General Protestant Forum

[Albion]

So...a pan-Protestant forum? Why? In order to screen out atheists, other religions, and Catholics? If so, I guess I get the purpose now.

However, for it to work, it seems to me that "non-denominational" has to be made to mean something definitely Protestant and no longer be a catch-all for people who do not want to say what their orientation is or are religious "one-man bands" who think they are above any church organization.

 

[Tigger45]

I appreciate the point of the OP. We’ve had this brought of a few times before and I think with the spectrum of doctrines and practices within protestantism and the nature of social media it might be best to title and clearly outline the parameters of the thread’s discussion of the OP in the GT forum. As the OP, call posters out for being off topic and if they persist seek assistance from the Mods.

 

[Jonaitis]

In order to screen out atheists, other religions, and Catholics? If so, I guess I get the purpose now.

...and that's a problem why?

 

[Jonaitis]

I appreciate the point of the OP, we’ve had this brought of a few times before. I think with the spectrum of doctrines and practices within protestantism and the nature of social media it might be best to title and clearly outline the parameters of the thread’s discussion of the OP in the GT forum. As the OP, call posters out for being off topic and if they persist seek assistance from the Mods.

I don't see why we can't try it out?

 

[W2L]

I know right? All these objections, but can't we at least try? I would prefer to post there than each individual Protestant faith group for a general discussion.

I agree.

 

[Albion]

...and that's a problem why?

do you mean that you favor this...or do not favor it?

 

[Jonaitis]

Well, if you do not want to limit participation in the forum you proposed, there is no point in having it. We already have General Theology and other similar ones as well as one for non-denominational Christians.

The Protestant bashing annoys me there.

 

[Albion]

Well, I give up. But if the Catholics can have four--count em--four separate forums and prevent non-Catholics from participating on them although they may participate on most of the other denominational forums, I suppose you are entitled to make your appeal, too.

 

[Tigger45]

I don't see why we can't try it out?

For the record I’m not opposed to trying it out in fact Five solas is a good suggestion to name it.

Yes, I know that this has been already suggested. I think it should be suggested again.

The famous 'five solas' unites all Protestant traditions, and I think this is what should single out that forum from the others. Simply categorizing us as Non-Denomination is not enough, since many other faith traditions faith traditions that take exceptions to the five solas can discuss as Non-Denominational.

Help me out here, who in the bolded text are you referring to?

 

[W2L]

Well, I give up. But if the Catholics can have four--count em--four separate forums and prevent non-Catholics from participating on them although they may participate on most of the other denominational forums, I suppose you are entitled to make your appeal, too.

Exactly.

 

[Dave-W]

To have a generalized Protestant forum you need to determine whether it was the Catholics or the Orthodox that were the first Protestants.

 

[Dave-W]

How about a forum for the general consensus/agreement as to the basic defining 'five solas' that are agreed upon by many Protestants, if we will claim some groups fall out of this category? One Bread, One Body (Catholic), Ancient Way (Orthodox), Five Solae (Protestant).

Where would you put us Messianics? We had our start in Orthodox Judaism in the late 1800s; not coming from any established christian group.

 

[Albion]

Where would you put us Messianics? We had our start in Orthodox Judaism in the late 1800s; not coming from any established christian group.

Is it the case that Messianic Judaism stands officially on the five Solas as well as the Trinitarian view of the nature of God?

 

[Dave-W]

Well - there is an old joke that holds true for us Messianics as well as traditional Judaism:

If you have 4 Jews in a room there are 5 opinions.

On trinitarian view of God; we believe it is correct but is described poorly in the creeds. The wording sounds pagan to Jewish ears.

On the five solas - we are somewhat divided. Many describe the solas as ignoring the cultural, linguistic and historical understanding behind the written word. We do NOT go along with that at all.

 

[Albion]

FWIW, that answer--which looks to me to be an admirably forthright and precise one--would put MJ outside the category of Protestantism.

 

[W2L]

It would be an interesting forum i think.

 

[Barney2.0]

Yes, they do. Mainly, I think, that's because it is the standard Roman Catholic line.

They like to say that "Protestantism" cannot be true because "it" is so divided, and in order to make that claim be at all credible it is necessary also to claim or insinuate, however wrongly, that there once was a unified Protestant church/faith that then broke apart.

Actually in my personal opinion Protestantism would have been more credible if it was a unified Church that later broke apart.

 

[Albion]

Actually in my personal opinion Protestantism would have been more credible if it was a unified Church that later broke apart.

Probably so, but that would be true of every other branch of Christianity also, wouldn't it?

 

[Dave-W]

FWIW, that answer--which looks to me to be an admirably forthright and precise one--would put MJ outside the category of Protestantism.

Some of my RCC friends say that ANYTHING that is not Roman Catholic is Protestant. That includes the Eastern Orthodox.

 

[Albion]

Some of my RCC friends say that ANYTHING that is not Roman Catholic is Protestant. That includes the Eastern Orthodox.

They are out of step with their own church if they claimed that the EO are Protestant, but I'm not saying you don't know such people.

As for the second point, yes, many people think that Protestant means anything not Roman Catholic. That isn't the view of classifiers such as the National Council of Churches, the United Nations, and many other cataloguers and academics who work with such matters, though.

If certain basics are not present, it is not Protestant, even though it may not be Catholic either.

Mormonism is one example. Its not Protestant for the reason that it has a completely different theology even though it claims to follow Jesus Christ (on its own terms and with a book of sacred scripture that no one else in the history of the Christian church ever recognized).