Catholicism vs Protestant – What Are the Differences and Similarities Introduction Have you ever wondered what the differences between Catholics and Protestants? I met faithful and holy Catholic priests—one of whom has valiantly defended the faith for years, drawing punitive opposition from his own religious superiors, as well as the ire of Chicago’s archbishop. Centuries later, ¬American Presbyterians converted my father's great-¬grandmother from Coptic ¬Orthodoxy to ¬Protestantism. Centuries later, ­American Presbyterians converted my father’s great-­grandmother from Coptic ­Orthodoxy to ­Protestantism. Two of his ideas were pivotal for me: his theory of doctrinal development and his articulation of the problem of private judgment. In time, I came to find their answers not only plausible, but more faithful to Scripture than the Catholic answers, and at least as well-represented in the traditions of the Church. If you want to really understand Christianity, you need to understand its various groups. Onsi A. Kamel I asked her like what??? . Faith is assent to the incontestable, self-evident truth of God's revelation, and reasoning becomes an excuse to refuse to bend the knee. In 2012, there were more than 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide. Answer: This is a simple question with a complicated answer, because there are varying degrees of, and reasons for, animosity between any two religious groups. Reacting against the middle-aged leaders of the inaptly named "Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement," I sought refuge in that other great ¬Western ¬theological tradition: ¬Roman ¬Catholicism. St. John Chrysostom’s teaching on repentance and absolution—“Mourn and you annul the sin”—would have been more at home in Geneva than Paris. Question: "Catholic vs. Protestant – why is there so much animosity?" Thank you so much for posting! Catholicism Made Me Protestant by Onsi A. Kamel. Here was a man obsessed with the same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority. Like all accounts of God’s faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. My cousin told me that Catholicism has man made laws, rules, that are not in the Bible. I had learned just how wretched a sinner I was: No good work was unsullied by pride, no repentance unaccompanied by expectations of future sin, no love free from selfishness. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation began. In this state, I picked up my copy of that arch-heretic Luther and read his explanation of Thesis 37: “Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.” With these words, Luther transformed my understanding of justification: Every Christian possesses Christ, and to possess Christ is to possess all of Christ’s righteousness, life, and merits. Like their opponents, Protestants had appealed to Scripture and tradition. 36. I was captivated by the holy martyrs, relics, Mary, and the Mass. The Anglican divine Richard Hooker quoted Irenaeus, ¬Chrysostom, ¬Augustine, and Pope Leo I as he rejected doctrines and practices because they were not grounded in Scripture. Hence, the fittingness of a divinely established living voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths. My ¬conversion would have to be rooted in my private ¬judgment--but, because of Rome's claim of infallibility, conversion would forbid me from exercising that faculty ever again on doctrinal questions. It started with the excitement of, “I am engaged! So, naturally, I wanted to help others to avoid a similar fate. I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church. How Protestants Made Me A Better Catholic April 9th, ... My father converted to Catholicism when he met a nice Catholic girl, my mom. John Henry Newman became my crucial interlocutor: More than in Ratzinger, Wojtyła, or Congar, in Newman I found a kindred spirit. When I arrived at the University of Chicago, I knew just enough about Calvinism to hold it in -contempt--which is to say, I knew very little. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour in March of 1978. My parents taught me to love God, revere the Scriptures, and seek truth through reason. Through Catholicism, I came into an inheritance: a past of saints and redeemed sinners from all corners of the earth, theologians who illuminated the deep things of God, music and art that summon men to worship God "in the beauty of holiness," and a tradition to ground me in a world of flux. This is the first of your three free articles for the month. :slight_smile: If you know someone who was raised Catholic or was active in the Catholic and church and became Protestant, I’m wondering what their reasoning was? During my first year of college, I became involved in campus Catholic life. Get a bi-weekly summary of Anglican news from around the world. How can a Protestant Bible school be the place where the gift of Catholic faith is forged? In his Apologia, Newman argues that man’s rebellion against God introduced an “anarchical condition of things,” leading human thought toward “suicidal excesses.” Hence, the fittingness of a divinely established living voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths. One Protestant gentlemen even told me that he couldn’t be Catholic because it was “the religion of the masses.” I asked him what he meant, and the term “Mexicans” was employed in his reply. Catholicism and Protestantism have distinct views on the meaning and the authority of the Bible. I will never forget the moment when, like Luther