What are the shared beliefs necessary for ALL Protestants?

[meltzerboy]

A few threads have discussed what essential elements of the faith must be believed (and practiced) to call oneself Catholic. My question is what are the basic commonalities shared by all Protestants? Is it the belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity but not the Catholic Church and its doctrines, or are sola Scriptura, certain sacraments, or anything else required? Also, on this basis, which Christian religious groups would NOT be considered Protestant (or Catholic): Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Jesus-only Pentecostals? Would any of these or others still be thought of by mainstream Protestants or themselves as variants of Protestantism?

 

[ConstantineTG]

What they all have in common is that they all believe the Catholic Church is wrong.

Other than that, there is no one belief shared by all of them.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

A few threads have discussed what essential elements of the faith must be believed (and practiced) to call oneself Catholic. My question is what are the basic commonalities shared by all Protestants? Is it the belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity but not the Catholic Church and its doctrines, or are sola Scriptura, certain sacraments, or anything else required? Also, on this basis, which Christian religious groups would NOT be considered Protestant (or Catholic): Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Jesus-only Pentecostals? Would any of these or others still be thought of by mainstream Protestants or themselves as variants of Protestantism?

First of all, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses are not Protestants. They are not even Christian. To be a Christian, theologically speaking, you must believe in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and in the divinity of Jesus Christ. If you reject either, then you are simply not a Christian. It’s like being a Muslim and rejecting that Muhammad was a prophet. It’s for this reason that Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses are put into their own isolated category away from Mainstream Christianity.

Protestantism is a decentralized belief system (unlike Catholicism), so it’s difficult to ascertain what beliefs they will all have in common. As the previous poster said, they reject the Catholic Church, and so on that basis we can get an idea of what they generally believe in:

• They reject the Pope and the doctrine of apostolic succession.
• They generally do not believe in Transubstantiation. They believe that the bread and wine are merely symbolic rather than metaphysically representing Jesus Christ.
• They believe in sola scriptura when it comes to interpreting and understanding the Bible.
• They do not believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary is worthy of prayer (hyperdulia).
• Many(not all, or virtually all) do not believe in the intercession of the saints (dulia)
• Many (not all, or virtually all) believe in Calvin’s views of predestination.

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

 

[Zooey]

Mormons: no valid baptism (because of error in the Trinitarian formula for baptism); theology varies.
Jehovah’s Witnesses: no valid baptism; nonchristian theology.
Quakers: theologically liberal Christian; no baptism at all.
Christian Scientists: closer to Hindu than Christian.
Unitarian: some call themselves Christian, & if validly baptized, may be so. Most probably religiously liberal in a a general (nonchristian) sense.
Jesus-only Pentecostals: probably invalid baptism; theology fairly conservative standard protestant.

(All of the above are part of the reason for the name “Non-Catholic Religions” forums).

 

[1sicht]

My question is what are the basic commonalities shared by all Protestants?

Historically, Protestants are limited to Lutherans, Reformed, Baptists and Congregationalists. All of them, originally, subscribed to what in the 1920’s was called “The Fundamentals.”

(Constantine, I suggest you do your homework before you spout off. )

 

[ChadS]

If you can get them to agree on what beliefs they have in common it would be almost impossible to get them to then agree which particular beliefs are “necessary” to be a Christian.

They’ll argue over inerrancy and literalism and what exactly those mean. They’ll argue over what and how to believe various things about Christ (for example do you have to acknowledge Christ’s Lordship or is believing he died for your sin enough). Then that brings you to how you were forgiven your sins and how you then confess subsequent sins or even if you have to confess them.

Yes, on the surface many of them may share similar beliefs in many things but when you get down into the nitty gritty and the meaning of words that sense of unity or common belief disappears quickly.

ChadS

 

[icamay]

The only requirement is the acceptance of Christ as the Messiah. I would also venture to say that the acceptance of the Bible less the Apochryphal texts would be a second common thread.

Not all believe in the physical baptism.
Not all believe in the Trinity.
Not all practice communion.
Not all use the term “sacraments”.
Not all stem from the Reformation (i.e., Anabaptists).

I practiced several different Protestant faiths, mostly during my childhood, and Christ is the only common thread shared in the churches I attended.

 

[SunshineZA]

The shared beliefs necessary for ALL Protestants (and Catholics alike) are:

The Nicene Creed common to most Protestant denominations and professed by Catholics

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

 

[gcnuss]

A few threads have discussed what essential elements of the faith must be believed (and practiced) to call oneself Catholic. My question is what are the basic commonalities shared by all Protestants? Is it the belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity but not the Catholic Church and its doctrines, or are sola Scriptura, certain sacraments, or anything else required? Also, on this basis, which Christian religious groups would NOT be considered Protestant (or Catholic): Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Jesus-only Pentecostals? Would any of these or others still be thought of by mainstream Protestants or themselves as variants of Protestantism?

A few random thoughts:

First, to be Protestant is to be Christian and this implies that one believes in the Holy Trinity. Any group that denies the Trinity, even if that group came out of some Protestant tradition, cannot, as I understand it, be called Christian or Protestant.

Second, there is the sacrament (or ordinance) of Baptism. The commonality is that baptism is practiced by all Protestants (insofar as I am aware) even though there are disagreements about it. Does one baptize infants or must a person declare a “decision for Jesus” before baptism? Is baptism a sacrament or an ordinance? Does an ontological change take place in a person through baptism?

