Differences between Catholics and Protestants

I have always enjoyed attending Catholic services, especially Mass. That being said, deep and unresolvable differences exist between Catholics and Protestants. The Catholic Bible contains the same 66 books as the Protestant Bible, but includes an additional seven non-canonical books—called Apocrypha.

One of the great differences between Protestant and Catholic doctrine involves the area of tradition. The Catholic Church decrees that “Sacred tradition and sacred scripture make up a single sacred depository of the Word of God.” Catholic traditions, which are not included in scripture, include papal infallibility, veneration of Mary, praying to the saints, doctrine of Purgatory, etc. Contrarily, the Protestant Church maintains that the Holy Bible is the “only source” of doctrinal truth (2 Tim. 3:16).

Another disagreement involves the Pope. According to Catholics, the Pope is vested to speak authoritatively on all religious matters, thereby making his teachings infallible and binding. Protestants reject the Pope’s authority and believe that Christ alone is the Head of the Church.

Protestants follow the doctrine of justification by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–10). Catholics, however, teach that salvation depends not only on faith but on “meritorious works.” Among those works are the Seven Sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Holy Communion, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Catholics believe that good deeds achieve penance for their sins and can limit one’s time in Purgatory. Protestants reject good works as being essential to salvation.

Catholics and Protestants hold differing views on the hereafter. Protestants believe that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers, who at death go straight to heaven. Catholics subscribe to the doctrine of Purgatory– an intermediate state after physical death in which those not good enough for heaven must first “undergo purification to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven. Both Catholics and Protestants believe that the unsaved are doomed to hell.

Catholics believe that Mary was born without original sin and that she did not die, but went directly to heaven. Since the Catholic Church considers Mary to be a powerful intercessor with Christ, Catholics direct their supplications to Mary. Protestants do not venerate Mary, but consider Jesus to be the only Mediator between God and man. Catholics believe that the communion elements, the wine and bread, mysteriously become the body and blood of Christ. This is called transubstantiation. Protestants reject transubstantiation, but consider communion a symbolic reenactment of the Last Supper.

Protestants confess their sins to the Lord. Catholics confess their sins to a priest. Celibacy is required for Catholic priests. Not so for Protestant clergy. However, both Protestants and Catholics fall under the umbrella of Christianity. More information on Catholicism can be gleaned from “Catechisms of the Catholic Church.”

HHJ News