differences between religions...
 

not sure if this is the right place to ask, it doesn't really have anything to do with exercise or dieting, just life and life choices.

Can anyone explain to me the differences between the religions, specifically Baptist and Catholic?

I suppose you need some background information... I'm originally from Maine. My family is Catholic. They raised me Catholic, went to a private Catholic school for K- 8th and everything. Taught sunday school when I was 22 years old to a room of 4th graders (10 year olds) all boys and 1 girl. good times. Learned alot about the religon, myself, and the kids at the same time.

Then I moved down south (NC). There is one catholic church in my area- the second one is an hour away. I went to it but did not feel welcomed, at all. I have been to 2 churches my whole life. my home church and then when I went on my own and moved 2 hours north I found another church.

I'm getting married and we've been praying to find a church that we both like. Chris is a believer but doesn't practice. He didn't like the Catholic church we went to either.
we found a baptist church in our neighborhood and went last sunday. I immediately felt like this was "right" and that God led me to this church for a reason. I don't know much about the baptist religion except for the sunday and then bible study last night that I went to. Chris feels the same way.

can anyone help explain it to me?

Hi Kandice...I just happened upon your post, hope you don't mind me butting in with my two cents!

I was raised Catholic, though I'm not devout about Catholicism at all. Which I find to be true about most of the Catholics that I know. I've been floundering for years, not sure which religious path to take, but knowing that I do believe in God...or a Higher Power or Somethng.

If you find a church that 'fits,' by all means stick to it! God is God and Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ, as far as I see it. The differences in religious dogma come from Man, not from the Lord. If not, then why are there so many religions in the world? Christianity alone, has around 150 different factions! Many of them started as 'break aways' from other groups

Trust your instincts, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

Good luck on your journey!

Kandace, you asked about the Baptist religion.

The Baptist doctrine basically believes that Jesus is the only way to God. They also believe that the Bible is what it is. It is to be taken literally. It applies to now. It is not just a historical account of the past. They also believe that salvation comes from asking Jesus into their life and that Baptism is a step of obedience; it is not salvation in itself. They also believe that salvation comes by a conscious decision that the individual makes. Some religions believe in baptizing babies; Baptists don't. They also believe that Baptism is full immersion as it is a picture of the death of Jesus (going backwards under the water) and his rising to walk. It is also a symbol of leaving the old life behind and rising to a new life. The Baptists are also about missions. Going out into the world to bring the lost to Jesus. Now that doesn't mean that everyone has to be a missionary but that is one of the directions of a Baptist Church.

Confession of sin is to Jesus; no one else. There is to be confession and repentence of sin but it is not to a priest, a pastor or anyone but Jesus. The way to **** is by rejecting Jesus; denouncing him - it isn't because of sin. His forgivness comes for what is in the heart.

Here is a link that may be helpful.

http://www.baptiststart.com/doctrine.htm

Hope that helps!

Oh, I will add, a Baptist church is going to be conservative (vs. liberal) in its beliefs.

Thanks both of you- that helped alot! I had almost the exact same conversation with my parents as you said Katrina. They said they thought that as long as we bring Christopher up with a belief in God and Jesus they didn't care what religion we practiced. that we would go to something that we enjoyed more than if we didn't enjoy it. That helped alot.

And thanks Terri for the website and information- that helped alot too! and I found out about the conservativeness. I'm liberal by nature and having a hard time with the conservativeness.

Hello, a Buddhist here...

In every religion it seems there are some who take a very strict and oppressive position. But also in every religion, there are others who truly exemplify the best principles of their faith.

I grew up in a state where there was one dominant religion, and it was very difficult for anyone who wasn't a believer in that sect to live there, so I can understand those feelings. But freedom and respect for others go hand in hand. I may not agree with a religion, but I want to treat every individual with respect for their beliefs.

I think KandaceA has probably gotten the information she needed by now.

Blessings to you all at this wonderful time of year.

