Denomination or sect, church or...
PROTESTANTISM (from lat. protestans, genus n. protestantis - publicly proving), one of the main trends in Christianity. He broke away from Catholicism during the Reformation of the 16th century. It unites many independent movements, churches and sects (Lutheranism, Calvinism, the Anglican Church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.)
In society, there is such a phenomenon as Protestant churches, or as they are often called in our country - "sects". Some people are fine with this, others are very negative about them. You can often hear that Protestant Baptists sacrifice babies, and Pentecostals turn off the lights in meetings.
In this article, we want to provide you with information about Protestantism: reveal the history of the emergence of the Protestant movement, the basic doctrinal principles of Protestantism, and touch on the reasons for the negative attitude towards it in society.
The Big Encyclopedic Dictionary reveals the meaning of the words "Sect", "Sectarianism", "Protestantism":
SECT(from Latin secta - teaching, direction, school) - a religious group, a community that broke away from the dominant church. In a figurative sense - a group of people who are closed in their narrow interests.
SECTARIANISM- religious, the designation of religious associations that are in opposition to one or another dominant religious trend. In history, social, national liberation movements often took the form of sectarianism. Some sects have acquired traits of fanaticism and extremism. A number of sects cease to exist, some turn into churches. Famous: Adventists, Baptists, Doukhobors, Molokans, Pentecostals, Khlysty, etc.
PROTESTANTISM (from lat. protestans, genus n. protestantis - publicly proving), one of the main trends in Christianity. He broke away from Catholicism during the Reformation of the 16th century. It unites many independent movements, churches and sects (Lutheranism, Calvinism, the Anglican Church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.). Protestantism is characterized by the absence of a fundamental opposition of the clergy to the laity, the rejection of a complex church hierarchy, a simplified cult, the absence of monasticism, celibacy; in Protestantism there is no cult of the Virgin, saints, angels, icons, the number of sacraments is reduced to two (baptism and communion).
The main source of doctrine is Holy Scripture. Protestantism is spread mainly in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Scandinavian countries and Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Estonia. Thus, Protestants are Christians who belong to one of several independent Christian churches.
They are Christians and, along with Catholics and Orthodox, share the fundamental principles of Christianity. For example, they all accept the Nicene Creed adopted by the first Council of the Church in 325, as well as the Nicene Constantinople Creed adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (See inset). They all believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in His divine essence and the coming coming. All three branches accept the Bible as the Word of God and agree that repentance and faith are necessary to have eternal life.
However, the views of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants differ on some issues. Protestants value the authority of the Bible above all else. Orthodox and Catholics, on the other hand, value their traditions more highly and believe that only the leaders of these Churches can interpret the Bible correctly. Despite their differences, all Christians agree with the prayer of Christ recorded in the Gospel of John (17:20-21): “I do not only pray for them, but also for those who believe in Me according to their word, so that they may all be one ...”.
HISTORY OF PROTESTANTS
One of the first Protestant reformers was a priest, professor of theology Jan Hus, a Slav who lived in the territory of modern Bohemia and became a martyr for his faith in 1415. Jan Hus taught that Scripture is more important than tradition. The Protestant Reformation spread throughout Europe in 1517 when another Catholic priest and professor of theology named Martin Luther called for a renewal of the Catholic Church. He said that when the Bible comes into conflict with church traditions, the Bible must be obeyed. Luther declared that the Church was wrong to sell the opportunity to go to heaven for money. He also believed that salvation comes through faith in Christ, and not through an attempt to "earn" eternal life by good deeds.
The Protestant Reformation is now spreading all over the world. As a result, such Churches as Lutheran, Anglican, Dutch Reformed, and later Baptist, Pentecostal and others, including Charismatic, were formed. According to Operation Peace, there are about 600 million Protestants, 900 million Catholics and 250 million Orthodox around the world.
At first glance, it may seem that Protestants appeared on the territory of the CIS only with the collapse of the USSR and came from America. In fact, Protestants first came to Russia during the time of Ivan the Terrible, and by 1590 they were even in Siberia. For a nine-year period (from 1992 to 2000), 11,192 Christian communities were registered on the territory of Ukraine, of which 5,772 (51.6%) are Orthodox and 3,755 (33.5%) are Protestant (According to the State Committee of Ukraine for Religious Affairs) .
