Protestants only have to "accept Jesus" anything else is up for grabs, why do you think there is a different "denomination" on every corner? They have everything from "Snake Handlers" to "Tongue Speakers" and everything in between.
The authority of the pope
The authority of the church on belief and practice
The nature of the sacraments
The veneration and prayers to Mary and the Saints
That's the big picture ones. There are 1000s of others depending on the specific Protestant denomination.
Protestants don't answer to an aged old pedophile in Rome, they don't demand that all their rituals are read in an archaic ancient forgotten language even the Romans didn't speak, they don't demand that only the priesthood can have a relationship with G-d and they don't oppress people for having a different belief to the standardized doctrine. Oh and protestants don't demand that their priests/pastors/vicars etc only sleep with little boys and not get married to women.
Catholicism is nothing more than the religion used by the Romans to lay waste to Europe and then slaughter millions of Jews in the name of Jesus.
The Pope is a gay Nazi.
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 sole source of God?s special revelation to mankind, and as such it 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? (so la being Latin for ?alone?) that came out of the Protestant Reformation as summaries of some of the important 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 on the other hand 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 at all in Scripture, but are based solely on Roman Catholic traditions. Essentially the Roman Catholic Church?s denial of ?Sola Scriptura? and their insistence that both the Bible and their ?Sacred Tradition? are equal in authority undermines the sufficiency, authority and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many of, if not all, the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
For more, go here:
http://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Catholic-Protestant.html
Catholics believe that salvation comes from both faith and good works, whereas Protestants believe that salvation can come from faith alone. Also, the Catholic Church is headed by the Pope and various bishops who are under him, whereas the various Protestant denominations have a different sort of hierarchy.
Biblical Christianity started with Jesus Christ, more than 300 years before the Catholic church started. Christians were around before the Reformation, and continued after some catholics grew half a brain and became protestants.
What separates Christianity from Catholicism is simply biblical authority.
Christians believe the Bible is true and is is the sole authority for faith and Practice. Catholics give the Bible a third seat to the magisterial and tradition.
Examples:
Matt. 23:9; 1:25; 1 Tim. 2:5; 3:2; 4:1-4; Mark 6:3; Luke 11:27-28; Matt. 6:7, etc...
Christians belief these verses are true as they stand. Catholics believe doctrines that are contrary to these passages based on tradition and magisterial.
There are many more such examples.
It has to be traced back historically. Following was taken from wipedOAhe movement began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church. Many western Catholics were troubled by what they saw as false doctrines and malpractices within the church, particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. Another major contention was the practice of buying and selling church positions (simony) and what was seen at the time as considerable corruption within the church's hierarchy. This corruption was seen by many at the time as systemic, even reaching the position of the Pope.
Martin Luther's spiritual predecessors included men such as John Wycliffe and Johannes Hus, who had attempted to reform the church along similar lines. The Reformation is generally deemed to have begun on October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Saxony (in present-day Germany). There, Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the All Saints' Church, which served as a notice board for university-related announcements.[1] These were points for debate that criticized the church and the Pope. The most controversial points centered on the practice of selling indulgences and the church's policy on purgatory. Other reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli, soon followed. Beliefs and practices under attack by Protestant reformers included purgatory, particular judgment, devotion to Mary (Mariology), the intercession of and devotion to the saints, most of the sacraments, the mandatory celibacy requirement of its clergy (including monasticism), and the authority of the Pope.
Wow guys, really. By being insulting and rude, you're not doing much to make your point of view look or sound any better. You sound ignorant when you insult anything. Oh, FYI: catholics are Christians. Don't be so closed minded to assume you are right and only you. You people are not very Christ like.
Sorry friend, not true about the Pope. He knows he's not God. He keeps the church in order for God. He is a mere servant of God just like everyone else.
This is a genuine question so please at least be civil? If you say you go though Jesus to "get to" God? But in your previous quote you expressed your interpretation to illustrate why you would never be Catholic. I don't understand.
I am protestant, and I will tell you why I can never be Catholic.
Because the Bible says so.....I can call no man (MAN) father. (Matthew 23:9)
The bible says that Jesus is our mediator between God and man, therefore I have NO need to pray to Mary, or any other so-called 'saint' for anything, I only need to ask Jesus, who will refer my petition to God. (1 Timothy 2:4-6)
Confession is good for the soul, that is true, but only my Savior, and Father in Heaven need to know what I've been up to, I have NO need to tell a priest everything about myself...thanks.
I also do not believe rituals will get me to Heaven, everything with God and in church does not always have to be the same.
Yes, I believe in the Holy Spirit, being baptized with fire, and having the ability to speak in other tongues and with diverse tongues. Why? Because it is in the word of God, otherwise I would not. (Matthew 3:11, Mark 16:16-18, Acts 2:4, I Corinthians 13:1, 1 Corinthians 14:2, shall I go on???).
One last thing, no man in Heaven nor Earth was qualified to make the sacrifice that Jesus did when he died on the cross. A Catholic friend told me that in Latin or Greek (one of those languages Lil) the literal meaning of whatever the correct name of the pope's title is, means "God on Earth". I hate to burst your bubble pope, but the only man who ever lived that could claim to be any part of God on Earth was Jesus, God's ONLY begotten son. To even compare any other man to Jesus in that way is....absurd.
What beliefs separate Protestantism from Catholicism?
OAhe movement began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church. Many western Catholics were troubled by what they saw as false doctrines and malpractices within the church, particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. Another major contention was the practice of buying and selling church positions (simony) and what was seen at the time as considerable corruption within the church's hierarchy. This corruption was seen by many at the time as systemic, even reaching the position of the Pope.
