What is a Protestant?

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mrS4ntA:
It seems to us, the thousands of denominations out there really have little in common. With every disagreement, a new denomination is founded. Really chaotic. If anything, the fact that they are “non-Catholic”, a “protester”, like you said, is what’s in common witht them. The Church they are protesting against is the one that holds their unity, pretty ironic, eh?
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That really paints an unrealistic, false impression of it. Most evangelical churches have a core group of beliefs. There is about as much unity in them as there is in individual catholics.
 
Heathen Dawn:
What about the Five Solas? Are they the sure mark of the Protestant?
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FIVE SOLAS?

I would have defined protestants as those holding to sola scriptura AND/OR sola fide.

There are two types of protestants: 1) those who protest the Catholic Church and thus only are in their respective churches to thumb their nose at Rome and 2) those who believe in the protestant solas because they were taught to and sincerely think these man-made doctrines are the truth - they have no intention of “protesting”
 
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Spider-man:
That really paints an unrealistic, false impression of it. Most evangelical churches have a core group of beliefs. There is about as much unity in them as there is in individual catholics.
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Yes but as Catholics we can settle our disputes according to Matt 18:17 and look to what the Church teaches. It is in the Church that we have our unity as it is the pillar and foundation of truth 1 Tim 3:15
 
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Poisson:
Yes but as Catholics we can settle our disputes according to Matt 18:17 and look to what the Church teaches. It is in the Church that we have our unity as it is the pillar and foundation of truth 1 Tim 3:15
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We can do the same in my evangelical church, as well. The leaders of my church have spiritual authority over me.
 
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Spider-man:
We can do the same in my evangelical church, as well. The leaders of my church have spiritual authority over me.
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And if someone has a dispute with that particular church’s interpretation of scripture or the application of it they either shop for a new church or start their own. What kind of authority is that? What if you have a dispute with another Christian who belongs to a different church?
Some Evangelicals say it’s ok to baptize babies and others who say it’s wrong. So what is it? What church authority is there to settle this?
There is only ONE truth!
 
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Poisson:
And if someone has a dispute with that particular church’s interpretation of scripture or the application of it they either shop for a new church or start their own. What kind of authority is that? What if you have a dispute with another Christian who belongs to a different church?
Some Evangelicals say it’s ok to baptize babies and others who say it’s wrong. So what is it? What church authority is there to settle this?
There is only ONE truth!
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…and Truth CANNOT contradict Truth, or else it wouldn’t be Truth in the first place!
Two contradictory “Truths”, both in denoms claiming to be inspired by the Holy Spirit… Is the Holy Spirit playing games, then? I truly cannot understand why Protestants cannot see this simple truth…
 
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Beaver:
I equate Protestants to cafeteria Catholics. They too pick and choose what they believe as true.
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This is interesting. I am a very inquisitive non-Catholic, but I find it amazing at how many presumptions there are on the part of both Catholics and non-Catholics. The pursuit of God’s truth is what I seek, not a buffet of what I want to believe. By nature picking and choosing truth is not really to believe at all, it’s to move oneself into a comfort zone of self-deception.
 
CAtolL,

Welcome to this forum. Glad to see Christians like you here to discuss our Faith.

You wrote this in response to another poster calling protestants nothing but “Cafeteria Catholics”, picking and choosing what to believe.
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CAtoIL:
This is interesting. I am a very inquisitive non-Catholic, but I find it amazing at how many presumptions there are on the part of both Catholics and non-Catholics. The pursuit of God’s truth is what I seek, not a buffet of what I want to believe. By nature picking and choosing truth is not really to believe at all, it’s to move oneself into a comfort zone of self-deception.
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Does not your own staement prove you believe in “Buffet Line” theology? Do you not condridict yourself?

Perhaps I just miss-self-interpreted your point and I would like to give you a chance to better phrase your point if you would like. I guess I proved self-interpretation false as a side issue here?

Anyway, glad your here and hope to see more from you in the future.
 
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Cat:
. . . All Protestant churches accept the doctrine of “Sola Scriptura,” the Bible as the SOLE source of authority for believers. Although Protestants voluntarily submit to denominational and pastoral authorities and written statements of faith, they all believe that if these human things (pastors, statements of faith) etc. are in conflict with the Bible . . . they are free to leave that church and seek another with no danger of loss of salvation.