Thus, Protestantism in Ukraine has long gone beyond the "group of individuals who are closed in their narrow interests", since more than a third of all churches in the country cannot be called a "sect". Protestant churches are officially registered by the state, they are open to everyone and do not hide their activities. Their main goal remains to convey to people the gospel of the Savior.
DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLES
CHURCH TRADITIONS
Protestants have nothing against church traditions, except when those traditions are contrary to Scripture. They justify this primarily by Jesus' remark in Matthew 15:3, 6: "... Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ... Thus you have eliminated the commandment of God by your tradition."
BAPTISM
Protestants believe in the Bible's statement that baptism should only follow repentance (Acts 2:3) and believe that baptism without repentance is meaningless. Protestants do not support infant baptism, as the infant cannot repent because of his ignorance of good and evil. Jesus said: “Let the children go and do not prevent them from coming to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 19:14). Protestants rely on the fact that the Bible does not describe a single case of infant baptism, especially since even Jesus waited for his baptism up to 30 years.
ICONS
Protestants believe that the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:4) forbid the use of images for worship: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth”. Leviticus 26:1 says: “Do not make for yourselves idols and statues, and do not set up pillars for yourself, and do not lay stones with images on your land to bow before them; for I am the Lord your God.” Therefore, Protestants do not use images for worship for fear that some people may worship these images instead of God.
PRAYERS TO THE SAINTS
Protestants prefer to follow the instructions of Jesus, where He taught us to pray by saying: “Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven!”(Mat. 6:9). In addition, there are no examples in Scripture where anyone prayed to Mary or the saints. They believe that the Bible forbids praying to people who have died, even to Christians in Paradise, basing this on Deuteronomy (18:10-12), which says: "You must not have ... the questioner of the dead". God condemned Saul for coming into contact with Saint Samuel after his death (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).
THE VIRGIN MARY
Protestants believe that Mary was a perfect example of Christian obedience to God and that she remained a virgin until Jesus was born. The basis for this is the Gospel of Matthew (1:25), which says that Joseph, her husband, “did not know her, how at last she gave birth to her firstborn Son”, and other passages from the Bible that speak of the brothers and sisters of Jesus (Matt. 12:46, 13:55-56, Mark 3:31, John 2:12, 7:3). But they do not believe that Mary was without sin, because in Luke 1:47 she called God her Savior; if Mary had been without sin, she would not have needed a Savior.
CHURCH
Protestants believe that there is only one true Church, but do not believe that it is part of any man-made organization. This true Church is made up of all people who love God and serve Him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what denomination they belong to.
CHURCH FATHERS
Protestants respect and value the teachings of the Church Fathers (church leaders who lived after the apostles) when those teachings are in harmony with Scripture. This is based on the fact that often the Fathers of the Church do not agree with each other.
RELICS OF SAINTS
Protestants do not believe that there is any special power in the relics of the saints, because the Bible does not teach this. Protestants believe that there is no indication in the Bible that Christians should honor the bodies of the dead.
SHOUTANS AND THE TITLE "FATHER"
Protestant ministers do not wear cassocks because neither Jesus nor the apostles wore any special clothing. There is no indication in the New Testament about this either. They are usually not called "father" because Jesus said in Matthew 23:9: “And call no one on earth your father…”, which they think means we should not claim anyone as our spiritual master.
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS AND THE CROSS
Protestants don't mind the sign of the cross, but since Scripture doesn't teach it, they don't teach it either. The Protestant and Catholic Churches, unlike the Orthodox, prefer to use a simple cross.
ICONOSTASIS
Protestants and Catholics believe that the iconostasis symbolizes the veil that separates people from the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. They believe that when God tore it in two at the time of Jesus' death (Matt. 27:51), He said that we are no longer separated from Him because of the blood He shed so that we could be forgiven.
PLACES OF WORSHIP
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them". Protestants believe that worship is sanctified not by the place where the service is held, not by the building, but by the presence of Christ among the believers. The Bible also says that the temple of God is Christians, not buildings: "Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16).
The Bible shows that early Christians held services in many different places: at school (Acts 19:9), in Jewish synagogues (Acts 18:4, 26;19:8), in the Jewish temple (Acts 3:1) , and in private homes (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 18:7; Philip. 1:2; 18:7; Col. 4:15; Rom. 16:5 and 1 Cor. 16:19 ). Gospel services, according to the Bible, took place near the river (Acts 16:13), in the street crowd (Acts 2:14) and in the square (Acts 17:17). There is no evidence in the Bible that the early Christians held services in a church building.
