The Protestants are followers of Christianity, but they have separated from the original Roman Catholic Christianity. They are divided into numerous independent churches that are not subject to the Pope. With about 900 million Protestants, they form the second largest grouping within Christianity.
The Protestant churches and denominations are the main ones:
Protestants are not a single ecclesiastical denomination with common beliefs. Rather, Protestantism is a collective term for all Christian religions that split from the previously Roman Catholic Church in protest. The largest Protestant groups today are Lutherans, Reformed Christians, Anglicans and Baptists. Since the Reformation, however, countless other churches and communities have emerged, all of which belong to Christianity but are independent in their own right.
Protestantism has its origins in 16th century Europe. The Reformation period began in 1517 with Martin Luther, who published his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther was thus the first to publicly criticize the Catholic Church, speaking out against indulgences, celibacy and the Papal States in particular. In addition, he later demanded in 3 extensive writings that the state take on further tasks in the social and educational sectors because the Roman Church of the time was incapable of reform.
During the 16th century, several clergymen throughout Europe took up Luther's concerns. A second Reformation came from John Calvin in Basel and Geneva. A Protestant movement was also formed in Scotland, starting with John Knox. In the Netherlands, it was started by Jacob Praepositus in Antwerp.
Protestantism did not mean turning away from the basic tenets of Christian doctrine. Rather, the initial aim was to separate church and state and to prohibit practices that were generally criticized, such as indulgences used to finance the church. After a difficult phase, which even led to religious wars, the new faiths finally established themselves parallel to the Roman Church. Finally, in order not to lose too many followers, the Roman Catholic Church itself had to carry out extensive reforms.
