{"id":1276,"date":"2022-08-01T22:34:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T05:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1276"},"modified":"2022-08-15T16:39:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T23:39:42","slug":"history-of-the-catholic-and-protestant-churches","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1276","title":{"rendered":"History of the Catholic and Protestant Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Both the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Catholic_Church\">Catholic Church<\/a> and most\/all <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protestantism\">Protestant Churches<\/a> have their roots in the original Apostolic Church established by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jesus\">Jesus Christ<\/a>.&nbsp; Both groups still believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior sent by God, the Father.&nbsp; Hence, we are all <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christians\">Christians<\/a>.<\/li><li>The Protestant movement was started by Martin Luther when he was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Excommunication\">excommunicated<\/a> from the Catholic Church by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pope_Leo_X\">Pope Leo X<\/a> and set out to start a new Church.<\/li><li>The issues that Martin Luther tried to address in the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages have since been rectified by others since his time.&nbsp; Hence, both denominations are now much more aligned.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Roman Catholic Church History<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_the_Catholic_Church\">Catholic tradition<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Catholic_Church\">Catholic Church<\/a> (full name: Roman Catholic Church) was started by Jesus Christ. &nbsp;This occurred prior to Jesus\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crucifixion_of_Jesus\">crucifixion<\/a>, when he was traveling around Israel and other parts of the middle east fulfilling his mission \u2013 as appointed by God, The Father \u2013 to save the world by spreading the good news that is so well captured in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John+3%3A16&amp;version=NASB1995\">John 3:16<\/a>.&nbsp; He had multiple followers\/students known as His <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disciple\">disciples<\/a>, and that followership was growing very rapidly each day.&nbsp; Presumably in anticipation of His crucifixion and resurrection, He appointed 12 of his key disciples as his <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Apostle\">apostles<\/a> to become his \u201cmessengers\u201d and continue his work of salvation.&nbsp; Simply put, their directive was to go forth and make disciples of all nations (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+28%3A19&amp;version=NASB1995\">Mathew 28:19<\/a>).&nbsp; It is known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Commission\">Great Commission<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+28%3A16-20&amp;version=NASB1995\">Matthew 28:16-20<\/a>), and it was carried out mainly by word-of-mouth with due reference to the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/?title=Scripture&amp;redirect=no\">scriptures<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bible\">bible<\/a>.&nbsp; The Catholic Church\u2019s birthday is celebrated on the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pentecost\">Pentecost<\/a>, which is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus also tells <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Peter\">Peter<\/a> \u201cI also say to you that you are&nbsp;Peter, and upon this&nbsp;rock I will build My church; and the gates of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hades\">Hades<\/a> will not overpower it.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+16%3A18&amp;version=NASB1995\">Matthew 16:18<\/a>).&nbsp; Hence, Peter (later to be <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canonization\">canonized<\/a> as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Peter\">St. Peter<\/a>) was appointed as the Church\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Archbishop\">archbishop<\/a>.&nbsp; This position later became the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pope\">Pope<\/a> as the Church and its hierarchy grew throughout Rome and mainly Western Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/St.-Peter.jpg?resize=235%2C353&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1281\" width=\"235\" height=\"353\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>Saint Peter (AKA Apostle Peter)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Please note that the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eastern_Orthodox_Church\">Eastern Orthodox Church<\/a> also claims to be the first Christian Church.&nbsp; It, too, as its roots in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sacred_tradition\">Sacred Tradition<\/a>, and the Eastern Orthodox Church is based on the first <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gentile\">Gentile<\/a> church, which was founded in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antioch\">Antioch<\/a>.&nbsp; It is known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Church_of_Antioch\">Church of Antioch<\/a> and is described in &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Acts+11%3A20-21&amp;version=NASB1995\">Acts 11:20\u201321<\/a>.&nbsp; It was also recorded in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Acts+11%3A26&amp;version=NASB1995\">Acts 11:26<\/a> that this is when and where the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christians\">Christians<\/a>. It was from Antioch that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_the_Apostle\">St. Paul<\/a> started on his missionary journeys.&nbsp; So, was the first Christian Church actually the Catholic Church that was started by St. Peter or the Church of Antioch that was presumably started by St. Paul?