All of the things that the Catholic/Orthodox church believes . . . you can probably find a Protestant denomination that will accept these doctrines, or at least some of the doctrines . . But you will never find a Protestant church that accepts the Authority of the Pope, the Magisterium, or Sacred Tradition. This is THE difference between Protestants and Catholics/Orthodox.

Also, it will help you in your discussions with Protestants if you are aware that there is a LOT of serious objection among Protestants to the incredibly large numbers (33,000) of denominations that Catholics claim. At least one Protestant extra-church organization has broken it down into about 80 denominations. Another claims about 350 denominations.

The problem arises from the “non-denominational,” “free,” and “home” churches, which each have their own statement of faith. To the Catholics who claim such large numbers of denominations, each of these churches is a separate denomination. But Protestants protest vehemently against this definition of a denomination, with good reason. Many of the home churches especially only include a few members, perhaps just one family. So to call them a separate denomination is kind of stretching it.

I would say that “non-denominational Protestant” should be just one denomination, even though they all have slight differences in what they believe. But . . . most non-denoms fit in with some established denomination; the people who belong to the non-denom just want to be free of any central authority (often so they can keep their pastors and their money in their own church . . . So be careful about the large numbers. It suffices that there are at least 80 denominations, which is still an awful lot of “true churches.”

One more thing: to the Protestant, the large numbers of denominations is not bad, but good. They believe that it is through denominations that God works in individuals . . . We have a choice of denominations to help us find OUR place in God’s Church, the place where we can learn the most and serve the most. So if you try to argue that splitting into denominations is a bad thing, most Protestants will disagree with you . . .

Also, Protestants do not see “the Church” as having anything to do with their salvation or their relationship to Jesus. The church is just the place to go for fellowship and teaching. It’s your “Christian family,” . . . And although some of the mainline Protestants have some of the sacraments (Communion, Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing with oil for healing), they do not feel that these Sacraments are vital for our salvation and our sanctification, as Catholics do. Keep all this in mind when you talk to Protestants. The very idea of a “mother” church is totally foreign, even idolatrous, to Protestants . . .
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Cat: You explained the issues you touched upon very well. Thanks! Now if some of the professional Catholic apologists will read your post and take it into consideration in formulating their critiques of Protestantism perhaps the tenor of dialogue between apologists will be moved forward incrementally. Well done!
 
Anyone who claims to be a Christian and denies Apostolic succession, traditions, and dogmas. Examples: the sacraments, Male clergy, Mary is Theotokoes (the spelling is wrong) The Holy Trinity, and the Divinity of Christ. Sorry Dan Brown…
 
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Beaver:
I equate Protestants to cafeteria Catholics. They too pick and choose what they believe as true.
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Good point but… The protestant churches themself are buffet line theology. They meander through every whim and fancy that feels good that day. Some are fast and some are slow but most if not all change theology over time. The Catholic Church on the other hand cannot change its Dogma or Faith and Morals. What was right and moral at 2,000 years ago is still right and moral today and will be tomorrow. God does not change. We can add to that deposit as it is revealed but what is there can never be changed or taken away. If it could we would not be the body of Christ, His Church of which He is the head.
 
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Cat:
.

I would say that “non-denominational Protestant” should be just one denomination, even though they all have slight differences in what they believe. But for the most part, most non-denoms fit in with some established denomination; the people who belong to the non-denom just want to be free of any central authority
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I’m stuck on this. If there are slight differences and they don’t want to answer to any authority but their own doesn’t that make them a different denomination? Maybe the key word I’m not getting is slight??
 
Protestantism in the strict sense of the word is the group of princes and imperial cities who, at the diet of Speyer in 1529, tried a protestation against the Edict of Worms which forbade the Lutheran teachings within the Holy Roman Empire.

From wikipedia…

All I see here, in this thread, is more Roman triumphalism, snorting and gloating, condescending and patronizing…and not a few inaccuracies…but then, that’s pretty much par for the course…
 
I prefer the term evangelical. It’s been hundreds of years since protestant groups seperated from the Catholic church. Most members are raised in it, or brought into it by friends, and protesting catholic doctrine has little to do it. I know, because I was an evangelical for a long time.

My family has never been a church going family. Friends brought me to a Baptist church with them one sunday, and that was my first exposure to Jesus. I stayed with that church for years, and grew spiritually as I learned of Jesus and studied the Bible.

Currently, I go to a Catholic Church, but I’m forever gratefult to those who first lead me to Jesus. “Protesting” had nothing to do with it–they never lead me away from a church, they lead me to Jesus.
 
