Protestantism Could Be For Me

Protestantism is one of the four major divisions of Christianity. The Protestants separated from the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century--The Protestant Reformation. Protestants do not believe in Apolistic Succession, which is a doctrine that asserts the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles. They also do not believe in the clergy. Protestants public worship is much simpler and less elaborate than Catholics.

The main beliefs of Protestants are that they believe the Bible is the only source of faith. They critically read the Bible and believe it is infallible. They believe in giving all glory to Christ, and ensure that all believers not only read the Bible, but also take part in the government of the Church--they are opposed to any sort of hierarchy in the religion such as priesthood.

Protestants have a set of slogans called, "The Five Solas," which emerged during the Protestant Reformation:

1.) The Sola Scriptura: states that teachings of the Bible are necessary for salvation.

2.) Sola fide: means that faith in Christ alone is sufficient for external salvation. This slogan's purpose is to promote believers getting as close as possible to Christ.

The next 3 slogans emerged later:

3.) Solus Christus: means believing in Christ as the only mediator between God and man. Thus, a priest cannot mediate.

4.) Sola Gratia: means that if you sin you can only be forgiven if God chooses to forgive you. You are not forgiven the way you are in Catholicism by confessing to the priest, doing a few Hail Mary's and then viola, you're forgiven.

5.) Soli Deo Gloria: meaning all glory is due to God alone. The popes, Catholic church, or hierarchy are not worthy of glory.

I am very intrigued by Protestantism. What I learned that I especially like is that you cannot sin and be forgiven so easily like you are in Catholicism. I think knowing that only God forgives you if he chooses to would make man think longer before they choose to sin because they know forgiveness is not as easy to receive. I respect this religion for that and I look forward to delving further into Protestantism.