Christianity is subdivided into three main groups: the Protestants, the Catholics, and the Orthodox Christians. Protestant Christians are further divided into different denominations, one of them is the Methodist. The divisions of Christians have their own beliefs, traditions, and understanding of the Bible and the Church.
Catholicism is one of the biggest religions in the world, with more than 25% of the population following them. On the other side, Methodism is followed by about eighty million people.
Catholic Vs. Methodist
The major difference between the Catholic and the Methodist would be their tradition to achieve salvation. Catholics are h2 believers in the Church and regard the teachings of the Pope highly. On the other side, Methodists believe in the teachings of John Wesley.
Catholics have a lot of followings and have many different beliefs compared to other religions. They follow the administrator of the Church, the Pope, and they give huge importance to doing good deeds as they believe it is the way to the salvation that everyone is aiming for.
On the other side, Methodists originate from the Wesleyan preaching from the Church of England and are known to be a modified episcopal polity and cultural morality. They follow the teachings and the life of John Wesley and incorporate them into their traditions.
What is a Catholic?
The word Catholic directly translates to “whole” in the Greek language. They have huge popularity, and a lot of people follow their beliefs. They are a huge group among the Christian religion, and they put the Church’s administrators, such as the Pope, as the ones to follow. They believe that God created everything in the world versus God being part of the world.
The Pope lives in Italy, and they also have the original copy of the Bible. There is a huge following of Catholics worldwide, with Brazil having 127 million and the Philippines having about 76 million. They believe that God’s will can be revealed through prayers and that Jesus died on the cross to pay for the world’s sins and that he was later resurrected. They believe Jesus Christ to be the son of God, and they also believe in the Virgin Mary.
What is a Methodist?
Methodists follow and practice the teachings and principles taught by John Wesley. Next to the Catholics, they also have a high following, with more than 80 million people in this religion. It is known that John Wesley originated from the Church o England.
Methodists also serve the four elemental postulates, which are the following: that a person is free to reject mercy or accept it as an act of free will, that people who are devoted to the doctrine are going to be protected, that the Holy Spirit guarantees salvation directly and that Christians are capable of perfection as governed by God.
Methodists also believe that Jesus Christ fell for the sins of humankind and that salvation is something that everyone can achieve. They have three simple rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. While Methodists believe that Mary is the mother of Christ, they do not think that Mary was born without any original sin. They recognize and celebrate saints but do not venerate them. They also believe in baptism but not through water but with the Holy Spirit.
Difference between Catholic and Methodist
- Catholics are a community, while Methodist is a movement started by John Wesley.
- Catholicism was founded by Jesus Christ, while Methodists started as a movement around the 18th century.
- Catholics and Methodists both believe in Mary being the mother of Jesus Christ, but Methodists think that she was not born without any sins.
- Methodists celebrate saints as Catholics do but do not venerate them.
- Catholics are larger in number compared with the Methodists.
- Catholics believe in doing good deeds for salvation as well as having extreme faith in God, and so do Methodists.
Conclusion
Religion tends to be a sensitive topic to everyone as each has their own beliefs. However, it is necessary to understand that despite the differences, the main objective of it is to bring people together through the work of faith, of something that cannot be seen but people believe in.