Wait...what's "many" priests??
That would be 3.
I know others too that I have contact with but they don't come over my house...
Sorry, okay, so you know a "few priests." Never mentioned ANY priest coming to your home...just that you "knew" some.
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Wait...what's "many" priests??
That would be 3.
I know others too that I have contact with but they don't come over my house...
Protestant ~
A person WHO...
IS...A BEGINNER...Hearing, Learning, Reading, Sometimes Believing, Sometimes Not Believing, Wondering, Unsure, about the Truthfulness of the Word of God.
IS...A Continuing Hearer, Learner, Reader, Believing Some things, Wondering About other things, still unsure about the Truthfulness of the Word of God.
IS...A Continuing Hearer, Learner, Reader, Beginning to NOTICE, "experiences" of Others, WHO BELIEVE, without Doubt.
AND..
Beginning to "notice /experience" "Personally", CHANGES, of their own thoughts and feelings TOWARD the Word of God.
IS...A Continuing Hearer, Learner, Reader...
WHOSE, thoughts and feelings, are INCREASINGLY manifested, to them BECOMING SURE, of their Belief in the Word of God IS TRUE.
IS...A Continuing Hearer, Learner, Reader...
Who THEN "feels" Compelled...
To call on the Lord, and Confess Their Belief IN God, IN His word Jesus...
AND Ask Him for Forgiveness FOR NOT having Believed.
IS...A Continuing Hearer, Learner, Reader...
WHO "accepts" the Lord Gods Word, as Truth,
Has been Forgiven, Has been Converted,
"IS THEN", prepared TO Have a ONE on ONE, relationship with:
The Lord God
Others Who are Converted.
IS...a Converted Person WHO...Also THEN
Has ACCESS, ABILITY, AUTHORITY TO ASK, thee Lord God "His" "Understanding and Meaning" of His own WORD.
Inanutshell...
A person of his own accord who hears, learns, and concludes on his own TO CONTINUE hearing and learning....OR NOT.
The phases ... beginning, not sure, sometimes believing, sometimes not, the wondering....IS a beginning.
The "persons" CHOOSING to Continue...IS NOT, the extent of what IS HAPPENING...
NOT FORGETTING....Gods HAND IN THE MATTER...!!
At ANY Phase, (BEFORE CONVERSION) ANY Person, can CHOOSE to continue OR NOT.
At ALL PHASES....God IS "GIVING" "THAT PERSON"...
MEASURES OF FAITH!!
It is the "CONTINUING" (of the man to hear and learn)
whereby GODS ACT, GODS POWER "IS the KEY", of THAT PERSON, To continue to RECEIVE "increased" measures of FAITH....
Preparing THAT MAN, "for a conversion".
That preparation..IS the method of God Calling that Person, so that He also Chooses them.
Still it is the persons CHOICE to answer THAT CALL, and they CALL on the Lord, for repentance, and confession of belief.
Many ARE called, FEW are chosen.
ALSO what a Protestant IS NOT;
"ONE" person, making Claims, Vows, Agreements, "FOR" another person.
Excellent OP.
God Bless,
Merry Christmas,
Taken
Good to remember that John's First Epistle speaks of many antichrists in the world.Protestantism's leading traits;
The main split between Protestants and Catholics was over the Catholic doctrine of free will. Luther wrote "The Bondage of the Will" to refute Erasmus, the Roman Catholic theologian and bible translator, thereby bolstering the Reformation. Luther taught the will is enslaved to the sinful flesh and cannot choose righteousness apart from God's grace. Making salvation a supernatural event in a person's life.
A second split came over the Reformers teaching that the Papacy is Antichrist. People were leaving that church in droves until the Jesuits came up with an alternative view, popular today in Dispensationalism. A claim that the Antichrist is yet to come diverting attention away from the Papacy.
Yes, this is especially true of the Jews who rejected him saying the Messiah had not arrived in the flesh. But John also mentions one Antichrist in particular.Good to remember that John's First Epistle speaks of many antichrists in the world.
Only from my memory of old...the Mass is like a reenactment of the Last Supper...or kind of a memorial of Christs crucifixion.
"CHRISTIAN GROWTH" In a wonderfully put process for what , I think should take place within a race running follower of Christ! Amen!
And...Merry Christmas to you as well!
Protestant is a historical term that really doesn't apply today.
Non-Catholics are not protesting the Catholic Church now, that idea today actually elevates Catholicism.
The concerns of today are being true Christian, cult or teaching false doctrine.
The Bible says not to have divisions among us. Denominations are divisions.
So I am neither Protestant or Catholic. I a literal Bible Only nondenominational born-again believer.
And remember, a lot of cults and false doctrines fall under the label Protestant. Such as Mormonism and Jehovah witnesses.
Somewhat disagree.
The reformation was about, HAVING Known and Agreed with Catholic teaching.
Then having a closer look and deciding to NOT agree with certain things the Catholic church was teaching.
Thus, THAT is about first KNOWING the Catholic Doctrine, and then REJECTING it as their Doctrine, and speaking out AGAINST the Catholic Doctrine.
Today, on a large scale, People do NOT FIRST learn the Catholic Doctrine, then Reject it.
