What is is different between presbyterian and Christianity?

Answer 1

The Presbyterian church grew out of the reformation, when corruption in Catholic church leadership made people question the Church. Presbyterian comes from the Greek word for "ruling elder". The Presbyterian shares many of the beliefs of the Catholic church, but instead of being ruled by clergy on up to a pope, the Presbyterian church is ruled by representatives chosen from the laity and clergy of each congregation at the presbytery level. Representatives from each presbytery are then chosen to represent them at the synod level, and representatives of each synod are chosen to make decisions at the General Assembly of the church. The checks and balances and representative governance served as part of the inspiration of the U.S. Constitution.

So that is how we are run. As for what we believe, it is remarkably similar to the Catholic church, in my opinion.

At Communion (which is typically celebrated once a month instead of every week), the belief of what is going on is a little different from the Catholic view. Catholics believe in transubstantiation, where the bread and wine literally become the body of blood of Christ in a metaphysical sense.

Presbyterians believe that the bread and wine represent the body and blood of Jesus. From my own viewpoint, this makes more sense because when Jesus pronounced, "This is my blood, this is my body," he was was there with the apostles. I doubt they took his words in a literal sense but rather saw his words as metaphoric.

As for joining the church, Presbyterians practice infant baptism like the Catholic church does, although again it is seen to be more symbolic in nature than in the Catholic church. There is a reverent belief that the Holy Spirit is present, but the actual act of baptism is not meant to be an invocation or command of the Holy Spirit, rather a reflection of the recognition of the presence of the Spirit.

Confirmation occurs primarily among teenagers, but is not as structured as it is in the Catholic church. In our church, confirmation classes are offered every year, and any youth who feels accountable for their own faith may attend the classes and be confirmed. Confirmation itself is really the act of joining the congregation as an adult. Confirmed youths can technically serve as deacons and elders (lay leadership positions), although this is rare.

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Catholic AnswerThe Catholic Church was founded by Our Blessed Lord on the Apostle Peter in 33 A.D., it was formed from His Side when He hung dead on the cross and was pierced by the soldier's lance, and shown to the world 53 days later at Pentecost. God guaranteed that the Church would be One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic and He would be with it until the end of the world. It is His Mystical Body and His Bride, and is the infallible conduit for His Grace to people so that they may reach heaven.

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The Presbyterian Communion was formed by those who left the Church that Christ founded, the Catholic Church, 15 centuries after Our Blessed Lord left the earth, as they couldn't live with its beliefs, and formed their own Church using their own version of the Sacred Scripture which they took from the Church and after editing and throwing out the books they didn't agree with, they based their new found religion on their new Bible.

Answer 2

The really modern as the minute theory back then was Calvinism, and John Knox brought that back to Scotland where it struck root and spread down into England and beyond. Presbyterianism originally was against Sacraments and Priests and Bishops, saying that the Community of Faith could run the Services, the parish. It was a bit tough in the early days, checking who was having a drink and all that.. But now, most Presbyterians have moved beyond that and are not too far from what Vatican II said of the Church - that Baptism commissions us all to ministry. Nowadays, most Presbyterians use the same Lectionary as Catholics, and the Missal is not much different and people who pray better focus on how we are very much alike rather than in the minor details where we are different. Pope John Paul II always said that the division of Christianity was a scandal, and that we should work hard on being more kindred. As a priest, I always figured that when I was away I would get the local Preso minister down to help to preach the word so our Eucharistic Ministers could move on to the communion service. As the priests die off, there will be more of this. Beauty!!

Answer 3

Some Presbyterians are Christians, but not all Christians are Presbyterians. To be a Christian means to be "in Christ," having trusted in Christ at their only hope of salvation from sin. One can belong to a Presbyterian church and still not be a genuine believer. The same thing applies to members of any church. Not all are "in Christ." Christians can be found in denominations such as Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and so on. Many Catholics are Christians, but not all unless they genuinely believe.

Answer 4

Roman Catholic AnswerThe Catholic religion was developed from fulfilled Judaism by Our Blessed Lord when He commissioned His Apostles to go out, teaching, and baptizing all the world. The presbyterian religion originated in the early 18th century in Scotland by John Knox.

Answer 5

Catholicism believes in the Literal Presence Of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, while Presbyterians do not.

Answer 6

Nothing. A Presbyterian is a christian religion.

Answer 7

A Presbyterian Church IS Christian.