Christianity vs. Roman Catholicism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the origins of biblical Christianity as well as that of the Roman Catholic religion. The paper further compares and contrasts these ideologies to reveal the primary differences between them.

From the Paper:

"Perhaps one of the most vast differences between biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism is the belief in Hell. Thessalonians 1:8-9 of the Bible states that "those who do not know God...will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his Power." Thus, Christianity does not mention Hell, but simply the absence of God's love, power, and presence. On the other hand, Roman Catholicism notes "immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer eternal fire (Gendron, 1996, p. 1035). In this passage, Roman Catholicism notes a punishment of fire in a physical location. This vastly differs from the Christian view of punishment through the absence of God. This difference is substantial, in that Christian belief stems from the idea that the absence of God is the ultimate form of punishment. The Roman Catholic Church Doctrines clearly see this punishment as not enough, and translate the Word to include physical punishment as opposed to only spiritual punishment."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gendron, Mike. 1996 Proclaiming the Gospel: Roman Catholicism, Scripture vs. Tradition. Proclaiming the Gospel Publications, Plano, TX.
• Hunt, Dave 1994 A Woman Rides the Beast: The Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days. Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR.
• McDowell, Josh and Stewart, Don. 1980 Answers to Tough Questions. Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, CA.
• Shelly, Bruce. 1982 Church History in Plain Language. World Book Publishers, Waco, TX.
• Various 2005 New American Standard Bible. Foundation Publications, NY.

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