Also, what's the differences between the two? Could any Catholics tell me about the pope? Does he speak to God? Cheers
I'll be completely honest, the only knowledge I have of the differences is due to Monty python so sorry if this sounds like a stupid question.
Fair enough, Lil. The second part of the question? Cheers
Well if you watched Monty Python you would know this. Maybe you should pay more attention, although I can't fault you for possibly just questioning the historical accuracy of their Martin Luther re-enactment =)
NOO he doesn't speak to GOD. The Pope is just a human being that subscribes to the lies his church has spread for thousands of years.
Catholicism came first. In fact, catholic more or less means universal. The protestants protested against the Catholic church.
The basic difference between the two, I think is that Catholics believe that a person needs an intermediary to speak to God for them. Protestants think that a person can speak directly to God and that no intermediary is necessary.
The Pope sometimes speaks ex cathedral (If you believe), meaning that he channels God.
Catholicism came about 1600 years before Protestantism, Lil. The Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church have differences on this, but they are pretty much the same age.
The pope in the Catholic Church is supposed to the human being who is closest to God and able to communicate with him the best. Obviously popes are only human, and there have been rotten ones through out history, but that's the general idea and the last two have been pretty stand up guys.
Protestantism started because of corruption in the Catholic Church...the Church asked people to give them money to reduce the amount of time their dead relatives spent in Purgatory. A priest named Martin Luther got really upset about this and decided to split off from the Church and create a denomination where people were supposed to communicate directly with god, without need of intercessors or hierarchies which are a BIG part of the Church.
Other than that....Catholics believe in saints, Protestants don't. Catholics have a bunch of rites and sacraments, such as Reconciliation that Protestants don't. Each Protestant church is very different from every other because their rules are looser about how they are organized...the Catholic church is very unified and has one set of rules that apply everywhere.
Evodius was the first Bishop of Antioch a Catholic, and he is credited with being the first person to call the followers of Christ, "Christians", as shown in Acts 11:26. See Eusebius, book 3, chapter 22.
Saint Ignatius (35-107), the second Bishop of Antioch wrote a letter to the Smyrneans in 107 A.D..
In this letter is recorded the first known use of the words "Catholic Church"...
Paragraph #8
"You must all follow the lead of the bishop, as Jesus Christ followed that of the Father; follow the presbytery as you would the Apostles; reverence the deacons as you would God's commandment. Let no one do anything touching the Church, apart from the bishop. Let that celebration of the Eucharist be considered valid which is held under the bishop or anyone to whom he has committed it. Where the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not permitted without authorization from the bishop either to baptize or to hold an agape; but whatever he approves is also pleasing to God. Thus everything you do will be proof against danger and valid." The first recorded use of the word is found in the writings of Ignatius of Antioch, who was a young man during the time of the apostles and was the second bishop of Antioch following Peter, who went on to become bishop of Rome. Ignatius was immersed in the living traditions of the local church in Antioch, where the believers in Christ were first called Christians (cf. Acts 11:26). He was taught and ordained directly by the apostles. From the apostles Ignatius learned what the Church was?how it was to function, grow, and be governed.
History informs us that Peter was the bishop of Antioch at the time; in fact, Church Fathers claim that Ignatius was ordained by Peter himself. Ignatius must have worshiped with Peter and Paul and John. He lived with or near them and was an understudy of these special apostles. Ignatius is known and revered as an authentic witness to the traditions and practice of the apostles.
In the existing documents that have come down to us, Ignatius is the first to use the word catholic in reference to the Church. On his way to Rome, under military escort to the Coliseum, where he would be devoured by lions for his faith, he wrote, "You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 8).
Does the Pope speak to God? Who knows what his heart really does - like any of us he can speak to God (it's called prayer) not command God (the is Pride).
Monty python's life of Brian is so cool but respectfully thought provoking. Jesus was always treated with respect in the background. Brian challenged the holier than thou in all of us.
By the by - the only stupid question is the one never asked.
if you look at religion as a tree you would find that Catholicism is the trunk and all others are branches as the catholics was the first and all others came after
Anyone that believes can speak to God, even you. And guess what, God speaks back. The Bible is full of accounts where God spoke to men through mediums like angels and departed saints for example. Want to know more let me know.
Catholicism was founded by Christ upon the "rock" -St. Peter. Protestantism was an off shoot of Catholicism. From the term itself they protested against some teaching of the Catholics
Catholicism: Belief in and adherence to tradition, particularly sacraments; and ecclesiastic interpretation of Scripture (opposed to the Bible being the sole, infallible authority, as written); redemption.
Protestantism: Belief that the Bible is the sole, infallible authority (not ecclesiastic interpretation); salvation.
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches believe in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine in Holy Communion.We go to confession to obtain absolution from our sin so that we may worthily receive the body and blood of Jesus.
"For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him."
It's obvious from the Book of Acts in the Bible that catholics didn't even exist during the days of Acts. Those in the Book of Acts are the first Christians, and they believed what would be called fundamentalist doctrine today. ANYONE can read the Book of Acts for themselves and see. Had Catholicism existed during the time of Acts, the first Christians would have rejected Catholicism completely.
Also here's Christians that called the "pope" the Antichrist, and who also completely rejected Catholicism, long before Martin Luther was even born:
c. 1310
Dante Alighieri
c. 1331
Michael of Cesena
c. 1345
Johannes DE Rupescissa
c. 1350
Francesco Petrarch
c. 1367
John Milicz
c. 1379
John Wycliffe
c. 1388
Matthias of Janow
c. 1389
R. Wimbledon
c. 1390
John Purvey
c. 1393
Walter Brute
c. 1412
John Huss
c. 1497
Girolamo Savonarola
So not only is it false to say that "catholics were the first Christians", but this list blows away the catholic claim that "no churches existed other than the catholic church, until Martin Luther".
There were ALWAYS saved believers outside the catholic cult, who knew catholicism cannot save anyone. Catholicism is not Christian. Catholicism teaches a false gospel of works that cannot save (Galatians 1:6-9).
Catholicism came first and there is not much difference between them.
the pope is the is the leader of catholics, he speaks to god like anyone else does
Which came first? Catholicism or Protestantism?