&nbsp; Or did both start at about the same time and took parallel paths?&nbsp; That debate is a huge subject in itself and is, therefore, way beyond the scope of this writing.  It is a highly complex subject about a time in which things weren\u2019t well documented.&nbsp; Hence, I will base this discussion on the Catholic Church, as it is the basis of the Western faith and the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protestantism\">Protestant<\/a> movement and therefore more germane to our discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, as the Catholic Church grew in its membership, it also grew in its power and ability to influence the secular world.&nbsp; In fact, it became a significant economic and political power in Rome and other places, mainly in Western Europe, which were under its influence.&nbsp; Although anointed by God Himself through Jesus, the Church was also a human-led institution.&nbsp; This, coupled with its financial and political power, led to its corruption.&nbsp; Thus, from its onset into the 1500s (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Middle_Ages\">Medieval period<\/a>), the Catholic Church gradually lost its moral compass and became corrupt.&nbsp; One of its key areas of corruption was in its administration of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indulgence\">indulgences<\/a>, which is the ability of the Church to reduce one\u2019s penalty for his\/her sins, including time in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purgatory\">purgatory<\/a>.&nbsp; Purgatory is a final \u201ccleansing by fire\u201d that prepares one for heaven immediately after he\/she dies.&nbsp; The good news is all in purgatory will eventually go to heaven, but the bad news is their time in purgatory will entail much suffering.&nbsp; Instead of applying this power in good faith, the clergy benefited by selling indulgences for money \u2013 a clear abuse of power.&nbsp; Also, priests were criticized for being uneducated and upper echelon Church leaders were accused of being corrupt.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?resize=242%2C346&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1280\" width=\"242\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?resize=717%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 717w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?resize=210%2C300&amp;ssl=1 210w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?resize=768%2C1097&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?resize=1075%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1075w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Martin-Luther.jpg?w=1345&amp;ssl=1 1345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>Martin Luther (1483-1546)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>A German priest\/monk, named <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Martin_Luther\">Martin Luther<\/a>, was very concerned about the abuse and misuse of indulgences and its impact on everyday Church members, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Laity\">laity<\/a>.&nbsp; He feared such would undermine their spiritual development and ability to obtain God\u2019s true grace and forgiveness, which needs to be based on internal repentance (AKA a &#8220;change-of-heart&#8221;) versus simply purchasing a document from the Church. Hence, Martin Luther just wanted what\u2019s best for the people and the Church.&nbsp; Thus, he attempted to reform the Church by publishing a letter that specified the reforms he deemed necessary\/appropriate known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ninety-five_Theses\">95 Theses<\/a>, which was published on 10\/31\/1517.&nbsp; The misuse of indulgences was the central theme, and it appeared to take direct aim at <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pope_Leo_X\">Pope Leo X<\/a>\u2019s efforts to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/St._Peter%27s_Basilica\">St. Peter\u2019s Basilica<\/a>, which is the main temple and dwelling place of the Pope.  It is located in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vatican_City\">Vatican City<\/a>, across the street from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/St._Peter%27s_Square\">St. Peter\u2019s Square<\/a>.&nbsp; Luther\u2019s reforms consisted of mainly 3 things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li>Salvation by faith alone:&nbsp; Faith is the only way to salvation, not faith in combination with good works as taught by Catholic Tradition.<\/li><li>The bible is the one and only written authority.<\/li><li>The priesthood of all believers:&nbsp; We all have equal access to God, the ultimate high priest, so we don\u2019t need priest mediators in the Church.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Leo-X.jpg?resize=251%2C309&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1282\" width=\"251\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Leo-X.jpg?w=521&amp;ssl=1 521w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Leo-X.jpg?resize=244%2C300&amp;ssl=1 244w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>Pope Leo X (1475-1521)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Martin Luther had no intention of breaking away from the Church.&nbsp; Instead, he just wanted to reform it and restore its pristine purpose of fulfilling Jesus\u2019 Great Commission.&nbsp; Again, his main motivation was his concern for the laity\/parishioners being misled into thinking that they could buy their way out of sin simply by purchasing an indulgence.&nbsp; He wanted them to know that forgiveness of sin can only come from God. &nbsp;However, his <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ninety-five_Theses\">95 Theses<\/a> was not at all well-received by the Church, so after roughly after 4 years of ongoing discussion, he was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Excommunication_(Catholic_Church)\">excommunicated<\/a> by Pope Leo X in 1521.