Since the previous two issues had discussed the differences in the distribution of world religions and the origins between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, two Uighurs had privately addressed the distinction between Christianity, Protestantism and Catholicism, and wished to talk about the situation of Christian sects in the country. The author consulted some relevant materials and some contacts to make a relatively concise answer to the above questions. Simply speaking, the difference between Christian denominations is fundamentally a difference in spiritual issues.
The statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is 38 meters high, weighs more than a thousand tons, and with its open arms, from a distance, looks like a huge cross solemn and majestic.
Definition of Christianity
Due to historical reasons, the term "Christianity" is used in Chinese academia in a confusing and narrow sense. Christianity in the broad sense refers to all denominations that believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, that is, including the three major denominations of Catholicism, Orthodox, Protestant and other small denominations; Christianity in the narrow sense refers to Protestantism among them. However, in the Chinese circles, it has long been customary to call Protestantism Christianity, and the Protestant churches on the mainland have never called themselves Protestant, but only Christianity or Jesusism, while the Roman Catholic Church is called Catholicism and orthodoxy is called Orthodox.
The Last Supper before the death of Christ Jesus.
All denominations of Christianity believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, and all use the Bible, also known as the Old and New Testament, as the scriptures, in which the new testament chapters are the same, while the Old Testament is different, and the Orthodox and Catholic churches have several more chapters than Protestantism. In fact, the three major denominations of Protestantism, Catholicism and Orthodoxy have a common origin, after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus, pentecost Holy Spirit poured down, the first church was established under the leadership of the apostles, that is, the first church, the first church was dominated by Jews, but then it disappeared, the history is only 60 years.
Christianity in the broad sense includes the three major schools of Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism and other small denominations; Christianity in the narrow sense refers to Protestantism.
The denominational inheritance of Christianity
Subsequently, the great task of Christian missionary work fell to the apostles Paul and Peter, but at this time, due to the death of Jesus, Christianity was separated from Judaism and freed from the shackles of Jewish law and Jewish ancestry, and the object of mission was changed from the original "Jews" to "non-Jews". Moreover, Paul codified Christian doctrine into the New Testament in writing, and together with Peter led the "Apostolic Order of Christ" to the Roman Empire. Since then, the composition of the church has changed, and the main body is the Gentiles of the Roman Empire, the predecessor of Catholicism.
Saint Paul codified Christian doctrine into the New Testament in writing, and together with Peter led the "Apostolic Order of Christ" to the Roman Empire.
Catholicism is divided into three stages: early Catholicism, early Roman Catholicism, and late Roman Catholicism. The first Catholic Church lasted from 98 to 312 AD, this period is also known as the age of the Church Fathers, the Catholic Church as a whole was in a weak position, and when the Roman Empire spread the Christian faith, it was subjected to various cruel persecutions at the beginning, and many Christians were martyred, at this time the Catholic Church was pious and strong in coercion.
From 312 AD to 476 AD, it was the early Roman Catholic period. The symbol of this time is that in 313 AD, Constantine the Great gave the Catholic Church the status of "state religion", and even let the Church hold the judicial power, the Catholic Church began to merge with the secular power, began to corrupt the status of the Religion, and even let the Church hold the judicial power, the Catholic Church began to merge with the secular power, began to degenerate.
In 337 AD, Constantine the Great was blessed with Christianity on his deathbed, and his conversion became a historical watershed for Christianity.
In 337 AD, Constantine the Great was blessed with Christianity on his deathbed, and his conversion became a historical watershed in Christianity, which replaced Old Roman religion as the dominant Roman Empire. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and the entry of European history into the Middle Ages (476-1453 AD) of religious darkness, Catholicism actually held the right to rule Europe for nearly a thousand years, and the kings of the countries needed papal appointments to be legitimate, and Catholicism in this period was even more degenerate.
In 1054, the first Great Schism of Christianity was divided into two major sects, the Greek Orthodox Church (The Orthodox Church of the East) and the Catholic Church of Rome (the Roman Universal Church).
In 1054, the first Great Schism of Christianity was divided between the Eastern and Western Churches, the Greek Orthodox Church (the Eastern Orthodox Church) and the Roman Catholic Church (the Roman Catholic Church). As for the reasons for the split, I will not read too much here, after all, it is not the focus of this article. At present, The Orthodox Church is distributed in Eastern Europe and Russia, while the Catholic Church is distributed in Western Europe, and with the rise of Western Europe, the influence of Catholicism on the world is even greater. The Orthodox Church does not have the Pope, the supreme spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, but there are 14 ecumenical Patriarchs of the Autonomous Church as the nominally highest-ranking clerics of the Orthodox Church, representing the spiritual leaders of the Orthodox Church. Other aspects are much the same as Catholicism.