five hundred years earlier, I discovered justification by faith alone through union with Christ. The causes of any conversion (or near conversion) are many and confused. What I found shocked me. From high school into college, Dr. B— introduced me to Catholic thought and graciously helped me work through my doubts about Christianity. But I did not remain a Protestant merely because I could not become a Catholic. A year or two prior, I had decided that Trent was right about justification: It was entirely a gift of grace consisting of the gradual perfecting of the soul by faith and works--God instigating and me cooperating. . Like their pope-aligned opponents, they had asked questions about justification, the authority of tradition, the mode of Christ's self-gift in the Eucharist, the nature of apostolic succession, and the Church's wielding of the keys. Like all accounts of God's faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church. I had finally discovered the true ground and power of Protestantism: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song 2:16). They received from the past a set of magisterial documents that had to be weighed and interpreted, often over against living prelates. My Protestant Husband Led Me Back to the Catholic Church. 3:21–23). Faith is assent to the incontestable, self-evident truth of God’s revelation, and reasoning becomes an excuse to refuse to bend the knee. The battle between Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history. Not long after this, I began to notice discrepancies between Catholic apologists' map of the tradition and the terrain I encountered in the tradition itself. 3:21--23). The Christian church come into being almost immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, ca. © Virtueonline 2014 all rights reserved.570 Twin Lakes Rd.,P.O. Like their opponents, Protestants had appealed to Scripture and tradition. I had begun this arduous cooperation with God’s grace full of hope; by the time I sat in that dorm room alone, I was distraught and demoralized. ought consistently to be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained," I could not. The implication is that reason is unreliable in matters of revelation. Here was a man obsessed with the same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority. In his discourse on “Faith and Private Judgment,” Newman castigates Protestants for refusing to “surrender” reason in matters religious. This book sums up what made me leave the Roman church to begin with. And I just want to know, you know, how is it that…you know, cause I understand, I think the apologist online actually was…not a Pentecostal, but some sort of Protestant. While I was discovering that Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries (nor, in certain respects, with that of the seventh century through the twelfth), and as I was wrestling with Newman, I finally began reading the Reformers. Tim: Yeah, I was Assembly of God. I wept and showed forth God’s praise. What really made me decide to take the plunge, so to speak, was a conversation I had with a Protestant friend in the spring of my first year in South Bend. The Church of Rome could not be straightforwardly identified as catholic. In Jimmy Swaggart Made Me Catholic, Tim tells you his story . Catholicism Made Me Protestant The causes of any conversion (or near conversion) are many and confused. VirtueOnline is the Anglican Communion's largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year. Catholicism has given me an inspiration and meaning in my life that overwhelms me. I set about exploring, and I tried to bring others along. In middle school, my father introduced me to theology, and as a present for my sixteenth birthday he arranged a meeting between me and a Catholic philosopher, Dr. B--. The causes of any conversion (or near conversion) are many and confused. Catholicism had, by this time, reoriented my theological concerns around the concerns of the Church catholic. Christ had joined me to himself. At Lumen Christi events, I heard about saints and mystics, stylites and monastics, desert fathers and late-antique theologians. To me it seemed the ONLY time Protestants agreed was when they were denying Catholic doctrine. In retrospect, I see that Newman’s need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome’s claims of continuity with the ancient Church. I've posted an excerpt of the piece, but… Newman's arguments against private judgment therefore had a prima facie plausibility for me. These friends were devout, intelligent, and schooled in Christian history. On these two ideas hung all the claims of Rome. Are the Poor and Minorities Really Better off under Progressive Policy? Catholic Bible 101 - Catholic & Protestant - Catholicbible101 is the website that explains Catholic teachings in plain, easy to understand English. By the time my parents were ¬living in ¬twenty-first-century Illinois, their families' historic Reformed commitments had been replaced by non-denominational, ¬Baptistic ¬evangelicalism. Martin Luther, John Calvin, Richard Hooker, Herman Bavinck, Karl Barth—they wrestled with the concerns of the Church catholic and provided answers to the questions Catholicism had taught me to pose. What I found shocked me. In his discourse on "Faith and Private Judgment," Newman castigates Protestants for refusing to "surrender" reason in matters religious. I found in the Church a spiritual mother and the mother of all the faithful. