Differences Between Catholics and Protestants

If you have ever wondered about the differences between Catholics and Protestants, this article will tell you more about the differences between these two Christian religions.

We conducted a survey to find out all the differences between these two churches, and there are many...

The most obvious differences between the Protestant and Catholic churches are in their religious worship. However, they go far beyond that. The history, objects of worship, and hierarchy within the church are also different. Sometimes the differences are subtle, but sometimes they are glaring.

In this article, you will discover:

• The history of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church;
• The foundations of faith;
• The object of worship;
• The hierarchy of the Church;
• Worship.

And if you would like to learn more about the difference between the Catholic and Orthodox religions, here is an article that provides more information:

• The difference between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity

Without further ado, let's dive into the topic and discover the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism.

The history of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church

The Catholic Church is undoubtedly the first true manifestation of the Christian religion. For centuries, it established itself as the one and only institution that preached the gospel. But due to questionable practices within the Church, it eventually lost its hegemony. This is how the Reformed churches came into being.

The first Christian communities

The Christians of the first century were mainly made up of the disciples of Jesus and their descendants. They made it their mission to preach the good word wherever they went. They decided to begin their long journey in the Roman world.

It was not until the 2nd and 3rd centuries that we can really speak of a Church. Before that, Christian communities were associated with sects that had emerged from Judaism. On the other hand, we do not know exactly when Christianity was separated from Judaism. However, we do know that all Christians of the time eventually unified.

The Catholic Church since Constantine

Constantine was the emperor who decided to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity. This decision allowed the Christian religion to gain strength. In fact, since this event, the vast majority of the Roman population had converted to Christianity. From then on, Catholic churches began to take shape. The hierarchy of religious leaders began to take form. The pope, monks, and bishops could now officiate, and their status was officially recognized.

Between 800 and 1300, we witnessed what is commonly known as the “hegemony of the Church in Europe.” During this period, the most significant events were:

• The separation of the Eastern and Western Churches;
• The affirmation of the papacy;
• The impact of the Church on society, culture, and customs.

We will not dwell on these events, as they have no bearing on the subject that really interests us.

The crisis of the Catholic Church

Between 1300 and 1500, the Church faced a major crisis.

The pope's authority was increasingly coming under attack. At the same time, the West was becoming less and less convinced of the future of Christianity.

These circumstances (combined with a series of events) gave rise to the idea that reform was necessary, which led to the birth of the Protestant churches.

The Protestant Reformation

When we talk about the Protestant Reformation, the first names that come to mind are Martin Luther and John Calvin. The former was the founder of the Lutheran Church, and the latter of the Protestant Church.

The need for religious reform was largely justified by the bad practices within the Church. But added to this were false doctrines. Indeed, the Church was accused of selling salvation in order to fill its coffers.

All these scandals eventually gave rise to several reformed churches. Apart from Lutherans and Calvinists, there were also Presbyterians and Anabaptists. In England, the Anglican Church was born.

It is important to note that the Catholic Church was also forced to make changes within itself. This Catholic reform was initiated by Pope Paul III in 1545 and was, in a way, a response to Protestantism. This counter-reform focused mainly on strengthening the foundations of the Catholic faith.

The foundations of the faith

The Gospel

The Protestant faith is based solely on the word of God. As a result, the Bible is the only reference in this religion. Believers do not engage in any practices that go beyond the texts of the Gospels. Moreover, Reformed theology makes the sacred texts the main object of study.

As for the Catholic faith, it is also based largely on the Bible. However, other sources corroborate their beliefs.

The Apocrypha

The Apocrypha are texts that are not included in the Bible but are believed to have been written by the same authors and therefore complement it. For Catholics, these pseudo-gospel texts have the same value as the biblical texts themselves. Their faith is partly based on these apocrypha, which is why they worship God in a different way from Protestants.

Traditions

Traditions are also one of the main pillars of Catholicism. Unlike the supposedly reformed religion, the Catholic faith attaches particular importance to traditions, which can sometimes date back several generations.

The object of worship

The Holy Trinity

Catholics, like Protestants, worship the Holy Trinity. For both denominations, the supreme God consists of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Catholic and Protestant believers worship and pray to each of these entities.

The Christian faith is largely centered on Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, it is said that he came to earth to guide humanity to salvation. For Protestants, only the Holy Trinity should be worshipped. But for Catholics, salvation and absolution from sins can also be obtained in other ways.

The Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart is a concept unique to the Catholic religion. Believers can pray to it and ask for its blessing. Among Protestants, this concept has no place, as it is not mentioned in the Bible.

The Virgin Mary

As the mother of God, the Virgin Mary is a specially privileged woman. For Protestants, her role ends there. But for Catholics, this title gives her divine powers. As a result, she is able to grant grace to believers who pray to her. The Catholic Church is very strict about the status and role of the Virgin Mary. Even today, she still plays a prominent role in Catholicism in general.

Saints

For Catholics, it is possible for ordinary people to eventually attain sainthood. Believers can then ask them for favors and pray to them.

