Antithesis at Reformed.org: "I am not hostile to Protestantism in general, and certainly not to Presbyterianism, to which I owe a great debt. I came to believe that Christ's Church subsists in Catholicism, which is why it has been so successful in defending orthodoxy and in standing against the tides of Christian sectarianism and atheistic modernism. Catholicism offers orthodoxy, universality, and stability.
Conversion was not an easy decision; the agonizing process lasted nearly three years. My final step was taken out of a conviction of truth, and it was a step I shall never regret."
3 comments:
Ok dumb question time...
So what IS the difference between the beliefs of a Catholic and a Christian. I feel stupid asking since I am a Christian. I'm just curious why I hear so much about Catholics not truly being saved. Are there any major differences in our beliefs?
PS... Don't tell any Christians I asked a Catholic first... ;o)
Some Protestant Christians ALLEGE that Catholics depend on themselves, or the Pope, or works, or.....something else for salvation instead of Christ. This is false, and a gross misrepresentation of what we believe about who Christ is, about the grace of God, and what we do in obedience to what Christ taught us.
Our beliefs are summed up briefly in the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds, to which most Christians assent. If I were to pick only one major difference that divides Protestants and Catholics, it would be in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A secondary difference would be in our acknowledgement of the communion of saints--we believe that those in heaven are still a part of our lives, in some way, and may be asked to pray for us as we ask those on earth to pray for us (known as the intercession of the saints). Related to this is a misunderstanding of the role of Mary in salvation history and in the lives of believers today.
A more thorough treatment of these issues is waaaaaaaaaay too long for a combox, so you can look through the archives here for more information, or a site like this http://scripturecatholic.com/ or this http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/
And thanks for asking! Promise I won't tell. But just a note--Catholics are Christians, so it might be more accurate to speak of the differences as Protestant beliefs and Catholic beliefs, rather than the way you asked, which seems to say that Catholics AREN'T Christians. I'm not mad, just pointing out a language oddity...
Thank you for your explanation. I will read through the sites you mentioned. I did not mean to imply Catholics were not Christians I just didn't know another way to ask it, I'm sorry.
Thanks again.
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