Before the Catholic Bible was officially confirmed at the Council of Trent in 1546, the Church already recognized most of its books as Scripture. Yet Martin Luther disputed several of those books and wrote a number of opinion pieces about Christian teaching, the Church, and related matters.
Luther sent his theses to his direct superior, Archbishop Albrecht, and Pope Leo X tasked theologians with examining Luther’s arguments, not merely to refute him but to see which of his points might have merit. The Church objected to only 41 of the 95 theses and asked Luther to recant the writings that were wrong; when he refused, he was excommunicated. For the rest, the Church effected change in line with the parts of Luther’s Theses that were accurate.
Luther’s 1517 challenge to papal authority and Catholic doctrine helped spark the Reformation, a movement that eventually led to the creation of more than 30,000 Christian denominations, many breaking away not only from the Catholic Church but also from one another over even small differences in interpreting theology. Catholicism still practices indulgences obtained through specific pious acts like prayer, confession, Communion, and good works, offering a lessening of temporary punishment for sins already forgiven, not salvation itself. Back then, indulgences were actual currency. That's where the argument of "Catholics will pay for their sins to be absolved" came from.
This started a schism and different branches (30,000 different denominations) were organized.
Just putting it out there, you do not worship the same God as we do if you object to the core beliefs of Christianity, such as the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Incarnation, and salvation via Jesus' death and resurrection.
For example, a Muslim dismisses Jesus as the Son of God and His sacrifice, so they do not worship our God. People will say that we worship the same God because they both historically claim to worship Abraham's creator, but theologically we do not. The Bible and the Quran are two very different works of faith.
Catholics have 7 sacraments, Protestants have 2 sacraments. Even the "closest to Catholicism" Lutheran Protestants
Catholics and Protestants do worship the same God. We have the same books, mostly the same fundamental beliefs, but we differ significantly on doctrines and practices. When I was considering Orthodoxy, Catholicism, or staying Protestant I was mainly focused on something I felt like was a big part of my personal beliefs:
I knew that the filioque was true (most Protestants historically accept the Filioque clause), and the immaculate conception obviously isn't a protestant theological belief but when I read Exodus 40:35, Moses could not enter the tent of meeting (tabernacle) because the cloud of God’s glory rested on it and filled the interior. Jesus Christ is considered the supreme revelation and embodiment of the glory of God. Mary physically could not have Jesus if she was sinful. She was graced for God's plan. This isn't a Protestant belief, at all. But some Protestants do personally have beliefs outside of their denominations doctrine.
There’s a lot of claims about Catholics being pagans for a multitude of reasons but I came across one saying it’s because they honor the bones of saints, but this tradition actually has its roots directly in the Bible.
For example, 2 Kings 13:21 describes a dead man being revived when his body touches the bones of the prophet Elisha: 21 Once some people were burying a man, when suddenly they saw such a raiding band. So they cast the man into the grave of Elisha, and everyone went off. But when the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and got to his feet.
For example, 2 Kings 13:21 describes a dead man being revived when his body touches the bones of the prophet Elisha:
21 Once some people were burying a man, when suddenly they saw such a raiding band.
So they cast the man into
the
grave of Elisha, and everyone went off. But when the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to
life and got to his feet.
In line with Catholic doctrine, God alone is the subject of all worship, and no human being, not even saints, apostles, or angels may ever be worshipped. The Church distinguishes between the honor or veneration bestowed to saints (dulia) and the worship owed to God (latria). The Blessed Virgin Mary is given a special honor (hyperdulia), not as a goddess or a deity, but as the most exalted of God's creatures by His grace.
The refusal of worship by Peter and the apostles (Acts 10:25–26; 14:13–14) and the rejection of worship by holy angels, who commanded that all praise be given to God alone (Revelation 19:10; 22:9), are clear examples of this in the Bible.
In the Magnificat, Mary affirms, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46–55), showing her complete reliance on God's redemptive power. According to the Catholic doctrine, this affirms that Mary's holiness comes only from God's grace and that she is also redeemed by Christ, the only Savior of humanity.
She is not our "wife of Moloch, queen of heaven, pagan idol." The queen mother had a recognized role of honor in ancient Israelite kingship (1 Kings 2:19 is frequently used in this analogy). Mary is regarded not as a rival or second deity, but as the mother of the King (Jesus). The Catholic "Queen of Heaven" is an honorific title for Mary under Christ, while the biblical "queen of heaven" (Jeremiah) is a false goddess.
Protestants reject the veneration of Mary, since they confuse it as worship. Catholics ask Mary to intercede, like asking a friend to pray for you, which is ultimately relying on Christ.
Having pictures of Mary on your wall is similar to having pictures of a friend or relative. Do you cherish the picture or think back on the person you love? Is that worship or just affection and respect? Of course, a statue of a mortal friend would be excessive, but for the saints who have performed miracles, it serves as a reminder that nothing is impossible through Christ.
Though they share God's glory, the saints are not omniscient.