The Second Schism of the Christian Church in the 16th century saw Protestantism split from Catholicism such as Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed.
As for Protestantism, it was born in the 16th century after the Second Great Schism between the Old and New Churches (also known as the Reformation), which was caused by the fight against the corruption of the Catholic Church, with Pope Leo X sending Deicher to Germany in 1517 to sell indulgences as a trigger, and with Martin Luther posting the Ninety-Five Theses against the sale of indulgences in front of the Wittenberg Church, the Reformation movement officially broke out, in addition to Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, who advocated justification by faith and exaltation of the Bible. From Catholicism, sects such as Lutheranism (Lutheranism), Anglicanism (Anglicanism), Reformed (Calvinism), Presbyterianism, Baptistism, Congregationalism, and Wesleyanism were splintered.
Many branches of Christianity are the product of the two Great Schisms of Christianity.
These Protestant denominations subsequently became the mainstream sects in Britain, the United States and other countries outside Europe, and the current Chinese church is mainly Protestant. Of course, in addition to this larger denomination, Protestantism also divided into many small denominations and church groups, but the overall influence was small, until the second half of the 19th century, when the evangelical church across traditional denominations sprung up and expanded its influence.
The Pope of Rome met for the first time in nearly a thousand years with the Orthodox Patriarch
Therefore, in summary, it can be seen that both Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism are split from Christianity (Catholicism) and still have great ties with Catholicism, such as the doctrines of "Trinity", "Original Sin theory", "Justification by Faith", "Forgiveness of Sins", and "Revelation of Sins" by God, which are commonly believed by all denominations, but they have different emphases on doctrinal details and interpretations, as well as the implementation of truth, and there are also some unique doctrines.
The Protestant and Catholic Bibles differ in the number of Old Testament books. Protestantism has 39 volumes, Catholicism has 46 volumes, and Catholicism has collected more books such as the Book of Maccabees
Here are the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism
The first is about the Bible
The Protestant and Catholic Bibles differ in the number of Old Testament books. Protestantism is 39 volumes, Catholicism is 46 volumes, and Catholic scriptures include the Book of Maccabees, etc., but these scriptures are regarded as sub-scriptures by Protestantism and have no income. In terms of biblical status, Protestantism believes that the Bible is written by God-inspired man, is inerrant, is the supreme authority of faith, and that no theological work or church tradition can override it, and believers can interpret the Bible according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church does not deny the authority of the Bible, but it also emphasizes the ecclesiastical tradition, which also has authority in faith. The Catholic Church believes that ordinary believers cannot interpret the Bible, and that the interpretation of the Bible is in the hands of church leaders.
Protestantism holds that the Bible was written by God-inspired man, is infallible, is the supreme authority of faith, and that no theological writings or ecclesiastical traditions can override it.
The second is about doctrine
Protestantism emphasizes "justification by faith," arguing that salvation does not depend on works such as religious rituals, but by faith, and that actions come from faith. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, believes that in addition to faith ( faith ) , it is necessary to do good works according to God's will, to do sacraments , and to constantly repent to the priest for salvation , which can be summed up as "justification by works." The Catholic Church also has the view of purgatory, which holds that there is a middle ground between heaven and hell, where people can go to heaven after purification, while Protestants deny this completely.
The third is about the church
There is only one Church in the Catholic Church, whose leader is the Pope, and there is a unified leading body of the world, the Holy See, and the parishes and churches of all regions and countries around the world are generally under the leadership of the "Holy See", and the church has a strict organizational structure. The affairs of the Holy See and the dioceses are managed by the Pope, the Cardinal, the Patriarch, the Archbishop, the Bishop, the Priest and other priests at all levels. Protestantism believes that Christians are the church as long as they gather together to read, pray, and worship God, emphasizing that "all believers are priests", and church organizations are generally more flexible, using a variety of organizational systems, generally with pastors, deacons, elders, etc. Protestantism did not have a unified church, and there were many sects within it, mainly evangelicals and charismatics, and the protestant churches were relatively independent.
The Orthodox Church does not have the Supreme Spiritual Leader Pope like the Catholic Church, but there are clergy with the highest nominal status, the 14 universal Patriarchs of the Autonomous Church.
The fourth is about the clergy
As mentioned earlier, the Catholic Church has a system of clergy, these clergy are of high status, and the Catholic Church believes that the clergy are God's representatives before man, have the authority to forgive sins, have the authority to interpret the Bible, and ordinary believers are required to repent to the priest. The status of the pope is even higher than that of the impossibly high, he is the head of the universal church, the agent of Christ, the key to the "gates of heaven", traditionally, there is also a "papal infallibility", that the pope can not make mistakes, so that the status of the pope has been close to God; and in Protestantism, it is emphasized that each believer is guided by the Holy Spirit and faces God alone, and the clergy, mainly priests, deacons, and teachers, are not very different from ordinary believers, they are more helpers of believers' faith.
