Who's more liberal, Catholics or Protestants" (churches I mean)

[George_Bonanza]

I don't mean individuals, because nobody would be able to ascertain that. I want to learn more about the Reformation, so I'm pretty blank on it. However, it does seem like Protestantism was born out of the constrictions of Catholicism, which indicates it was a more liberal, common man sort of religion. However, today, we have some real far-out Protestant churches, especially in the south, who are as conservative as it gets. The Vatican is pretty benevolent except when it comes to their views on gays, abortion, and married priests. I think they still have a medieval preoccupation with sex. However, it was the Vatican that led the opposition to the Iraq war, and I even heard that back a few decades ago, the Vatican was accused to harbouring some kind of communist tendencies due to their compassion for poor people. I guess this was during the Red Scare.

So, what's the answer?

[fishguy]

1. The Catholic Church is both very liberal and very conservative

Very conservative when it comes to matters of sexuality and reporduction, such as birth control, marriage, abortion, homosexuality, etc....

But, it is VERY liberal on social and economic matters, such as war and peace, gun control, taxes, workers/union rights, the poor and disadvantaged, death penalty etc....

Because Americans have an unhealthy, Puritanical obsession with sex, the more consersative Catholic leanings tend to get the exposure.

For a website on the liberal stances of Catholicism(although this is a Catholic organization and not the Church), go to

www.networklobby.org

Can't really say the Catholic Church is liberal or conservative.

[kixot]

4. I agree with fishguy in that it's not a clean call.

It really is a "sort of" type of answer.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. I'd have to say Protestants.

Catholic is monolithic to a great extent, whereas Protestants have a variety of denominations that range from snake handling to extremely liberal denominations to middle of the road to right wing zealots.

[kixot]

3. I think today, in general, Catholicism is more liberal .

It has managed to come to terms with its disagreement with the sciences and come to terms with, although not approvingly, many of todays alternate lifestyles. What pleases me about it is that Catholicism at least addresses the issues in a humanist sort of way and it really adhears to the forgiveness clause of Christianity, you know, the part many protestant fundies seem to forget.

[fishguy]

5. Can't really make a blanket statement about either

Protestantism has so many denominations with so many different beliefs it is hard to make a blanket statement.

The views of many right wing Protestant denominations, i.e. Southern Baptist Convention, can change according to the times and current events.
The Catholic view has tended to be very stable over time on issues.

[K-W]

6. There are many protestant churches.

Some are more liberal than the catholic church, some much less.

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. well...I don't think the Catholic Church is liberal or conservative

They're Authoritarian, which knows no ideological boundries.

[KoKo]

8. I d have to say the "Episcopal Church" at this point. We just appointed a

Gay Bishop in NH. And there are other changes going on in the Church's Liturgy (the form of the service) to include women and gays.

Do a "Goole" search and see where you might fit. There's wonderful stuff out there about all the denominations. History and the way they practice their services.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

11. Episcopal Church AKA Catholic Lite

Catholic rituals and liturgy without the guilt and pedophilia.

[Devlzown]

9. Unitarians

I guess they're considered Protestant. You can pretty much believe what you like and you don't even have to go to church if you don't want to. Very laid-back people.

[kixot]

10. I don't know if they qualify as 'protestant', per say

I'd think of them more as "new age".

[JohnKleeb]

13. actually kixot, they have been around a while

Founding father John Adams was one.

[Devlzown]

17. I think Emerson or Thoreau

or maybe both were Unitarians. They've been around for quite a while. The reason I wouldn't necessarily call them Protestant is because I don't think they're necessarily Christian. While they agree with many Christian concepts, they also see the good things in other religions -- Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. As far as I know, they have no real dogma and individual members are allowed to choose the path that works best for them. Maybe they were the original New-Agers!

[Silverhair]

27. Strictly speaking, they aren't Christian as defined by the Bible. n/t

[JohnKleeb]

12. really depends

Protestants are so goddamned diverse in different kids. Anywhom I hope you would all take my liberal catholicism over southern fundamantal evangalism. It really depends.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

14. Depends...Most Catholics I know are Liberal but

there are organizations like Opus Dei that want to go back to the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church.

Unitarians, Quakers, and Episcopalians tend to be liberal. Most other Protestants tend to be conservative.

[polmaven]

18. But, even then there are differences

United Methodists range from the very conservative (Bush fantasy style) to the very liberal with tolerance and freedom of thought being the rule of the day.

I am very impressed, though, with the courage and forward thinking of the Episcopalians...Good for them...at least those who will stay the course and not break from the body. Maybe one day my UMs will take the Episcopalian's lead and show the same courage.

[absyntheNsugar]

15. Depends on the Protestant and The Catholic

Some Catholics are very liberal like say the Liberation Theology types.

