Catholic Vs Presbyterians

In the Bible, Romans tells us, “all have sinned and deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3). Both Catholic and Presbyterians recognize the seriousness of sin. However, Catholics believe that there are two kinds of sins, mortal sin and venial sin. Mortal sin is a serious sin that completely disconnects a person from God. Venial sin, on the other hand, doesn’t disconnect the relationship but it harms it. Presbyterians don’t believe that there are different types of sins that you can commit; sin is a sin. They believe that all sin is equal. This is articulated by the following article, What Presbyterians Don’t Believe, which says: “Presbyterians do not believe that sins can be graded this way. Sin is sin.” (Ayers) This doesn’t change the fact

Catholic’s confession tradition has been passed down from Jesus to Saint Peter to current priests and bishops. Saint Peter was the first pope and our current pope gains his authority through apostolic succession. Jesus gave the permission to forgive people’s sins to priests and bishops, that doesn’t mean He gave the people the permission to forgive themselves. Here is what Catechism mentions about this: “Since Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation, bishops who are their successors, and priests, the bishops’ collaborators, continue to exercise this ministry. In deed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins…” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church” 1461) Catholics are following this tradition through practicing the sacrament of Penance. He trusts his apostles to minister the confession, as they have been verified to do a right deed with Sacrament of Holy

Catholics confess to a priest because, “we find confessing to a priest was accepted as part of the original deposit of faith handed down from the apostles.” (Brom) In contrast, “Presbyterianism is not a fixed pattern of church life but a developing pattern that has both continuity and diversity.” (Hart and Noll). The reason for this diversity is because they do not recognize the authority of the Church but instead see the Holy Bible as their only authority. This means that each person is his own authority. This is why they believe they can confess their sins directly. Catholics need absolution from a priest. Because they believe that Presbyterian’s method is wrong because Jesus didn’t give them the right to forgive themselves. Presbyterians believe in confession just like Catholics, but they have a different view of the purpose of Confession and its structure. “Confession and assurance of pardon are not what enables God to forgive us, but rather what enables us to recognize or feel or experience that we are forgiven.”(Ayers) To Presbyterians, the feeling of forgiveness is the most important, rather than the structure. These confessions are done with personal prayers and without the authority or interference of their ministers. Their confessions doesn’t have to a procedure, they just ask for the