Catholic vs. Protestant: Fighting the Wrong War - Romans 14, 1 Cor. 12

Hey everybody, I'm finally back and posting after a long dry spell (busy, oh so busy)... here's the first of a bunch of forthcoming:

Let me start by saying I happen to be a Pentecostal Protestant. The logistics of that is for another time, but suffice it to say that I have seen God's power at work in the Protestant churches I have been a part of, and I could probably find a bunch of Bible verses that I could use to support my position when in a conversation/discussion/debate/argument with a Catholic. BUT that's not what this is.

I've grown up all my life believing that anyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him into their life will be saved, regardless of denomination. All Christians are brothers (and sisters). Though I am a Protestant, I do not exclude Catholics and from what I hear, the Catholic Church doesn't exclude other Christians either, but welcomes them as family. All the same, I've had some pretty heated discussions and, though some were helpful and informative, many degenerated into a Catholic- and Protestant-bashing session.

Let's look at a few verses of Scripture, and apply them to how we should really be treating each other as God's family:

(read Romans 14)
- We need to put ourselves in the shoes of both the weaker and stronger brothers. Sometimes our faith is strong in one area, while in others it's weak. In both cases, don't condemn or look down on other Christians. God will help them to stand, just as He helps you.
- We need to do our best not to cause others to stumble... for example, you may think a certain movie is OK but your friend thinks it's wrong... DON'T go see it with them (or describe it to them in detail afterwards). It's not as important whether you eat, drink, watch or do whatever you want to, as it is to care about about someone's spiritual health. This applies, for example, if a non-Catholic Christian goes to a Catholic church and they feel it's OK for them to take the Eucharist (Communion), but the Catholics there would be distressed and see something wrong with it... don't do it. Whatever your personal convictions, you're not acting in love if you do.

(read 1 Cor. 12:12-27)
- Protestants and Catholics alike are members of the Body of Christ. Just because we play different parts in the body doesn't mean we aren't both necessary. Let's use an example:

Say you're a nose. Just a regular, ordinary nose, going about its business. Oh yeah, and you're on the face of a guy with glasses. One day, you get tired of holding up the glasses, doing all the work just so your weaker brothers, the eyes, can have an easier time of it. Somehow you throw off the glasses, and you feel pretty good, thinking, "Now those stupid eyes will have to do their share of the work!" What happens next? While the eyes are straining to adjust, the guy walks right into a brick wall... NOSE FIRST! What seemed like a burden was really working for your protection.

Though we don't understand all the parts in play, God does. If we're united in Him, we'll stand, regardless of denomination... if not, we'll all fall.

P.S. - Greg, if you'd like to post your thoughts from a Catholic perspective, that would be great. I appreciated you coming to the drop-in to help with this one so it didn't become an anti-Catholic slugfest.