Questions to protestants
By oxyde_gyabo
@oxyde_gyabo (701)
Philippines
September 22, 2010 10:39am CST
Hi everyone! I need some help in my assignment. I have to interview a protestant/s with these questions..
According to our professor,
Protestants..
1. Believe that people are saved by faith alone
2. Question selling indulgence (note: indulgence means, donate to the church for your sins to be forgiven...this means they do not approve selling of indulgence)
3. Believe in predestination(destiny)
4. Sola Scriptura/Bible alone as guide to religious life
5. Question pilgrimage(journey to religious places to reflect)
6. Question superstitious cult of relics(the use of rosary, holy water)
7. Question the magical view of the sacrament(example:Holy Communion, "this bread is my flesh.." and "take this wine as my blood..")
8. Accepts only baptism and communion in its sacraments
9. Question the authority of the pope
I need the opinion of protestants without giving my opinion so that I can give a report from the interview without bias. Please give your opinion for each question. For example: Why does protestant believe that people are saved by faith alone? Please explain. What's the difference with other religion? Catholics believe that faith alone is not enough, there is also a need for action. (I'm not a Catholic, our prof taught us this)
{I just got home from school, working on a mini business and pageant events etc. so I'll go offline after this and snooze, hoping that a good person would help me ^_^ . I'll get back next morning to check on the answers. All responses are appreciated, loved and accepted :D Thank you so much!}
4 responses
@urbandekay (18278)
•
22 Sep 10
Hi, of course there are different protestant denominations, so no universal answer can be given but here goes.
1. Yes and no, Faith and works go hand in hand, without faith work is in vain, faith without works is empty. But faith leads to works.
2. Reject indulgences
3. Only Calvinists and perhaps a few others, thinks I. More correctly, of course for God all is known but since he exists outside time that is hardly relevant, so from a human perspective no. So humans have free-will but for God, viewing all time as omnipresent, the issue does not arise.
4. Again yes and no. Scripture takes precedence, so we reject those inventions of the Roman Church but guidance by the Holy Spirit is also important
5. I question what you mean by 'question?'
6. Here, perhaps reject is a better word than 'question'
7. If by this you mean we reject Aquinas' mixing Aristotelianism with Christianity to give the dogma of transubstantiation, then yes
8. Think so
9. Reject the notion and authority of the Pope, as is written. I might add as a Baptist, I mean proper Baptist not the American Southern Baptists, we have no hierarchy, decisions are taken by Church members, who can and do, appoint and fire ministers, etc.
I might add, that baptists believe in baptism, kind of obvious, except the word in the original Greek means immersion and therefore baptism involves being submerged completely in water unlike the Roman Church, where the man in a dress just chucks a bit of water in your face or daubs some on you.
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@oxyde_gyabo (701)
• Philippines
23 Sep 10
Thank you urbandekay! this is a helpful source for my homework :D I'm so glad I found different people helping me out~
By 'question' I meant, doubting or not agreeing to pilgrimages, selling indulgence, superstitious relics.. and the like.
I like your answer in number 1. In number 7, I meant generally, I gave the transubstantiation as one of the examples but your answer is here is enough.
In baptism of the baptist, you mean that they dip a baby completely under water?
Thank you again!! :D
@urbandekay (18278)
•
23 Sep 10
No, baptism is only for adults, there is no point in baptising children. A person undergoing baptism must be adult because they must be able to decide to die! They must, as they are immersed, die to the self and emerge to a new life in Christ.
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
23 Sep 10
Re pilgrimages I am unsure, I would feel these may be useful but certainly not required
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@oxyde_gyabo (701)
• Philippines
23 Sep 10
Thank you vinnz21, although I have already enough information, I would certainly appreciate your opinion on this. I'm neither protestant nor catholic but I agree to some of both teachings like faith, bible and same sacraments. I am a born again, from the evangelical movement, but I am open to all religions because we all have different beliefs and understandings which coincides with other religions.
(even if you are not a protestant, I will include your answer wholeheartedly :D)
@greenowl (71)
• Sweden
22 Sep 10
1. True
2. True
3. That is true of some Protestant churches. (Following Calvin if I remember right)
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. True about some churches. There are several different interpretations of what actually happens and not happens.
8. True
9. I would say "reject the authority of the pope"
I am a Lutheran, and this is what I remember from what I was taught. Good luck with your assignment.
1 person likes this
@oxyde_gyabo (701)
• Philippines
22 Sep 10
Thank you greenowl.. Though I need some further explanation. I am really really grateful that there are people who are willing to read this.
I need to have answers from mylot..or else I'll have to interview the same person my classmates interviewed, there is only one person in class we are close with and I think it's awkward for her to answer the same questions again and again. I don't know much people from school that are protestants because I study in a catholic school that accepts non-catholic students.
@jypsyjulia (912)
• United States
23 Sep 10
Okay, I will answe your questions the best I can~!
1. Yes. It is faith alone, however if you have the faith, the works will follow.
2. No. We are saved by faith alone, so we don't need indulgences for our sins. Rather, we go to the Big Man Himself and ask for forgiveness.
3. It depends on the Protestant! Personally, I am half and half on this. Calvinists believe in predestination, but the rest of us are kind of torn.
4. Sola Scriptura all the way!
5. We don't have to have pilgrimages, but at the same time... I think that the desire I have to go to Israel and walked where Jesus walked and reflect on my relationship with Him would be considered a pilgrimage. They're not necessary, but they're nice.
6. We don't use rosaries or holy water, no.
7. We do have communion, but we don't believe we are truly eating Christ's flesh and blood. It's not literal. Rather it is a symbolic rememberance of Christ and what He did for us.
8. Yes.
9. Yes, but the Pope is respected.
I think that people get caught up in the idea that you have to be 'good enough' to get into heaven. So maybe that's why Catholics feel like they must do good deeds. But the thing is, NO ONE will ever be good enough. We are all sinners and we are all in the same boat- SIN. The Bible says that if you believe in your heart that Christ is Lord and confess the same with your mouth then YOU SHALL BE SAVED. Good works will follow because you love God and want to serve Him! But don't focus on the works, focus on the faith. Focus on the relationship.
1 person likes this
@oxyde_gyabo (701)
• Philippines
23 Sep 10
Thank you so much jypsyjulia! Your answer in your last paragraph was really concise yet filled with substance! This is the best explanation for question number 1. I want to focus on this on explaining your answers in questions 2 and 4.
And I absolutely agree with this answer, I also believe that we are not entirely saved by merely doing good deeds, because we also have to be close to God and this we can achieve with faith. Through faith, work follows. If work doesn't follow, then it isn't true faith.
Thank you again for the effort, considerations, interest and concern! I love all the answers everyone gave!