REASONS FOR NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TO PROTESTANTS
Orthodoxy officially came to the territory of present-day Ukraine in 988, when the rulers of Russia introduced Orthodox Christianity as the state religion. Much earlier, the disciples of Christ came to the land of the Scythians in order to bring the good news of the Savior to the barbarian peoples. The most famous is the arrival in Kiev of the disciple of Jesus - Andrew, who was popularly called "The First-Called". At that time, there was no division of Christianity into Roman and Byzantine, that is, into Catholic and Orthodox, and Andrei represented completely Protestant views - he preached, based only on the word of God; held meetings wherever possible (there were no churches yet); baptized only adults.
With the strengthening of the positions of the Orthodox Church in Russia, and then in Tsarist Russia, everything non-Orthodox passed into the rank of anti-state. At first, this was due to wars in which Catholics fought against the Orthodox, and then to the strengthening of the power of the sovereign, since it is much easier to manage one religion than several. Protestants or "non-believers" were expelled to remote regions, and all who remained were hiding from persecution. The authorities and leadership of the Orthodox Church in every possible way encouraged the humiliation of the rights of other religions.
After 1917, the new government tried to completely get rid of the "opium for the people" by destroying churches and the physical destruction of believers. But after certain difficulties and discontent of the population, the power of the Soviets left only one church to exist - the Orthodox. And Protestants, along with Catholics, Greek Catholics, representatives of other denominations, are either serving time in camps or are hiding from power. Under such conditions, houses and basements became the only way to hold meetings of Protestants, and to protect from the eyes of "well-wishers" the lights were turned off. At the same time, in order to discriminate against anti-state religions, stories about the sacrifices of Baptists, the low cultural and educational level of Pentecostals, the witchcraft of charismatics, and more are spread in the press and among the people. Thus, a negative attitude towards everything non-Orthodox was subconsciously brought up in society for decades. And now it is very difficult for people to overcome these negative stereotypes and accept Protestants as Christians.
Now that you know the history of the Protestant movement, its basic doctrinal principles, and understand the reasons for the negative attitude towards Protestantism in society, you can decide for yourself whether or not to accept Protestants as Christians. But today says the following: Protestants are 3755 churches in Ukraine in 9 years!
Yes, they differ from the usual Orthodox Church in some matters, but the goal of the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants is the same - to preach the Gospel and lead people to Salvation. And Protestants are getting better at it lately. It is the Protestants who conduct mass evangelism and meetings, in which more and more people come to Jesus Christ. It is the Protestants who, through all kinds of media, tell people about the Savior.
By basing their ministry directly on the Bible, Protestants provide people with another path to Christ, a path to salvation. Fulfilling the commission of Jesus Christ, Protestants bring His Salvation closer!
Roman CAT
newspaper "Word of Awakening"»
When writing the article, materials were used:
Let's start with the fact that the word PROTESTANTISM does not come from the word PROTEST at all. It's just a coincidence in Russian. Protestantism or Protestantism (from Latin protestans, genus n. protestantis - publicly proving).
In a number of world religions, Protestantism can be briefly described as one of the three, along with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, the main directions of Christianity, which is a combination of numerous and independent Churches and denominations. In more detail, we need to dwell on the question: who are Protestants from the point of view of theology?
A lot can be said here. And we must start with what Protestants consider the basis of their faith. This is, first of all, the Bible - the Books of Holy Scripture. It is the infallible written Word of God. It is uniquely, verbally and completely, inspired by the Holy Spirit and unmistakably recorded in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the supreme and final authority on all matters it touches upon.
In addition to the Bible, Protestants recognize the creeds generally accepted for all Christians:
Protestant theology does not contradict the theological decisions of the Ecumenical Councils. The whole world knows the famous five theses of Protestantism:
1. Sola Scriptura - "Only Scripture"
“We believe, teach and confess that the only and absolute rule and standard according to which all dogmas and all teachers should be judged are only the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments”
2. Sola fide - "Only by faith"
This is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, regardless of the performance of good works and any external sacraments. Protestants do not discount good works; but they deny their significance as a source or condition for the salvation of the soul, considering them to be the inevitable fruits of faith and evidence of forgiveness.
3. Sola gratia - "Only by grace"
This is the doctrine that salvation is grace; good gift from God to man. Man cannot merit salvation or participate in any way in his salvation. Although man accepts God's salvation by faith, all glory for man's salvation is to be given to God alone.