&nbsp; Once this happened, Luther started the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protestantism\">Protestant<\/a> movement, basing it on the reforms he tried to get the Catholic Church to adopt via his proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reformation\">Reformation<\/a>.&nbsp; Martin Luther wasn\u2019t the only one who wanted to reform the Catholic Church, as many other Catholics did as well. This resulted in a major migration of people to this newly-formed denomination of Christianity.&nbsp; More on Protestantism in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, enough Catholics remained loyal to the Catholic Church and relentlessly pursued having it fix its own problems.  Eventually, they succeeded.&nbsp; This, combined with the fact that the Catholic Church was losing lots of its membership to the new Protestant denomination, was a major forcing function for the Catholic Church to reform itself.&nbsp; Such reformation was called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Counter-Reformation\">Counter-Reformation<\/a>.&nbsp; It was a combination of these efforts to reform the Catholic Church combined with pushing back on the Protestant Reformation movement. &nbsp;It occurred mainly during the 16<sup>th<\/sup> and 17<sup>th<\/sup> centuries and proved very effective.&nbsp; It basically alleviated the selling of indulgences and significantly reduced other forms of corruption.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It started with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Paul-III\">Pope Paul III<\/a> calling the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Council_of_Trent\">Council of Trent<\/a>, which was arguably the most impactful vehicle of change\/reform of the Catholic Church.&nbsp; It accomplished two things:&nbsp; 1) It cleaned up the corruption and reaffirmed the original <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canon_law_of_the_Catholic_Church\">Canon Law<\/a>, which specifies how the church is organized and governed, thereby restoring its original integrity.&nbsp; 2) It reaffirmed its fundamental beliefs as a countermeasure to what the Protestants were asserting.&nbsp; The main points being a) salvation via faith <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">plus<\/span> good works, not just faith alone; b) the Church is the ultimate <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">interpreter<\/span> of the scripture\/Holy Bible and that<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> both<\/span> scripture and Catholic Tradition are independent and equally authoritative. c) The veneration of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mary,_mother_of_Jesus\">Mother Mary<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint\">saints<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Relic\">relics<\/a>.&nbsp; There were also additional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/summary\/Counter-Reformation\">Catholic Reformation<\/a> Initiatives that followed the Council of Trent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Catholic Church was further updated during the tenure of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Second_Vatican_Council\">Second Vatican Council<\/a>, known as Vatican II.\u00a0 During its tenure (10\/11\/1962 through 12\/8\/1965), several enhancements were made to the Church that made it more relevant to the people.\u00a0 Vatian II&#8217;s major areas of accomplishment included 1) updating the liturgy from a Latin-spoken Mass with the priest facing the alter to a Mass spoken in one\u2019s native language with the priest facing the congregation;\u00a0 2) delegating a larger role to the lay people in carrying out the Church\u2019s main mission of continuing Jesus\u2019 works of salvation; 3) introducing the concept of religious freedom; and 4) starting dialogue with other religions\/Christian denominations, which led to today\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ecumenism\">ecumenism<\/a> movement to have the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1500\">different Christian denominations better understand each other and work together<\/a>.\u00a0 This made the Church much more relevant to most of us in modern-day times, which further mitigated the original concerns of Martin Luther and his reformers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an even newer 21<sup>st<\/sup> century initiative to enhance the spirituality of the congregation via renewed emphasis on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Evangelism\">evangelism<\/a> (not to be confused with the Protestant <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Evangelicalism\">Evangelicalism<\/a> movement) and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Catechesis\">catechesis<\/a>.&nbsp; This one personally excites me because it focuses on one\u2019s personal relationship with Jesus, which I believe is at the heart of Christianity and Protestantism.&nbsp; It also helps to bridge some of the gaps between Protestants and Catholics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hence, thanks to the collective efforts of the Council of Trent and all the additional reforms and enhancements to the Catholic Church and its government up to and including those currently underway, the original situation that Martin Luther was trying to rectify prior to his excommunication no longer exists.&nbsp; Not only that, but I believe the modern-day Catholic Church has come along much further in that it has incorporated some of Martin Luther\u2019s ideas plus those of others who succeeded him.&nbsp; Yes, the Catholic Church, via the efforts of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pope_Francis\">Pope Francis<\/a>, continues to fight and fix corruption within the Church, but it has indeed come a long way, and I believe its issues, fortunately or unfortunately, are on par with those of other\/Protestant denominations.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Francis.jpg?resize=444%2C294&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1284\" width=\"444\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Francis.