Kandice,

I agree with Katrina, trust your insticts, and Chris's for that matter, you said he felt comfy too! :)

My Hubby he was brought up Roman Catholic. When we were first getting together I was in the midst of a search of my own. When it came time for the wedding plans and he wanted to be married is his church, his church let him down.

By that time I had chosen my alternative path but he was so frustrated and It almost seemed like he would give up the whole thing. That truely made me sad. What I said to him took a couple years for him to finally understand and not feel guilty about.....

He was one of the best Christians I knew, Loving, kind and willing to help others at the cost of his own self.....but a lousey Catholic!! :lol:

We had long conversations about it all, I suggested to him to try different forms ofChristianity, That he could find a church that embraced the same beliefs as him.

Luckily the Presby church where I grew up was very nice....the pastor actually came out to our home to meet us, to see the life that we had formed, then decided they would love to have us married in their church. All the reasons his church slammed their doors on us, this church opened up to us.

Your heart is your heart.....no matter what, everyone's God or Gods knows the real deal. Be good and true to yourself and all those around you.

P.S. When is your wedding? :write: :goodluck:

I say go with your gut feelings. All paths lead to the same end I believe. Personally, I was raised LDS (Mormon), but I enjoy exploring other ideas like Sylvia Browne's Novus Spiritus church, Earth-based religions etc. Beliefnet is a fun site to find out more on different beliefs.

I hadn't subscribed to this thread and just saw the responses. We've still been going to the baptist church. I've seen first hand a lot of hypocrisy, but every church has that I suppose. The pastor and the head of the deacons came to our house and told us about the beliefs and that they wouldn't baptize us until after the wedding since we're living together- A big no-no I guess (pre-marital relations) we've since abstained and will continue until the wedding. I know we can't reverse what's been done in the past and we continue to live together and share a bed together, but at least we're trying to honor God and our relationship and make it the way that He intended. Chris and I have talked a lot about the new denomination and we both like it and feel that it's right for us at this time in our lives. We're talking more with his son Christopher (age 12) about dating and relationships and he recently signed a true love waits promise. Of course we're proud of him and hope that he continues his life with God and doing His will.

the wedding is March 5th- 16 more days!
thanks to everyone that responded. I needed that during that questioning time.

Hi
 

I am also a Baptist, and believe the Bible to be 100% true and applicable to today, just wanted to say that it is wonderful the decision you have made to put Christ first, in your life. I make no apologies for my beliefs either. There is one other difference between Baptists and Catholics that wasn't mentioned is with Mary. Baptists do not deify her, they revere her as the mother of Christ. But we do not pray to her, or believe She can intercede with Christ to save you from sin. We believe she was human and is in heaven with the Father, like any other believer. I do not believe Baptist as a religion are intolerant. However tolerant does not mean accepting something you do not belief is right or o.k. I don't condemn the sinner (Homosexual) that is the Lord's job, however I do condemn the sin (when asked I say it is wrong like any other sin is wrong, we often think we can rank them in order but one sin is as bad as another) We are branded because we refuse to call it normal, which labels us intolerate or homophobic.
I pray you will have a wonderful wedding, and find that you have a very supportive church family as I know I do,

I know this is an old question...
 

But I also felt the need to respond to the original post (not going to get into the literal Biblical interpretation here AT ALL).

First of all, I'm a Presbyterian minister who has served in a number of different areas. What makes a Baptist a Baptist Christian is primarily the theology of baptism. In the Baptist tradition, baptism is not a sacrament, but an observance. The Baptists also believe in "believers baptism" - meaning that infants and small children are not baptised. Only those who can themselves profess their faith are baptized. Baptism is also done by immersion - and not sprinkling. :)

The other thing that makes a Baptist a Baptist is their polity - or how they order the church. Each church stands alone, although it may belong loosely to a convention or denomination. In other Christian faith-systems you have a bit more structure and hierarchy.

