Protestant and Catholic Beliefs Series Conclusion
This post is the conclusion post to a series entitled Letting God Lead: My Journey Through Protestant and Catholic Beliefs. If you are new to this site or this series, I HIGHLY encourage you to check out the rest of the series as well. *This post contains affiliate links.
A little over a year ago, I began a journey–a journey to find out the truth behind Protestant and Catholic beliefs–and what a journey it has been!
I’ve read countless books and articles, taken classes and talked with priests, debated apologetics, attended mass, listened to your stories, and shared my own. I was even on the radio! (Click here to listen to the recording.)
We covered a LOT of ground in this series, and I hope it’s true to say that we all learned a lot.
- In the series introduction, I shared my story: How I grew up (and still am!) a very dedicated, Bible-believing Christian, and how I got started on this journey in the first place.
- Next, I did my best to dispel 10 Common Catholic Myths in the hopes that everyone following along would be able to do so with an open and informed mind.
- We discussed the Eucharist, and I presented solid evidence concerning whether or not it is the true Body and Blood.
- We discussed “Sola Fide” and whether faith alone is enough or if we need something more.
- We discussed “Sola Scriptura,” talking about important issues such as tradition and the authority of the church, the Bible and the first century apostles.
- We discussed the history of the Catholic church and evidence for/against the Apocrypha.
- I offered some insights on what Catholics really believe about the Pope, priests and confession and why.
- And then I did the same thing with the issues of Mary, Saints and Statues.
- We took a look at Biblical and historical evidence for/against Infant Baptism.
- As well as Biblical and historical evidence for/against Purgatory and Indulgences.
- And then last week, we capped off the series with a lighter topic: Why do Catholics do all the weird stuff they do?
Of course there will always be more to say and more to cover, but hopefully this series has been enough to get you thinking and researching for yourself, instead of simply blindly believing what you’ve been taught from birth. Because when I examined what I’d always been taught, I found out a lot of it was wrong. My teachers were wonderful people, but so many of the principles they taught me simply were not Biblical. I don’t want you to make the same mistake.
Whether you are Protestant or Catholic–honestly, I could care less. Maybe I should? But it really doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that you have researched the issues yourself, that you know what and why you believe, and that you can confidently defend your beliefs to others. That you believe on purpose because you really know it to be true–not that you believe by default because someone told you something and you didn’t bother to fact check for yourself.
So now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for–what did I decide???
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Is the Eucharist the Real Body and Blood? Yes, I believe it is.
From the language Jesus used to the Jewish peoples’ reaction to the early Church’s response–all of the research I’ve done so far leads me to believe that it has to be real. (Find the information that lead me to this decision in my post: Is the Eucharist Really Just a Symbol?)
Is Faith Alone Enough? No, I believe God expects something more.
To be very clear: Both Protestants and Catholics agree that you cannot earn your way into Heaven through works. We are saved because of God’s grace, which allows us to have faith. But in light of the verses I shared in my Is Faith Alone post as well as the following two arguments, I have to agree that yes, you do need faith, but that you can’t just stop there. Once you are already “saved” (or “justified”), your life needs to reflect that. I think, deep down, many Protestants would agree. You can’t just say a prayer and then go on your merry way.
Argument #1: Protestants say that nothing we DO can get us to Heaven. Yet, the very act of choosing to believe is a verb–something we DO. God doesn’t force us to be Christians against our free will. We choose it. So we can’t reject ALL works, because believing is a work itself.
Argument #2: If simply believing were enough–well, even satan and his demons know that Jesus is God. They know He is the only way to Heaven. If all you had to do was believe–wouldn’t that make satan a Christian? Yet, I’m pretty sure we would all agree that’s preposterous. Why? Because he certainly doesn’t act like a Christian! He doesn’t repent, or submit or act like a Christian–all things Christians DO. So simply believing in Jesus can’t be enough.
So in light of alllll of the verses I listed in my Is Faith Alone Enough? post (check them out!) combined with the two arguments above, I can only conclude that we HAVE to play a role somehow. Faith alone is not enough. I have NO IDEA where that line is–concerning what we have to do, how much we have to do, etc, but I have to believe that something more is required.
Who has the Ultimate Authority–the Bible or the Church? The Church… I think? But which one??
Based on the findings I shared in Who Has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura, I strongly believe that the Bible was never meant to be a comprehensive how-to guide that covers every topic. It IS infallible on the issues it covers, but it doesn’t cover everything, and it leaves a lot of things open to (mis)interpretation. So, while I am definitely very much a Bible-believing Christian, I have to agree that we need more than just the Bible; we need the rest of the teachings and history–which we *should* find in the church.