The Bible says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God: not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
4. Solus Christus - "Only Christ"
From the point of view of Protestants, Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and salvation is possible only through faith in Him.
Scripture states, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).
Protestants traditionally deny the mediation of the Virgin Mary and other saints in the matter of salvation, and also teach that the church hierarchy cannot be an intermediary between God and people. All believers represent the "universal priesthood" and are in equal rights and in an equal position before God.
5. Soli Deo gloria - "Only God's glory"
The Internet project "Wikipedia" very accurately defines the features of theology, which is traditionally shared by Protestants: "Scripture is proclaimed the only source of dogma. The Bible was translated into national languages, its study and application in one's own life became an important task for every believer. The attitude towards Holy Tradition is ambiguous - from rejection, on the one hand, to acceptance and veneration, but, in any case, with a reservation - Tradition (as well as any other doctrinal opinions, including our own) is authoritative, since it is based on Scripture , and to the extent that it is based on Scripture. It is this reservation (and not the desire to simplify and cheapen the cult) that is the key to the refusal of a number of Protestant churches and denominations from one or another doctrine or practice.
Protestants teach that original sin corrupted human nature. Therefore, a person, although he remains fully capable of good deeds, cannot be saved by his own merits, but only by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
And although Protestant theology is not exhausted by this, nevertheless, according to these signs, it is customary to single out Protestants from among other Christians.
Arose as a result of a broad religious and political movement that began in Germany, spread throughout Western Europe and aimed at transforming the Christian church.
The term "Protestantism" comes from the protest declared by the German princes and a number of imperial cities against the abolition of the early decision on the right of local rulers to choose a faith for themselves and their subjects. However, in a broader sense, Protestantism is associated with the socio-political and moral protest of the rising, but still powerless, third estate against the obsolete medieval order and standing guard over them.
See also: , .Doctrine of Protestantism
The difference between Protestantism and Orthodoxy and Catholicism
Protestants share common Christian ideas about the existence of God as the Creator of the world, about his trinity, about the sinfulness of man, about the immortality of the soul and salvation, about heaven and hell, rejecting the Catholic teaching about purgatory, about Divine revelation and some others. At the same time, Protestantism has a number of significant dogmatic, organizational and cult differences from Orthodoxy and Catholicism. First of all, it is the recognition of the priesthood of all believers. Protestants believe that every person is directly connected with God. This leads to the rejection of the division of people into clergy and laity and the affirmation of the equality of all believers in matters of faith. Every believer, with a good knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, can be a priest for himself and for other people. Thus, the clergy should not have any advantages, and its very existence becomes superfluous. In connection with these ideas, the religious cult in Protestantism was significantly reduced and simplified. The number of sacraments has been reduced to two: baptism and communion; the entire worship service is reduced to the reading of sermons, joint prayers and the singing of hymns and psalms. At the same time, worship takes place in the native language of believers.
Almost all external attributes of the cult: temples, icons, statues, bells, candles - were discarded, as well as the hierarchical structure of the church. Monasticism and celibacy were abolished, and the office of priest became elective. Ministry in Protestantism usually takes place in modest prayer houses. The right of the ministers of the church to the remission of sins was abolished, since this was considered the prerogative of God, the veneration of saints, icons, relics, and the reading of prayers for the dead were abolished, since these actions were recognized as pagan prejudices. The number of church holidays is reduced to a minimum.
The second basic principle Protestantism is salvation by personal faith. This principle was opposed to the Catholic principle of justification by works, according to which everyone who desires salvation should do everything that the church needs, and above all contribute to its material enrichment.
Protestantism does not deny that there is no faith without good works. Good deeds are useful and necessary, but it is impossible to justify them before God, only faith makes it possible to hope for salvation. All areas of Protestantism, in one form or another, adhered to the doctrine of predestination: each person, even before his birth, is predestined for his fate; it does not depend on prayers or activities, a person is deprived of the opportunity to change fate by his behavior. However, on the other hand, a person could by his behavior prove to himself and others that he was destined by the Providence of God for a good fate. This could extend not only to moral behavior, but also to luck in life situations, to the opportunity to get rich. It is not surprising that Protestantism becomes the ideology of the most enterprising part of the bourgeoisie of the era of the primitive accumulation of capital. The doctrine of predestination justified the inequality of fortunes and the class division of society. As the German sociologist showed Max Weber, it was the attitudes of Protestantism that contributed to the rise of the entrepreneurial spirit and its final victory over feudalism.
