WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS?

Thanks to the grace of the ecumenical movement, Catholics and Protestants treat each other as friends in Christ, and are growing to appreciate each other’s gifts. These are some of the main differences that remain:

1. Scripture, Tradition and Authority. Both Catholics and Protestants accept Scripture as the authoritative, inspired Word of God, but clearly Scripture does not have an answer to every question, especially those that arose after it was written. The Catholic approach to Scripture is based on two things: a) contemplation: the whole body of Christians meditates on Scripture, and over a period of time comes to see deeper meanings in it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This process, of course, begins with Jesus himself, and the apostles, who interpret the Old Testament in the light given by the Holy Spirit; b) authority: Peter and the apostles were given authority by Christ to interpret his teachings for the good of the whole Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Until the Protestant Reformation, all Christians (more or less) accepted that this power had been passed on by the apostles to their successors, and so on. Protestants denied this, and so are left with an individual interpretation of Scripture which can also be very literal.

For example: at a certain point the question will have been raised in the early Church, can children, even babies, be baptised? Scripture itself does not answer this question directly, so there was bound to be disagreement. Some would say, no, baptism is clearly for adults on profession of faith. The Church, under the guidance of its leaders and after much thought and prayer, said yes, since Christ instructed that children be brought to him, and baptism is necessary for salvation. Protestants, however, left to their own devices, so to speak, could not find in the literal text of Scripture any justification for baptising children, hence the position of Baptists and others.

2. Holistic. Catholic thought tends to be “both and” rather than “either or”. So, to continue the example, we would agree that baptism is primarily for adults, but also for children: not “either – or”. In the field of evangelisation, Catholics would say it is both about personal conversion and changing society: not either / or. Protestant thought tends to be confrontational and to assert some things as against others.

3. Sacramental. Catholics have a sacramental view of things, a sacramental imagination as someone has put it. That means we use material things as gateways to God, in the sacraments themselves (bread, wine, water, oil, etc.), and in art – stained glass, icons, statues, religious art, etc. Protestants tend not to be very happy with this as they think there is a danger of confusing the image with the reality.

4. Mediating. Catholics believe that God delights in using others to help us on the road to salvation, for example, when we ask for their prayers, or through the use of special people such as priests or spiritual directors. That does not mean at all that we do not believe a person can go directly to God: far from it, as we are each his sons and daughters with a unique relationship with our Father. Once again, it is “both- and”, not “either – or”. As human beings are made for communion, not only with God but with each other, it seems highly appropriate for God to use others to help us. This extends beyond death, since Catholics believe the saints are alive in God’s presence and are actively concerned to help us, so we can ask for their prayers. Protestants stress the one-to-one relationship with God of each individual, and are not happy about praying to saints as they fear this detracts from worshipping God alone. However, Catholics make a clear distinction between worship, which is for God alone, and honour which can be given to the saints.

5. Gradual. Catholics stress the gradual growth in holiness which is necessary if we are to share communion with an all-holy God. Protestants tend to emphasise the initial moment of conversion. The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory fits in here, since we believe that many people can be saved but are not ready for full communion with God when they die, hence they need purifying.

6. Participatory. Catholics believe that it is important we manifest our salvation by good works, which can help us on the road to salvation. Historically Protestants have stressed the all-importance of faith rather than good works. However, this difference has largely been resolved now by, for example, agreed statements between Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans. It is clear that Catholics also stress the importance of faith, and that Protestants do not deny we must do good works. Perhaps Catholics stress more that our good works, and those of the saints, can share in the redeeming work of Christ, but only because God delights to use us in the work of redemption, and wants to give us the dignity of participating in it, not in any sense as a substitute for the unique redeeming work of Christ. Thus we believe, for example, that someone’s suffering can help the redemption of others if they freely offer it in union with Christ’s suffering on the Cross.