Finally, NOT ALL BAPTISTS ARE CONSERVATIVE. Nor do all Baptists believe that the Bible should be interpreted literally. The American Baptist Church is one example of a pretty progressive denomination of churches. Heck, some of them make ME look conservative!

Hope that helps!

Wedding Congratulations from another Baptist
 

I've read all the posts and feel a need to express my thoughts on the subject. I have attended different Baptist churches and have found them to all be full of sinners who have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior. We don't claim to be perfect, just forgiven. At our church, we are tolerant of all sinners, because in God's eyes, there is no big sin or small sin. They are all equal in God's eyes. We leave the judging to God because He is the only one that matters. Our pastor says that we are a hospital for sinners. If we are sick, we go to the doctor and if needed a hospital. We are all sinners that needs God's forgiveness and love. I think sometimes we get too concerned about the things we can't do. We should focus on all that we can do as believers. I have found out through my personal experience, that once we accept Jesus and become "saved" our wants change. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us and helps us to want to follow in the steps of Jesus. I'm not saying that all "Christians" follow as closely as we should, but that again proves that we are all sinners....some saved and some unsaved (haven't accepted Jesus as their personal Savior). It is a choice that God gave us...He gave us a free will to do what we want, and loved us enough to send His only Son to live a perfect life and then lay down His life on the cross for us so that we can come to heaven to live with Him eternally after we die. How many of us would give a child to die for someone else who in fact hated him?? Another point I would like to make is that only through Jesus Christ do we find peace and joy in this life. Not saying it is a life without trouble and pain, but only that when we go through the trials of life we have Jesus there to hold us and comfort us through it all. I can say for myself, that God gave me a love for all people, no matter what race, sexuality or religion. But, I don't have to condone the sins of anyone either. That is what God tells us in His Word.

I will leave you with this scripture that we all know and love. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life."

I pray for each of you that you will turn to God and accept His Son as your Savior before it is too late.

Thanks for reading/listening.

Umm...why is it no one is responding to the Catholicism part? I'm a Catholic here...

I too am a Catholic, and I believe that you get out of your church what you put into it, a lot of churches will be nice to you just to get you to join their group. Church is about worshiping God, if they did not make you feel welcomed, then realize that you are going to Mass for one reason and one reason only, to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, that should be your only motivation for going to Mass. The people at the Babtist church are good people I am sure, but you should go where you are fed the actual Body, BLood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ and the Catholic church is the ONLY place you can get this.

You took the words right out of my mouth ;)

Sue,
I agree 100% .....I to am baptist.

Just wanted to let you guys know, most of the posts in this thread have exemplified the character of Christ. All Christ-believing denominations make up what the scripture calls the "church" or the body of Christ. How beautiful to see many of you concentrating on making statements that UNIFY rather than divide this great "church". Theology and doctrine are important, but not so much in how we live our everyday lives. Jesus said to love people the way you want to be loved and love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and spirit. It's very clear to me that both those principles can be 100% followed regardless of the demonination or local church we choose to belong to. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding KandiceS! Married to a wonderful Christian man for 20 years on 4/26 and God is the thread that has kept us together all these years.

Hi-I decided to read your posts since I am a Christian but also a practicing Catholic married to a practicing Baptist. We attend each other's churches but I especially love the Baptist Church in Ft Myers Fl-Southern Baptist. Brad and I agree on the essential points-that you are saved throught the death of Jesus and we accept each other's beliefs in Baptism , Communion, etc. even if we don't agree. We both just attended a retreat in my church and Brad was amazed to hear the priest say that our works would not get us into Heaven. We will soon go back north but probably not to the Baptist church that Brad went to because they are not so tolerant of other's beliefs. But there are plenty of other Baptist Churches that are. Best to you, Kandice and Chris. You sure have made a good decision for yourselves. Mima

I am Missouri Synod Lutheran...each week we receive the Sacrament at our church...each week I am there and participate I receive the Body and The Blood of My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...I am not Catholic. The catholic church is a christian church...it is not the only christian church.