The third basic principle Protestantism is recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible. Any Christian denomination recognizes the Bible as the main source of Revelation. However, the contradictions contained in the Holy Scriptures led to the fact that in Catholicism the right to interpret the Bible belonged only to priests. For this purpose, a large number of works were written by the fathers of the church, a large number of decisions of church councils were adopted, in the aggregate, all this is called Sacred Tradition. Protestantism deprived the Church of the monopoly on the interpretation of the Bible, completely abandoning the interpretation of Holy Tradition as a source of Revelation. The Bible does not derive its authenticity from the church, but any church organization, group of believers, or individual believer can claim the truth of the ideas they preach if they find their confirmation in the Bible.
However, the very fact of the existence of a contradiction in the Holy Scriptures was not refuted by such an attitude. Criteria were required for understanding the various provisions of the Bible. In Protestantism, the point of view of the founder of this or that direction was considered the criterion, and all those who did not agree with it were declared heretics. The persecution of heretics in Protestantism was no less than in Catholicism.
The possibility of its own interpretation of the Bible led Protestantism to the fact that it does not represent a single doctrine. There are a large number of congenial, but somewhat different directions and currents.
The theoretical constructions of Protestantism led to changes in cult practice, which led to a reduction in the cost of the church and church ritual. The veneration of the biblical righteous remained unshakable, but was devoid of the elements of fetishism characteristic of the cult of saints in Catholicism. The refusal to worship visible images was based on the Old Testament Pentateuch, which considers such worship as idolatry.
Among the different directions of Protestantism there was no unity in matters related to the cult, with the external environment of the churches. The Lutherans kept the crucifix, the altar, candles, organ music; The Calvinists abandoned all this. The Mass was rejected by all branches of Protestantism. Worship is always conducted in the native language. It consists of a sermon, singing prayer hymns, reading certain chapters of the Bible.
In the biblical canon, Protestantism made some changes. He recognized as apocryphal those Old Testament works that were preserved not in the Hebrew or Aramaic original, but only in the Greek translation of the Septuagint. The Catholic Church regards them as deuterocanonical.
The sacraments have also been revised. Lutheranism left only two of the seven sacraments - baptism and communion, and Calvinism - only baptism. At the same time, the interpretation of the sacrament as a rite, during the performance of which a miracle occurs, is muted in Protestantism. Lutheranism retained a certain element of the miraculous in the interpretation of communion, believing that during the performance of the rite, the Body and Blood of Christ are actually present in the bread and wine. Calvinism, on the other hand, considers such a presence to be symbolic. Some areas of Protestantism carry out baptism only in adulthood, believing that a person should consciously approach the choice of faith; others, without refusing to baptize infants, conduct an additional rite of confirmation of adolescents, as if a second baptism.
The current state of Protestantism
Currently, there are up to 600 million followers of Protestantism living on all continents and in almost all countries of the world. Modern Protestantism is a vast collection (up to 2 thousand) of independent, practically unrelated churches, sects and denominations. From the very beginning of its inception, Protestantism was not a single organization, its division continues to the present day. In addition to the main directions of Protestantism already considered, others that arose later also enjoy great influence.
The main directions of Protestantism:
- Quakers
- Methodists
- Mennonites
Quakers
The direction arose in the 17th century. in England. Founder - artisan Dmurj fox proclaimed that the truth of faith is manifested in the act of illumination by the "inner light". For ecstatic methods of achieving communion with God, or because they emphasized the need to be in constant awe of God, the followers of this direction got their name (from the English. quake- "shake"). Quakers have completely abandoned external ritualism, the clergy. Their worship consists of an inner conversation with God and preaching. Ascetic motives can be traced in the moral teachings of the Quakers, they widely practice charity. Quaker communities exist in the USA, England, Canada, and East African countries.
Methodists
The movement arose in the 18th century. as an attempt to increase the interest of the masses in religion. Its founders were brothers Wesley - John and Charles. In 1729, they founded a small circle at Oxford University, whose members were distinguished by special religious perseverance and method in studying the Bible and fulfilling Christian precepts. Hence the name of the direction. The Methodists paid special attention to preaching and its new forms: preaching in the open air, in workhouses, in prisons, and so on. They created the institution of the so-called itinerant preachers. As a result of these measures, the trend spread widely in England and its colonies. Separating from the Anglican Church, they simplified the doctrine, reducing the 39 articles of the creed to 25. They supplemented the principle of salvation by personal faith with the doctrine of good works. In 18V1 was created World Methodist Council. Methodism is especially widespread in the USA, as well as Great Britain, Australia, South Korea and other countries.