I think that going beyond the basic differences between Catholic doctrine and Protestant doctines is moot, because there are so many differing Prot. churches that don’t even agree with each other. It is even offensive to some Protestants to group, say, Lutheran beliefs with Baptist beliefs, let alone with Assembly of God beliefs (just as an example).

From the pew of a Methodist church I heard a pastor talking to the congregation about joining with a nearby Lutheran church to send missionaries to Estonia. The Methodists were helping to build a Lutheran church there. The pastor explained that a denomination was a vessel, like a wine skin, that held the Truth, and that although the vessels themselves may differ, the Truth stays the same.

Now before you all jump on my case, rest assured that most of us will agree that the RCC holds the *fullness *of the Truth, and that some doctrines and sacraments have been interpreted wrongly in some well-meaning Protestant churches. But it is also true that out of the great tragedy of schism (after schism after schism), our merciful God has continued to bless Christians everywhere who fervently desire to bring glory to Him, no matter to which denominational “vessel” they belong.
In defense of non-Catholic Christians everywhere, please understand that most of them are only reacting to a genuine, Spirit-filled longing to glorify God as perfectly as possible in their actions, words, and attitudes.

In this morning’s gospel when the Pharisee was thanking God that he was not like the tax collector and the others, I praised God for my inability to glorify Him perfectly in every way, lest I should start to think that I could glorify Him without having to first humble myself before Him, confessing all my mistakes and imperfections, so that He can draw me nearer with His compassionate, unconditional mercy and love.

There are many historical reasons for the many schisms in Christ’s church. Most of them were, at the time, a result of good intentions, even if wrong. You have to admit that the Reformation succeeded in spurring the needed reforms to what really was a corrupted RCC clergy that had gotten fouled up between religious authority and political power (case in point: the Medici family). Even that is what Luther really wanted, for he never intended to break away from Christ’s Church.
 
Ann,

I know you don’t need me to say it, but that was a pretty good post and I am grateful for it.

👍
 
I heard Fr. Corapi on relevent radio say “that are a great many Baptists going to heaven even though they only have two sacraments.” I beleive our sacraments are the tools we use to strengthen our faith. Catholics have have more tools but that doesn’t mean only we get to heaven.

Sometimes I hear Protestants disreguard good works when they preach about Sola Fide. I wonder why they count so heavily on bible verses that tell us we are saved by faith, but forget the ones that tell us our faith is dead without good works?

Love in Christ,
Chris
 
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Ann78:
There are many historical reasons for the many schisms in Christ’s church. Most of them were, at the time, a result of good intentions, even if wrong. You have to admit that the Reformation succeeded in spurring the needed reforms to what really was a corrupted RCC clergy that had gotten fouled up between religious authority and political power (case in point: the Medici family). Even that is what Luther really wanted, for he never intended to break away from Christ’s Church.
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It was not Luther’s intention to break away at the very beginning of his protests against the Church. However, it wasn’t long before Luther’s ugly diatribes began against the Pope and the Church, against the peasants in the Peasant’s Revolt, and against the Jews. These are documented in his own words – as is his approval of bigamy and polygyny, his removal of eleven books from the the Bible, and other abominable actions.

This isn’t the thread for it, but I didn’t want the statement about Luther to stand unchallenged. It isn’t correct to say that he*** never*** intended to break away from Christ’s Church. Wasn’t it he who first called the Church the Whore of Babylon and the Pope the Anti-Christ? I think so.

Luther didn’t reform the Church; he shattered it. The Church reformed herself.

JMJ Jay
 
This isn’t the thread for it, but I didn’t want the statement about Luther to stand unchallenged. It isn’t correct to say that he* never*** intended to break away from Christ’s Church. Wasn’t it he who first called the Church the Whore of Babylon and the Pope the Anti-Christ? I think so.
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Luther didn’t reform the Church; he shattered it. The Church reformed herself.
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Ah, yes. I see I was too general in my statement. I was going for Luther’s original intention, which was reform. I agree that he shattered the Church rather than reformed it. But it was the uproar of the Reformation that incited the Church to reform herself.
 
The main difference is the fact that protestants use the bible as their sole source, while Cathiolics also use tradition.

Also, I think there is no head of any protestant church, where as the pope is the head of the Catholic church.

There are other differences, but it is hard to say since there are a large number of protestant groups.
 
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