However, while I totally understand and support the need for and appropriateness of having the church be our authority (under Christ of course!), I did not see any evidence that points to the *Catholic* church having to be that authority, instead of the church in general.
Catholics believe that the Catholic Church we have today is the same church the Christian churches had in the first century, but is it? How do we know they didn’t get off 5 degrees somewhere and end up way off course today? How do we know they clung to the right things? The pharisees thought they were experts at keeping the law, but they got in big trouble when Jesus came to town. I mean this in a polite and sincere way, but how do we know the Catholic Church hasn’t done the same thing? This has been my main nagging doubt this entire time, and it has yet to be resolved.
(And yes, I know that Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to guide the Church and keep her from error, but what proof is there that that verse is talking about the *Catholic* church–not the church as a whole or a different denomination?)
So…. I like the idea, but I haven’t been able to fully accept it yet. (Read more in my post: Who Has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura)
Is the Apocrypha Scripture? Don’t ask me; I have no idea.
Did you see the chart at the end of my History of Christianity post?? All of the information is hopelessly contradictory!! And while I can throw out several of the arguments on one side or the other (the books were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls–we checked!), I still see very logical points on both sides. So quite honestly, I have no idea. I am ever so slightly leaning towards the Catholic perspective since they were in the Bible for hundreds of years before Martin Luther took them out, but I could easily go either way. I simply don’t know at this point.
Concerning Priests, the Pope and Confession: Makes Sense to Me
I like the idea of having a God-led priest instead of every person misunderstanding the Bible for him or herself. Obviously with everyone being able to come up with whatever interpretation they want, we aren’t doing a very good job. (30,000 Protestant denominations!) Obviously not to say we shouldn’t think for ourselves (this whole series is so that you will!), but having one trusted standard sure seems nice right about now! (But is Catholicism it? I don’t know!)
I don’t have a problem with the pope being infallible (I don’t know if he IS; I do believe it is possible). I’ve always liked the idea of confession and thought it was a good practice. I do believe priests could have the power to forgive sins. It does seem a little unnecessary to me, but that’s probably just my upbringing. I don’t have any theological problems with any of it. Logically, it makes a lot of sense.
Concerning Mary, Saints and Statues: I Still Think it’s Weird… But There are Much Worse Things It Could Be…
I do NOT believe Catholics worship Mary, saints or statues. (Well, maybe some do in other countries, but your average American Catholic–no.) I personally think some Catholics pay them more attention than they maybe ought, but then again, you’re going to have people mess things up in any religion.
Mary: In all honesty, I simply don’t “get” all the hubbub about Mary. Yes, she said yes to God, but people say yes to God every day. Even if she is the most important human in history (and I don’t have a problem with that)–she’s still human. Even if she were sinless (and I don’t have a problem with that either)–it was because God preserved her from it, not because she did anything herself to deserve it any more than the rest of us. I understand that Mary is supposed to point us to Jesus, but I can’t help but feeling that, for some people, all the Mary stuff has become a distraction.
Saints: I don’t know if I feel particularly compelled to pray to any Saints, but I don’t necessarily have a problem with the practice **when done according to official Catholic doctrine.** I don’t think it’s really necessary, but I don’t think it’s sinful, either.
Statues: As long as Protestants have nativity scenes, they can’t point fingers at Catholics because it’s the exact same thing. I have zero problem with statues (when used appropriately).
(For more information on this topic, please check out my post: What Do Catholics Really Believe About Mary, Saints and Statues?)
Is Infant Baptism Scriptural? I’d personally rather not wait.
I don’t know that Scripture is incredibly clear either way, and I say this because I can easily make good, Scriptural arguments for either side. Plus, when you look at early Church history, they did it both ways. BUT since it can’t hurt and it can potentially offer many huge benefits, according to Catholics–why wait? We baptize our babies as infants.
(Read more about the subject in my post: Infant Baptism or Believer’s Baptism? Which is Correct?)
Are Purgatory and Indulgences Scriptural? Probably
As I was researching for my post on Purgatory and Indulgences, I was surprised to find so many verses that *could* reference Purgatory. And honestly, the teachings make sense. I don’t know if I believe in them for 100 sure at this point, but I don’t have a problem with either of them. (Read more in my post: What is Purgatory? What are Indulgences?)
So What Did I Decide?
I decided I wasn’t ready to become Catholic at this point. We attended all of the learning type classes and then dropped out before the rites. We still attend Mass every Sunday.
The reason I chose to drop out is because when I looked up what the rites of sending and election are (the “ceremonies” we would go to next), I read that I would be asked “Do you believe all that the Catholic church teaches to be true?” And my sponsor (my husband) would have to vouch for me.
