Catholicism vs Protestantism

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Feb 28, 2016
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i'll just say this;

my young attended church totally deceived me and my fellows by bringing-in a preposterous 'evangelical-clown',
who not only stole our hungry spirits at that time, but also, our money -
many, many, of us thought that we were 'saved' by his most eloquent speeches that tore our heart to pieces -
it took 'many years' for me to realize and face the raping of my soul...
 

Lafftur

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2017
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So in your view no one denomination or church is 100% right in doctrine but God knows the heart of who seeks Him. God knows who is looking to Jesus more than anything else. And who is actively ingesting the Words of Jesus and His Apostles/followers?
Yes, God knows who loves Him and seeks Him with a pure heart - He will reveal Himself to those.

Concerning denominations, my view is......

Yeshua/Jesus is NOT a denomination. Denominations are religious kingdoms built by man - kind of like the feet of the great image Daniel saw that were a mixture of clay and iron..... the clay being man-made and the iron being bondage.

The true 100% Righteous Kingdom of God is the Rock - Yeshua/Jesus - the ONLY SAVIOR. I cling to the Rock and Him alone.

Only the Jews had the message of Salvation - they were like the head of gold.

Then they divided into Judah and Israel like the breast and arms of silver - still they held the birth line of the coming Christ that would bring redemption;

Then, the belly and thighs of brass which is judgment when Christ was born into the world. He brought judgment to the god of this world by defeating Satan at the Cross.

Next, the legs of Iron which is bondage and captivity. Scattered and into captivity in 70 ad, yet the Kingdom of God was being hewn out of the stone and now, when Christ returns to the Earth with His Kingdom He will destroy all man-made kingdoms/denominations/false religions and establish the Kingdom of God in the Earth.

I only hold on to Yeshua/Jesus - no denomination. The Holy Spirit is my Teacher, Guide, Counselor, etc.

I do go to church and fellowship with other believers, but I do not follow the denominational doctrines, I follow Christ alone. I love Him. He is my Beloved and I am His. :love:(y)
 

Lafftur

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2017
6,896
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How would you evangelize to a Catholic
You start with Jesus. Because they believe in Jesus. We have that in common. Protestants need to acknowledge that.
If you start by trying to show them all the errors of Catholic practice you're likely to just hit a wall of resistance.
Don't forget people were raised from early childhood with all these things. The Holy Spirit convicts when the time is right
Catholics really love Mary, I like starting with the story of the Wedding when they ran out of wine and Mary went to Jesus and then told the servants to do whatever He said.

Then, lift up Yeshua/Jesus and His Body and Blood.

Everyone is different- the Holy Spirit is the power behind the witness. It’s best to let the Holy Spirit give us the words to say.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
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Well perhaps one of the mods could call off the protestant lynch-mob that reared it's ugly head in the other thread?

I don't think the poster in question wants to defend idolatry. But the motives of his heart and his salvation were being judged and ridiculed. And that isn't a proper Christian attitude.

I'm not an apologist for Catholicism btw.
But the very suggestion that Catholics are Christians should not be met with fury and endless lists of all the errors and history of everything the Catholic Church has ever done wrong.
Why do you suppose Christians act as lynch mob? When Agnostics, Atheists, or others post on this site why is it some see it as a attack rather than a opportunity to share the protestant Christian Gospel in a loving and patient setting?
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
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You start with Jesus. Because they believe in Jesus. We have that in common. Protestants need to acknowledge that.
If you start by trying to show them all the errors of Catholic practice you're likely to just hit a wall of resistance.
Don't forget people were raised from early childhood with all these things. The Holy Spirit convicts when the time is right
Which is often why evangelism is best done in close relationships like the disciple settings. You build trust with the individual and show them you actually care for what they think and wont go all heretic on them lol. A offensive response automatically makes people defensive. In a defensive mode it is as if we shut down from listening and straight to defending our worldview.

Explanation from psychology

"We all naturally strive to reduce uncomfortable thoughts and emotions that sit poorly with our dearly held beliefs. Such is the way when we deny evidence of an unfaithful partner or of the abysmal performance of a beloved sporting team. Our beliefs become impervious to the facts in a process psychologists call cognitive immunization.


Cognitive immunization helps to explain why some beliefs become even stronger when challenged. They also help to explain how we cannot let go of some beliefs in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence.

Immune beliefs are almost impossible to challenge with reasoning and structured argument. Try the following experiment: Google "greatest ever superhero" or something similar, and glance through the stunningly vigorous mass of blog, forum, and web article debate. Our mental firewalls defend immune beliefs well, so it really doesn’t matter if Superman should logically be able to defeat Batman to the keyboard warrior already committed to the opposing position.


Classic psychology studies show that we have trouble remembering the times when our personal beliefs have failed the test of outside evidence. This is because our minds automatically neutralize clashing information—such as that awkward moment when practitioners of a doomsday cult realize that the world did not come to an end when predicted. They just need to reset the date to accommodate a variable that went uncalculated in the initial forecast. . .


In fact, one characteristic of strong and resilient beliefs is their internal logic and structure, even when they defy logical verification as a whole. As a result, believers come to arguments well-prepared, having become adept at using their confirmation bias—the natural inclination to avoid any information that contradicts a strongly held belief, while seeking out information that strengthens it. "

Roughsoul1991 now speaking. So the trick is not to make them feel attacked.
 

Lucy-Pevensie

Senior Member
Dec 20, 2017
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Why do you suppose Christians act as lynch mob? When Agnostics, Atheists, or others post on this site why is it some see it as a attack rather than a opportunity to share the protestant Christian Gospel in a loving and patient setting?
I am using hyperbolic language when I say "lynch mob"
Criticism of Roman Catholicism is not unfounded. And sometimes people turn up here simply to be antagonistic.
But sometimes they don't. They might be searching or wanting to discuss Jesus and we shouldn't put them off.
Denominational rage goes back a long way to the point of starting wars and not all the blame can be laid strictly
at the feet of Catholics.

