Today, most Protestants opt for cremation, especially in cities and towns where burial space is costly or limited. For Protestants, the religion allows that ashes be scattered or interred in the ground, niche wall or columbarium.
The general Protestant view is that the Bible, from which Protestants exclude deuterocanonical books such as 2 Maccabees, contains no overt, explicit discussion of purgatory and therefore it should be rejected as an unbiblical belief.
In general, Protestant churches reject the Catholic doctrine of purgatory although some teach the existence of an intermediate state. Many Protestant denominations, though not all, teach the doctrine of sola scriptura ("scripture alone") or prima scriptura ("scripture first").
Variation in sacramental doctrine exists among Protestants, but most limit the number to the two “sacraments of the Gospel,” baptism and Holy Communion. A great variety of doctrinal views and polities exist among so-called Protestants, and not all Western non-Roman Catholic Christians accept the label Protestant.
Protestants perceived Roman Catholic salvation to be dependent upon the grace of God and the merits of one's own works. The reformers posited that salvation is a gift of God (i.e., God's act of free grace), dispensed by the Holy Spirit owing to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone.
Some Evangelical Protestants believe in the resurrection of the body and the idea that everyone will be raised on the Day of Judgement to be judged by God. Liberal Protestants believe that the soul lives on eternally after death in a spirit world.
The core Christian belief is that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans (which are all humans (Romans 3:23)) can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven. Catholics believe in the resurrection of Jesus.
Roman Catholic Christians who believe in purgatory interpret passages such as 2 Maccabees 12:41-46, 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 16:19-16:26, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11-3:15 and Hebrews 12:29 as support for prayer for purgatorial souls who are believed to be within an active interim state for the dead
The start of the Protestant Church
One of the differences between Protestants and Catholics is the way they view bread and wine during religious services. Catholics believe that the bread and wine actually turns into the body and blood of Christ. Protestants believe it stays bread and wine and only represents Christ.Centrality in Protestant doctrine. The doctrine of sola fide asserts God's pardon for guilty sinners is granted to and received through faith alone, excluding all "works" (good deeds).
Different Protestant denominations worship in different ways as part of their Sunday service, but there are also some common features to all. Worship centres on the Bible – reading the Bible, hearing preaching on it or discussing it. Most churches include hymns or worship songs in the service.
They believe justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's righteousness alone is the gospel, the core of the Christian faith around which all other Christian doctrines are centered and based. Luther came to understand justification as entirely the work of God.
Some early Protestants venerated and honored Mary. Martin Luther said of Mary: the honor given to the mother of God has been rooted so deeply into the hearts of men that no one wants to hear any opposition to this celebration But be careful to give her honor that is fitting.
The belief in the inspiration of scripture leads Protestants to believe that the Bible is fully true and must be the ultimate authority for their lives and in the Church. In practice, this means that the Church will aim to make all its decisions and beliefs in light of what the Bible says.
International bodies
| Name | Orientation | Region |
|---|
| Lutheran World Federation | Lutheran | Worldwide |
| World Assemblies of God Fellowship | Pentecostal | Worldwide |
| Baptist World Alliance | Baptist | Worldwide |
| World Methodist Council | Methodist | Worldwide |
Other Protestantism
Many Protestants consider intercessory prayers to the saints to be idolatry, since an application of divine worship that should be given only to God himself is being given to other believers, dead or alive. Within some Protestant traditions, "saint" is also used to refer to any born-again Christian.Though the community led by the pope in Rome is known as the Catholic Church, the traits of catholicity, and thus the term catholic, are also ascribed to denominations such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East.
Catholics believe they are justified by God's grace which is a free gift but it is received through baptism initially, through the faith which worketh by love in the continuous life of the Christian and through the sacrament of reconciliation if the grace of justification is lost through mortal sin.
The Roman Catholic Church
The Church still officially prefers the traditional interment of the deceased. Despite this preference, cremation is now permitted as long as it is not done to express a refusal to believe in the resurrection of the body.A number of prayers to Jesus Christ exist within the Roman Catholic tradition. These prayers have diverse origins and forms. Some were attributed to visions of saints, others were handed down by tradition.
Faith and morals
Like other Christians, Catholics believe Jesus is a divine person, the Son of God. They believe that because of his love for all people, he died so that all people will live forever in heaven.Roman Catholicism
The church holds that, by his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has 'opened' heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by ChristFrom Christ to Mary in the Roman Catholic tradition
In Roman Catholic teachings, the veneration of Mary is a natural consequence of Christology: Jesus and Mary are son and mother, redeemer and redeemed. Mary is seen as contributing to a fuller understanding of the life of Jesus.Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Protestants agree that faith is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8; "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Protestants almost universally believe that grace is given by God based on the faith of the believer.
Differences from other Christian Bibles
Bibles used by Catholics differ in the number and order of books from those typically found in bibles used by Protestants, as Catholic bibles remained unchanged following the Reformation and so retain seven books that were rejected principally by Martin Luther.Its points include:
- Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit.
- The death, descent into hell, resurrection and ascension of Christ.
- The holiness of the Church and the communion of saints.
- Christ's second coming, the Day of Judgement and salvation of the faithful.
The Catholic Church also recognizes as sacramental, (1) the marriages between two baptized Protestants or between two baptized Orthodox Christians, as well as (2) marriages between baptized non-Catholic Christians and Catholic Christians, although in the latter case, consent from the diocesan bishop must be obtained,
Protestantism is the second-largest form of Christianity with a total of 800 million to 1 billion adherents worldwide or about 37% of all Christians. Protestants reject the Catholic doctrine of papal supremacy and sacraments, but disagree among themselves regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
In Eastern Christianity, the two gestures differ significantly. Other Protestants and Restorationist Christians do not use it all all. Some, particularly Roman Catholics and Eastern Christians, might make the sign of the cross in response to perceived blasphemy.
Overall, evangelicals tend to be more flexible and experimental with worship practices than mainline Protestant churches. It is usually run by a Christian pastor. A service is often divided into several parts, including congregational singing, a sermon, intercessory prayer, and other ministry.
Within Protestantism, the Anglican and Methodist tradition recognizes four angels as archangels: Michael the Archangel, Raphael the Archangel, Gabriel the Archangel, and Uriel the Archangel. But a depiction of seven archangels in stained-glass windows can be found in some Anglican churches.