Mennonites
A trend in Protestantism that arose on the basis of Anabaptism in the 16th century. in the Netherlands. Founder-Dutch Preacher Menno Simone. The principles of doctrine are set forth in "Declaration of the Main Articles of Our Common Christian Faith". The peculiarities of this direction are that it preaches the baptism of people in adulthood, denies the church hierarchy, proclaims the equality of all members of the community, non-resistance to evil by violence, up to the prohibition to serve with weapons in their hands; communities are self-governing. An international body has been created - Mennonite World Conference located in the USA. The largest number of them live in the USA, Canada, Holland and Germany.
Portal:Christianity
Scripture is proclaimed to be the only source of doctrine. The Bible was translated into national languages, its study and application in one's own life became an important task for every believer. The attitude towards Holy Tradition is ambiguous - from rejection, on the one hand, to acceptance and reverence, but, in any case, with a reservation - Tradition (as, indeed, any other doctrinal opinions, including our own) is authoritative, since it is based on Scripture , and to the extent that it is based on Scripture. It is this reservation (and not the desire to simplify and cheapen the cult) that is the key to the refusal of a number of Protestant churches and denominations from one or another doctrine or practice.
Protestants teach that original sin corrupted human nature. Therefore, a person, although he remains fully capable of good deeds, cannot be saved by his own merits, but only by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Organization
Every Christian, being elected and baptized, receives a "consecration" for communion with God, the right to preach and worship without intermediaries (the Church and the clergy). In Protestantism, the dogmatic distinction between the priest and the laity is thus removed, and the church hierarchy is simplified. Confession and remission of sins is not a sacrament, while repentance directly before God is very important. Celibacy, as well as compulsory marriage for priests and pastors, is not regulated in any way. Protestantism also rejected the authority of the Pope and abandoned the idea of monasticism as a special saving field. The principle of universal priesthood laid the foundation for the democratic organization of communities (equality of laity and clergy, election, accountability, etc.).
In practice, priests and pastors tend to be specially trained and professional. Hierarchy, in one form or another (formally or informally), exists at least to maintain order. There may also be monasteries in the form of communes.
Rites
Protestantism limited the number of Sacraments, leaving only Baptism and Communion. In addition, Protestants do not see much point in prayers for the dead, prayers to the saints and numerous holidays in their honor. At the same time, respect for the saints is respectful - as examples of a righteous life and good teachers. The worship of relics is generally not practiced as unscriptural. The attitude towards the veneration of images is ambiguous: from rejection as idolatry, to the teaching that the honor given to the image goes back to the prototype (determined by the adoption or non-adoption of decisions of the Ecumenical Councils).
Protestant prayer houses, as a rule, are free from magnificent decoration, images and statues, which, however, is not an end in itself, and comes from the belief that such decoration is not necessary. A church building can be any building that is rented or purchased on equal terms with worldly organizations. Protestant worship is focused on preaching, praying and singing psalms and hymns in the national languages. Some churches, such as the Lutheran, place a lot of emphasis on the sacrament, which may require confirmation for admission.
Story
| Reformation
|
| Reformation |
Main article: History of Protestantism
The original forms of Protestantism were Lutheranism, Zwinglianism, Calvinism, Anabaptism, Mennonism, Anglicanism. In the future, a number of other movements arise - Baptists, Adventists, Methodists, Quakers, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army and a number of others. The formation of most of these movements took place under the sign of "religious revival" (rivalism), a return to the ideals of early Christianity and the Reformation. They all differ from old or liturgical Protestantism in their preference for free preaching and active evangelistic missionary activity.
Theology
The theology of Protestantism has gone through a number of stages in its development. This is the orthodox theology of the sixteenth century. (Martin Luther, J. Calvin, F. Melanchthon), non-Protestant, or liberal theology of the 18th-19th centuries. (F. Schleiermacher, E. Troelch, A. Harnack), “crisis theology”, or dialectical theology that appeared after the First World War (K. Barth, P. Tillich, R. Bultmann), radical, or “new” theology, spread after World War II (D. Bonhoeffer).