I believe that I get to heaven entirely on the work and the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...ONLY... through HIM...not through any of my works...

I thank God for that...I could NEVER do enough works to make up for my sins.

I've been reading this thread since it showed up at the top of the list. I am not Catholic, but I attended a catholic church for quite a while. I'm very grateful for my time attending the catholic church, it taught me many things even though it wasn't right for me. My dad was Lutheran (I think Missouri Synod, very conservative branch) My mom was Baha'í. I ended up joining the Mormon church. Had someone ask me if it was hard to adjust to a new church... I said "well, they all believe in Jesus, you have go to church, study your scriptures and pray... not much difference."

All of my life I've heard different priests and preachers sniping at each other about who is right and wrong. I think God loves ALL of his children. I don't think He particularly cares how we get to Him, as long as we eventually find our way. I also think this view would make me very unpopular in many churches. I'm so happy for you that you and your husband could find a church that you could enjoy tegether. God's blessings be on you for new life together.

Kandance, :angel:

You and your husband have a wonderful opportunity to choose what religion you will practice your faith and share your spirituality with others. I encourage you to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance about this and not be led by emotion.
I should tell you that I too am Catholic, a "Cradle Catholic" to be precise. Through the years I have taken the opportunity to look at many religions even taking L.D.S. (Mormon) seminary through High School.
I would like to respond to some misinformation that I have read about the catholic Church: That we worship Statues; How many of us have images of family, friends and loved ones around who inspire us or just make us feel good to look at. How many of us have statues or images in our homes of animals, or the outdoors. Because we display them and enjoy how they move or inspire us does not mean that we "worship" them.
Next would be our Relationship with Mary, we aslo "revere her as the mother of Christ", and honor her for saying yes (Free Will) to become the Mother of Christ and yes we even ask for intersession with her Son Jesus Christ, just as I have seen many times in groups like this, people will look to others to pray for their requests or by somone calling their Minister to pray for their need.
I have also been told that the Catholic Church does read the Bible, this is really silly to me because the Bible is what the Mass is based on, and includes many reading from the Bible including the Gospel and the First and Second readings.
Yes, there are differences, but if we look through prayer and with a loving heart we will not find what keeps us apart but we will find understanding that will join us together.
Finally, I would like to share with you a something someone shared with me when I first moved here and did not feel welcome and was thinking about leaving the church. "I was told to look beyond the Priest and the People" and one day when going up to receive Holy Communion I did and my heart was put at peace. I was reminded that I was there to reiceve the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

God be With You and all of us as we continue on this journey.
Diana

Originally Posted by Moonbeem:
Next would be our Relationship with Mary, we aslo "revere her as the mother of Christ", and honor her for saying yes (Free Will) to become the Mother of Christ and yes we even ask for intersession with her Son Jesus Christ, just as I have seen many times in groups like this, people will look to others to pray for their requests or by somone calling their Minister to pray for their need.

I just have to say that this is not at all the same--when non-Catholic Christians ask others to pray for them, those people are ALIVE and we do this because in Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus says "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine,I am there among them (NLT)." When you ask Mary or any other Catholic saints to intercede, you are trying to talk to a dead person--there is no biblical evidence to support that 1) they can hear you, and 2) they could intercede anyway. We are called to have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, not some middle man.

As for the original subject Kandice, CONGRATS on your wedding! And you definitely should follow your heart--just keep your eyes on Christ and keep praying about the situation, and all will be well. :)

For the most part, this has been a very interesting thread to read-- it's nice to see so many open minds. I'm a cradle Catholic, but first and foremost, a Christian. I believe that my religion is the best FOR ME... and I also believe that someone else might find an equally valid, yet better-fitting path for them in another church. I don't believe at the end of our lives we're going to get to the gates of heaven and be told "sorry, you were a good person but you should have gone to a different church". ;)

Originally Posted by FatChristy:
When you ask Mary or any other Catholic saints to intercede, you are trying to talk to a dead person--there is no biblical evidence to support that 1) they can hear you, and 2) they could intercede anyway.

