Catholicism is more morally admirable than Protestantism

ONE - I believe you are talking about a different consistency. Your murderer example is talking about consistency between belief and action. I am just talking about consistency across beliefs. Catholics can be admired because they say they are pro-life and they mean it. They aren't pro-life for this but pro-death for that, as are many Protestants. Don't we admire people who say "I am against killing" and then do not kill? Don't we admire people who say "I am against stealing" and do not ever steal? People who stick to their guns like that are to be admired. And those who go back and forth between "Yes we are for life!" and "Kill that criminal" are not quite as morally admirable. TWO - Catholicism is more realistic. People act in their own self interest. So, if you tell people that good works will get them to Heaven, people will do lots of good works. It's not greed and selfishness they're preaching - they really ARE preaching good works. Catholicism just realizes how many people actually are. People who will do it out of their own character are just encouraged by Catholicism, so there is no harm at all in this practice. It is particularly admirable. THREE - Extreme individualism vs. community. This is Protestantism vs. Catholicism. This sense of looking out for yourself and screw everyone else stemmed from Protestantism. Arguing the merits and disadvantages of capitalism is for a larger debate, but look at the greed and selfishness that have come from this extreme individualism in the current economic crisis. Individualism is okay in moderation, but the Protestant individualism threw aside care for community and others in favor of the glorification and support of the sole self. DEFENSE 1 - It does indeed make sense to compare the Pope to pastors. Pastors are seen as people that are very close to God and therefore have the authority to preach to you. The Pope is the same way. I will concede that divine authority is given more to the Pope than other pastors, but the general difference is not extreme. Perhaps the Pope is given more authority, but it is not a way in which Protestantism is overwhelmingly more morally admirable. DEFENSE 2- Well done with turning that example. However, my point still stands that just because something stems from something else does not make it better. The Mormon faith stems from Protestantism, but is it better? Its founder had disagreements with Protestantism, so is it better? Branch Davidians (remember Waco?) split from The Seventh Day Adventists Church because of moral qualms. They were absolutely not better. So just because Protestantism stemmed from moral qualms with Catholicism does not make it more morally admirable. It is an irrelevant point. DEFENSE 3 - You have good points here, but I would say that Christians overall believe in the power of prayer, so the outcome is essentially the same. The seven sacraments you mention (as opposed to the two by Protestantism) actually have Biblical support. In the Bible, it says that Jesus gave 7 sacraments to his Church. This is another example of Catholicism actually adhering to what is said in their faith. Beyond consistency, I will agree that Catholics may have slightly more rituals. Protestantism has much of the same thing. Forgiveness of sins through communion = confession, for example. I will concede that Catholicism is somewhat more ritualized than Protestantism. But, you have not shown that that ritualization leads to anything negative (your prayer example is null since Christianity overall believes in the power of prayer - Protestantism included), so it is not necessarily less morally admirable to have ritual. It is neither more or less.