of Mary, when the truth is that Protestants are the ones objecting to those doctrines. Other branches of Chrisitianity, like Orthodox Chrisitans, accept the Catholic beliefs on those matters.

To have an accurate thread debating doctrine between churches, you'd have to have specific denominations like "Why can't Roman Catholics take communion at a Greek Orthodox Church?" or "Southern Baptist Convention vs. Roman Catholic views on Communion"

Otherwise vaguely arguing the "protestant" vs. "catholic" viewpoints is a waste of time.