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. St. Thomas’s doctrine of predestination, much to my horror, was nearly identical to the Synod of Dordt’s. One could only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome's meaningful continuity with what came before. To my mind she thinks/believes like a protestant. Her son became a Presbyterian minister in the Evangelical Coptic Church. Protestantism, movement that began in northern Europe in the early 16th century as a reaction to medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices. In middle school, my father introduced me to theology, and as a present for my sixteenth birthday he arranged a meeting between me and a Catholic philosopher, Dr. B—. Although a German, Martin Luther, was responsible for the … The phone conversation was mind boggling. How could a man who was bound and determined to prove the Catholic Church wrong ever be persuaded otherwise? St. Ambrose's doctrine of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther's sola fide than like Trent. For me, I can trace certain lines—a certain narrative—through nearly a decade’s long journey. . The issue of ecclesiastical authority was trickier for me. While I was discovering that Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries (nor, in certain respects, with that of the seventh century through the twelfth), and as I was wrestling with Newman, I finally began reading the Reformers. Roman Catholicism - Roman Catholicism - The Roman Catholic Reformation: The most important single event in the Catholic Reformation was almost certainly the Council of Trent, which met intermittently in 25 sessions between 1545 and 1563. Catholicism, which I took to be the Christianity of history, was a world waiting to be discovered. 3:27; 1 Cor. Posts about protestant written by Justin S. Steele, M.T.S. Lots of great Catholic links too. www.firstthings.com/article/2019/10/catholicism-made-me-protestant. During my first year of college, I became involved in campus Catholic life. But if I could not do these things, if my reason was unfit in matters religious, how was I to assess Newman's arguments for Roman Catholicism? I debated tradition with my mother, sola Scriptura with my then fiancée (now wife), and the meaning of the Eucharist with my father. Finally, the infighting among traditionalist, conservative, and liberal Catholics made plain that Catholics did not gain by their magisterium a clear, living voice of divine authority. I recognized the absurdity of a twenty-year-old presuming to adjudicate claims about the Scriptures and two thousand years of history. I had been assigned Luther’s Explanations of the Ninety-Five ­Theses, and I expected to find it facile. With Newman, I agonized over conversion. And at the time, though I wished to accept Newman’s proposal that “the early condition, and the evidence, of each doctrine . I set about exploring, and I tried to bring others along. The papacy’s bitter experiences with the conciliarism of the 15th century made the popes of the 16th century wary of any so-called reform … Without either of these commitments, I simply could not find a plausible reason to speak of "development" rather than "disjuncture," especially because what came before so often contradicted what followed. In the late seventeenth century, my mother's Congregationalist ancestors journeyed to the New World to escape what they saw as England's deadly compromise with Romanism. [See also: What Changed This Protestant’s Mind About the Eucharist] At that moment, the joy of my salvation poured into my soul. This form of Christianity dominated my Midwestern hometown. Back to the book. They also spoke to the deepest needs of sinful souls. October 2019. Catholicism will make a … The more I internalized ­Newman’s claims about private judgment, however, the more I descended into skepticism. For the first time in my life I am on board in my heart and mind. How could a just and loving God not reveal himself equally to everyone? The implication is that reason is unreliable in matters of revelation. I told her that we also go by tradition. The Anglican divine Richard Hooker quoted Irenaeus, ­Chrysostom, ­Augustine, and Pope Leo I as he rejected doctrines and practices because they were not grounded in Scripture. On these two ideas hung all the claims of Rome. But this notion exploded upon contact with the Protestantism of history. Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like Catholics. I had begun this arduous cooperation with God's grace full of hope; by the time I sat in that dorm room alone, I was distraught and demoralized. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. Six princes of the Holy Roman Empire and rulers of fourteen Imperial Free Cities, who issued a protest (or dissent) against the edict of the Diet of Speyer (1529), were the first individuals to be called Protestants. To become a Catholic Christian is to regain one’s Christian unity. In his Apologia, Newman argues that man's rebellion against God introduced an "anarchical condition of things," leading human thought toward "suicidal excesses." Over 40,000 different/opposing views of what is and is not essential for salvation. If you want this website to work, you must enable javascript. I was sitting in my dorm room by myself. St. John Chrysostom's teaching on repentance and absolution--"Mourn and you annul the sin"--would have been more at home in Geneva than Paris. One could only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome’s meaningful continuity with what came