Lutheranism is ... Religion, temples, history

For certain reasons, Christianity as the original religion has been divided into several branches, which are distinguished from each other by dogmatic and cultic characteristics. They include Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. It is about the last direction we'll talk, or rather about Lutheranism as its sub-species. In this article you will find the answer to the question: "Lutheran is ...?" - and also learn about the history of the origin of this belief, differences from Catholicism and other similar religions.

How did Lutheranism arise?

The sixteenth century in Europe is the time of the religious revolution, which initiated new offshoots from the basic religion of Christianity. It all started with the fact that some believers began to deny the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and preach their own dogmas. They wanted to reform religion according to the Bible. So there was a reform movement, which at that time affected not only the religious sphere of medieval Europe, but also political and social (in fact at that time the church was not separated from other areas of human life).

The first one to speak out against the existing Catholic course of faith was Martin Luther. It was he who issued a public condemnation of indulgences, which supposedly guaranteed life in paradise, and also wrote "95 theses". In them he expounded his vision of a new, reorganized, faith. Of course, he was condemned, called a heretic, but the beginning was made. Protestantism began to spread, and of course, different trends began to appear.

Those believers who followed Martin Luther began to be called Lutherans. These were the first Protestants. They retained the dogmas Martin wrote. Next came the Calvinists, Anabaptists and many others. Everyone found their right way of worshiping God, praying to him and so on. What is noteworthy: each branch has its own branches, which differ only in some dogmas and in the way of understanding the Bible. Of course, everyone believed that he was right.

The difference between the Lutheran faith and Catholicism

So, now consider how great the difference between Lutheranism and Catholicism, from which it, in fact, came out. Here you can formulate several theses:

1. Lutherans do not recognize priests as governors of God on Earth. That is why even women can become preachers of this faith. Lutheran priests can also marry (even monks, which in other religions in general).
2. From the sacraments of Catholicism, the Lutherans have only Baptism, Communion and Confession.
3. The Bible is the main book of the believer. It contains the truth.
4. Lutherans believe in the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
5. Believers of this current know that the fate of each person is predetermined from birth, but it can be improved by good deeds and strong faith. It should be noted that it is this situation that contributes to the desire for personal enrichment of believers, and there is nothing wrong with that. In addition, a strong faith contributes to the atonement of sins, and not the work of believers, as it does in Catholicism.

As you can see, the difference between these two branches of religions is quite large. Despite the fact that Lutheranism (Protestantism) also came out of Catholicism, but eventually certain dogmas, as well as various directions in it, appeared in the end. The differences were insignificant.

You should also know that Lutherans and Protestants (the difference between them is rather thin) is not the same thing. Protestantism is a more global trend, it includes everything that has broken away in its time from Catholicism. Then came the various subspecies of beliefs, and Lutheranism is one of them.

Thus, the Lutheran is a believer who fully trusts in God. He does not think about himself, does not think about what he did, he lives in Christ and thinks only of him. This is the fundamental essence of this religion, unlike others, where it is customary to work on oneself and improve one's qualities.

The spread of this religion in the world

Now let us consider how widespread the Lutheran church in the world is. It first appeared in Germany, in the birthplace of Martin Luther. In a short time, religion spread throughout the country, and then across Europe. In some countries the Lutheran faith became the main, and in some was in the minority. Consider the countries in which this belief is most common.

So, the most numerous are, of course, the Lutheran Germans, as well as fairly large confessions are in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the United States, Estonia and Latvia. The total number of Protestant believers is about eighty million. There is also the World Lutheran Federation, which, however, does not unite all the churches, some retain their autonomy.

Teaching clergy and their difference

It should also be noted that the Lutheran pastor is an ordinary person who was publicly approved at the annual meeting of the Synod. Thus, it turns out that there is a person's appointment to the post, and not ordination to the rank, as is customary for Catholics and Orthodox. Lutherans are confident in the priesthood of all believers, and the stronger the faith, the better. Here they refer to one of the evangelical truths. Also, as it was said above, the Lutheran church does not prohibit becoming preachers to women, and also to marry.

The Lutheran subspecies

So, the Lutheran is a believer who lives deep in Christ. He knows about his victim and is sure that it is not done in vain. And this is the only thing that is present in all subspecies of Lutheranism, some of which will be listed below (and in general there are a few more of them):

1. Gnesiolyuterane.
2. Confessional Lutheranism.
3. Lutheran orthodoxy.
4. Evangelical Lutheran Church, etc.

Conclusion

So, now you know the answer to the question: "Lutheran is ...?" It is also quite understandable the essence of this direction of religion, as well as its emergence and modern distribution in the world. Despite the fact that there are subspecies of Lutheranism, the basic idea is preserved in them, the remaining differences exist only in some details. They are the ones that allow these directions to be preserved.