Well, I can’t in good faith go up in front of an entire church and declare that I believe everything the Catholic Church teaches is true. I’m not saying it’s not. I’m saying: I don’t know. I still have questions. I’m still learning. I’m still seeking.
I haven’t read the entire Catechism yet. I haven’t read all of the Apocrypha yet. How can I state I believe they are true if I don’t know what is in them? At this point, I can’t.
I’ve changed my mind on a LOT of really important things–the Eucharist, confession, praying to the saints… I’ve learned a lot and I’ve come a long ways. But God isn’t finished with me yet.
So the series is done for now, but that doesn’t mean our journey has to be over. Go back and read through the posts again, really mulling over the points. Get and read the books above. Talk to your priest or pastor. Talk to me; I’d love to hear from you!! Don’t let your journey stop here.
Here’s a list of topics we’ve covered so far, in case you still need to go back and catch any you missed.
The Day I Realized My Religion Got it Wrong
10 Common Catholic Church Myths that Critics Believe
Is the Eucharist Really Just a Symbol?
Who has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura
A Brief Look at the History of Christianity
What All Christians Should Know About Priests, the Pope and Confession
What Do Catholics Really Believe About Mary, Saints and Statues?
Infant Baptism or Believer’s Baptism? Which is Correct?
What is Purgatory? What are Indulgences?
Why Do Catholics….? Honest Answers to Your Burning Questions
Protestant and Catholic Beliefs Series Conclusion
So that’s an update on me–how are you doing? What questions are you still wrestling with, if any? Let’s discuss!
I have loved this series and will be following along from now on. Thank you for your honesty, your hard work and dedication, you have forced me to start my journey again and I really feel as though I have te resources to make the right decisions.
Thanks, Erin! Good luck on your journey 🙂
I really enjoyed your open-minded series and appreciate how you were able to present information objectively and at the same time share your honest feelings about what you were discovering. After moving from a predominantly Catholic northeast community to the south 8 years ago, I learned that as Christians, Catholics and Protestants are alike in more ways than we are different. We all share the basic belief that God sent His son to save us and it is up to us to accept Him as our savior. As a Catholic I am grateful to you for helping to clear up a lot of the misconceptions about what we believe and practice. It is always hurtful to me when I hear someone say something that hints that Catholics are not Christians. (A very young co-worker once said to me “I used to be Catholic, but now I’m Christian.” grrrrrrrrr……….) Even though I am a life long Catholic, I learned so much from your posts! (though I’m still trying to figure out that Indulgence stuff) Please continue your posts as you proceed in your journey!
Thanks, Maria! Thankfully I’ve never heard much of the worst myths etc in real life myself, but after doing all this research, now I know it’s out there. So sad. We really are a lot alike. I hope through this series everyone is learning and questioning in order to grow, not in order to be divisive. And I’m happy to post updates, but who knows when those will be?? I do hope to start a new series this summer, though, so that will be exciting!
I have enjoyed this series. Thank you all the time you put into it and your honesty. God Bless you on your journey.
Thanks, Megan!
I found your site here, and thus realized the incredible journey you have been on, quite late in the game. That said, I can’t tell you how admirable I find it, for someone to put so much time, thought, heart-reflection, and all around honest-effort, into seeking and finding the TRUTH. I do happen to believe you would find it in one I believe to be the ‘one true church’. But of course, that would be for you to discover, and it is my prayer that in time, you do.
I hope to find time to read more of your journey. Thanks for listing your milestones, as you have.
God bless you!
Better late than never! Thanks for joining us and for your prayers 🙂
I have really enjoyed you series and have learned some things I never knew. I pray for you on your journey and for your husband to have patience while you continue to discover. I really hope you someday join the only church Jesus started and continues to watch over today. Enjoy your journey and discovery and remember, His Plan, His Way, His Time.
Thanks, Mark! I think we all learned a lot! 🙂
I grew up catholic and went to catholic school. I left and have been going to different churches. Recently, because of geography, I sent my daughter to a catholic preschool. I’ve started going back to the church and we are going to send our kids to catholic school next year. I really appreciate this series. It’s has helped me understand a lot of what I forgot from way back when and figure it all out in my head. Thank you so much!
You are so welcome! Thanks for joining us!
