question for Protestants Options

[*kryogenix*]

To my understanding, the following are the major reasons why people are Protestant rather than Catholic

• Sola Scriptura
• Sola Fide
• The Pope
• Virgin Mary
• Confession

inform me if I am missing anything.

So my question to Protestants is: can you justify the deviations from Catholic teaching?

[richc]

I am a mere 14 year old, so I do not know much about the Catholic religion.

But for the "pope," I believe the Catholic religion says that everyone can only have a relationship with God through the church

meaning, the pope can stop someone from going to heaven. and the pope has power among the catholics.

in the bible, it says that everyone is a sinner; everyone is equal.

whether you have committed one sin or 1 billion sins, a sinner is a sinner.
meaning, no one is better than anyone else.

also, when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtains that separated the clergy from the "holy room" which the priest was only suppose to have access to, was ripped open.
we believe that this meant that Jesus wanted a DIRECT relationship with all of us.

again, Im not the best person to rely for the absolute facts, but that is what i remember, jsut from my head.

[*kryogenix*]

I am a mere 14 year old, so I do not know much about the Catholic religion.

Heh, I'm 17, been Catholic all my life, and I'm still learning new things everyday! Just a reminder that this is a friendly discussion, there is no need to worry about any of that

But for the "pope," I believe the Catholic religion says that everyone can only have a relationship with God through the church

meaning, the pope can stop someone from going to heaven. and the pope has power among the catholics.

in the bible, it says that everyone is a sinner; everyone is equal.

whether you have committed one sin or 1 billion sins, a sinner is a sinner.
meaning, no one is better than anyone else.

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

-Matthew 16:18

What does that mean to you?

To me, it means the Pope is the successor to St. Peter. I would think that refusing to acknowledge this is the same as refusing to acknowledge St. Peter.

Your statement about the Pope having the power to prevent someone from reaching heaven is off as well. Only you have the power to prevent yourself from reaching heaven, as long as you are aware of your actions. We are the ones who choose to sin, not the Pope.

I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about the billions of sins, but I'll try to explain anyway. Yes, everyone sins. That's why we need to go to confession often. The Pope isn't above God's law just like the President isn't supposed to be above the law.

also, when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtains that separated the clergy from the "holy room" which the priest was only suppose to have access to, was ripped open.
we believe that this meant that Jesus wanted a DIRECT relationship with all of us.

again, Im not the best person to rely for the absolute facts, but that is what i remember, jsut from my head.

The temple in the Holy of Holies was for the Jewish High priest. Jesus' death and the tearing of the cutain marked the end for levitical priesthood, not the Christian priesthood. The Crucifixion and death of Jesus marked the end for Judaism, since he had fulfilled the prophecy. It wouldn't make sense to end the Christian priesthood before Christianity got off its feet.

[richc]

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PVP.HTM#$33G" target="_blank"></a>and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

-Matthew 16:18



I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about the billions of sins, but I'll try to explain anyway. Yes, everyone sins. That's why we need to go to confession often. The Pope isn't above God's law just like the President isn't supposed to be above the law.

the first thing.

well, in the last chapter of Matthew, i think it talks about the Great Commission. Peter, i think, is used just as an example.
the main...rock that God builds his church on his Jesus, obviously. Peter was just a prophet, or an...evangelist in modern day terms.
basically, what im trying to say, i think, is that....there isnt a hierarchy for christianity on earth. basically, its God on top of the hierarchy, and EVERYONE on the bottom. including the pope.
...im not sure if i made sense or not...i might edit this later...but anyway

the 2nd thing

gah, ive got an entire book on it. but i cant fint it! darn. well...everyone sins. I...might sin less than ...say, a prosititute. 1 sin= sinner. 2000000000000000 sins= sinner.

a sinner is a sinner is a sinner. so, again, we are all created equal in the eyes of God. Why, all the sudden, does the pope have so much power?

"The temple in the Holy of Holies was for the Jewish High priest. Jesus' death and the tearing of the cutain marked the end for levitical priesthood, not the Christian priesthood. The Crucifixion and death of Jesus marked the end for Judaism, since he had fulfilled the prophecy. It wouldn't make sense to end the Christian priesthood before Christianity got off its feet."

well, im not saying the end to priesthood. im just saying..again...that everyone is equal. so...for example, no one should be able to excommunicate someone.