CIV Class 36/April 20, 2015 The Protestants and The Catholics

Why does this matter to us and/or to Western Civ? You’ve probably already guessed it: the Catholic/Protestant thing makes us Western! – The cumulative effects of Christianity simply cannot be denied as factors in every development in the West (and in our incursions into other parts of the world).

The Catholic/Protestant thing makes us Western! Europe will be shaped, for over two hundred years, by conflicts (including wars) over The Catholic/Protestant split

The Catholic/Protestant thing makes us Western! European expansion/colonialism is driven by efforts to evangelize the world European expansion/colonialism is driven by Europeans wanting to get away from the effects of Catholic/Protestant battles and persecution.

The Catholic/Protestant thing makes us Western! We (in the US) may not be a “Christian nation,” but Christianity, in one form or another, appeals to a majority of our citizens and informs many of the bases of our constitutional government.

Catholic/Protestant Fundamental Differences

Fundamental Difference #1 Papal Authority From this aspect, flows the entire structure of the Catholic Church Against it, the Protestant revolution. – Did Jesus build the Church upon “Peter, the rock”? (so say the Catholics). – Did Jesus build the Church and then give it to men (via Peter)? (so say the Protestants). – Without: Papal infallibility (on matters of faith and doctrine) and papal succession; the selection and arraying of leaders (bishops and such) according to papal authority; the decisions of the Councils on matters of faith and doctrine; etc., the whole edifice comes down.

Fundamental Difference #2 Salvation via Faith (Protestants) alone vs. Salvation via good works (Catholics). – If via good works: following the rules, sinning or not sinning, performing various actions, “add up to” going to heaven or hell (salvation or not) This view leans toward free will (that matters) as humans make choices with consequences. – If via Faith alone: a personal statement of conviction (“I believe, I’ve been saved”) is all one can/must do for salvation. This view also leans toward predestination. Once one is “saved” via faith, there’s not much left to do. – If one isn’t saved this way, there’s not much one can do either.

Fundamental Difference #3 Role of the Bible (which one, and how to read/interpret it) – For Catholics, the Bible is crucial The Church’s theology and dogma, documents and rulings, interpret the work and its application. This tends to find the Bible standing alongside, yet above, other important documents. In some cases, Church law/writings are nearly as important. – For Protestants, the Bible is pre-eminent. The individual reads the literal words. The Bible is above all other words. – Since it’s a key document, which version one uses matters, a lot.

Fundamental Difference #4 The previous three differences cast everything in (and outside) of Catholicism into different light, especially – The sacraments: Their status is totally different between belief systems. For example: Catholics adhere to TRANSUBSTANTIATION in the sacrament of the Eucharist – The water and wine become the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ in the mystery of the mass. Protestants adhere to CONSUBSTANTIATION in the Eucharist ceremony. – The entire process is a memorial of and to the Last Supper that reminds us of Jesus and his activities.

These differences tear the West apart then influence how it develops Separations of church and state increase. The influence of the Roman/Papal Catholic church decreases as the influence of the (multiple) Protestant sects increase. The Christian religion stays at the center of Western life, into the 20 th century (and in some places---but not all--- beyond).