Fragmentation of the Protestant Church
The major divisions of the Protestantism are Baptist, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Methodist, Lutheranism, Unitarianism, and Quakers (www.encyclopedia.com). Even the very first Protestant Reformers were unable to maintain a unity of faith or purpose. The divisions of Protestantism are just an example of the continued fragmentation of the churches. The tendency towards this divineness is a strength to the Protestantism religion.
Originally, the Baptist had the same beliefs as the Protestant church had, with the exception of baptism. For Baptists, only true believers could be baptized. Furthermore, when baptized, Baptists are completely immersed in water, rather than following the Protestant method of having a few drops of water sprinkled on the forehead. Baptists do not acknowledge man-made authority within the church and therefore do not select humans as leaders of the church. The Presbyterian Church was developed with the influence of John Calvin. He believed that the church was led only by Jesus, and all of its members we equal under the authority of Christ. Anglicans have a devout admiration for Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. The communities of the Anglican include a spiritual life of prayer and worship. They also emphasize a life of giving of oneself. For example, Anglicans traveled with Florence Nightengale on her trip to Crimea and worked as nurses (www.encyclopedia.com). The Methodist church developed with the help of John Wesley was was an evangelist. The message of the church is to create the life of God within men. The Lutheran church originated from the philosophical views of Martin Luther. The Lutherans are considered one of the three major branches ...
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...ian religion, including Protestantism. His actions actually made it simpler to create faith and purpose. What the people were exposed to was highly contradictory. They were being taught in holy halls the teachings of humility and obedience; however, the actions of the clergy were neither of humility nor of obedience. Protestantism and this continued divineness strengthened Christianity and enabled people to transition to a religion to which people could actually witness the humbleness.
References:
Fisher, M.P., "Living Religions: Sixth Edition", (2005). Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ
Fisher, M.P., Bailey, L.W., "An Anthology of Living Religions", (2000). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
Fiero, G. K., "The Humanistic Tradition, The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and The Global Encounter", (2002). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY
There are so many causes from the Protestant Reformation. In the Protestant, there was three different sections that got affected more the the others. When the Protestant Reformation happened it affected the Sociality, Political, and Economic the most.
Annemaire de Waal Malefijt, “Religion and Culture An Introduction to Anthropology of Religion” The United States of America 1989
A 16th-century movement in Western Europe that aimed at reforming some doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches. The world of the late medieval Roman Catholic Church from which the 16th-century reformers emerged was a complex one. Over the centuries, the church, particularly in the office of the papacy, had become deeply involved in the political life of Western Europe. The resulting intrigues and political manipulations, combined with the church’s increasing power and wealth, contributed to the bankrupting of the church as a spiritual force.
Smith, Huston. World’s Religions: A Guide to our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994.
The Reformed Church also better known as Presbyterian, whose leader was John Calvin. John had many beliefs which had been adopted by the Presbyterian Church. Presbyterians believe in the Trinity as Catholics do but differ with the ideas like original sin, salvation, and penance. Presbyterians believe that original sin is rooted in faithlessness which brought man to fall. The idea of salvation to Presbyterians is that salvation is reached through the grace of God, rooted in the deep faith of a
Oxtopy, W., & Segal, A. (2007). A concise introduction to world religions. (1st ed., p. 258). New York: Oxford University press.
Religion has been one of the most influential parts of history throughout the world, and one of the most worshipped and followed religions in the world Is Christianity. However, even large religions such as Christianity have faced divisions and reforms based on different beliefs. Each branch believes in God and the main Christian ideals, but each branch has a slightly different take on the religion based on what they think the religion should be like. Lutheranism is one of the many branches of Christianity that was established during the Protestant Reformation, and this particular branch has proven to be significant throughout world history.
The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
The reformation paved the way for Protestantism through many reformers. While the church had been facing corruption for quite a while, people finally decided to speak up about it. With the push from Johann Tetzel selling indulgences, reformers gradually trickled along. From Tetzel selling the forgiveness of sins for profit in the church, Luther began his reform. Lutheranism really captured the essence of the reformation through justification by faith. Then, Zwinglism also shared some of Luther’s beliefs and seriously reformed some of the beliefs that Protestants follow. Newer concepts were being added to religion and different doctrines too. For example, Calvinism really added new ideas into religion; predestination and the elect. Also, the
Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Hopfe, L. M., & Woodward, M. R. (2007). Religions of the World (10th ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
In 1500’s the Roman Catholic was all-powerful in Europe as there was no legal alternative at the time. The Church jealously guarded its position with so much force that if anyone went against the learning’s and the ways of the church was burned at the stake and labeled as a heathen. Some of the causes for Protestant reformation were the corruption within the Catholic Church because during the time of the black plague as soon as people knew they had the plague they knew they were going to die within a 3 day period after developing the symptoms of the black plaque, so the people affected would have paid their local catholic ministers for indulgences so they were guarantied to get into heaven and not go to hell or purgatory. Martin Luther exposed this particular practice in 1517 through the 95 theses, as he was upset that people and Catholic ministers could make God over look peoples sin just by being bribed through brought indulgences.
Organ, Troy Wilson. Eerdmans' Handbook to The World Religions. Woodbury, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 1974. Print.
Smith, Houston (1986). The Illustrated World Religions, A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. Labyrinth Publishing.