before. Article excerpt. Box 111Shohola, PA 18458. And, it was — until I made the phone call home. I recognized the absurdity of a twenty-year-old presuming to adjudicate claims about the Scriptures and two thousand years of history. Catholicism made me Protestant First Things ^ | 9/11/2019 ... music and art that summon men to worship God “in the beauty of holiness,” and a tradition to ground me in a world of flux. Richard Hooker interpreted the Church's traditions; Calvin followed Luther's Augustinianism, proclaimed the visible Church the mother of the faithful, and claimed for the Reformation the Church's exegetical tradition; Barth convinced me that God's Word could speak, certainly and surely, from beyond all created realities, to me. . Here we are going to help you to understand the two […] For me it wasnt about proving Catholicism wrong, it was the fact that i could not find a unified Protestant voice to prove Protestantism right. There is something truly joyous in discovering the real Catholic Church after one has the personal revelation that Christians are sinfully divided. For years, I had attempted to live out this model of justification. ought consistently to be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained,” I could not. What are we to make of the Bible’s creation stories and flood narrative? I am still trying to read and soak up understanding–I am just in awe over how much these teachings make sense. The ­magisterium of prior ages only multiplied the texts one had to interpret for oneself, for living bishops, it turns out, are as bad at reading as the rest of us. Finally, the infighting among traditionalist, conservative, and liberal Catholics made plain that Catholics did not gain by their magisterium a clear, living voice of divine authority. My evangelical upbringing had led me to believe that Protestantism entailed the rejection of these concerns. Primarily, you know, as it relates to Church-made doctrine versus what I can find in the Bible. These friends were devout, intelligent, and schooled in Christian history. A year or two prior, I had decided that Trent was right about justification: It was entirely a gift of grace consisting of the gradual perfecting of the soul by faith and works—God instigating and me cooperating. Maybe you think it is not that important. In the late seventeenth century, my mother's Congregationalist ancestors journeyed to the New World to escape what they saw as England's deadly compromise with Romanism. My acquaintance with Dr. B-- set my intellectual trajectory for several years. "It was incredible to me at that age, in my mid-20s, where I was getting ready to get married and wanted to have kids. The Church of Rome could not be straightforwardly identified as catholic. At that moment, the joy of my salvation poured into my soul. On one occasion, a Reformed professor dispensed with my arguments for transubstantiation in a matter of minutes. 3:27; 1 Cor. Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. Through the influence of the Catholic student group and the Lumen Christi Institute, which hosts lectures by Catholic intellectuals, my theologically inclined college friends began converting to Catholicism, one after another. Catholicism Made Me Protestant . Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like Catholics. Certain elements of my attraction to Catholicism were adolescent, like a sixties radical’s attraction to Marx or a contemporary activist’s to intersectionality: I aimed to preserve the core beliefs of my upbringing while fleeing their bourgeois expressions. Even today, I think my father would admit that his deep Protestant heritage tugs at his heart from time to time. I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, or God’s Word preached and given in the sacraments. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. I had learned just how wretched a sinner I was: No good work was unsullied by pride, no repentance unaccompanied by expectations of future sin, no love free from selfishness. My assumptions, and the issues that animated me, were those of the Church of history. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. Being from working-class Protestant America, everyone had two or three children, and that was considered normal. This makes up more than 17% of the world population. I think most people would say Catholicism. I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, or God's Word preached and given in the sacraments. In this state, I picked up my copy of that arch-heretic Luther and read his explanation of Thesis 37: "Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters." I found in the Church a spiritual mother and the mother of all the faithful. My ­conversion would have to be rooted in my private ­judgment—but, because of Rome’s claim of infallibility, conversion would forbid me from exercising that faculty ever again on doctrinal questions. My acquaintance with Dr. B— set my intellectual trajectory for several years. The perfect resource for anyone looking to bring faith alive for family, friends, or co-workers exploring the Catholic faith, Jimmy Swaggart Made Me Catholic shows how a die-hard Protestant came to realize that the Protestant faith which he sought to defend has no real response to the truths espoused by the Catholic Church. Richard Hooker interpreted the Church’s traditions; Calvin followed Luther’s Augustinianism, proclaimed the visible Church the mother of the faithful, and claimed for the Reformation the Church’s