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Comparison Of Beliefs

In the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation, many faith groups split away from the Roman Catholic Church. This destroyed the relative unity of Christendom in western Europe. The Protestant movement further fragmented during the following centuries. At the present time, there are over a thousand Christian denominations in North America alone, in addition to many thousands of independent, unaffiliated congregations, para-church organizations, and personal or couple ministries. Although there are many mainline and liberal Protestant faith groups, most are conservative in nature.

Some beliefs of the Roman Catholic church and conservative Protestant denominations are in opposition to each other. Examples are:

The acceptance of the theory of evolution by the Catholic church, and the continuing rejection by most conservative Protestants.
The acceptance of homosexual sexual orientation -- but not same-sex behavior -- as morally neutral by the Catholic Church, but not by many conservative Protestants.
The rejection of the death penalty by the Catholic church, and the continuing acceptance and promotion by most conservative Protestants.
Catholics place ultimate interpretive authority in the Pope and Magesterium. Conservative Protestants place it with the individual Christian and his/her interpretation of the Bible.
Catholics teach that the bread and wine during the mass becomes the actual body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. Protestants generally regard the two components as symbolic of Jesus' body and blood.

The gap between the two groups appears to be increasing over time. Future reunification of the Christian religion appears impossible.

Both Catholics and conservative Protestants generally agree on some major theological matters, like the existence of angels, Mary's virgin conception; Jesus' sinless life, incarnation, crucifixion, bodily resurrection, and his imminent return of Jesus to Earth in the second coming; Heaven, Hell;...