Thank you for a great blog series. I followed you the whole way! I have referred to your posts in talking with my Protestant friends. I was in your place at one time. I remember being where you are now and sitting there with my doubts (small but real) and not sure where to go from there. Then it dawned on me, at some point, as I continue to think that MY rational deductions were going to change anything, that I was continuing to “protest”. I could not have it both ways, I was either Protestant (and I had come TOO far for that) or Catholic (sorry, not arguing Orthodox here). It was a moment when I had to say, is this a place to step out in faith? Like I did when I first accepted Jesus but did not have all the answers either? I decided it was. I had to trust that the HS was with the Church from its beginnings and I was going to trust the Holy Spirit in the Church not MAN (in the church). It was an instant relief and I have not looked back since. And honestly, when I made that conscience decision, over time all my doubts began to makes sense. Now I see those doctrines I struggled with as making perfect sense. But I feel like God was asking me to STOP analyzing and begin trusting. Praying as you continue on your journey!
I hope to get to that point soon as well. Right now it is all head knowledge, not heart knowledge/faith, but I want to make sure that when I do put my faith in something, I am trusting in a firm foundation.
Brittany,
I enjoyed your series so very much! For the sake of clarity, I would like to point out that Mary deserves so much respect, in part, because of the circumstances surrounding her immediate leap of faith when she answered “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your word”. She was probably 14-15 years old, engaged to be married and according to the law, a pregnancy not by her betrothed was a crime punishable by death by stoning by her whole village, including everyone she had ever known! I know that I, as a grandmother, probably STILL lack that degree of courage and at that age I would probably would have just laughed at Gabriel! That alone makes her at least a superhero! Also, the candles that we favor so much are a vivid reminder that Christ is THE “Light for the World”.
As a grandchild of a Southern Baptist missionary, my journey stretched completely away from any church. For many years I rejected all ‘formal’ religion and set not a foot in a church.I talked AT God all along but I didn’t KNOW Him. After losing two babies, He granted me my deepest desire, and gave me a miracle pregnancy. It was only then, in my thirties and on strict bed rest, that I decided it was time I discovered just who He was. I read every book in the big city library, on religion in any form. For almost six months I laid there and started the most important relationship of my life. I learned what a covenant relationship was and, for the first time, discovered the gentle yet all powerful, lover of my soul. After a lifetime of begging this unknown entity to kill me, I finally realized that St Augustine (I think it was) was correct in that ‘our soul will be forever restless until it rests in Him who created it’.
It took a couple of years to make my way home to Catholicism and several more to fully embrace Mother Church and ALL her teachings. For me, I finally found understanding (after 3 years of RCIA classes) when I just poured out to God, all my misgivings, all my doubts and all my fears and asked Him to make me understand. Quite suddenly, I just did. It was one of the best days of my life and I can still see, a decade later, how He led me home, one faltering, wobbly step at a time. I pray that you allow Him to lead you where He will so that your faith becomes as abiding and sustaining as my own has been. It changed every aspect of my life. My heart was as barren as a lunar landscape until I REALLY gave it to Him and He made it as fertile and lush as any tropical rainforest! I had never before realized that He IS LITERALLY “The WAY, The TRUTH and The LIFE”. Enjoy your journey!
Thanks! And yes, that was very courageous of her, but according to Catholics she didn’t have original sin either, so… Was she really going to not agree with God’s will?
Hi Brittany–again a post to an old thread, but I wanted to point out that Adam and Eve didn’t have original sin either when God created them. But they had free will.
Okay, you totally got me there. That’s a really good point…
This really helped me in trying to understand the role of Mary. I’m not saying I have it all figured out–but it helped!
I’ve been following this blog series and I have to say it makes me really sad to know you didn’t convert. I respect your decision, but at the same time, it upsets me knowing that the only thing that is stopping you is not knowing 100% on certain things. I am sorry to say but you will never know 100%. As Christians, we all truly don’t know Jesus Christ is real and he can easily fix that by appearing in front of us, but he doesn’t because he gives us, FAITH. And that’s what you need if you are leaning more on the feeling the Catholic Church is the One True Church Jesus started. I highly advise you to speak to Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, and/or Jimmy Akin about your doubts. Hear what they have to say especially on how do we know if the Catholic Church didn’t mess up somewhere along the way. I think if it did, there would be 30,000+ versions of it. It truly makes me sad knowing you are not going to be received into the Church this year but at the same time, I rather you not convert than convert and doubt the religion. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and God bless you and your family. I am not coming back here as I know you will never enter the Church because theres no way to know for sure – about anything, not even the other Protestants Churches. So if you can’t prove any of these Churches is right, are you just going to not pick one ever?
I’m not expecting to be 100% certain, but I do still have some big questions. It’s like buying a car–you don’t just go to the dealer and buy the one the first salesman tries to sell you, even if he says it’s awesome. You ask lots of questions. And what would you do if every time you asked a question, you got a ton of conflicting answers? You’d probably be really skeptical and research more. That’s all I’m doing. Lots of conflicting information–trying to figure out which source to trust.