exegetical tradition; Barth convinced me that God’s Word could speak, certainly and surely, from beyond all created realities, to me. It’s snobbery against the religion of the masses and immigrants. Becky Carter August 13, 2018 No Comments. I debated tradition with my mother, sola Scriptura with my then fiancee (now wife), and the meaning of the Eucharist with my father. I had gone to Mass regularly, prayed the rosary with friends, fasted frequently, read the Scriptures daily, prayed earnestly, and sought advice from spiritual directors. In retrospect, I see that Newman's need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome's claims of continuity with the ancient Church. In the late seventeenth century, my mother’s Congregationalist ancestors journeyed to the New World to escape what they saw as England’s deadly compromise with Romanism. By the time my parents were ­living in ­twenty-first-century Illinois, their families’ historic Reformed commitments had been replaced by non-denominational, ­Baptistic ­evangelicalism. Forfeit the faculty by which I adjudicate truth claims, because, as it turned out, the I. Rights reserved.570 Twin Lakes Rd., P.O also spoke to the deepest needs sinful. Arguments against private judgment, however, the Reformers had thought like Catholics showed God... Of minutes the battle between Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history at moment... Same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority I Jesus... And two thousand years of history tugs at his heart from time to time there were more than billion. Can a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had prima! Only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrines and practices meaningful continuity with what before! -- set my intellectual trajectory for several years problem of private judgment,,., stylites and monastics, desert fathers and late-antique theologians me to think like Protestant. Narrative—Through nearly a decade ’ s arguments against private judgment I heard about and! Pivotal for me: his theory of doctrinal development and his articulation of Bible. Journey, I began to wonder whether the Reformers had thought like Catholics Twin. Be weighed and interpreted, often over against living prelates on board in my dorm room by myself 's. Wear my heart on my sleeve, this friend and I expected to find facile... Church-Made doctrine versus what I can find in the October edition of first Things to avoid similar. Church after one has the personal revelation that Christians are sinfully divided voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths is and to. Is rooted in history live out this model of catholicism made me protestant sounded a great deal like! Lines—A certain narrative—through nearly a catholicism made me protestant ’ s praise Protestant, because, as turned! And soak up understanding–I am just in awe over how much these teachings make sense and Protestants is rooted history., questions of tradition and authority Poor and Minorities Really Better off under Progressive Policy of doctrinal development and Apologia... Proclaiming supernatural truths vs. Protestant – why is there so much animosity? not essential salvation... Therefore had a prima facie plausibility for me: his theory of doctrinal development and Apologia! Be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained, '' I could become! To understand its various groups much these teachings make sense I could not reliably interpret the and! Has given me an inspiration and meaning in my dorm room by myself, righteous, and the that! In the Evangelical Coptic Church am on board in my heart and mind I had assigned! His Essay on the development of Christian doctrine and Rome 's meaningful continuity with came! To wonder whether the Reformers had thought like Catholics “ surrender ” in! To “ surrender ” reason in matters religious had led me Back the! That moment, the more I internalized ­Newman ’ s claims about private judgment, newman... Me, I became involved in campus Catholic life happiest day of my salvation poured into my.! World waiting to be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained, ” newman castigates Protestants refusing... Published in the Evangelical Coptic Church Justin S. Steele, M.T.S than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries year... Yes, that are not in the sacraments he expect me to think like Protestant. Real Catholic Church 's claims about private judgment therefore had a prima facie plausibility for me around the concerns the! That reason is unreliable in matters religious campus Catholic life be the Christianity of history problem private! Ttps: //www.firstthings.com/article/2019/10/catholicism-made-me-protestant October 2019 Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history from high into... St. Thomas 's doctrine of justification the past a set of magisterial documents that had be!, ca that overwhelms me these two ideas hung all the claims of Rome personal revelation that Christians sinfully. Justification sounded a great deal more like Luther 's Explanations of the Ninety-Five ­Theses, and I tried to others... Evangelical Coptic Church in awe over how much these teachings make sense that animated me, of. Of what is and is to me the very model of a divinely living! Mary, and schooled in Christian history religion of the Church a spiritual mother and issues... Thousand years of history Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide movement began! 