How does the Cathlic belief differ from Protestant? Could someone explain about the different rituals and rites? or suggest a good site?

As a former Catholic, I have a good deal of info for you. First Catholics believe that the eucharist literally transforms into the body and blood of Christ, whereas protestants believe that this is only symbolic. This is called transubstanciation (sp?). Catholics also believe that Peter, the first pope was ordained by Jesus, himself, and therefor every pope down to the priests, are all ordained, indirectly, by Christ. Catholics believe that priests have a direct link to God and can do all kinds of neat stuff, like blessings, and forgiveness of sins, exorcisms, etc. Catholics place faith in saints, and the virgin Mary and believe by praying to these entities, they can do the same kinds of things that only God or Jesus can do for the protestants (which also allows for easy syncritism with African and other polytheistic systems, thus Santeria). Catholics believe that good works and repentence before death will guarantee a ticket to heaven, as will the good word of a priest). Catholic priests are forbidden to fuck, or even jack off (although the Church doesn't seem to want to prosecute or persecute those that don't follow this). Catholics also use a slightly earlier form of the bible, and also determined (through various early councils) all the books that the protestants got to pick from.

There are many other differences, why don't you search on google?

quote:Originally posted by NChSh:

As a former Catholic, I have a good deal of info for you. First Catholics believe that the eucharist literally transforms into the body and blood of Christ, whereas protestants believe that this is only symbolic. This is called transubstanciation (sp?). Catholics also believe that Peter, the first pope was ordained by Jesus, himself, and therefor every pope down to the priests, are all ordained, indirectly, by Christ. Catholics believe that priests have a direct link to God and can do all kinds of neat stuff, like blessings, and forgiveness of sins, exorcisms, etc. Catholics place faith in saints, and the virgin Mary and believe by praying to these entities, they can do the same kinds of things that only God or Jesus can do for the protestants (which also allows for easy syncritism with African and other polytheistic systems, thus Santeria). Catholics believe that good works and repentence before death will guarantee a ticket to heaven, as will the good word of a priest). Catholic priests are forbidden to fuck, or even jack off (although the Church doesn't seem to want to prosecute or persecute those that don't follow this). Catholics also use a slightly earlier form of the bible, and also determined (through various early councils) all the books that the protestants got to pick from.

There are many other differences, why don't you search on google?

This is a good answer, but in my country the difference is mostly political and separatist, leading to extreme bigotry from both sides,

As far as im conserned, protestantism started in europe as a result of rebelion against the vatican corruption, and the pope requesting money before he would grant forgivness.

Protestantism began in britain however, because Henry the 8th wanted to divorce his wife and remmary

Henry the 8Th was a murdering bastard

quote:Originally posted by mister pointyhat:

Protestantism began in britain however, because Henry the 8th wanted to divorce his wife and remmary

I always thought there was a difference between Anglicism and Protestantism.

Maybe I'm wrong. Clarification would be appreciated.

I come form a similar situation as NChSh. I grew up protestant and became catholic as an adult. From my experience there is almost no difference between the two groups in what they believe about God. The dogma of the catholic church is spelled out in the Nicene Creed, excluding a few things about Mary.

As far as the rituals go, there is quite a great deal of difference. The catholic church does the same thing every week without a great deal of variation. Some protestant churches operate similarly, but a lot of them have no structured format. I have been to several different denominations' worship sevices and it was a total crap shoot as to what I was going to get.

quote:Originally posted by TigerJK:

I always thought there was a difference between Anglicism and Protestantism.

Maybe I'm wrong. Clarification would be appreciated.

Anglicans are almost the exact same thing as catholics, except the King of England is the head of the anglican church and the pope is the head of the catholic church.

Well, Jesus is the head of the church, but until he returns, the king and the pope are trying, unsuccessfully, to fill His shoes.

Catholics believe in not being giant pains in the ass that come to your door asking if you have found Jesus.

I may be wrong though.

quote:Originally posted by Gray Reaver:

Catholics believe in not being giant pains in the ass that come to your door asking if you have found Jesus.

I may be wrong though.



Eh, back in the Middle Ages the church would send priests door to door selling timed forgiveness for money.

Catholics believe whatever the Catholic "menacing pantheon of evil" Church tells them to.

You make it sound like catholics have no capacity for independent thought.

If they did, they probably wouldn't be Catholic in the first place now would they?

quote:Originally posted by whaziznaim:

You make it sound like catholics have no capacity for independent thought.

Whatever is now in the Catholic Church was true from everlasting to everlasting. It is quite simple. All that is needed is an unending series of victories over ones own memory. 'Reality control', they called it: in Newspeak, 'doublethink'.

To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again: and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself. That was the ultimate subtlety; consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed.

Even to understand the word 'doublethink' involves the use of doublethink.

What they do is partition their hard drive (brain) and keep one side totally independent of the other without either knowing of the otther's existence. They function as separate entities, that way one can appear to be intellegent, and then believe something that their lgic would refute, if the logical side of their hard drive was even cognizant of the belief sector of the hard drive.

It's like having a dual partition with Windows on one side (belief) and hard logic and independent reasoning on the other (Linux), with each OS (aspect of thought) being completely oblivious of the existence of the other.

This way, one's own beliefs never get exposed to the hardest rational scrutiny that one can ever face: ones own. If you don;t think about belief, it's the easiest thing ever. If you are conscious of your beliefs, and you are capable of rationally analyzing them and they are bound by the realm of rational discourse (aka. not "god can do anything, even violate the law of noncontradiction, case closed." refusal to think bullshit), the only thing application of reason to one's beliefs will serve is to increase the likelihood of them being doubted and subsequentially discarded in favor for views that model reality.

[This message has been edited by Dark_Magneto (edited 07-12-2003).]