And there ARE 30,000 Protestant denominations. The question is just: Is Catholicism the one true one and then there are 30,000 errors? Or is Catholicism one of 30,001 variations of Christianity to choose from? I’d say that’s a pretty important question. And one I’m still researching. Not for 100% certainty, but enough to know I’m not trusting someone who has it all wrong.
When Thomas doubted didn’t Jesus show him His palms? And don’t we have to be able to give an answer for the hope that we have? I know there is a time to step out in faith but the Holy Spirit will let you know when that is. I admire your logic, research and search for Truth. You are helping me so much. It is nice to know I am not the only one who is going through this questioning. Thank you for your encouragement and hope.
Yep. I know it is supposed to be “better” to just believe based on faith. But personally, I need to have some logical evidence that what I am about to put my belief in is true before I do. Because after all, it isn’t like Jesus himself showed up on my doorstep and said “Hey, Brittany, here’s a phone book. I circled a few churches I’d recommend.” At this point I’m really having to take other peoples’ word for it and hope that they didn’t mess up too many things in translation.
And thanks 🙂
Brittany, I wanted to congratulate you one last time on your well-written series. It has been a pleasure to get to read your posts on Catholicism and discuss them in the comments section with so many brilliant people. I also commend you on your integrity in not wanting to say you believe all that the Catholic Church teaches when you aren’t sure. I know that people like me urged you to stay Protestant and others urged you to become Catholic. In the face of suggestions from both sides, it is all the more commendable that you said you don’t know for now. I simply hope that whatever conclusions you eventually adopt (whether Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox) will contribute to your relationship with Christ and that you and yours will continue to grow spiritually and prosper in the meantime. I plan to make a couple of more comments later, but, in the meantime, I also wanted to thank those who have dialogued with me in the comments section of this site. I came across this series because a friend mentioned it on social media, and since then, I have been helped spiritually by getting to examine my own beliefs as I dialogued with others. I hope that we may all meet someday in heaven, united in Christ.
I’m betting we will! After all, most of us believe almost the same thing and try to live the same ways–it’s all just in the little details and semantics. Thank you so much for all that you have contributed to the conversation! I truly appreciate it!!
I’ve been following your journey with great interest and was really hoping you would take that leap of faith and come home. In fact, I was really surprised you didn’t. Yes, there are a few things in Catholic doctrine that are hard to accept, I’ve been there myself, but I have to say that in the end it’s really not little details and semantics, not at all. And the dealbreaker really is the Bread of Life. If you believe Christ is really present in the Eucharist, just like He told us, then you have to accept everything else He said about it. If He told us you have to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life, and we believe what He said is true, how can we possibly let even one more minute pass without doing anything and everything we have to do to receive Him? I just don’t get it.
Yes, that is a very important detail, but that doesn’t mean that everything else is just a minor detail. Just because the first century Christians believed in the real body and blood doesn’t mean that Catholics today got everything right because they agree on that one important topic. I’m not saying they are right or wrong–simply that I don’t yet have enough information at this point to feel very certain one way or the other.
What I’m trying to say is that it trumps everything else. Even if there were some minor things the Catholic Church got wrong (just for the sake of discussion, I’m in no way conceding the point) it still wouldn’t matter because it is the only one that gives you what is required for your salvation, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Do you really need anything else?
As a counter-argument only–what if I created a new religion that claimed that Eucharist is the real body and blood, but also sacrificed goats to the sun god too? I’d have to argue that while the Eucharist might be (is) super duper important, it isn’t the ONLY detail that matters.
Hi Brittany!
It’s been so great to follow your series and as a cradle Catholic (who embraces, practices and loves the Catholic faith) I have learned so much from your posts! There are still beliefs of the Catholic Church that are difficult for me to understand due to our human limitations, but my take on it all is that if we say that the Catholic Church is the one true Church started by Christ, then she can’t be right on some things and wrong on others. Christ and His Church can never contradict itself. Men can fail and do, but Christ’s Church is preserved by the Holy Spirit and can never be in error. So it takes faith and never ending search for wisdom and truth to be a Catholic.
I will continue to pray for your journey “home” as the Holy Spirit guides you in His timing.
Have a blessed Triduum and I hope you will be able to attend a Catholic Church sometime during these most holy 3 days of the liturgical year!
Have a blessed Easter!
I’m glad you enjoyed the series and thanks so much for all of your help in promoting it so more people could find it!! I really appreciate it!