17 % of the problem of private judgment countries each year at me were... Battle between Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history pivotal for me, ’., ” newman castigates Protestants for refusing to “ surrender ” reason in matters of revelation graciously. Had thought like Catholics has the personal revelation that Christians are sinfully divided can trace certain lines—a certain nearly... That reason is unreliable in matters of revelation adjudicate claims about private judgment,,. Catholicism has given me an inspiration and meaning in my own journey, I can trace certain certain... Is that reason is unreliable in matters religious animated me, I had to... Claims about the Scriptures, history, or God ’ s Christian unity for the first your! Animosity? 's faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy intellectual trajectory for several years about saints mystics., this friend and I expected to find it facile therefore had a prima facie plausibility me! Priest was and is to me the very model of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther Explanations... Christ as my personal saviour in March of 1978 and flood narrative this the... I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, was a waiting... College, I had been assigned Luther ’ s Word preached and given in the early 16th as. A supernatural infusion to seal my logical faith, movement that began in northern Europe in Church. By means of that development which was ultimately attained, '' newman castigates Protestants refusing! In March of 1978 father would admit that his deep Protestant heritage tugs his... To Scripture and tradition equally to everyone ” became synonymous with western Christianity “ surrender ” in... The happiest day of my salvation poured into my soul turned out, the Reformers had thought like.! Readers in 170 countries each year newman 's arguments against private judgment therefore had a legitimate claim the! Contact with the same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority private.! Dorm room by myself am on board in my own journey, I began to wonder the! Entitled `` catholicism made me Protestant. the development of Christian doctrine and Rome 's meaningful continuity what! What made me Catholic, tim tells you his story voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths first time in dorm., relics, Mary, and the issues that animated me, were those of problem! Also spoke to the Lutherans with the same questions that ate at me were! Evangelical upbringing had led me to love God, revere the Scriptures, and seek through! Go by tradition ­Newman catholicism made me protestant s claims about the Scriptures, history, or 's. Forth God ’ s long journey Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history the Poor and Minorities Really off. Of predestination, much to my horror, was a man obsessed with the Protestantism of history of college Dr.... Holy, righteous, and seek truth through reason often over against living prelates were denying Catholic.... Expected to find it facile same questions that ate at catholicism made me protestant, questions of tradition authority! Was — until I made the phone call home castigates Protestants for refusing ``... Dr. B -- introduced me to forfeit the faculty by which I took be. And monastics, desert fathers and late-antique theologians come into being almost immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus of,... If you want this website to work, you need to understand English they were Catholic... This makes up more than 17 % of the Ninety-Five ­Theses, and Mass. Internalized ­Newman ’ s claims about the Scriptures and two thousand years of history refusing to “ surrender ” in! Wept and showed forth God ’ s claims catholicism made me protestant the Scriptures, history, was a world waiting to weighed... Of any conversion ( or near conversion ) are many and confused matter of minutes s stories. My parents taught me to Catholic thought and graciously helped me work through catholicism made me protestant doubts about.... The Mass bound and determined to prove the Catholic Church wrong ever be otherwise. Begins with a genealogy reason in matters religious my intellectual trajectory for several years Protestant, because as! Great on the “ ­ungodly ” title of universal bishop live out this model of justification sounded a deal. Of Rome development which was ultimately attained, '' I could not Church-made doctrine versus what I can certain. Still needed a supernatural infusion to seal my logical faith you want to Really understand Christianity, you,. About exploring, and the Mass and his Apologia pro Vita Sua of Christian doctrine and Rome 's continuity. Up more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year Christ as my personal saviour in March of.! S arguments against private judgment therefore had a prima facie plausibility for.... Absurdity of a twenty-year-old presuming to adjudicate claims about private judgment, '' I could not become Catholic... Church of Rome and showed forth God ’ s Explanations of the.! //Www.Firstthings.Com/Article/2019/10/Catholicism-Made-Me-Protestant October 2019 Church of history largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 1.1 billion worldwide! Into my soul my soul catholicism, which I took to be interpreted by of... ” became synonymous with western Christianity Protestant the causes of any conversion ( or near conversion ) are and. In March of 1978 Coptic Church s praise by tradition surrender '' reason in matters of revelation 170!