What do protestant believe?

I can only speak to the denominational branch of modern "Protestant Christianity" known as the "Presbyterians"... because my parents sent their children to one of their establishments every Sunday morning [mainly for a little peace and quiet in the house once a week].

When I was about 10 years old, I inquired as to the word, "Protestant" to my dad, wondering what it meant. I was informed that the root word was "protest" -- meaning that the Protestants "protested the beliefs of the Catholic Church."

Thus, were the literally hundreds of "Protestant Denominations" born. Each one of them "protesting some facet of Catholic belief"... whether its "idol worship" or "imagery" or the "Hail, Mary" or whatever. Each sub-divided denomination had a pet reason for "splitting" from the "Mother" church.

Methodists have a different "method" for salvation. Baptists prefer "emersion" to the rude splashing of water in the face. Anabaptists seem to be protesting the Baptists... apparently out-doing them by "one baptism."

But fifty-some years later, I'm still not sure where the Presbyterians stand. Their name doesn't lend itself very well to their particular protest like the ones above. Nor does their adherence to the "Apostles' Creed" lend convincingly to their being a "credible" protestant denomination at all.

Especially, when anyone who "joins the church" must memorize and recite the "Apostles' Creed" as a true "Presbyterian" test of faith and loyalty.

Yet, when you come to the part of the "Creed" that reads: "...I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints..." WAIT A MINUTE!

My parents' church... one of the modern professing Christian denominations [called Presbyterians] that exist in protest of the beliefs of the Catholic Church -- BELIEVE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ???!!!???

Yep... that's the Presbyterians.

So, you can imagine my confusion [even at age 10] to find myself in the midst of this contradiction. I guess the Presbyterians are basically Catholic in structure and design... but they seem to be protesting the Catholic "idol decor" and the overt worship of Jesus' mom.

What the other Protestant denominations are protesting... only they can say.

 

Answer

Protestantism in all its shapes or forms on the whole believes in the Creed as laid down on the early Church. This is a belief in Jesus Christ as divine, part of a Trinitarian Godhead, that Christ came to earth to save humanity by his death on the Cross, by his resurrection, asecnsion, and his coming again one day as Judge. They believe in the Holy Spirit as comforter and guide in our lives. They acknowledge the Bible as the inspired Word of God although degrees to which they take the Bible (or parts of it) literally or not vary across the Protestant Churches.

All Protestant Churches have these same core beliefs whether Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army or Church of England - as I am.

It is only in the peripheral customs that they differ (eg baptism by immersion or sprinking? Charismatic or liturgical worship? Sacramental emphasis or emphasis on scripture? etc).

The term 'Protestant' was chosen to show that the Churches protested against some doctrines of the Church of Rome which they believed were, and are still, fabricated by man rather than historical or Biblical. These include the praying to saints, various doctrines surrounding Mary, indulgences, infallibility of the pope and so on, and no Protestant Church recognises the authority of the pope even if their worship is similar to the Roman catholic Church (as it is in some Protestant High Church Anglican churches).

However, we must never get confused between 'Catholic' (large 'C') and 'catholic' (small 'c'). In the Creed, all Protestant Churches believe in one holy catholic Church. in this sense ''catholic' simply means 'universal' - in other words, we believe in the divine blessing of the worldwide Christian Church, whatever denomination. However,some of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are out-and-out rejected by the Protestant denominations as being heretical, not true to the Church Christ himself founded and unBiblical, and many of them created by humankind. However, we must realise that these disputed teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are peripheral teachings and the Roman Church will still recite the Creed alongside Protestants,, and in thhat common belief they can be regarded as Christian as much as any Protestant denomination.