There is not much animosity anymore. Not given the last two Popes who have proclaimed loudly as Paul said, “I preach Christ crucified”. The last two Popes actually believe in scripture strongly and haven’t gotten caught up in the PC disaster that has doomed several protestant denominations.
The problem of course from the beginning is having a Pope to begin with. Having a human being between you and Christ. Protestants believe it is not necessary. There is the rub.
I think most of us Protestants have a great deal of respect for the Pope. We listen to what he has to say and may or may not agree with him.
“The problem of course from the beginning is having a Pope to begin with. Having a human being between you and Christ. Protestants believe it is not necessary. There is the rub.”
I think the rub is the prominence of Scripture. Protestants put Scripture above all else for matters of faith and practice. Roman Catholics place the Pope’s interpretation of Scripture above all else for matters of faith and practice.
All differences flow from that, as I see it. When we argue about this sacrament or that doctrine, the Protestant appeals to a verse from the Bible, or a group of verses. The Roman Catholic appeals to the Pope’s or the Holy See’s statements. Then we are at an impasse.
That’s why the big cry of the Reformation was, “Sola Scriptura.” (Scripture alone)
I say this without hatred, by the way.
Talk is cheap.
What do you think about the pope calling all Protestant churches "defective," and recently issuing his "global authority" encyclical which calls for a single controlling agency "with teeth" which would have the power of enforcement over the United States' economy, defense, immigration policies, taxation, and social programs?
Maybe it takes spending some time on the religion forum debating Roman Catholics concerning the "Co-redeemer" status of Mary; the priest's persona as "another Christ" in both their "personal life as well as professional life;" transubstantiation; praying to saints and statues for mediation; purgatory; justification through works; and a whole peck of other rituals and beliefs to help us to realize there are very grave differences between the two religions.
The article references James McCarthy's book, " The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God" which is excellent.
Another good one is Boettner's "Roman Catholicism" which is found free online in full HERE
Oh, I think some have quite enough animosity for all of us to share — and there would be at least 12 baskets of fragments left over.
Here’s how to nurture and strengthen animosity. Let most of your (not you personally, generic ‘you’) learning about the other side be dominated by books and people who hate the other side. That way you can be almost certain that you will not understand the other side, and the fears and concerns which we all have about the unfamiliar will be readily converted into contempt.
It also helps if you have a theology which stokes the illusion that it is okay to hate people because, after all, God hates people, so that once you ‘know’ whom God hates, you can be as venomous as you please while telling yourself you are righteous.
And, as I saw among some co-religionists yesterday, it is also good to be so ready to rebut the other side that you never hear what they are saying.
Hatred and contempt are addictive. Like most addictive things, they help us avoid confronting those aspects of our lives and selves which need confronting if we want to grow in love.