Demons?
This is always good to hear.
Protestant does mean something. It does tell us something. Not wanting to self describe as the term also tells us something. The issue, it seems to me, is that, quite understandably, no one wants to be anything but ‘the Church’ or ‘Catholic’.
Yes, I have to concede your point there. But, as you also alluded to, some people will actually substitute the word “non-catholic”. Back in the day, it seemed that this was usually in a joking fashion (vis-a-vis
ORTHODOXY, first American edition, chap. 3, p. 60.
Protestant does mean something. It does have a meaning. It’s meaning comes from its origin, but it has also taken on the contemporary meaning of, simply, western non-Catholic Christian. Beyond these two things, not much of a meaning.
Right, it went along with Heretics. In matters of belief you have the orthodox and heretics.
Some may want to avoid the word Catholic in as much as they see it tied to what they perceive as the Catholic Church, or ‘Roman Catholic Church’. What I meant was the word catholic in the sense of universal. I see that as being more like ‘the Church’. Would anyone not want to be considered universal? Even in this age of relativism isn’t it true that any given group at least perceives its teaching to be the core or most true understanding of the Faith?
Some groups, I’d agree. But I’d say that unless the core is conceived as relativism, it is not necessarily true that any given group perceives its teaching as the core of the Faith. Unless the core be conceived as relativistic, non-judgmental acceptance of almost any manifestation of the Faith.
In all fairness most of those divisions are jurisdictional rather than theological. Its important to avoid straw men in argument and get to the heart of things (denial of the magisterium and authority).When I was a Protestant I had no idea what I was “protesting”.
Originally applied to the English and Lutheran breakaways now it encompasses 20000+ other denominations. I prefer to use the descriptor “separated brethren”.
I would agree with people wanting to be called “the Church”, they should be so called. I have difficulty with any church identifying specifically as Catholic, if they are not in communion with the pope.
In general wouldn’t protestant meaning member of a branch of Protestantism? This category might be used on a survey. I have seen Mainline Protestant and Evangelical Protestant categories of surveys, for example there are 23 mainline and 146 Evangelical Protestant denominations in the 2010 survey by the ARDA.
So interesting, in 2010 there were 169 Protestant denominations. I have read on CAF numbers like 20 - 40,000. The survey is probably more accurate!
The 20,000+ figures come from a particular academic study, which is on-going, and counts things in an idiosyncratic manner.
Some are not Trinitarian, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses (from Adventism) and Unitarian-Universalists (from UCC/Congregational), and General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day) in binatarian and other Church of God (Seventh Day) groups are unitarian, United Church of God, and the Living Church of God, Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dawn Bible Students, Friends General Conference, Iglesia ni Cristo, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Members Church of God International, The Way International, The Church of God International and the United Church of God.