The final formation of Protestant theology took place by the middle of the 17th century, and is set out in the following religious documents of the Reformation:
- Heidelberg Catechism 1563 (Germany)
- Book of Concord 1580 (Germany)
- Canons of the Synod of Dort 1618-1619 (Dordrecht, Netherlands)
- Westminster Confession of Faith 1643-1649 (Westminster Abbey, London, UK).
A characteristic feature of classical Protestant theology is a very strict attitude towards what is considered essential - faith, the sacraments, salvation, the doctrine of the church, and a less strict attitude towards the external, ritual side of church life (adiaphora), which often gives rise to a wide variety of forms while maintaining strictness. teachings.
Later currents often develop their own doctrine, only partly correlating with the classical theological legacy. Thus, for example, Adventists accept the prophecies of Ellen White. Pentecostals, unlike other Christians, pay very significant attention to "speaking in other tongues" (glossolalia), considering this a sign of "Baptism in the Holy Spirit."
Spread of Protestantism
Currently, Protestantism is most widespread in the Scandinavian countries, the USA, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, and Switzerland. The United States is rightfully considered the world center of Protestantism, where the headquarters of the Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists and some other Protestant churches and denominations have settled. Modern Protestantism is characterized by a desire for integration, which found expression in the creation in 1948 of the World Council of Churches.
Protestantism is one of the few religions that is rapidly spreading around the world today. To date, 15-20% of the population of Brazil, 15-20% of the population of Chile, about 20% of the population of South Korea have adopted Protestantism. According to Sabri Khizmetli, a member of the Eurasian Islamic Council of Kazakhstan, over 500,000 Muslims of Central Asia have converted to Protestantism over the past 15 years.
Relationships with other confessions, intra-church discussions and an atheistic view
From Orthodox and Catholics
There have been debates about Protestantism by other Christians from the very beginning of its existence.
Major points of disagreement or criticism of Protestantism by Orthodox and Catholics. Arguments from supporters of Protestantism highlighted in italics.
creed
The most fundamental shortcoming of the Protestant doctrine, Orthodox and Catholics consider the denial of the role of Holy Tradition, which it has in Orthodoxy and Catholicism. In their opinion, thanks to the Holy Tradition, the Holy Fathers selected (from many dubious apocryphal books) a list (canon) of inspired books of the New Testament. In other words, Protestants use a set of canons, but deny the traditions by which they were adopted. The Protestants themselves deny the role of Holy Tradition in the formation of the canon, believing that it was formed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The teaching of Protestantism that only faith and the grace of God is sufficient for salvation is rejected by Catholics and Orthodox.
Organization
According to many Orthodox and Catholics, Protestantism does not have an unbroken apostolic succession. The absence of apostolic succession is not recognized by the Protestants themselves, for example, the Anglican Church and the Lutheran churches of all Scandinavian states have apostolic succession, since the churches in these countries were formed by the complete separation of local dioceses (together with bishops, priests and flocks) from the RCC. In the opinion of many Protestants, apostolic succession in itself is optional or obligatory, but not the only condition of the Church of God - there are cases when Orthodox bishops became schismatics and created their own churches (for example, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate).
Protestants do not recognize the acts of the Ecumenical Councils. De facto all Protestants recognize the decisions of the first two Ecumenical Councils: the First Council of Nicaea and the First Council of Constantinople ( Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses Those who do not recognize them are not considered Christians by Protestants).
Most Protestants reject monasticism, icons, and the veneration of saints. Lutherans and Anglicans have monasteries, saints and icons are also not denied by these denominations, but there is no icon veneration in the form that is characteristic of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Reformed Protestant icons also deny monasticism.
Lifestyle, issues of ethics and morality
According to critics, the absence of rites and rituals reveals the Protestant religion as inferior,., flawed and unstable, leads Protestantism to endless fragmentation into many denominations, and the spirit of rationalism to complete atheism (which developed precisely in predominantly Protestant countries. Protestant rational collectivism neglects obedience to God and is expressed in sinful and shameful human pleasing, for example: the Protestants of Western Europe crown homosexuals, allow abortions, drugs, euthanasia (suicide), etc.
These phenomena are now becoming more and more the norm in the developed countries of the West and have an increasingly strong corrupting influence on church life in those countries (there is even a corresponding term for these manifestations - “secularization of the Church”). There are more and more such "Protestant" churches in Western society every year. However, this is already marginal Protestantism, which has nothing in common either with classical Protestantism or with Christianity in general. "By their fruits you will know them." Nowadays, even some classical Protestant churches are marginalized, for example, the Lutheran Church of Sweden (which, as mentioned above, has apostolic succession) approves same-sex marriages. The Protestant churches of the CIS and Baltic states are much more conservative in these matters, modern Western trends have affected them to a lesser extent.
