Now that I go to a Protestant church and have learned Jesus only gave us two sacraments (Baptism & The Lord's Supper). I wonder where the Catholic Church got seven sacraments? That's five more sacraments.
- Baptism
- Eucharist (Lord's Supper)
- Reconciliation (confession)
- Confirmation (confirmation of faith)
- Marriage
- Holy Orders (ordination of priests)
- Anointing of the Sick (Last Rites)
See http://www.americancatholic.org/features/sacraments/default.asp for more detailed information.
Further more, I see lots of discrepancies in the doctrine compared to what Christianity originally was.
After almost four decades on this earth, I finally feel comfortable expressing and living my faith -- in a Protestant church, no less. I can say that I'm a Christian feeling that I can dare call myself so. I've studied the Bible and have no trouble to question my beliefs and understanding of the Scriptures -- a behavior that's not encouraged in Catholicism.
The only problem (if ever) is that my oldest son's completely Catholic. He believes in saints, the Virgin Mary (as a divine entity) and impersonal prayers.
Then again, I can be wrong in all this. Maybe Catholicism's the true expression of Christianity, but I can't believe corruption and secondary beliefs (saints, etc) are part of the core of what our belief should be. At the end of the day, I'd still go to a Protestant (Presbyterian) church where I feel at home and can feel that I'm a Christian and not part of a stupid charade.
In all, let's see what God's got to tell us when he comes to separate the sheep from the goats (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-if-god-came-to-visit.html).
