Why do protestants not like Catholics? Like what are the reasons?
Great question! The short of it is that most (like 99%) protestants grossly misunderstand the Church and her teachings. I am totally convinced that if they studied it more or had it explained to them, they would fall in love with the Church and convert in a second.
But the main reasons (as I knew them growing up as a lil southern baptist baby) are these:
TOP 10 REASONS CATHOLICISM IS EVIL! 😈😲💩
10. Upholding tradition alongside Scripture📚☨protestants are big champions of “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture alone), which coincidentally is not. in. Scripture. A lot of their beefs with Catholicism stem from this.
9. Purgatory??🔥🔥Protestants have absolutely no concept of purgatory except what they’ve read or heard about from the work of Dante. They read the “trial by fire” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3 as a trial we go through here on earth instead of something that happens after we die.
8. “Catholicism is works based and legalistic! Grrr Sacraments!”🚫A lot of protestants see the sacraments as rules you must follow to obtain salvation.
7. Sacramentals.📿🕯
Seen as little superstitious trinkets that catholics use to ?? Exorcise people?? Worship?? Do voodoo??
6. Infant baptism?? 😲This is huge especially for baptists, who believe that baptism is something that a person decides to do to proclaim their faith to others once they have received the Truth of the Gospel into their lives and they greatly disagree with infant baptism bc it “forces” this sacrament on someone who didn’t choose it/can’t know it’s significance.
5. Idol worship!!🗿🗽 (yes that is a statue of liberty emoji, there arent many statues in the emoji bank) A lot of protestants think that having images and statues in a church is idol worship, and don’t understand that the reason catholics have these is because we are a faith who looks to previous believers and champions of the faith for encouragement and see them as models of the faith that help us on our journey to become saints!
4. What even is the Pope?!🕵Protestants barely know who the Bishop of Rome is or what his function is. To them he’s just…some old guy with a weird hat that claims to be the voice of God??? Idk what even.
3. Catholic World Domination and Other Crimes👿🌍🔥Scary bedtime stories about Catholics being in charge of the Inquisition and killing people who wouldn’t convert and bad popes and pedophile priests and all sorts of TERRIBLE things contribute to protestant’s argument that the Church is evil at it’s core when in reality a majority of these things are blown out of proportion or just simply not. true.
2. Angels😇
protestants in general are really weird about angels…what are they? what do they do? Like, they believe in them, but…?? Most protestants who actually know anything about angels or regard them with respect are crazy old cat ladies who have miniture angels all over their house and tell stories about how their guardian angel saved them from falling down the stairs that one time. praying to angels is foreign. some protestants do ask God for their protection though? touchy subject.
1. Mary and Saints 📿🙏This is easily protestant’s number one complaint about Catholicism, which is weird because the way protestants and catholics view her are STRIKINGLY SIMILAR. Protestants believe she was a virgin, that she had a great role in Jesus’ life as the woman who reared him, kick-started His ministry and as a very godly woman who is a great example for believers to follow as we try to follow God’s call in our lives. But protestants think that catholics A. worship her and B. Catholicism is basically a Mary cult and the rosary is all about her. And saints?? Why would you go to them instead of straight to Jesus? What even goes into proclaiming someone as a saint??? Also, relics?????? Hello!!! 🎶IDOL WORSHIP!🎶 A lot of protestants believe that EVERY CHRISTIAN, alive or dead, is a saint, and have no concept of relics, even though there is SO. MUCH biblical evidence and references to back up the use and power of relics of holy men and women!
Probably the biggest misunderstanding about Mary among protestants is that they dont understand that praying to Mary or saints ISN’T worship. Since protestants only offer prayers to God, that’s an act solely reserved for Him! So prayer to Mary??? culty.
So really, protestants DON’T hate Catholics. They hate what they think catholics are. It’s a lot of confusion, rumor, vague accusations. Luckily, God can use a number of things to draw protestants to Catholicism and lead them to question what they think they know. Me? God used the rosary. My friend Ruth? The Eucharist. My dad? He’s still a protestant but he’s the most catholic protestant I know bc God is using my dad’s multiple degrees in early church music (chant) and his love of gothic archetecture to bring him closer to the Church. This was fun to write/contemplate on, I hope it helped! Thanks for the ask :)–Lolly
You remind me of this quote :)
“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” - Fulton Sheen
