Protestants are who? Catholics and Protestants. Protestants in Russia

Today there is a return to spirituality. More and more people are thinking about the immaterial component of our life. In the article we will talk about who are the Protestants. This is a separate direction of Christianity, or sect, as some believe.

We will also touch upon the issue of different trends in Protestantism. It will be interesting to know about the situation of the supporters of this trend in modern Russia.
Read on, and you will learn the answers to these and many other questions.

Who are Protestants?

In the sixteenth century in Western Europe, a large part of the faithful left the Roman Catholic Church. This event in historiography is called "Reformation". Thus, Protestants are part of Christians who disagree with the Catholic principles of worship and some questions of theology.

Next, we will understand the difference between Protestantism and such areas as Orthodoxy and Catholicism. In the meantime, it is worth going a little deeper into the history of this current.

The Middle Ages in Western Europe turned out to be such a period when society fell into total dependence not so much from secular rulers as from the church.

Virtually no issue was solved without the participation of a priest, whether it was a wedding or household problems.

Intertwining more and more into social life, the Catholic holy fathers accumulated untold riches. Screaming luxury and double standards, practiced by monks, alienated society from them. There was growing dissatisfaction with the fact that many questions were forbidden or resolved with the compulsory intervention of priests.

It was in this situation that Martin Luther had the opportunity to get heard. It's a German theologian and a priest. As a member of the Order of the Augustinian, he constantly observed the depravity of the Catholic clergy. Once, according to him, the inspiration for the true path of the orthodox Christian descended.

The result was the "Ninety-Five Theses", which Luther nailed to the doors of the church in Wittenberg in 1517, as well as a speech against the sale of indulgences.

The basis of Protestantism is the principle of "sola fide" (only through faith). It says that no one in the world can help a man save himself, except himself. Thus, the institution of priests, the sale of indulgences, the desire for enrichment and power on the part of the servants of the church are dismissed.

Let us dwell further on the theological differences in the three directions of Christianity.

Difference from Catholics and Orthodox

Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants belong to a single religion - Christianity. However, in the process of historical and social development, several splits occurred. The first was in 1054, when the Orthodox Church separated from the Roman Catholic. Later, in the sixteenth century, in the process of the Reformation a completely separate current emerged - Protestantism.

Let's see how different the principles are in these churches. And also why the former Protestants are more often converted to Orthodoxy.

So, like two ancient currents, Catholics and Orthodox believe that their church is true. Protestants have diverse views. Some directions even deny the need to belong to any confession.

Among Orthodox priests are allowed to marry once, monks are forbidden to marry. Catholics of the Latin tradition all give a vow of celibacy. Protestants are allowed to marry, they do not recognize celibacy at all.

Also, the latter have absolutely no institution of monasticism, in contrast to the first two directions.

The Catholics have the supreme authority of the Pope, the Orthodox - the works of the Holy Fathers and the Holy Scripture, the Protestants - only the Bible.

In addition, Protestants do not address the issue of "filioque", which is the cornerstone of the dispute between Catholics and Orthodox. They also lack purgatory, and the Virgin Mary is perceived as the standard of the perfect woman.

Of the seven generally accepted sacraments, Protestants recognize only baptism and communion. There is no confession and the worship of icons is not perceived.

Protestantism in Russia

Although the Russian Federation and the Orthodox country, but there are also other beliefs. In particular, there are Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Buddhists, supporters of various spiritual currents and philosophical worldviews.

According to statistics in Russia, about three million Protestants who visit more than ten thousand parishes. Less than half of these communities are officially registered with the Ministry of Justice.

Pentecostalism is the largest trend in Russian Protestantism. They and their reformed branch (neo-Pentecostals) unite more than one and a half million followers.

However, over time, some become traditional for the Russian faith. Protestants of Orthodoxy are told by friends, acquaintances, sometimes they read special literature. Judging by the opinions of those who "returned to the bosom" of their own church, they feel relief, ceasing to be mistaken.