Third, there is a common rejection of the Catholic Church as the sole repository of the fullness of truth. For some, this means a virulent anti-Catholicism. For others, it means a recognition of Catholics as fellow Christians who simply disagree on some matters of doctrine. Also, there are those who continue to see the papacy as the anti-Christ while others recognize the Pope as an important Christian leader but do not ascribe to him the authority that the Catholic Church does.

 

[Publisher]

The “priesthood of all believers” is one of the principles shared by most Protestants…I guess Episcopalians and Lutherans have a “priesthood” they feel is necessary to administer the sacraments…but for the most part Protestants need no priesthood to perform rituals and rites for or on their behalf…each of us may approach God without any “priest” to be mediator between us and the Eternal…Christ alone is Priest and Mediator…no other is needed.

 

[icamay]

The “priesthood of all believers” is one of the principles shared by most Protestants…I guess Episcopalians and Lutherans have a “priesthood” they feel is necessary to administer the sacraments…but for the most part Protestants need no priesthood to perform rituals and rites for or on their behalf…each of us may approach God without any “priest” to be mediator between us and the Eternal…Christ alone is Priest and Mediator…no other is needed.

That’s probably the best answer I’ve seen so far. It is important to remember that groups that broke off from the Church 500 years ago have new spin-off groups that have spin-off groups that have spin-offs…you get the picture. The faith has become so muddled down that, if one person decides “that’s not how I interpret that part of Scripture” and has people agree, they are free to become their own denomination now. There are not solid rules in the world of Protestants, as it is by scripture alone.

 

[JonNC]

A few threads have discussed what essential elements of the faith must be believed (and practiced) to call oneself Catholic. My question is what are the basic commonalities shared by all Protestants? Is it the belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity but not the Catholic Church and its doctrines, or are sola Scriptura, certain sacraments, or anything else required? Also, on this basis, which Christian religious groups would NOT be considered Protestant (or Catholic): Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Jesus-only Pentecostals? Would any of these or others still be thought of by mainstream Protestants or themselves as variants of Protestantism?

The problem with the question is the presumption that “protestantism” is a single, monolithic group, or that it once was. Neither is true.
Beyond that, I agree with Pastor Gary.

Jon

 

[meltzerboy]

Mormons: no valid baptism (because of error in the Trinitarian formula for baptism); theology varies.
Jehovah’s Witnesses: no valid baptism; nonchristian theology.
Quakers: theologically liberal Christian; no baptism at all.
Christian Scientists: closer to Hindu than Christian.
Unitarian: some call themselves Christian, & if validly baptized, may be so. Most probably religiously liberal in a a general (nonchristian) sense.
Jesus-only Pentecostals: probably invalid baptism; theology fairly conservative standard protestant.

(All of the above are part of the reason for the name “Non-Catholic Religions” forums).

Thanks, Zooey, for the information. I wonder about Unitarians though, some of whom may call themselves Christian, but do not (I assume) believe in the Trinity or even Jesus as equivalent to G-d the Father. How can they be “validly” baptized then? It appears you believe baptism is more of the key to Christianity than belief in the Trinity, except for Quakers? And do Jesus-only Pentecostals believe in a Triune G-d? I would think not.

 

[meltzerboy]

The “priesthood of all believers” is one of the principles shared by most Protestants…I guess Episcopalians and Lutherans have a “priesthood” they feel is necessary to administer the sacraments…but for the most part Protestants need no priesthood to perform rituals and rites for or on their behalf…each of us may approach God without any “priest” to be mediator between us and the Eternal…Christ alone is Priest and Mediator…no other is needed.

Thanks, Publisher. Do most Quakers consider themselves Protestants or even Christians? Do they all believe in Christ as equivalent to G-d the Father?

 

[meltzerboy]

The problem with the question is the presumption that “protestantism” is a single, monolithic group, or that it once was. Neither is true.
Beyond that, I agree with Pastor Gary.

Jon

Thanks, Jon. No, I don’t presume Protestantism is monolithic; but I was interested in finding out if there is ANY commonly shared belief among Protestants. Belief in a Triune G-d or in Jesus as G-d? Baptism or other ordinances? Sola scriptura? And so on.

 

[gcnuss]

The problem with the question is the presumption that “protestantism” is a single, monolithic group, or that it once was. Neither is true.
Beyond that, I agree with Pastor Gary.

Jon

Jon,

While I could revealed more cracks in the “lithos,” I thought I pretty much laid the presumed monolithic nature of “protestantism” to rest with my examples.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Not all believe in the physical baptism.
Not all believe in the Trinity.
Not all practice communion.
Not all use the term “sacraments”.
Not all stem from the Reformation (i.e., Anabaptists).

Technically speaking, those who deny the Trinity are not really considered Christians.

 

[meltzerboy]

That’s probably the best answer I’ve seen so far. It is important to remember that groups that broke off from the Church 500 years ago have new spin-off groups that have spin-off groups that have spin-offs…you get the picture. The faith has become so muddled down that, if one person decides “that’s not how I interpret that part of Scripture” and has people agree, they are free to become their own denomination now. There are not solid rules in the world of Protestants, as it is by scripture alone.

Thanks, icamay. Then you believe that sola Scriptura is the common key?

 

[meltzerboy]

Technically speaking, those who deny the Trinity are not really considered Christians.

Thanks, ByzCath. The belief in a Triune G-d is therefore the binding tie?

 

[meltzerboy]

What they all have in common is that they all believe the Catholic Church is wrong.

Other than that, there is no one belief shared by all of them.

Thanks, Constantine. So, in your view, Protestantism as a whole is defined by a negative reaction, that is, rejection of the Catholic Church?