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Francis.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=444%2C294&amp;ssl=1 888w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pope-Francis.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=444%2C294&amp;ssl=1 1332w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>Pope Francis (Born 1936, Elected 2013)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Protestant Church History<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, shortly after being excommunicated, Martin Luther started the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protestantism\">Protestant Church<\/a> based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reformation\">Reformation<\/a> he had proposed for the Catholic Church, as proposed in his <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ninety-five_Theses\">95 Theses<\/a>.&nbsp; It started with the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lutheranism\">Lutheran<\/a> denomination, which was founded by Martin Luther himself.&nbsp; Luther\u2019s principles of reformation also quickly proliferated and led to many other Protestant denominations including <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baptists\">Baptists<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/\">Episcopalian<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/theevangelicalchurch.org\/\">Evangelical<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umc.org\/en\">Methodist<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/\"> Presbyterian<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucc.org\/\">United Church of Christ<\/a>, and a myriad of other Protestant and independent\/nondenominational churches.&nbsp; In addition to Martin Luther, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Calvin\">John&nbsp;Calvin<\/a>&nbsp;and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Huldrych_Zwingli\">Huldreich&nbsp;Zwingli<\/a> were also major players in the protestant movement.&nbsp; Today\u2019s Presbyterian, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reformed_Baptists\">Reformed Baptist<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reformed_Church_in_America\">Reformed Churches<\/a> embrace Calvin\u2019s beliefs, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protestantism_in_Switzerland\">Swiss Reformed Church<\/a> is based on Zwingli\u2019s beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-id=\"1287\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Huldreich-Zwingli.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Huldreich-Zwingli.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Huldreich-Zwingli.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Huldreich-Zwingli.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Huldrych_Zwingli\">Huldreich&nbsp;Zwingli<\/a> (1484-1531)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-id=\"1286\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/John-Calvin.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/John-Calvin.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/John-Calvin.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/John-Calvin.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>John Calvin (1509-1564)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can tell, there are many, many different Protestant denominations; however, they are all similar in their beliefs and are all a reaction against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldhistory.org\/Medieval_Church\/\">Medieval Catholic Church<\/a> (i.e., the Roman Catholic Church, as it was in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Middle_Ages\">Medieval period<\/a>).&nbsp; Collectively, they form the second-largest denomination in Western culture.&nbsp; The Roman Catholic Church has always been and continues to be the largest denomination in both the USA and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, Protestant beliefs are what Martin Luther outlined in his <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ninety-five_Theses\">95 Theses<\/a>, which boil down to basically 3 things:&nbsp; 1) The bible is the single source of God\u2019s revealed truth; 2) We are saved by faith alone; and 3) &nbsp;We all have equal access to God and, therefore, don\u2019t need a church priest as an intermediary (AKA priesthood of all believers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Connecting the Dots<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, where does all this rich history leave us Christians today?&nbsp; In short, we all worship the same God and, although we might express\/practice our faith in somewhat different ways, our faith, in itself, remains the same.&nbsp; We all believe in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trinity\">Holy Trinity<\/a> (one God manifest in 3 persons \u2013 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and most Churches implement a Trinitarian Baptism.&nbsp; We all believe that Jesus Christ is our one and only path to salvation and that he is indeed the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Messiah\">Messiah<\/a>, as foretold by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/prophet\">prophets<\/a>.&nbsp; We all also believe in loving one another and doing good works, whether we believe that\u2019s a necessary part of salvation or not.&nbsp; We all also believe that the Holy Bible was indeed inspired by God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, we still have our differences.&nbsp; Some Protestants believe the bible is to be taken literally as God\u2019s spoken word and that it is the only true revelation of God and His will for us.&nbsp; Some other Protestants and nearly all Catholics believe the bible needs to be understood in the context of the author of a particular book, that person\u2019s target audience, and the culture\/circumstances under which a particular book was written.&nbsp; Catholics also believe the Catholic Tradition (based on Jesus\u2019 verbal teachings when He started the Church) is an independent, complementary source of equal authority regarding what God wants to be revealed to us.  