The other currents prevalent in the territory of the Russian Federation include Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Minnonites, Lutherans, Evangelical Christians, Methodists and many others.

Next, we will talk in more detail about the most common directions of Protestantism in Russia. We will also touch upon some denominations that by definition are on the verge between the sect and the Protestant church.

Calvinists

The most rational Protestants are the Calvinists. This direction was formed in the middle of the sixteenth century in Switzerland. A young French preacher and theologian, Jean Calvin, decided to continue and deepen the reformist ideas of Martin Luther.

He proclaimed that we should remove from the churches not only what is contrary to the Holy Scripture, but also those things that are not even mentioned in the Bible. That is, according to Calvinism in the house of prayer there should be only that which is prescribed in the holy book.

Thus, there are some differences in the teaching that Protestants and Orthodox follow. The first consider the church any meeting of people in the name of the Lord, deny most saints, Christian symbols and the Virgin.

In addition, they believe that a person takes faith personally and in a sober judgment. Therefore, the rite of baptism occurs only in adulthood.

Orthodox are the exact opposite of Protestants in the above-mentioned moments. In addition, they adhere to the belief that only the specially trained person can explain the Bible. Protestants, on the other hand, believe that everyone does this to the best of their ability and spiritual development.

Lutherans

In fact, the Lutherans are the successors of Martin Luther's true aspirations. It was after their performance in the town of Speyer that the movement began to be called the "Protestant Church".

The term "Lutherans" appeared in the sixteenth century during the polemics of Catholic theologians and priests with Luther. So they in a pejorative manner called the followers of the father of the Reformation. Lutherans call themselves "Evangelical Christians."

Thus, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox seek to obtain the salvation of the soul, but the methods are different for everyone. Divergences, in principle, are based only on the interpretation of Holy Scripture.

With his "Ninety-Five Theses," Martin Luther argued that the whole institute of priests and many traditions that Catholics adhere to were untenable. According to him, these innovations relate more to the material and secular sphere of life than spiritual. Hence, they should be abandoned.

In addition, the basis of Lutheranism is the belief that Jesus Christ by his death on Calvary redeemed all the sins of mankind, including the original. All that is necessary for a happy life is to believe in this good news.

Lutherans also hold the view that any priest is the same layman, but more professional in terms of sermons. Therefore, for the communion of all people a chalice is used.

Today, Lutherans are more than eighty five million people. But they do not represent unity. There are separate associations and denominations on a historical and geographical basis.

In the Russian Federation, the most popular in this environment is the society "Ministry of the Lutheran Hour".

Baptists

It is often jokingly said that Baptists are English Protestants. But in this statement there is also a grain of truth. After all, this flow was allocated precisely from the environment of the Puritans of Great Britain.

In fact, Baptism is the next stage of development (as some believe) or simply an offshoot of Calvinism. The term itself comes from the Greek word for "baptism." It is in the title expressed the main idea of this direction.

Baptists believe that only true believers can be considered as such a person who, in adulthood, came to the idea to renounce sinful actions and sincerely took faith into his heart.

Many Protestants in Russia agree with similar thoughts. Despite the fact that the majority refers to Pentecostals, which we'll talk about further on, some of their views coincide completely.

If we briefly express the principles of the practice of church life, Baptist Protestants are confident in the infallibility of the authority of the Bible in all situations. They adhere to the ideas of universal priesthood and congregation, that is, each community is independent and independent.

The presbyter does not have any real power, he simply reads sermons and teachings. All issues are resolved at general meetings and church councils. The service includes a sermon, the singing of hymns to the accompaniment of instrumental music, as well as improvised prayers.

Today in Russia, Baptists, like Adventists, call themselves evangelical Christians, and their churches - houses of prayer.

Pentecostals

The most numerous Protestants in Russia are the Pentecostals. In our country, this flow penetrated from Western Europe through Finland in the early twentieth century.