Re: the post above regarding praying for others/ praying to saints... well, that's one of the biggest differences in the Catholic church and others. There are millions of people around the world who believe that they do have very good evidence of saints interceding on their behalf. Whether you believe that or not is up to you- but many people find comfort in praying or "talking" to saints.

I could really get going in an intelligent, open conversation about the saints & other Catholic things... but I'll behave. ;) I truely enjoy the chance to talk and debate about these issues, but I don't want to offend anyone here-- I don't think this is the place for those conversations!

And back to the original topic... if you've found a church that works for your family, it sounds like that's the place you should be.

Hi All,

I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but my husband and I went through something similar, and luckily it's worked out for the both of us. My husband was raised Baptist, and I was raised Church of Christ. You wouldn't think that there would be a whole lot of difference between the two, but it was enough to cause some friction. Mainly because we are both stubborn :lol:. Neither wanted to "commit" to the others denomination. We had to sit down and agree about what our core believes were, and what we held in common between the two of us. We came to our church - a non denomination church - literally by an act of God. We were talking about a preacher that my husband liked that he hadn't seen in years, and that he would like to find out where he was preaching. Two hours later we saw his wife walking into Kroger!

My main point to all of this is that this isn't an insurmountable issue. Just like you, when I went to the non-denomination church it just felt right, like I belonged there. Even then, I felt guilty for awhile because I wasn't going to a Church of Christ church, even though I hadn't felt welcome in any of the ones I had been to in town! Go figure. Don't give up on a church because it is outside of your realm of experience. You never know...it may be the place God wants you to be. And God will tell you when you get there.

God Bless!

M'Chelle

I was raised Baptist while attending Catholic school k-12. I now attend a Non-Denominational Church. The most important thing in choosing a church is wether or not you receive God's Word. Of course you can "hear" it anywhere, "receiving" it is a different thing, altogehter. You are a Christian first and foremost, the denominations are the ideas of man. Christ does not care wether you are Catholic or Protestant, as long as you serve the Lord.

As far as Praytherosary822's comment:
"you should go where you are fed the actual Body, BLood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ and the Catholic church is the ONLY place you can get this"

This is simply untrue.

Once you are a catholic...you will always be a catholic in your heart. If you must leave the catholic church for any reason, remember you can always find your way back simply by showing up.

Hi Kandice,

One of the main differences between Catholics and Baptists (and other Protestants) is that in the Catholic Church we have the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as someone else has previously stated. If you decide to leave the Church, perhaps you could go and pray before the Blessed Eucharist and explain why you are leaving Him.

The Baptists believe that it is only bread and a sweetened juice, usually either juice or cordial.

The Bible states in John 6: "Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blook, you do not have life within you. ... For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.'" St. Paul goes on to say, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. ... For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." 1 Corinthians 11:27

Look to the early Church fathers and see what they believed. St. Ignatius of Antioch (around 110 AD), wrote to the Romans "I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His Blood, which is love incorruptible."

St. John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.): "How many of you say: I should like to see his face, his garments, his shoes. You do see him, you touch him, you eat him. He gives himself to you, not only that you may see him, but also to be your food and nourishment."

St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.): "Christ held himself in his hands when he gave his body to his disciples saying: 'This is my body.' No one partakes of this flesh before he has adored it."

Even Martin Luther realised that the Eucharist is our Lord: "Who, but the devil, hath granted such a license of wresting the words of the holy Scripture? Who ever read in the Scriptures, that my body is the same as the the sign of my body? or, that is is the same as it signifies? ... It is only then the devil, that imposeth upon us by these fanatical men... Not one of the Fathers, though so numerous, ever spoke as the Sacramentarians, not one of them ever said, It is only bread and wine, or, the body and blood of Christ is not there present." Luther's Collected Works, Wittenburg Edition, no 7, p. 391.