Atheistic view
Just as often, Protestant churches are criticized by atheists and representatives of traditional denominations for intrusive self-promotion and proselytism. Although proselytism is condemned by the World Council of Churches, in practice the missionaries of some Protestant churches are actively promoting their creeds among representatives of traditional denominations. For example, the already mentioned pastor of the New Generation Church A. S. Ledyaev, formally tolerant of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, regularly harshly criticizes Orthodoxy in his sermons and speeches, often descending to banal attacks on the Orthodox Church; he also repeatedly called himself an apostle and called to build a society where every sphere of life would be led by people of a certain denomination; in voting for the best figures in Latvia, he called residents of other countries to vote for himself. Naturally, such behavior of a well-known Protestant pastor inevitably becomes the object of counter-criticism. A representative of another current of Protestantism, Baptist Tom Carl Wheeler, in his book "Pseudo-Christianity" points out that "the creeds of such large ecumenical groups as liberal Protestantism in the World Council of Churches, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox (Russian and Greek) churches contradict the basic fundamental doctrines of the Holy Scriptures”, thereby actually equating the named Christian churches (including the Protestant ones, which are part of the WCC) with pseudo-Christian religious organizations.
Mass “evangelizations” or crusades conducted by some prominent Protestant ministers, notably the American preacher Benny Hinn.
Consistent critics of the proselytizing methods of Protestants and Protestantism in general are A. I. Osipov (Russian theologian) and A. L. Dvorkin (anti-cultist, sectarian, activist).
From human rights organizations
Human rights societies are currently criticizing mainly conservative Protestant churches (including the New Generation Church) for prohibiting
The very word "Protestantism" comes from the Latin "protestans", which translates as "public proof". This Christian creed is famous for its liberality. According to its ideologists, a person should seek the meaning of one's existence not only in prayers, but also in serving the world around- and do it in the way he sees fit.
The history of the split
The Protestant movement began to sprout in XVIcentury during reformation of the catholic church. The first ideologists of Protestantism considered that Catholicism pays too much attention to the observance of dogmas, while forgetting about living original spirit of Christianity. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed papers to the church door. theses, in which condemned the sale of indulgences and called reform the church charter. This gave impetus to the formation of the Protestant movement in Europe.
Today, within Protestantism, there is many independent streams from Lutheranism to Calvinism. Some of these currents moved far enough away from the classical biblical heritage. Due to the diversity of existing branches today, Protestantism plays a large role in ecumenism movement. At present, Protestantism has become most widespread in Scandinavian countries, England, Germany, USA.
Don't make religion a cult
To date, within the Protestant organization there is no single central authority. According to Protestants, a complex bureaucratic system serves not religious purposes, but worldly ones. Therefore, you should try as much as possible "cultivate your garden" and avoid building a complex intrasystem hierarchy.
Within Protestantism Worship has been greatly simplified compared with the same Catholicism: it is characterized deliberate simplicity of services. Protestant prayer houses no decor, there no statues or decorations. This kind of house can be considered any building in which the congregation and the priest come to pray. Worship is built around sermons, prayers, and hymns. Prayers are usually read on local national languages.
Just believe
Protestants, like Catholics, believe in the trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. True, the quantity sacred ordinances in Protestantism is limited to only two - baptism and communion. It is important that the sacrament of baptism is performed in relation to a Protestant when they reach adulthood- so that he can be aware of the step he is taking. The main source of doctrine is considered Holy Bible which every believer can interpret as it sees fit.
In Protestantism there is no cult of the Virgin, and no pronounced worship of icons and saints. At the same time, saints are considered wise teachers whose example every good Protestant would do well to follow. Clergy and laity are not so strongly separated from each other - probably, it is precisely with this that the rejection of monasticism among Protestants is connected. Various rituals, be it marriage or confession, Protestants believe just a rite- after all, first of all, the meaning that each individual believer puts into them is important.
Man does not need an intermediary between him and God This is the fundamental idea of Protestantism. Martin Luther once wrote: God cannot and does not want to allow anyone to dominate the soul, except for himself. " Perhaps that is why Protestantism has become so widespread - after all, each of us wants our thoughts and prayers from our mouths poured immediately into God's ears.