Question: What is the difference between Catholics and non-Catholics (Protestants, I think they're called)? They both seem the same to me. But I don't know. Please someone who knows, let me know. Thanks people.
Answer: The history goes back to the first century. Near the end of the first century, the divinely guided apostles were going on to their reward. They left behind men in the churches to keep them going. As time went along, men began to believe themselves more important than God. Men decided to change God's plan and methods for their own.
In the second century, the leadership of the church started to develop a heirachy attitude, and many vied for the leadership in each community.
By the third century there were bishops and different levels of heirachy. There were battles on who was more important and whose words would guide the followers.
By the beginning of the sixth century, the bishop of Rome declared that he would be the universal bishop by making himself the vicar or spokesperson of Christ. As we all know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Catholic church spent the next thousand years building up a worldwide control.
Late in the 15th century, the printing press was designed and the Bible was the first book produced on it. All of a sudden the message of God was made available to more and more people.
When people started to study God's word, and saw how the Catholics were abusing Bible authority, they started to protest. (Thus, the designation---protestants.) They tried to reform the church back to an original idea which had gotten lost over the centuries. These people were also described as the reformists or those of the reformation period.
Later into the late 1700's, we find men reading the Bible and seeing that even the Catholic church was not described in it. They tried to restore people to the truth of the Bible and do things by Bible authority. These are the restorationists.
There are many books on church history thru the ages. Check some of them out.
Keep studying God's word. (Carey Scott, 7-14-2000, askme.com)
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