Again, it is a compilation of the verbal instructions that Jesus passed along to the apostles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will be interesting to see how things evolve from here.\u00a0 I only pray that Catholics and Protestants will become less divided and start working together for our one-and-only common God, who manifests as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I have no issue with each denomination retaining its own identity, sacraments, and other means of expressing faith. However, I would like to see us operate as a federation of Christian Churches working toward the greater and common good versus being adversaries to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If interested in further reading on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ecumenism\">ecumenism<\/a>, please check my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1500\">dedicated page<\/a> on this subject.  To further help with this mutual understanding, I also have a page that clears up some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1614\">common misconceptions<\/a> that Protestants have about Catholics and vice versa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both the Catholic Church and most\/all Protestant Churches have their roots in the original Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ.&nbsp; Both groups still believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior sent by God, the Father.&nbsp; Hence, we are all Christians. The Protestant movement was started by Martin Luther when he was excommunicated from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1308,"parent":323,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1276","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1500,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1500","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":0},"title":"Ecumenism \u2013 Bringing Catholics and Protestants Together","date":"August 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"There are a lot of misunderstandings between both Catholics and Protestants.\u00a0 Truth is, we\u2019re not that much different.Both Churches have their roots in the original Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Both groups still believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior sent by God, the Father.\u00a0 Hence, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ecumanical-church.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1614,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=1614","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":1},"title":"Catholics and Protestants &#8211; Fact Versus Fiction","date":"August 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction Throughout the history of the Catholic and Protestant Churches, there has been considerable discussion and debate between people of both faiths. Such has led to considerable misunderstandings and what I believe to be an exaggerated perception of the fundamental differences between both faiths. As an advocate of Ecumenism (i.e.,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ecumanical-church.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":437,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=437","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":2},"title":"My Easter Sunday RCIA Reflection \u2013 20 April 2014","date":"July 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"My name is Tom Drury, a candidate (baptized Christian seeking confirmation into the Catholic Church) completing the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) process and preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday. \u00a0I was baptized Presbyterian, raised in a Christian home, and have been enjoying an\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/RCIA-Initiation.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":442,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=442","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":3},"title":"My RCIA Sponsor\u2019s Speech \u2013 2 February 2014","date":"July 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Good evening everyone!My name is Glenn, and, as most of you know, I am one of your volunteers here at Holy Family Catholic Church in Artesia, CA.\u00a0 However, you may not be aware of the reason I am here at the podium:\u00a0 that I am also the sponsor of Tom\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/RCIA-Initiation.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":323,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=323","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":4},"title":"Religion","date":"July 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of us are deeply rooted in our religious beliefs, some aren\u2019t yet sure where they stand, and some have given up on faith\/religion altogether.\u00a0 We are where we are\u2026 Whatever your situation, our intent is to meet you where you are and provide insight that we sincerely will help\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/religious-symbols.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":564,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?page_id=564","url_meta":{"origin":1276,"position":5},"title":"Important Things To Know About Credit Card Balance Transfer Offers","date":"July 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It seems that hardly a week goes by without receiving a balance transfer offer from one of my credit card companies.\u00a0 These offers always sound very appealing in that most offer 0% APR for the first 12 to 18 months.\u00a0 I learned at an early age that, if something sounds\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/balance.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1276"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1627,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1276\/revisions\/1627"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}