On a large scale, People Learn the Protestant Way, and give no consideration to what the Catholics Do.
The "routine" disagreements between Catholics and Protestants, arise, in situations such as this OPEN forum, where Either a Catholic or Protestant can SPEAK about Scripture and INCLUDE DETAILS...WHICH VARY greatly between Catholics and Protestants...
Then does the average Protestant become aware of WHAT a Catholic believes and WHY, and Rejection of such Doctrine begins...and an explosion of namecalling BY the rejected is revealed.
Sure. But then any man can call another mans Doctrine....false or a cult.
Sure. The divisions may be petty, and insignificant, or what the Bible meant...
Examples....
Must have an alter...or no alter required.
No dancing...or dancing no problem
Church on Saturday...or Church on Sunday
No performing of a marriage of other than one man and one woman...or perform a marriage of one man and multiple women at the same time....or two men, or two women.
The Signifiance of the Lords teaching of Division; is about MEN having Belief IN God and Christ Jesus...ARE of ONE ACCORD...and Divided FROM; Men who HAVE NOT Belief in God and Christ Jesus.
That is the beauty of freewill. Men can call themselves whatever they choose.
And as well, the same applies to the Label of "nondenominational". Again the beauty of freewill.
Glory to God,
Taken
I mostly agree. Good historical summary.
Today Catholicism is considered a denomination like any other denomination. So label Protestant doesn't fit anymore.
What the Bible meant on divisions, to me, concerned such things says baptism, gifts of the spirit, powers of church hierarchy and how they are chosen, alcohol and similar.
When it crosses into things like supporting LGBT, that is covered in the seven churches of Revelations, God condemns so I don't think they are still really Christian.
Biblically there is no church structure other than locally. Denominationalism is built on large structure encompassing huge amounts of territory, local churches and such.
I think history shows them and people split between denominations, regardless of what they preach, the church suffers.
Yeah, I was pretty sure we wouldn't be able to keep this limited to just simply short, declarative statements of thoughts about what constitutes Protestnatism.
I'm sorry Nancy. I didn't mean to make an issue of it. I just didn't want people reading to think that I know A LOT of priests...I know quite a few in fact...but they are not personal friends --- that would be only 3. They don't always agree with each other, BTW.Sorry, okay, so you know a "few priests." Never mentioned ANY priest coming to your home...just that you "knew" some.
Yeah, I was pretty sure we wouldn't be able to keep this limited to just simply short, declarative statements of thoughts about what constitutes Protestnatism.
I get what you are saying about PROTEST-ant, seemingly what began as a PROTEST, doesn't fit, when a Catholic doctrine is not FIRST believed, then PROTESTED, in rejection.
However, the name "Protestant", "then" as the first knowing, then rejecting....just sort of stuck, as revealing, one IS a believer in God, (the Father), Christ (the Almighty Power), Jesus (the Word)....yet NOT according to the Doctrine and Especially the Teaching of Catholics.
To me, I like Gods to the POINT all encompassing revealing....
"If one is not with me, they are against me".
Matt 12:30
Luke 11:23
I wouldn't say "not Christian".
If ANY Word of God is being preached, and ANY person is following that teaching...
They ARE a Christian. Christians are "followers of Jesus' teachings".
Even in old days, the disciples Followed Jesus' teachings, but not always. They were called Christians for them following Jesus' teachings.
It is the Conversion...that does the REAL DIVIDING...not the following. Granted, the following MIGHT lead to the Conversion, but not always. Men can walk away, before Conversion, and stop following.
Me personally, I find a Great deal of difference between some calling themselves (or an other a Christian)....and someone calling themselves a man Converted IN Christ, or otherwise, A BORN AGAIN Christian. Ie a Converted man WHO continues to Follow Christ's teachings.
Personally, I believe, the whole umpteen "denominations" are based mostly on piddly things (makeup, dancing, long hair, day of worship, eating, clothing, music, adornments, etc. etc. ). Whereas God focuses on BELIEF in Him, BELIEF in His Word, BELIEF in His Power; which some condense into the word TRINITY. If THAT, (not the word Trinity, but the BELIEF,) is not present in "A" churches preaching and teaching...THEN it is NOT fostering the EXPRESS teaching of Gods PRIMARY FOCUS, for men to hear, learn, know, and be prepared to Come to Him, in Repentance and Confession, and receive Conversion.
I think people "switch" (protestant denomination) over the Piddly stuff....Not the primary, BELIEF as mentioned.
I have visited different churches...and could say after one visit, I would never consider going back. Not a problem with the BELIEF in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit....But a huge problem in the atmosphere, of chaotic, running around, hollering, interrupting, ear piercing metal bands, etc., to the other end...of the cleric so soft spoken, you can't hear, or so monotone, he was like a sleeping pill...
I would presume, other people also pick and choose which denomination is their preference based on numerous things as well, as I have mentioned.
Glory to God,
Taken
inds", right out of the water. (It means the common people got to drink the wine too.)
I think a lot of Protestantism is the returning of the
I'm sorry Nancy. I didn't mean to make an issue of it. I just didn't want people reading to think that I know A LOT of priests...I know quite a few in fact...but they are not personal friends --- that would be only 3. They don't always agree with each other, BTW.