The Catholic Church has a magisterium - its teachings have a God-given authority that is equal to the authority of scripture. The Pope has even got the power to make infallible statements - statements that cannot be questioned. Within Protestant churches, the church has an advisory role. It can recommend one action over another, it can condemn certain actions entirely - you can even be kicked out of the church for certain actions. However, the individual is still left to decide where to stand in relation to church teaching.
He also posted his 95 thesis statement which launched a movement for religious reform. Before the reformation the church had a lot of power. The pope had the most power. The pope appointed bishops to rule the different countries of Europe. Many people went to the bishops as their masters, and took orders from the pope, and not the king.
With all of the differences in the dogmas between Christianity and Mormonism, there is strong evidence that these two faiths cannot be linked together solely on the fact that they both believe in Jesus Christ being the savior of mankind. Many Christians believe that Mormonism is not a true Christian religion, although Mormons make the claim that they are based on their faith in the Christ Jesus as the sole savior of the world. Can Mormonism, a polytheistic religion, truly be considered Christian, when Christianity
The Disguised Truth About American Christianity In “The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong,” Bill Mckibben argues that the way Americans view the messages and teachings Christianity displays are far from what the Gospels of the Bible actually say and teach. McKibben points out how our nation is the most outspoken when it comes to Christianity. However, he later goes on to claim that as the most outspoken of the Christian nations our actions and decisions do not reflect what we preach. It is this contradiction that McKibben insists is the paradox of our Christianity in America. According to a statistic laid out by McKibben, seventy-five percent of the American population is under the belief that “God helps those who
Other think another John, known only as the “Elder” and official of the late-first-century Ephesian church. All modern scholar agree that the Gospel and Revelation stem from different authors. No evidence simply calls himself John, a “servant” of Jesus Christ. He is not one of the twelve. Best as John of Patmos, a mystic who regarded himself as a Christian prophet and his book as a highly symbolic preview of future events.
The King was a keen theologian, and was prepared to incorporate evangelical ideas into his new Church where he saw fit. But he wasn't comfortable with the alterations, and from 1539 onwards he reversed most of his previous policies. In 1539 the Act of Six Articles returned the Church to unambiguous Catholic orthodoxy apart from papal supremacy. Amongst other things, transubstantiation and auricular confession were reaffirmed. Clerical marriage, which had crept in, was condemned, and vows of chastity were now held to be unbreakable.
When one partakes in a Catholic communion, one is accepting the body of Christ. The greatest conflict and difference between the Catholic and Protestant churches is the question of transubstantiation versus consubstantiation; the Catholics and early Protestants had distinctive and unique beliefs about what happened during communion. The Catholics believed that every mass led to the miracle of transubstantiation, and the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Christ. The Protestants saw it as more of a symbolic action. The first phrase of Ave Verum Corpus means ‘Hail true body’, and for Byrd, the most important word wasn’t Ave or Corpus, but Verum, because the word ‘true’ emphasized he was in the true presence of Christ when participating in the Eucharist.
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY I: Apostolic Church [Apostolic Foundation and Beginnings of the Church] As the fundament of His church and as supreme pastor of His flock, Jesus chose Simon Peter, when He said: Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. (Mt.
Paul Tillich argues against the literal theologians and the social scientists as well. He says that “religion has rediscovered its true place in man’s spiritual life, namely, in its depth, out of which it gives substance, ultimate meaning, judgment and creative courage to all functions of the human spirit.” (Tillich 9) In my opinion and it may be clouded by my religion, which is Christianity, is that God does exist and one will not
As two major denominations of Christianity, Protestantism and Catholicism are both based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible, as well as the concept that faithful believers go to Heaven, while misbelievers go to Hell. However, the ideologies of these two factions differ on significant concepts, specifically the authority of the Pope and the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (2). Sola Scriptura is the Protestant doctrine that states that “biblical scripture is the only source of church authority” (2), and that “Jesus Christ is always head of the church” (2), thus the Catholic pope cannot be the lead Christian authority, because “no man is comparable to Jesus” (2). Catholics believe the exact opposite; that the Pope is the divine substitute of Christ as head of the church and that the “Holy Scripture alone is not sufficient enough for church authority” (2). In his Renaissance humanist play, The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster explores the opposition between these two major branches of Christianity, in the context of social and political constructs.