The following was a recent Grace Talk question…

Why are Catholics persecuted when for the most part we believe the same things that any normal protestant church believes?

As I read this question, I have to make a few assumptions.

• The alleged persecution is coming from Protestants and or protestant churches like ours.
• The persecution is inappropriate and unloving.
• This question is directed to the leaders of Grace Fellowship because we have participated in this persecution.

Why Focus on the Differences?

There are clearly differences on topics such as the authority of the church, the nature of justification, the relationship between grace and works, the role of the sacraments, to name a few. The existence of these differences is not disputed by either side. The mere fact that both Catholic and Protestant churches continue to exist is a testament to this fact.

The questioner points out that there are more similarities than there are differences between Catholics and Protestants. The implication seems to be that focusing on the differences and the consequences of those differences amounts to persecution.

It may be true that there are more similarities between Catholicism and Protestantism than there are differences, and if you compare Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam, then Catholicism and Protestantism look relatively similar.

However, as Greg Koukl once pointed out with a wonderfully simple illustration, it is the differences, and not the similarities, that tend to matter. Imagine you have two white tablets—both are 500mg, white, and round. From that, we could say that they are for the most part the same.

Now imagine that we notice that the letters on the two tablets are different—one says “Aspirin” and the other says “Arsenic.” Now the many similarities are insignificant when compared to their differences.

Teaching about the differences, especially when there are questions of God’s honor and people’s eternal destiny is on the line, does not constitute persecution.

The Catholic Church is equally as interested in teaching the distinctive aspects of Roman Catholicism to its faithful (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church or any Catholic apologetics organization). This is not wrong. If they believe they are correct on the matters where they differ with Protestants, they are duty bound to teach what they believe to be true and to contend earnestly for the faith.

Persecution or Love?

Dictionary.com defines persecute as follows.

1. to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, esp. because of religion, race, or beliefs; harass persistently.

2. to annoy or trouble persistently.

We find ourselves in a culture where merely disagreeing with another’s religious viewpoint is considered mean and unloving. This view is grounded on an unstated assumption that there is no spiritual reality and one’s religious beliefs are merely emotionally beneficial make-belief. If spirituality’s only purpose is to give us an emotional boost and criticizing another’s views is emotionally hurtful, then that criticism must be wrong.

However, we know that there is a spiritual reality. We know that the cost of betting one’s life on a false hope is far higher than hurt feelings. To attempt to persuade a friend or loved one that he is mistaken in his understanding of God’s nature is not unloving, but quite the opposite. In the same way, although it might create some temporary discomfort, it would be a loving act to grab a friend’s hand as he is reaching to put two tablets into his mouth that he believes to be aspirin, but you know to be arsenic.

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