Of course Protestants and Catholics continue to have many significant differences. These disagreements should be matters that can be discussed between reasonable adults. It is one thing, though, to say, “Let us discuss our disagreements, that perhaps we might understand each other better,” and another thing entirely to say, “You are the great whore of Babylon!”
When one party views the other as a wilful participant in a religious organisation that is the actual embodiment of Satan
on the earth, then even simple dialogue becomes impossible. Though this dynamic has plagued the relationship of Roman Catholics and Protestants for the past five hundred years we should look forward. The enemy is at the gate.
 

Lucy-Pevensie

Senior Member
Dec 20, 2017
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@Roughsoul1991 - there is no one true denomination that has it all right.

However, the true Church - the Bride of Christ is scattered all over the globe, sprinkled amongst all denominations. You’ll know His disciples by the love they have for one another.
The Church Invisible
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
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The way you would evangelize any person, no different

Knowing their faulty dogma is important... however, thinking they acknowledge Jesus as God or Saviour as being is helpful, is more often a barrier than any kind of common ground.

Each person has a different level of understanding .... however, most often, the more knowledge, and being entrenched into their false dogma the more difficult.

Typical of people entrenched in "religion"
Which is why it is wise to resist the presuppositions and the assumption to automatically assume the beliefs of others. We have to first learn about them and what they believe.
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
Which is often why evangelism is best done in close relationships like the disciple settings. You build trust with the individual and show them you actually care for what they think and wont go all heretic on them lol. A offensive response automatically makes people defensive. In a defensive mode it is as if we shut down from listening and straight to defending our worldview.

Explanation from psychology

"We all naturally strive to reduce uncomfortable thoughts and emotions that sit poorly with our dearly held beliefs. Such is the way when we deny evidence of an unfaithful partner or of the abysmal performance of a beloved sporting team. Our beliefs become impervious to the facts in a process psychologists call cognitive immunization.


Cognitive immunization helps to explain why some beliefs become even stronger when challenged. They also help to explain how we cannot let go of some beliefs in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence.

Immune beliefs are almost impossible to challenge with reasoning and structured argument. Try the following experiment: Google "greatest ever superhero" or something similar, and glance through the stunningly vigorous mass of blog, forum, and web article debate. Our mental firewalls defend immune beliefs well, so it really doesn’t matter if Superman should logically be able to defeat Batman to the keyboard warrior already committed to the opposing position.


Classic psychology studies show that we have trouble remembering the times when our personal beliefs have failed the test of outside evidence. This is because our minds automatically neutralize clashing information—such as that awkward moment when practitioners of a doomsday cult realize that the world did not come to an end when predicted. They just need to reset the date to accommodate a variable that went uncalculated in the initial forecast. . .


In fact, one characteristic of strong and resilient beliefs is their internal logic and structure, even when they defy logical verification as a whole. As a result, believers come to arguments well-prepared, having become adept at using their confirmation bias—the natural inclination to avoid any information that contradicts a strongly held belief, while seeking out information that strengthens it. "

Roughsoul1991 now speaking. So the trick is not to make them feel attacked.

The premise here conversion is a function of cognition.
Is it though?
Or is there more involved?
 

Lucy-Pevensie

Senior Member
Dec 20, 2017
9,388
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It goes FAR BEYOND THAT. Catholics have replaced Jesus with Mary. Check it out for yourself.
I came out of Catholicism and I'm afraid I can't agree with that. I was always told even as a child that Jesus was the saviour.
I was taught to pray to Jesus by priests, nuns, teachers & my parents.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
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Sure that will work.

1. View yourself as superior
2. Focus on perceived faulty dogma rather than Jesus Christ.
3. View yourself as superior

Let me fix that for you. Catholics are already Christians.
Speak to them on the essential core beliefs of Christianity where they are in agreement with the other denominations.
Respect them as fellow believers. If you can't do that, you should repent.
What is the essential core beliefs a Catholic and Protestant agree on?
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
Which is why it is wise to resist the presuppositions and the assumption to automatically assume the beliefs of others. We have to first learn about them and what they believe.
Are we discussing individuals/adherents or are are we discussing the dogma of institution?

To speak about individuals in the abstract ... not really meaningful I don't think
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
4,539
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The premise here conversion is a function of cognition.
Is it though?
Or is there more involved?
According to what theology you hold to. Some say totally depraved and cognition has zero influence.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
4,539
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I came out of Catholicism and I'm afraid I can't agree with that. I was always told even as a child that Jesus was the saviour.
I was taught to pray to Jesus by priests, nuns, teachers & my parents.
Yah I had never heard of that either but it would be cool if he provided evidence atleast written form.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,888
4,539
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Are we discussing individuals/adherents or are are we discussing the dogma of institution?

To speak about individuals in the abstract ... not really meaningful I don't think
How often do chat sight members seperate the two though when speaking to certain individuals?
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
According to what theology you hold to. Some say totally depraved and cognition has zero influence.
False dichotomy

However, using psychology to explain what is spiritual is like to understand the introductory calculus by teaching cost accounting .. not sure how much overlap there is.
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,894
1,084
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Oregon
.
Where do they differ and why?

Catholicism is a religion, whereas Protestantism has never been a religion,
rather, it's a protest movement; at the heart of which is the Ninety-five
Theses of 1517 authored by a German priest/friar named Martin Luther. The
theses can be viewed online by following the link below.


The 95 Theses of Martin Luther (1517)
_