Catholicism vs Christianity

[Angee Licaa]

There are many people who call Christianity, Christianity, or Catholicism. People still think it's the same. But actually, it was a mistake. Therefore, it is necessary to learn more about Catholicism and related things. The following article will be the answer to the above question that everyone has always wanted to know.

Christian

Christianity is a religion that worships God, that is, God, the supreme being. Christianity covers quite a wide range, including churches or religions with different names such as Catholicism (Christianity), Judaism, and Islam, ...

There are many Catholic churches, typical of which are some of the main ones:

What is Catholicism?

Catholicism is the holy religion preached by Christ himself and founded the church on the foundation of the apostles and is considered a means of spreading and bringing salvation to everyone. Catholicism is a religion that saves people from their mistakes and accepts a happy and eternal life with God, after completing their human journey on earth.

1. Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholicism is Christianity. Taoism worships the triune God, going the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although they are three separate persons, they share the same essence and authority in the mystery of the triune God.

The Catholic Church's Bible contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament that teach believers to live their faith according to God's word. The Catholic Church has a very orderly administration like a miniature country with the highest representative being the Pope.

2. Protestantism

Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that broke away from the Catholic Church after the religious reform initiated in Germany in 1517. Protestantism also worships God and believes in Christ as Savior and uses the same Bible. like Catholicism.

However, Protestantism has obvious differences from Catholicism such as interpretation of the Bible, no pay for the role of the pope, and no sacraments like Catholicism.

3. Judaism

Judaism worships the one God Yahweh, the father of the Jewish patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, who delivered the Israelites from Egyptian rule. Judaism does not have a triune God, so their bible contains only the Old Testament.

Biblical and traditional, both Catholics and Christians believe that the bible is the word of god. Catholics believe that God's revelation comes to them in two ways (divine tradition and devotion). Christians believe that the only source of divine revelation about morality and faith is in the bible. Christianity does not follow additional teachings from its pastors. They believe that their religious leader can only give advice or guidance. The Catholic Church has the authority to interpret the Bible and can decide when the interpretation is right or wrong. Catholics are bound by ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions.

[Sower]

57 minutes ago, Angee Licaa said:

The Catholic Church has the authority to interpret the Bible and can decide when the interpretation is right or wrong. Catholics are bound by ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions.

Would be interested just where the catholic church gets any more authority than any born again believer in Jesus Christ.

You said;   "Catholics    are bound     by ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions"

There's the rub.

That is why I left the RCC after thirty years when I was finally told the truth of what is in God's divinely inspired scriptures,

the same scriptures within the RCC, but not re interpreted to suit the ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions.

The RCC never, never, told me I needed to be saved, to be born again.

If you are a defender of the RCC, there is a appropriate area in this forum you need to move this thread to.

If not, you would do well by giving us your source of information-scripture- to back up or verify your statements.

Thanks for your reply.
 

[Angee Licaa]

14 minutes ago, Sower said:

Would be interested just where the catholic church gets any more authority than any born again believer in Jesus Christ.

You said;   "Catholics    are bound     by ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions"

There's the rub.

That is why I left the RCC after thirty years when I was finally told the truth of what is in God's divinely inspired scriptures,

the same scriptures within the RCC, but not re interpreted to suit the ecclesiastical or Roman Catholic traditions.

The RCC never, never, told me I needed to be saved, to be born again.

If you are a defender of the RCC, there is a appropriate area in this forum you need to move this thread to.

If not, you would do well by giving us your source of information-scripture- to back up or verify your statements.

Thanks for your reply.
 

I'm just trying to figure out the difference, that's why I'm posting in this forum. I look forward to receiving other answers so that I can gain more knowledge for myself.

[OneLight]

I'd like to know where you got the information you posted in your opening post.  It's surely not how I know the subject of your question.

[missmuffet]

What are the differences between Catholics and Protestants?

https://www.gotquestions.org

ANSWER

There are several important differences between Catholics and Protestants. While there have been many attempts in recent years to find common ground between the two groups, the fact is that the differences remain, and they are just as important today as they were at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The following is brief summary of some of the more important differences:
 

One of the first major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism is the issue of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God’s special revelation to mankind and teaches us all that is necessary for our salvation from sin. Protestants view the Bible as the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. This belief is commonly referred to as “sola scriptura” and is one of the “five solas” (sola is Latin for “alone”) that came out of the Protestant Reformation as summaries of some of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.While there are many verses in the Bible that establish its authority and its sufficiency for all matters of faith and practice, one of the clearest is 2 Timothy 3:16, where we see that “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Catholics reject the doctrine of sola scriptura and do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They believe that both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition are equally binding upon the Christian. Many Roman Catholics doctrines, such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., have little or no basis in Scripture but are based solely on Roman Catholic traditions. Essentially, the Roman Catholic Church’s denial of sola scriptura and its insistence that both the Bible and tradition are equal in authority undermine the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