The first Pentecostal, or, as it was then called, "the only one", was Thomas Barratt. He arrived in 1911 from Norway to St. Petersburg. Here the preacher declared himself a follower of evangelical Christians in the spirit of the Apostles, and began to re-baptize everyone who wished.

The basis of the faith and rite of the Pentecostals is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They also recognize the rite of consecration with the help of water. But the experience that a person experiences when the Spirit descends upon him is considered to be the most correct of this Protestant current. They say that the state that the baptized person experiences is equivalent to the sensations of the apostles who took initiation from Jesus Christ himself on the fiftieth day after his resurrection.

Therefore, they call their church in honor of the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, or Trinity (Pentecost). Followers believe that the initiate in this way receives one of the Divine gifts. He acquires the word of wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, the ability to speak foreign languages or distinguish between spirits.

In the Russian Federation to date, the most influential Protestant associations are three of Pentecostal circles. They are part of the Assembly of God.

Mennonites

Mennonite is one of the most interesting offshoots of Protestantism. These Christian Protestants were the first to proclaim pacifism as part of the dogma.
There was a denomination in the thirties of the sixteenth century in the Netherlands.

The founder is Menno Simons. Initially, he departed from Catholicism and accepted the principles of Anabaptism. But after a while, significantly deepened the individual features of this dogma.

So, the Mennonites believe that the kingdom of God on earth will come only with the assistance of all people, when they establish a common true church. The Bible is an indisputable authority, and the Trinity is the only thing that has holiness. Only adults can be baptized after they take a firm and sincere decision.

But the most important distinctive feature of Mennonites is the renunciation of military service, army oath and litigation. In this way, the supporters of this trend are bringing humanity a desire for peace and non-violence.

In the Russian Empire, the Protestant denomination came during the reign of Catherine the Great. Then she invited a part of the community to move from the Baltic states to Novorossia, the Volga region and the Caucasus. This turn of events was simply a gift for the Mennonites, as they were persecuted in Western Europe. Therefore, there were two waves of forced migration to the east.

Today, in the Russian Federation, this current actually merged with the Baptists.

Adventists

Like any orthodox Christian, a Protestant believes in the second coming of the Messiah. It was at this event that the philosophy of Adventists was originally built (from the Latin word "coming").

In 1831, the former captain of the United States Army, Miller became a Baptist, and later published a book on the indispensable coming of Jesus Christ on March 21, 1843. But it turned out that no one came. Then an amendment was made to the inaccuracy of the translation, and the Messiah was expected in the spring of 1844. When the second time did not come true, a period of depression began for believers, which in historiography is called "Great disappointment".

After this, the Millerite current breaks up into a series of separate denominations. The most organized and popular are Seventh-day Adventists. They are centrally managed and strategically developed in several countries.

In the Russian Empire, this current appeared through the Mennonites. The first communities were formed on the Crimean peninsula and the Volga region.

Because of the refusal to take up arms and swear an oath, they were persecuted in the Soviet Union. But in the late seventies of the twentieth century, the movement was restored. And in 1990, at the first congress of Adventists, the Russian Union was adopted.

Protestants, or sectarians

Today, there is no doubt that Protestants are one of the equal branches of Christianity, with their doctrine, principles, principles of conduct and worship.

However, there are some churches that are very similar in organization to Protestant ones, but they are not, in fact, such. The latter include, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses.

But in view of the confusion and uncertainty of their teachings, as well as the contradictions of earlier statements later, this movement can not be unequivocally attributed to some direction.

The Jehovists do not perceive Christ, the Trinity, the cross, the icons. They consider the main and only God, who is called Jehovah, like medieval mystics. Some of their provisions resonate with the Protestant. But this coincidence does not make them supporters of this Christian trend.

Thus, we in this article have figured out who the Protestants are, and also talked about the situation of different branches in Russia.

Good luck to you, dear readers!