The Protestant Reformation started as a determination to bring reforms to the practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church. Germany is considered to have been the origin of the reformations in 1517 when Martin Luther published the 95 theses reacting to what he viewed as abuse in the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church. The establishment of basic principles of Protestantism by Martin Luther brought out the major differences between Catholics and Protestants. The principles are as discussed below;
Scripture Alone
The Protestants believe that the scripture alone remains the source of faith as well as practice thus a rejection of the church and Tradition authority. The church is viewed as an outgrowth of the Bible hence their suspicion of practices or even teachings that they do not find explicitly stated in the bible. Catholic Church believes that the scripture is a portion of a broader tradition handed down by the church which is authoritative for Christina practices and faith(Roberson, 2015).
Justification by Faith Alone
The doctrine upholds that people are justified before God by faith alone and not by the good works, what the church does and not by faith plus something else. It emphasizes on salvation that comes by the pure, unmerited favor of God and by His grace alone. The Catholic Church teaches that our justification which the saving process through which we are made just before God is a gift of grace that must be received through our response of faith and works (Roberson, 2015).
The priesthood of All Believers
The principle teaches that every believer has a direct relationship and access to God, therefore, does not need earthly mediator such as priests. Furthermore, all Christians are ministers to one another and the world. The Catholic Church has always ordained certain men a separate, sacramental priesthood with exclusive authority to celebrate Eucharist and to perform other sacraments (Roberson).
Conclusion
For a Christian denomination to be considered Protestant, it must acknowledge the basic principles of Protestantism; scripture alone, justification of faith and priesthood of all believers. These principles bring out the main differences between the Catholic Church and the Protestants.
References
Roberson, J. (2015, Sep 11). Mini-Lecture- Martin Luther. [Video Files]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8VPmZ_WOV8"festure=youtu.be
Roberson, J. (2015, Sep 11). Mini-Lecture- Reformation. [Video Files]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdMkgn1lbcE"feature=youtu.be
Roberson, J. (n.d.). RELG 125: Introduction to Christianity,
Lecture 6: The Reformation
