The best way to show you what we Catholics believe is the creed, I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We Catholics have been around for two thousand years and we compiled the bible, from the scripts left by the Apostles. There was a split reformation in the 15Th Century due to a disgruntled Ex catholic Martin Luther and he formed his own version of Christianity Protestant theology of today, there are now 39000 Protestant denominations that do not agree on Theology. Some believe in 'Once Saved always Saved' and Some believe in the 'The Trinity' And some don't. Some of them also believe that you are 'Saved by Faith Alone'. We Catholics believe in the Trinity and Faith Without Works is dead as well as the creed above. The Kjv Bible was formed by king James to suit the protestant theology and it has 7 missing books as well as mistranslated texts, many not all protestants follow this bible, I hope that helped.
Firstly, the Anglican church is a protestant church.
The differences between Protestantism and Catholicism is great, but there are also similarities. One similarity, the Nicene Creed which Eden has included in her post, is also part of the Protestant Religion.
Catholics believe that Salvation is by Works as well as Faith
Protestants acknowledge that Salvation is through Grace alone
Catholics often place the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church above the authority of the Bible.
Protestants acknowledge that the Bible alone is the only authority.
Catholics teach Transubstantiation which is the teaching that during the Mass at the consecration in the Lord's Supper (Communion), the elements of the Eucharist, bread and wine, are transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus and that they are no longer bread and wine, but only retain their appearance of bread and wine.
The "Real Presence" is the term referring to Christ's actual presence in the elements of the bread and the wine that have been unsubstantiated. Because they are the presence of Christ himself, Catholics worship and adore the elements
Protestants view the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us. The bread and wine do not chance into the body and blood of Christ.
An indulgence, according to the Roman Catholic Church, a means of remission of the temporal punishment for sins which have already been forgiven but are due to the Christian in this life and/or in purgatory. This punishment is most often in purgatory but can also be suffered in this life. An indulgence removes time needed to be spent in purgatory.
The teaching of indulgences is not found in the Bible and thus Protestants do not teach it.
While Protestants admit Mary's uniqueness, the Catholic church has, in its own words, "clarified her position and nature through Sacred Tradition". Through the centuries, more and more doctrines concerning her have been revealed. For example:
Mary is called the Mother of God (AD 431)
Prayers are offered to Mary (AD 600)
Immaculate Conception (that she was sinless) (AD 1854)
Assumption of Mary (AD 1950)
Mary Proclaimed Mother of the Church (AD 1965)
These are just some of the major differences between Protestantism and Catholicism. There are many more.
The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the true church and if they had remained faithful to the teachings of the Apostles this would be true. But the vast number of false teachings that came into the church over the centuries Maddie the reformation necessary in order to bring the church back to the teachings of the Bible.
For more information please see http://www.carm.org/catholic.htm
Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16Th century Protestant Reformation. Protestant doctrine, also known in continental European traditions as Evangelical doctrine, in contradistinction to that of Roman Catholicism, rejects papal authority and many elements of Roman Catholic doctrine. It typically holds that Scripture (rather than tradition or ecclesiastic interpretation of Scripture)[1] is the only source of revealed truth, and also that salvation is the result of God's grace alone. The key tenets of Protestantism are outlined in the Five Solas.
The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of the day. The Latin word so la means "alone," "only," or "single" in English. The five Silas were what the Reformers believed to be the only things needed in their respective opinions for Christian salvation. The Bible was taught as the only norm. Listing them as such was also done with a view to excluding other things that in the Reformers' respective views hindered or were unnecessary for salvation. This formulation was intended to distinguish between what were viewed as deviations in the Christian church and the essentials of Christian life and practice. In these opinions they differed from the universal consensus of Christians in historical Christianity.
Solus Christus: Christ alone.
The Protestants characterize the dogma concerning the Pope as Christ's representative head of the Church on earth, the concept of meritorious works, and the Catholic idea of a treasury of the merits of saints, as a denial that Christ is the only mediator between God and man. Catholics, on the other hand, maintained the traditions of Judaism on these questions, and appealed to the universal consensus of Christian tradition, that Peter and his successors were mandated by Jesus Christ as his vicars on earth after his ascension, to keep his followers united.(Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:5?6, Rev. 21:14).
Sola Scripture: Scripture alone.
Protestants believe that the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church obscure the teachings of the Bible by conflating it with church tradition and Popish doctrine. Protestants therefore see Scripture as the sole authority in matters of faith and practice. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit (according to Scripture) guides the Church into the fullness of truth and therefore led the Catholic Church into a more sophisticated understanding of revelation in history, (Matthew 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11, 21:14). This however, places the Roman Catholic magisterium over Scripture.
Sola fide: Faith alone.
Protestants believe that faith in Christ alone is enough for eternal salvation as described in Ephesians 2:8-9, whereas Catholics believe that the phrases "faith without works is dead," (as stated in James 2:20) and "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24); points to the justified person needing to persevere in charity. Protestants, pointing to the same scripture, believe that practicing good works merely attest to one's faith in Christ and his teachings.
Sola gratia: Grace alone.
Protestants perceived Roman Catholic salvation to be dependent upon the grace of God and the merits of one's own works. The Reformers posited that salvation is a gift of God (i.e., God's act of free grace), dispensed by the Holy Spirit owing to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone. Consequently, they argued that a sinner is not accepted by God on account of the change wrought in the believer by God's grace, and that the believer is accepted without regard for the merit of his works ? for no one deserves salvation. Catholics believed that faith was not just a belief, but a way of life, and in both lay salvation, not faith alone. (Matt.7:21)
Soli Deo gloria: Glory to God alone
All glory is due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through his will and action?not only the gift of the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus on the cross but also the gift of faith in that atonement, created in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit. The reformers believed that human beings?even saints canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, the popes, and the ecclesiastical hierarchy?are not worthy of the glory that was accorded them. On these bases they considered themselves justified in forming new denominations at war with the Catholic Church, rather than sharing its mission.
Differences and Similarities of Anglicanism, Catholicism and Protestantism?
