Destruction of self confidence

[emjay]

Yeah, I know that, it just wasn't given the same emphasis, or at least not in the same way, in the sort of Christianity I was brought up in... I guess because it tended to focus on the positive side rather than the negative... for instance I don't think they talked about hell much... it was more focusing on your personal relationship with Christ and all that.

 I was raised catholic. It's pretty mechanical, all about obeying rules and constant ritual. Eg prayer in the formulaic way of the rosary. Rosary beads are divide into 'decades; 10 Hail Mary's and an our father. Say enough and you can earn a plenary indulgence, which is a get out of hell free card, Then there's confession and the other six sacraments. Central is the Mass. Catholics are taught that during the mass, the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Conveniently, appearance, texture, taste , does not change. That teaching was just one of the causes of the Protestant Reformation.

Protestants tend to be more Bible focussed. Each man is left to interpret the bible in his own way.  At my Catholic school, we were actively discouraged from reading the bible. The church interpreted the bible for us. That's why there's such a conflict between Catholic and protestant reformation about some topics. EG did Jesus have a brother? Catholics 'no', his mother Mary remained a  virgin. Protestants 'Yes',  he had four;  James, Joses, James and Judas. (according to the gospels of Matthew and Mark). Also apparently sisters,  but these are not identified in the Bible.

Thanks for the info... it's very interesting, and yeah, it's hard to think of two more diametrically opposed Christian belief systems - in so many respects - than Catholicism and Protestantism. I was brought up to despise Catholicism, as basically a cult full of idolatry... not least because of the seeming worship of Mary, and saints, in it, as well as the love of graven images and wealth.