Protestantism believes that believers can communicate with God simply by trusting in Jesus Christ and looking exclusively to Him, without going through any angels or saints.
The fifth is about the mediator
Protestantism believes that believers can communicate with God simply by trusting in Jesus Christ and looking exclusively to Him, without going through any angels or saints. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, believes that in addition to Christ as the mediator, it is necessary to add the intercession of angels and the saints, who pay special attention to the Virgin Mary, saying: No one can approach Christ without Mary. All the gifts of Christ's death and blood were distributed and given by Mary, effectively placing Mary in the position of a mediator that only Christ could serve as a god. The Catholic Church also worships other saints, believing that they are also mediators.
Catholicism has seven holy rites, including baptism, anointing with holy oil, eucharist (Mass, or communion), wedding, confession (confession), ordination (also known as divine works), and funeral rites.
The sixth is about the sacristy
Catholicism has seven sacraments, including baptism, anointing with holy oil, eucharist (Mass, or communion), wedding, confession (confession), ordination (also known as divine works), and final futurism (funeral). Protestantism, on the other hand, retains only two sacraments, the Eucharist and baptism, and the understanding of the Communion is very different. The Catholic Communion holds that the Lord's redemption was not accomplished once on the cross and was accomplished by receiving the Communion, which is effectively equivalent to sacrifice. While Protestantism holds that Christ has completed salvation for the first time on the cross, the Eucharist is merely a remembrance of salvation.
The Vatican was originally the center of the medieval papal state, which was withdrawn to the Vatican in 1870 after the annexation of the territory of the pope to Italy; it became an independent state in 1929.
Thus, through the above six main differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, we will find that there are also no small differences between the two in terms of ceremonies, churches, festivals, political participation, spiritual practice (Catholics have monasteries), etc., of course, there are some other differences, and it is a long story to elaborate. As for political participation, Protestantism advocates "separation of church and state", while Catholicism has long advocated the unity of church and state, and although it is not superficially linked to politics, the degree of implicit participation in politics still exists. In particular, the Holy See, headed by the Pope, is located in the Vatican, which is an independent country in itself, a heavenly dynasty in the city of Rome.
Protestantism has removed the artificial traditions and interpretations of the Catholic Church, removed the cumbersome rituals of the Catholic Church, and restored the basic truths/doctrines of the Bible.
There is no absolute good or bad, only adaptation
Compared with the Bible, we will find that Protestantism has more progressive significance in history, removing the artificial traditions and interpretations in the Catholic Church, removing the cumbersome rituals of the Catholic Church, restoring the basic truths/doctrines of the Bible, the way of worship and the organization of the church, etc., and also restoring the vitality of the faith.
The Middle Ages in Europe began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and ended with the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453 AD, an era of Catholic rule.
Catholicism, on the other hand, made some contributions to the spread of Christianity in the early days and in preserving the seeds of the Gospel, but due to the practice of faith that promoted false doctrines, and gradually merged with the secular regime, it degenerated into a human religion. In the dark Middle Ages, the Inquisition, religious wars, and political persecution caused by Catholicism claimed many lives, and there was also a struggle for power and profit within the Church, during which a number of extremely depraved popes appeared, which was a great irony of the "papal infallibility".
The President of Bolivia sent a gift from the visiting Catholic Pope: a cross made of sickles and hammers, which stunned the Pope.
Of course, Catholicism is not without merit, Catholicism emphasizes good deeds, good deeds, unity of the church, respect for the traditions of the church, the most basic, Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God and other gospel messages are still there, so there are still a group of devout believers in the church. The current situation is that the upper echelons of the Catholic Church, because of their union with the secular regime, live a life of luxury, and there are still a number of true believers in the lower and middle classes.
Protestantism is also not perfect, its Reformation is not complete, although it exalts the Bible, but the words of the Bible are not fully observed.
Protestantism is not perfect, its Reformation is actually not complete, although the Bible is exalted, but the words of the Bible are not fully observed, taking the office of the church as an example, the Protestant Reformation established pastors, teachers and deacons, but the apostles and prophets, these two positions were not restored, there is the separation of church and state, Protestantism at the beginning of the more emphasis on this principle, and later also more political participation. In addition, the church has a large number of denominations, not as good as the Catholic Church, and is currently mainly divided into evangelicals and charismatics, one emphasizing the Bible and the other emphasizing the Holy Spirit, which has caused many disputes and divisions to the church, and has also led to the birth of many heretics and extremes, such as Korea, where there are many "cults".
The last issue review: The historical origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which occurred between relatives in the "Three Kingdoms Killing."
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