Another disagreement between Catholicism and Protestantism is over the office and authority of the Pope. According to Catholicism the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ” (a vicar is a substitute) and represents Jesus as the head of the Church. As such, the Pope has the ability to speak ex cathedra (with authority on matters of faith and practice), making his teachings infallible and binding upon all Christians. On the other hand, Protestants believe that no human being is infallible and that Christ alone is the Head of the Church. Catholics rely on apostolic succession as a way of trying to establish the Pope’s authority. Protestants believe that the church’s authority comes not from apostolic succession but from the Word of God. Spiritual power and authority do not rest in the hands of a mere man but in the very Word of God. While Catholicism teaches that only the Catholic Church can properly interpret the Bible, Protestants believe that the Bible teaches God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all born-again believers, enabling all believers to understand the message of the Bible.

Protestants point to passages such as John 14:16–17: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you” (See also John 14:26 and 1 John 2:27).

A third major difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is how one is saved. Another of the five solas of the Reformation is sola fide (“faith alone”), which affirms the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–10). However, Catholics teach that the Christian must rely on faith plus “meritorious works” in order to be saved. Essential to the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation are the Seven Sacraments, which are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Protestants believe that, on the basis of faith in Christ alone, believers are justified by God, as all their sins are paid for by Christ on the cross and His righteousness is imputed to them. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that Christ’s righteousness is imparted to the believer by “grace through faith,” but in itself is not sufficient to justify the believer. The believer must supplement the righteousness of Christ imparted to him with meritorious works.

Catholics and Protestants also disagree on what it means to be justified before God. To the Catholic, justification involves being made righteous and holy. He believes that faith in Christ is only the beginning of salvation and that the individual must build upon that with good works because God’s grace of eternal salvation must be merited. This view of justification contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture in passages such as Romans 4:1–12, Titus 3:3–7, and many others. Protestants distinguish between the one-time act of justification (when we are declared righteous by God based on our faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross) and the process of sanctification (the development of righteousness that continues throughout our lives on earth). While Protestants recognize that works are important, they believe they are the result or fruit of salvation but never the means to it. Catholics blend justification and sanctification together into one ongoing process, which leads to confusion about how one is saved.

A fourth major difference between Catholics and Protestants has to do with what happens after death. Both believe that unbelievers will spend eternity in hell, but there are significant differences about what happens to believers. From their church traditions and their reliance on non-canonical books, the Catholics have developed the doctrine of purgatory. Purgatory, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, is a “place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” On the other hand, Protestants believe that because we are justified by faith in Christ alone and that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us—when we die, we will go straight to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6–10 and Philippians 1:23).

One disturbing aspect about the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is the belief that man can and must pay for his own sins. This results in a low view of the sufficiency and efficiency of Christ’s atonement on the cross. Simply put, the Roman Catholic view of salvation implies that Christ’s atonement on the cross was insufficient payment for the sins of those who believe in Him and that even a believer must pay for his own sins, either through acts of penance or time in purgatory. Yet the Bible teaches that it is Christ’s death alone that can satisfy or propitiate God’s wrath against sinners (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Our works of righteousness cannot add to what Christ has already accomplished.

The differences between Catholicism and evangelical Protestants are important and significant. Paul wrote Galatians to combat the Judaizers (Jews who said that Gentile Christians had to obey the Old Testament Law to be saved). Like the Judaizers, Catholics make human works necessary for one to be justified by God, and they end up with a completely different gospel.

It is our prayer that God will open the eyes of those who are putting their faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is our hope that everyone will understand that his “works of righteousness” cannot justify him or sanctify him (Isaiah 64:6). We pray that all will instead put their faith solely in the fact that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:24–25). God saves us, “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5–7).

Edited May 19, 2022 by missmuffet

[Riverwalker]

First let me state categorically that anyone who has Christ for their Lord is a Christian.  Catholic or protestant or whatever

2nd There is one body, and one Head....Jesus Christ

Denominations are made by men and as with anything made by man there are flaws. If you put your faith in your Church instead of Christ, there is no salvation

To answer simply. The difference between most protestants and orthodox groups (not all) and Roman Catholics is thus

Protestants are sola scriptura...that this they think that the bible alone is the will and direction of God

Roman Catholics take their theology from the bible and what they call "sacred" tradition, and it is in that sacred tradition where all the faults lie.  Teaching on purgatory, praying to saints, the power to forgive only given to priests, transubstantiation, Mortal and venial sins and all the teachings of the Catholic Church that are outside the bible are found here.