Some Protestants are very liberal, like the Unitarian Universalists, United Methodists, Lutherans and even some Evangelicals like the Seventh Day Adventists (they are a very closed group of people, but they agree with pretty much everything we do).

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Definitely depends

on the denomination. And even though I consider Catholics to be liberal in the sense that they seem to allow drinking and smoking and card playing, the church is just as uptight over premarital sex as some of the stricters protestant denoms.

[arewethereyet]

16. I can't understand why you seek to mix the political with the spiritual

It isn't intended to be possible. They both are in the business of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Chrust. They have some historical and procedural differences, that is all. That some religeous leaders seek to interject one into the other makes it neither acceptable not right.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Actually

spiritual people can use their faith to guide their political decisions in the same way that atheists and agnostics use their own value systems when they vote. That's not a mixing of church and state by the gov't, it is simply people voting their conscience.

As far as Christians go, here are some wonderful articles about politics: :^)

http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/politicalmenu.htm

[sandnsea]

19. Factor in the Puritans

That's where the US conservatism comes from, not Protestans or Catholics. They were separating themselves from the Anglican Church and interpreting the Bible purely and living strictly accordingly. Anabaptists, I believe, would also be instructive on religious tendencies in the US, in addition to Protestantism and Catholicism.

When studying the Civil War and the Second Great Awakening I came across info that the concept of "free will" developed more in that time than before. Helps to understand more about the mindset of areas of the country when you understand the differences in the underlying religious belief. For example, why is Idaho traditionally more conservative than Montana? Mormons settled Idaho, Catholics settled Montana, maybe??? The first mission people anyway. I don't know. But I find the whole subject fascinating.

[lostnfound]

20. My recent venture back to Cath. met with Chomsky-fan for a priest..

so I suspect that liberation theology is alive & well in the heads of some priests..but he said that the church was always under pressure from parishioners for being too liberal.

[Selwynn]

21. It completely depends -

First of all, you can't lump all Protestant Churches under one umbrella. Sounthern Baptists and Episcopalians are radically different. But even within those demoninations, there are differences. Not all Southern Baptists are evil right wing fanatics and not all episcopalians are liberal open minded happy folk.

[Padraig18]

24. Hard to say, frankly.

Some Protestant denominations are very conservative, while some are very liberal. The Roman Catholic Church is a mixture of both: with the exception of 'pelvic issues', homosexuality and married priests, the RCC is quite liberal

Tough call, frankly. :shrug:

[fishguy]

25. The Puritans were psychotic

And they were one of the first Europeans to colonize America.
Helps to explain many things about our country.

[Silverhair]

28. Roman Catholics were here first. n/t

[fishguy]

34. Are you talking about the Spanish?

Read my post carefully.

Puritans were one of the first Europeans.

And the Puritans were psychotic. They bascially got kicked out of England.

[Silverhair]

26. Catholicism leans more toward socialism.

This is an oversimplification due to the need for brevity.

In the Roman Catholic church, salvation - which is what a church is all about - comes through partaking of the sacrements of the church and can't be done without the priest to administer them. This cause the people to be very community oriented, strongly discourages individualism. It gets along very well with socialism and dictatorships. (Remember that dictators are the modern equivelent of royalty type governments.)

Among Protestants, salvation is an individual thing - directly between the person and Jesus. No middle man is needed. This promotes individualism, and free thought. I can go many different directions from there, but in general it is very friendly toward free enterprise and doesn't like dictatorships.

[fishguy]

31. The Catholic Church gets along well with dictators? What ?

Dictators and royalty type governments(in your words) are not the same thing.

The Catholic Church is based on a heirarchical structure.
Those above others have certain obligations to those below them.

A dictatorship only worries about itself.
No obligations to the people.

You make a generalization about Protestantism. Protestantism takes in too many different belief systems to make a general statement that it is very friendly toward free enterprise.

[mmonk]

29. The Catholic Church is hard to label

As far as war goes, its liberal. Death penalty, liberal. Geopolitics, liberal. Sexual matters, conservative. Doctrines, conservative. Abortion, conservative.

Protestantism has so many sects or denominations, you have to look at them individually. For example, Quakers, liberal. Southern Baptists, conservative. Etc.

Political conservatism, it's by far, the born agains or Evangelicals and Bible belt churches.

[ithacan]

30. Catholics on social justice issues

the Catholic doctrines on social justice are quite progressive.

On matters of sexuality, they are ridiculously conservative.

Protestant churches run the gamut. Some are very progressive. Others are so "conservative" that they contradict the most basic teachings of Jesus.

For info on how the "Christian" right has subverted Jesus's teachings and taken over the GOP, which is now imposing that distorted view on us, see http://www.theocracywatch.org/

[fishguy]

32. Read my first post on this thread

Said the same thing.

[san antonio]

33. You have to exclude abortion.

Since anybody TRULY against abortion considers it a life and death issue, it will always overshadow any other political stances.