The hierarchy of the Church

The pastorate

Reformed churches are generally led by a religious leader called a “pastor.” This person is considered a mere human being who acts as a servant of God. They do not have the power to absolve sins and do not need to take a vow of chastity.

The pope, bishops, and monks

The Catholic Church has a well-defined hierarchy. The pope is, in a sense, the supreme leader, and the bishops and monks are his subordinates. These titles allow them to absolve sins. In return, however, they must take a vow of chastity.

Worship

Among Catholics

Catholic religious services are generally quite long due to the prayers that are addressed to the various figures mentioned above. However, the ceremony is largely focused on the Holy Trinity. The sign of the cross is a gesture specific to the Catholic religion. It usually concludes all prayers.

Among Protestants

For Protestants, religious worship must always be centered solely on the Holy Trinity. Throughout the ceremony, believers invoke God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in succession. But worship generally sticks to these three figures.

Mixed worship

It is entirely possible for Catholic and Protestant believers to unite in the same prayer. This practice is commonly referred to as “mixed worship.” In this type of ceremony, only the foundations of the Christian faith in general are applied.

The authority of scripture

One of the major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism concerns the argument for the sufficiency and power of scripture. Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of the Creator's special revelation to humanity. Therefore, it teaches us all what is necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants consider the Bible to be the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. This ideology is commonly referred to as “Sola Scriptura.” It is one of the “five solas” that were invented by the Protestant Reformation. They were invented to summarize some important differences between Catholics and Protestants.

There are many verses in the Bible that establish its power and sufficiency for all matters of belief and practice. Two of the clearest are 16 and 17 of 2 Timothy 3: All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for convincing, for correcting, for instructing in righteousness. This is so that the man of God may be complete and well prepared for every good work.

Rejection of the Sola Scriptura Doctrine

On the other hand, Catholics reject the ideology of “sola Scriptura” and do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They believe that both the Bible and Roman Catholic sacred tradition are binding on Christians. Many Roman Catholic ideologies, such as purgatory, prayer to saints, worship or veneration of the Virgin Mary, etc.

The Roman Catholic Church's rejection of “sola Scriptura” and its insistence that the Bible and its “Sacred Tradition” have equal power. These compromise the sufficiency, power, and completeness of the Bible. The way the Scriptures are viewed is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

The rejection of Sola fide

A third fundamental difference between Catholicism and Protestantism concerns how one is saved. Another of the “five solas” of the Reformation was “sola fide” (by faith alone). It affirms the biblical ideology of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, and because of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, according to Roman Catholicism, man cannot be saved by faith in Jesus alone.

Catholics teach that to be saved, a Christian must have faith plus “meritorious works.” The seven sacraments are essential to the Roman Catholic ideology of salvation. These include baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and marriage.

Protestants believe that, based on faith in Jesus alone, believers are justified by the Creator. This is because all their sins were forgiven by the Savior on the cross and His righteousness was imputed to them. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that the righteousness of Christ is conferred on the believer by “grace through faith.” But that this is not sufficient in itself to justify the believer, who must “complete” the righteousness of the Savior conferred upon him through meritorious works.

The interpretation of the Bible in Catholicism and Protestantism

Catholicism teaches that only the Catholic Church can interpret the Bible correctly. Protestants, on the other hand, believe that the Bible teaches that the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in all believers. This enables them all to understand the message of the Bible. This is clearly seen in passages such as John 14:16-17. I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him, for he lives with you, and he will be in you. Although Catholicism teaches that only the Roman Catholic Church has the power and authority to interpret the Bible, Protestantism recognizes the biblical ideology of the priesthood of all believers. Individual Christians can trust the Holy Spirit to guide them in their personal reading and interpretation of the Bible.

Justification before God

Catholics and Protestants also differ on what it means to be justified before the Creator. For Catholics, justification is about being righteous and holy. They believe that belief in Christ is only the beginning of salvation and that the individual must build on it through good works. For “man must merit the divine grace of justification and eternal salvation.”

Of course, this view of justification contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture in passages such as Romans 4:1-12, Titus 3:3-7, and many others. In contrast, Protestants distinguish between the single act of justification when we are declared righteous and holy by God. This is based on our belief in the Savior's atonement on the cross.

And sanctification, which is the ongoing process by which we are made righteous, which continues throughout our earthly lives. While Protestants recognize that works are important, they believe that they are the result or fruit of salvation, but never a means of achieving it. Catholics confuse justification and sanctification into a single ongoing process, which leads to confusion about how one is saved.

Life after death

A fourth major distinction between Catholics and Protestants concerns what happens after death. Although both believe that nonbelievers will spend eternity in hell, there are quite a few significant and notable differences concerning what happens to believers. Drawing on their ecclesiastical traditions and reliance on non-canonical books, Catholics have developed the ideology of purgatory.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, purgatory is “a place or condition of temporary punishment for those who, having died, are not wholly free from venial sins.” In other words, they have not fully served the satisfaction due for their transgressions. In contrast, Protestants believe that we are justified by faith in the Messiah alone. And because Christ's righteousness is imputed to us when we die, we will go directly to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-10 and Philippians 1:23).