Wow, I never thought I'd write a book :) I do hope you have some food for thought :)

May God keep you and bless you, and may His face shine upon you and your spouse-to-be.

Originally Posted by smilan:
As far as Praytherosary822's comment:
"you should go where you are fed the actual Body, BLood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ and the Catholic church is the ONLY place you can get this"

This is simply untrue.

Um, well not exactly. It is true that the Orthodox religions have the Eucharist but no Protestant church does. Sorry, not even the Anglicans do (I think in America after your War of Independence you call the church Epscipallions [shocking spelling] to distance yourselves from England. But a rose by any other name ... :) ). This ability is handed down in an unbroken line from the apostles. When the Orthodox churches broke away from the Catholic Church, they kept their Bishops, therefore keeping an unbroken line from the apostles. When the Anglicans broke away, they nominated their own Bishops, hence the succession was broken and the sacrament no longer valid.

Okay, now I've really finished. :)

thank you for clearing up alot moon and high c. as a catholic i really appretiate what you guys are doing. because there are a lot of misconceptions about all of this. as for the original topic. i hope that kandice has gotten some inspiration out of all of this. i'm curiouse to know how it allwent or is going. ;)

Communion-
 

The Baptists believe that it is only bread and a sweetened juice, usually either juice or cordial. This was the comment by High C. I would like to elaborate alittle more since I am a Baptist.

There are many differences between the Catholic and Baptist Religions. I believe as long as you believe that Christ died on the cross to save us from the sins we commit and have asked forgivness and repented of them. Believe that He will come again and recieve us unto Himself, that you are saved. I believe that you are not to take communion until you are saved. (Believe the above with all your heart mind and soul. ) I believe it does not matter what religion you are as long as you believe these facts.

Now as to the Lord's supper. Baptist's hold that the Lord's Supper is a church ordinance, to be observed as a memorial of the death of Christ. The bread represents His crucified body- wine or grape juice His shed blood on Calvary. Jesus said. "This do in remembrance of me." Paul tells the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:24, " And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, eat: this is my body, which was broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." So the death of Christ will be commemorated until He comes the second time. We do not show the death, burial and rsurrection or ascension or glorification of our Lord. BUT HIS DEATH. Baptism is a pre-requisite to the Lord's table. We reason thus: It is an ordinance, to be observed exclusively by the members of the visible church of Christ. We believe none can be members of a visible church of Christ without baptism. (WHICH IS A PUBLIC STATEMENT OF OUR BELIEF) Now Luke 22:19 - " And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them saying, this is my body which was given for you: this do in remembrance of me" This is in simple lanquage the institution of the Lord's supper. Isn't it strange how two ordinances of the church have been the cause of so much contention. But if the devil could destroy these pictures he would eventually blot out the Christian religion. Jesus Christ instituted the church and gave it two ordinances. Baptism- a picture of His death, burial and resurrection. and the Lord's Supper- a picture of what He has done for us- to think of Him and remember Him until He comes. Both will be done away at His return.
WE DIFFER IN OUR BELIEVES, BUT THANK GOD THAT IS NOT WHAT SAVES US, THAT IS POSIBLE ONLY THROUGH THE LORD JESUS. BY ACCEPTING HIM AS LORD, REPENTING OF OUR SINS AND TRYING OUR BEST TO LIVE FOR HIM.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Originally Posted by KandiceS:
Can anyone explain to me the differences between the religions, specifically Baptist and Catholic?

Catholics and Baptists are both Christians, and are therefore not different religions.

;) I don't want to argue religion because trust me that is a hot bed issue.
each group thinks they are right. I mean the religious people of Jesus day weren't to excited about him. I do however feel it is important to fall head over heels in love with Jesus Christ and to allow him to guide and instruction you through his holy spirit. Find a group ( what ever religion that might be)
that loves Jesus and that loves all people. God is love and he has amazing grace that he shines on us all. Never let any group take that away from you ;)