difference in believes

molly09

Hi

Can someone very simply explain wht is the difference between R.C. and protestant, church of ireland and presbyterian.

thanks

M

gimmebroadband

You might get some idea if read the Protestant/Catholic debate thread!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056276995

georgieporgy

It may work best if a representative of each religion explain the beliefs of their particular religion.

very briefly,Roman Catholics believe that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist which is kept in a tabernacle in every church. You can go into any catholic church and find Jesus right there in the flesh. You can have a two way conversation with him.

In addition to that, every catholic priest has the power to forgive sins (he has the power of attorney from God so to speak).

None of the other denominations believe in these 2 points. There's quite a bit more to it than that but if you really want to know more you need to buy a good book or two.

antiskeptic

molly09 wrote: »

Hi

Can someone very simply explain wht is the difference between R.C. and protestant, church of ireland and presbyterian.

thanks

M

Most simply, CoI, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, Evangelical .. and a host of other denominations.. can be bundled into a grouping called 'Protestant'. They can be bundled so because they are united in their views on core essentials (such as the means whereby a person is saved or the nature of the relationship between the believer and God)

They would be called 'Protestant' because they all stem from a split that occurred in the church in the early 16th century (referred to as the Protestant Reformation) in which the revolters protested against the Roman Catholic church - first against it's practices, then against the doctrines that enabled such practices.

Bob Cratchet

Although they can't readily agree among themselves either, most of the 33,000 + and growing different Protestant denominations follow the doctrines of the five solas to some extent or another.
The five solas were invented and promoted by political malcontents who sought power in the 15th Century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas

molly09

"the revolters protested against the Roman Catholic church - first against it's practices, then against the doctrines that enabled such practices"

but what practices and doctrines did they rebel against


Also why is Ireland such a catholic crountry compared to the Uk

did not as many people in ireland change all thoes years ago]


sorry these questions may seem silly, but I am just interested and trying to get my head around it


thanks for all replies

PDN

molly09 wrote: »

"the revolters protested against the Roman Catholic church - first against it's practices, then against the doctrines that enabled such practices"

but what practices and doctrines did they rebel against

There were several practices and doctrines to which they objected.

One was the idea that the Church authorities could dictate how the Bible must be interpreted. The reformers held that if they felt the plain sense of the Bible said one thing, and if the Church said something else, then they should reject the Church's interpretation.

Another issue was about who has the power to forgive sins. At the time of the Reformation there was a money raising scheme that guaranteed people instant release from purgatory if they gave money to the Church. (The sales pitch was a jingle that ran: "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs." The reformers objected to this and argued that sins were forgiven by placing one's faith in Christ, not in any ritual or by giving money.

These led to other differences of opinion including the rejection of Papal authority, of compulsory celibacy for clergy etc.

Also why is Ireland such a catholic crountry compared to the Uk

did not as many people in ireland change all thoes years ago]

That's a great question, and in fact it was a subject of my Master's thesis many years ago!

Basically, there was no real reformation in Ireland in the sense of trying to win hearts and minds. The English attempted to suppress Catholicism by force - and such efforts are usually counterproductive. The best way to ensure the growth of a religion is for it to be legally oppressed - especially by unpopular foreigners.

molly09

that is great, thanks for all the info,

It is so interesting and makes so much sense

M