The Catholic doctrine of purgatory

The Catholic ideology of purgatory is even more troubling because Catholics believe that man must or can even pay or give satisfaction for his sins. This situation, along with their misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about how one is justified before the Lord. This results in a low regard for the sufficiency and effectiveness of the Messiah's atonement on the cross. The Roman Catholic view of salvation implies that the Savior's atonement on the cross was not sufficient payment for the sins of those who believe in Him.

A believer must atone for or pay for his sins either through acts of penance or through a period of purgatory. Yet the Bible continually teaches that only Jesus' death can satisfy or propitiate the Creator's wrath against sinners (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Our works of righteousness cannot add anything to what the Savior has already accomplished.

The Authority of the Pope

Roman Catholics believe that the pope is the head of the church worldwide. As the “Vicar of Christ,” the pope assumes the role of the Savior's earthly representative. He acts in his place to lead the church by determining what is true, right, and proper for all Catholics. According to church teaching, the pope is preserved from the possibility of error when he speaks on matters of faith and morals.

According to this tradition, the apostle Peter was ordained the first “Pope.” When Jesus said, “And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” tradition says that Peter became the bishop of Rome. Catholics believe that this power still exists today. Protestants, on the other hand, do not believe in a hierarchical structure that culminates in one person who can speak definitively and proclaim the truth without error.

Mary, the mother of Jesus for Catholics and Protestants

Mary plays a different role for Catholics and for most Protestants. Because she is the instrument through which God brought his Son into the world. Catholics honor her by giving her the titles “Mother of God” and “Mother of the Church.” Catholics consider her an example of faith and holiness. According to tradition, the Virgin was conceived and born without original sin.

Although Catholics have a special devotion to the Virgin, they do not worship or praise her as they do the Lord and the Incarnate Word. They pray to the Virgin as they pray to other saints, asking for her intercession or mediation for them with her Son, with whom she is in perfect communion. In other words, they ask the Virgin to pray for them.

In the same way that all Christians ask each other to pray for one another. For various reasons, although Protestants have a high regard for the Virgin, they do not have her in the same sense. In general, they do not pray to the Virgin or make her the focus of artistic or iconographic work as Roman Catholics do.

Catholic and Protestant worship

Roman Catholics embrace mystery, hierarchy, rituals, liturgy, structure, and more symbolic actions in their worship. Protestants, on the other hand, have developed a clear and simple worship focused on the Scriptures. For Catholics, the center of the Mass is the Eucharist or Holy Communion. For Protestants, the central moment of worship comes with the sermon, when the minister preaches from the Bible.

It is true that the above is a generalization for the sake of clarity and simplicity. However, an evangelical Protestant worship service today might consist almost entirely of modern songs. And on modern instruments in an auditorium with few religious symbols. But a Catholic service is likely to contain many complex elements. Elaborate and deeply meaningful to the participants.

The role of church tradition

Most of the variations between Protestants and Roman Catholics are based on a more fundamental distinction: the role of church tradition.

Protestants believe that the central authority for belief and practice is found in the Scriptures. While tradition, reason, and experience are important, Protestants tend to think that everything must be compared to the teachings of the Bible and ultimately superseded by them.

On the other hand, Roman Catholics adhere to many beliefs and practices that are not explicitly stated in Scripture. These traditions, along with the Scriptures, constitute a deposit of faith that has been handed down from the early apostles through the Magisterium of the Church. That is, the pope, the bishops, and the councils of the Church. Authority is found in the whole of the Bible, reason, and tradition. These three factors are seen as complementary rather than in tension.

Therefore, Roman Catholics consider certain practices and beliefs—such as papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the ideology of purgatory, priestly celibacy, and the distinction between mortal and venial sins—to be important to their belief. Protestants do not necessarily agree.

Recommendations based on the differences between the two religions

Although there are many other distinctions between Catholic and Protestant beliefs, these four should suffice to determine whether there are serious distinctions between the two. Like Judaizers, Catholics, by doing the works necessary to be justified by God, end up believing in a completely different gospel. The distinctions between Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism are striking and significant.

Our prayer is that the Lord will open the eyes of anyone reading this article who has placed their belief or trust in the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our hope is that all will understand and believe that their “works of righteousness” cannot justify or sanctify them (Isaiah 64:6). Rather, our prayer is that all will place their belief exclusively in the fact that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

The Creator predestined him as a propitiatory sacrifice through faith in his blood“ (Romans 3:24-25). God saves us ”not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).

While individuals may, of course, have their own specific beliefs, there are five essential differences between Protestants and Catholics.

Discover more articles on Christian religions

Now you know all the nuances between Protestants and Catholics. You know that the Catholic Church is the first true Christian Church, but that due to differences of opinion, reformed churches eventually emerged.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find other articles on the Christian faith on our website. We also have an excellent article that you might like, on the difference between meditation and prayer. Click here to read the article.