Why do they share God’s glory? Because they have to perform miracles in order to be thought of as saints. Before someone gets the title of a saint, there is a very long process that involves prayer, meditation, and investigation. And how could they do something, such as heal and bring individuals closer to the belief of Christ, if not with His power?
more about the saint processProtestant logic is “not word for word said in the Bible = I will throw obscenities at His Mother”
The rosary is the historical and organic evolution of the Jewish practice of stopping several times a day to pray psalms, which the monks continued and still practice under the name liturgy of the hours. It is still the Church's official and common prayer. When many people were illiterate in the past, monks would substitute 150 psalms for 150 of our father's verses, counting with a bag of 150 pebbles.
The people eagerly embraced this practice. It was gradually given variation by being divided into decades, one for our father and ten for Ave Maria (originally just the first part), with the memory and contemplation of a mystery (a significant fact in Christ's life) preceding each decade.
Praying a complete rosary involves reviewing the main things of the gospel. Today we know how to read and we can do the liturgy of the hours or divine office but the rosary has earned its own irreplaceable place.
The Rosary involves reciting one Apostles' Creed, Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glory Bes, and the Fatima prayer.
Most of the prayers originate directly from the Bible; they weren't made up. The Apostles' Creed is a summary of faith:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,And then finishes by saying, “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
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.
MaryThe entire first paragraph is ripped from the Bible. Luke 1:28, Luke 1:42, and the theoretical title, "Holy Mary Mother of God" is from Luke 1:43, Elizabeth calls Mary "mother of my Lord"
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Before the Bible was compiled and organized by the Catholic church, a lot of the people Jesus and his apostles preached to were poor and illiterate. They literally couldn't ‘sola scriptura’, and that’s how Catholic traditions started from. Are you really going to sit here and call us names and ungodly for preserving history? Last I checked, Catholics had documents as old as 809 CE sitting in the Vatican. This is why entering into the archives demands a lot of work, such as several interviews and a degree. The Pope has not memorized the entire library and hid it for malicious reasons, but because the documents are carefully preserved.
Visitors are not allowed to just wander around the Vatican library archives due to having records from as early as 1205. Almost every major manuscript collection in the world operates like this, including every university archive. that even the Pope himself does not know all of the literal miles of volumes that are in the Vatican Library. How to get in:
Catholics and Calvinists have predetermination, however, saying that they have the same definition is inherently dismissing generations of theological development and nuance, and makes you sound dangerously misinformed. They are almost entirely different theologies (because of the schism). I’m not sure why double predestination is being brought up here, because Calvinist and Catholic ideas of predestination are not the same. Calvinism teaches that God chooses some people for salvation and others for damnation, while Catholic teaching says God wants everyone to be saved and can predestine people toward salvation, but does not directly choose anyone for hell. So they shouldn’t be treated as a shared idea between the two denominations.
According to the Law of Moses, the Ten Northern Tribes of Israel became like Gentiles. God divorced them.
Modern Jews do not like Jesus or the Christian God because He accepted Gentiles; the Talmud says Gentiles are like animals and Jesus burns in His own excrement in hell. While many deny following the Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsalz says understanding the Talmud, not the Bible is key to understanding Judaism and the world, and he believes it should be taught in Israeli schools.
The Talmud is part of the Torah, which literally means “teaching.” The Written Torah refers to the Hebrew Bible, while the Oral Torah is a tradition passed down orally. The basis of Judaism is the 613 commandments, and the Oral Torah explains how to interpret and apply them, that’s what the Talmud is. It’s essentially rabbis debating each other.
Today’s Judaism is largely Talmudic. Jewish historian Israel Shahak wrote critically about certain interpretations in the Talmud and Kabbalah, claiming that some texts encourage Jews to pray for the death of Christians daily.
In Judaism, Satan refers to two things: simply an agent given the role of an enemy. Jews believe that we have no original sin or fallen angel. Evil comes from God, not some other element acting on its own behalf against God. In the Torah, HaSatan (the accuser) is just that, someone who acts as a prosecuting attorney when directed to by God. In Apocrypha and the Book of Job and some other literature, angels and Satan take on a different form. HaSatan's role is assigned by God, so he cannot act outside God’s will. But this goes against the Bible: God’s will cannot be sin. God did not will "HaSatan" to tempt humanity. God is perfectly good and just, so He cannot will morally evil acts such as incest, murder, or rape.
Such sins exist because of human free will, not because God actively desires them to happen. Satan is an independent, fallen angel who chose evil, not God’s servant to encourage us to do evil things (Habakkuk 1:13, James 1:13).
Jews deny original sin and the fallen angel Lucifer; they believe evil comes from God despite James 1:13, 1 John 1:5, Habakkuk 1:13, and Deuteronomy 32:4.
In the Torah, Tehillim (Psalms) - Chapter 92:16 "To declare that the Lord is upright, my rock in Whom there is no injustice." evil is a synonym for injustice, why would He have a servant that does evil and tolerate it?
Jews are not Gods chosen people and they are not Americas ally.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23. You cannot be neutral to Jesus Christ. There is no neutrality in dealing with Jesus. If you are not for Him, you are against Him. If you are not seeking to gather faith and obedience from those around you, you are scattering people away from Him.
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