But their core beliefs as found in the creed and the mass service are pretty solid Christianity

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
 of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
 the Only Begotten Son of God,
 born of the Father before all ages.
 God from God, Light from Light,
 true God from true God,
 begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
 through him all things were made.
 For us men and for our salvation
 he came down from heaven,
 and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
 and became man.
 For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
 he suffered death and was buried,
 and rose again on the third day
 in accordance with the Scriptures.
 He ascended into heaven
 and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
 He will come again in glory
 to judge the living and the dead
 and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
 who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
 who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
 who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
 I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
 and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
 and the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Riverwalker

[Riverwalker]

4 minutes ago, Heaven_Bound said:

 And what Jesus did [CANNOT] be found in the things the catholic church does nor can be found in several Protestant Churches [Jesus would not allow a Homosexual to be a Leader of His Sheep].

It is very true that there are problems in many churches.....because of the denominations of men

[missmuffet]

It is a matter of the heart.....period. God knows our heart. 

[Starise]

15 hours ago, Angee Licaa said:

I'm just trying to figure out the difference, that's why I'm posting in this forum. I look forward to receiving other answers so that I can gain more knowledge for myself.

Sorry @Angee Licaa I must have missed you joining up. Welcome to Worthy!

I will tell you how I see it and also try to only use the points that are most important so as to cut to the chase.

The true believer or person who is born again(saved) needs a good solid group of believers to fellowship with. Lets imagine we are blind to all names of churches and denominations for a minute and instead our only goal is only to find the best church for us to attend.

What would we look for?

 A church that accurately teaches the word of God

A church with mainly true believers as members

It seems our search should be a simple one right?

Not necessarily.

In order to know what good bible teaching is, we need to identify what bad or false bible teaching is. This can only be known by knowing what the Bible actually teaches. Then , if we see a church that contradicts this teaching, we know this is a false church.

To make matters worse, there are Christians in some churches teaching false doctrine. To answer your thread title-

CATHOLICISM .VS CHRISTIANITY  we would be saying that Catholics aren't Christians, when in fact I believe there are Christian Catholics.

Much of what happens in the Catholic Church is found nowhere in the bible, same can be said for some protestant churches.

So we are back to this as a test of a true church-

 A church that accurately teaches the word of God

If you have specific questions about things done in churches that call them out as fake or apostate churches and separate then from true churches, I would be glad to answer those questions.

 

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Riverwalker said:

But their core beliefs as found in the creed and the mass service are pretty solid Christianity

Then there is the one great major difference in what they believe vs scripture.
The RCC teaches/believes in salvation by works!!

The 'holy mother church' teaches, believes, nobody can be saved, as that is the sin of presumption.
Who are we that presume upon God that they could possibly merit/deserve salvation. (nobody, except Mary)
They teach/believe that if they die without a mortal sin (decided by el popo) or,  have a priest give the sacrament of  Extreme Unction, (last rights) immediately after death, then they go to purgatory to suffer/burn for all their sins till paid for. If you have a rich relative, they can give money to the church to pray for indulgences to get you out of jail and the torcher sooner, as the hired priest is able to say  Gregorian Masses.  

"In Roman Catholicism, the practice of Gregorian Masses is an ancient tradition in which it is believed that a continuous series of thirty consecutive Masses said in thirty days for the soul of a deceased person will release them from the punishments of Purgatory. Belief in the efficacy of the Gregorian Masses is based on a private revelation made to Pope Saint Gregory the Great"

The Church has declared that the confidence of the faithful in the special efficacy of the Gregorian Masses is pious and reasonable. Its specific regulations are found in the Sacred Congregation for Indulgences of August 24, 1888. ^[1] As 30 consecutive Masses are required, the Gregorian Masses are often incompatible with the Mass schedules of Catholic parishes. As such, Gregorian Masses are usually done in monasteries and seminaries, or by retired priests.  The Masses can only be said for a single person at a time who is in purgatory, although it can be said by different priests and on different altars. If the soul of the intended person is already in Heaven, or if it is in Hell, the indulgences will help a different needy soul.     The Masses must be said consecutively one day after another without any interruption. If the Masses are interrupted even for one day, the process is null and must start over again.     The only exception is if the last few days of Holy Week occur during the Gregorian Masses; in this case, the Masses may be stopped until Easter Sunday and then continued on that day." 

(The RCC teaches/believes in salvation by works!! )

"The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) is a document created and agreed to by the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation in 1999 as a result of extensive ecumenical dialogue. It states that the churches now share "a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ."^[1] To the parties involved, this essentially resolves the 500-year-old conflict over the nature of justification which was at the root of the Protestant Reformation"

This statement by the council was to satisfy the bible toting Protestants who believe in Grace salvation, in order to facilitate their agenda in the ecumenical  movement, ecumenism and future one world church, el popo the head.

The trouble is they preach you must maintain (works) for your salvation. You can still go to purgatory or hell if you commit enough certain sins and don't get to confess to a priest before death!!!.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ suffering on the cross and dying wasn't sufficient for man, so man has to work his merit.

 Anybody can look this all up looking into Roman Catholic Dogma.

And a whole host of other scriptural contradictions. Catholics are not taught to study the bible.
They believe the holy mother church has all the authority, and El Popo is God on earth.
One day he's going to meet God.           Our God is a jealous God!