Reasons Why Am Catholic 30 of 150 21. Many Protestants take a dim view towards Christian history in general, especially the years from 313 (Constantines conversion) to 1517 (Luthers arrival). This ignorance and hostility to Catholic Tradition leads to theological relativism, anti-Catholicism, and a constant, unnecessary process of reinventing the wheel. 22. Protestantism from its inception was anti-Catholic, and certain factions of it remain so to this day (especially in certain fundamentalist and Baptist and Reformed circles). This is obviously wrong and unbiblical if Catholicism is indeed Christian (if it isnt, then - logically - neither is Protestantism, which inherited the bulk of its theology from Catholicism). The Catholic Church, on the other hand, is not anti-Protestant. 23. The Catholic Church accepts the authority of the great ecumenical councils (see, e.g., Acts 15) which defined and developed Christian doctrine (much of which Protestantism also accepts). 24. Most Protestants do not have bishops, a Christian office which is biblical (1 Tim 3:1-2) and which has existed from the earliest Christian history and Tradition. 25. Protestantism has no way of settling doctrinal issues definitively. At best, the individual Protestant can only take a head count of how many Protestant scholars, commentators, etc. take such-and-such a view on Doctrine X, Y, or Z. Or (in a more sophisticated fashion), the Protestant can simply accept the authority of some denominational tradition, confession, or creed (which then has to be justified over against the other competing ones). There is no unified Protestant Tradition. 26. Protestantism arose in 1517, and is a Johnny-come-lately in the history of Christianity (having introduced many doctrines previously accepted by no Christian group, or very few individuals). Therefore it cannot possibly be the restoration of pure, primitive Christianity, since this is ruled out by the fact of its novelties and absurdly late appearance. Christianity must have historic continuity or it is not Christianity. Protestantism is necessarily a parasite of Catholicism: historically and doctrinally speaking. 27. The notion (common among many Protestants) of the invisible church is also novel in the history of Christianity and foreign to the Bible (Mt 5:14; 16:18), therefore untrue. 28. When Protestant theologians speak of the teaching of early Christianity (e.g., when refuting cults), they say the Church taught . . . (as it was then unified), but when they refer to the present they instinctively and inconsistently refrain from such terminology, since universal teaching authority now clearly resides only in the Catholic Church. 29. The Protestant principle of private judgment has created a milieu (especially in Protestant America) in which it is easier for (invariably) man-centered cults such as Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormonism, and Christian Science arise. The very notion that one can start a new, or the true Church is Protestant to the core. Though (I want to stress) these cults are not Protestant themselves; nevertheless they tend to proliferate, given the existence of certain false Protestant principles of epistemology and authority. 30. The lack of a definitive teaching authority in Protestant (as with the Catholic magisterium) makes many individual Protestants think that they have a direct line to God, notwithstanding all of Christian Tradition and the history of biblical exegesis (aBible, Holy Spirit and me mentality). Such people are generally under-educated theologically, unteachable, lack humility, and have no business making presumed infallible statements about the nature of Christianity.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 11:49:47 +0000
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