Catholic Vs Protestants | Top 10 Differences between Catholics and Protestants

Let's explore the Top 10 differences between Catholic and Protestant Christians

1. The Split  (The Origin of Catholics and Protestants)

The history of the Roman Catholic Church begins with the teachings of Jesus Christ and he lived in the first century CE in the province of Judea of the Roman Empire.

Now a contemporary Catholic Church says that it's simply just a continuation of that early Christian community that was established at the time of Jesus.

However over time there were certain inconsistencies that were notice in the church that led to our Reformation.

This Reformation began in the year 1517 when a German monk named Martin Luther. He began to protest the Catholic Church his followers were then later called protest dense or Protestants as we kind of pronounce it today.

Now many people and governments they started to adopt the new Protestant ideas and these ideas were seen to be more in line with what the Bible was actually teaching versus what the Roman Catholic Church was doing.

There still were those who remained faithful to the Catholic Church but this led to the split.

2. The Pope

Catholics They have a pope and the Pope is considered Vicar for Christ which pretty much is an infallible representative that heads the church.

Now the Pope is also like a chief pastor of the Catholic Church globally and is also the head of state of the Vatican City State.

Protestants On the other hand don't believe that human can be infallible and they hold a view that only Jesus is the head of the church.

3. The Eucharist

When we talk about the Eucharist Protestants usually call it the Lord's Supper or communion Eucharist is normally used in Catholicism.

Either way in the Roman Catholic Church they have the doctrine of transubstantiation. 

It's pretty much the belief that the edible substance and the drink that's used during the Mast literally becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Most Protestants view the Lord's Supper or you can call the Eucharist but they view this as a commemoration of Jesus's death and that whatever is eaten and drank at that time are simply symbols of the body and blood of Jesus and nothing more.

Some Protestants however they hold a view of consubstantiation and that is pretty much that the body and blood of Jesus are seen to coexist so existing pretty much at the same time as the bread and the wine that's drank.

But the bread and the wine stay completely separate. It's almost as if Jesus is present he's covering the bread and the wine as they eat it.

4. Praying to Saints

Roman Catholics have the doctrine of intercessory prayer to Saints.

Saints are those people by the way who are viewed as holy who have passed away and you can pray to them in addition to praying to Jesus as well as directly to God the Father.

Praying to the Saints can also be more like praying through them and it that's kind of similar to asking a fellow church member to pray for you or pray for you and your family.

Protestants - There's no equivalent to this kind of veneration of saints and Protestants they really put a lot of emphasis that anyone can actually go and have direct access to God when they pray.

They don't need to pray through no saints or anybody else.

6. Authority of the Churches 

The Catholic Church claims to be God's continuing voice on the earth so the Bible is completely under its supreme authority and this is why the Roman Catholic Church also believes that they can include a lot of traditions along with what the Bible teaches.

Speaking of that the first Vatican Council has this specific claim.

It is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Roman Catholic Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed but sacred tradition transmits in its full purity God's Word which was entrusted to the Apostles.

Protestant Church  -  Protestants hold of view that each individual has the authority to interpret the Bible as well as there's a lot less different traditions that are added to the Bible.

So that's how the Protestants and Catholics they differ when it comes to the point of authority. 

Protestants says like hey the Bible teaches this you know you can't be adding traditions to it.

6. Sacraments

Catholics are the only ones that have a concept of seven sacraments and those are 

• Baptism 
• Confirmation 
• The Eucharist 
• Penance 
• Anointing of sick people 
• Holy Orders 
• Matrimony 

now on the other hand 

Many Protestant denominations such as those that are within the reformed tradition they identify two main sacraments that they believe were instituted by Jesus Christ himself and those are 

• The Eucharist or the Lord's Supper or communion 
• Baptism

7. Salvation

Protestants  usually express the idea that when it comes to salvation that is done only by faith in Jesus.

So once a person puts their faith in Jesus then God declares them as righteous right there on the spot.

In the Roman Catholic Church it's a little bit different they viewed justification which is pretty much the act of declaring or making someone righteous in the eyes of God.

They view that as a process and is fully dependent on the grace that they receive by participating in various church traditions.

8. Priesthood

Now in Protestantism they have sort of like a horizontal structure of what they call priesthood because pretty much everybody is a priest.

Now often the scripture from the Bible that is quoted says this 

"but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light".

So it's more of like not necessarily a class of people but pretty much like a distinct group of people because yes you've found favor in the eyes of God.

In Catholicism priesthood is completely different like priests are a class of ordained ministers that have authority to forgive and withhold forgiveness through the sacraments as well as through penance and other Catholic traditions.

9. Traditions

Protestants they don't hold a view that tradition is equal with the authority of the scripture.

Roman Catholics actually have a different perspective on this the Catholic catechism which pretty much sums up in a book the beliefs of The Catholic Church says 

"this it says that the church does not derive her certainty about all revealed truth from the Holy Scriptures alone both Scripture and tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."

For Protestants the only hold of view that Scripture is authoritative - no other external tradition.

It actually is one of the biggest differences and bones of contentions when it comes to the Catholic Church and Protestant churches.

10. Mary

Catholics Mary is not only the mother of Jesus Christ but also the mother of the entire church.

According to Catholic doctrine Mary was conceived without original sin and that's known as the Immaculate Conception and at the end of her earthly life that she was taken up body and soul into heaven and then that's where she was exalted as the Queen over all things.

That doctrine by the way is a doctrine of assumption and then from there on she continues to intercede for the entire church. 

Protestants they only honor Mary as being the earthly mother of Jesus Christ and they believe that she like everyone else sinned and needs salvation.

Protestants also don't believe that Mary was taken up to heaven but rather that she passed away and she's waiting in her grave until the day of resurrection.

 Just like that we ends up our writing on the 10 differences between Catholics and Protestant Christians.