What Every Protestant Should Know

anna ~ grace said:

Apart from the Catholic Church, there also exists;

Assyrian Church East
https://assyrianchurch.net/
Assyrian Church of the East - Home

Greek Orthodoxy
https://www.goarch.org/
Home - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Russian Orthodoxy

http://www.patriarchia.ru/

Coptic Orthodoxy
The Coptic Church - CopticChurch.net

Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Church - Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին

Syriac Orthodoxy

Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

And there are others, especially in Europe, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches.

All of these Churches can trace their bishoprics back to the Apostles. All of them baptize infants, affirm that it is Truly Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, honor and adore Mary, the Mother of Christ, through hymns and petitions, and offer up prayers for the dead. All of them are Liturgical.

Understanding this and studying these Churches is important. It is important for Protestant Christians to understand not only the history, but also something of the theology and approach to Christian faith and praxis of these ancient Churches.

Because so often, the Catholic Church is attacked or dismissed for being hierarchical, Marian, Sacramental, Liturgical, etc., when in reality, She is close Relative of other Churches not in communion with Her, yet who are also not similar at all to much of Protestantism.

I think it is vital to understand this. Too many theologians, “reformers”, and others, sneer at the Pope, caring nothing for the Bishops of Constantinople, Moscow, Alexandria, and Vagharshapat.

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If one 'sneers' at the RCC, and these are all similar in form or habit to the RCC, then how does that make the RCC any less 'sneerable'?

The mere existence of these churches undermines the false dichotomy between Catholics and Protestants. Also, it puts a new perspective on some breakaway Catholic and high church Protestant churches whose liturgy, theology or polity closely resembles Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, such as various Anglican denominations, Scoto-Catholic Parishes (chiefly in the presbyterian Church of Scotland, for instance, Glasgow Cathedral) the Moravian church, high church Lutheran parishes like that of @MarkRohfrietsch and Methodist parishes like that of @tampasteve , and the Old Catholic Churches, both the liberal Union of Utrecht and the conservative Union of Scranton, and finally, the interesting case of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and its controversial beginnings.

Well I don't think a lot of Protestants really understand the Eastern Catholic Churches and the fact that they have their own unique liturgical rite, and traditions, and are mostly self governing (considered their own jurisdiction). It would be interesting to do a man on the street survey on such things. But if you quizzed people about it my guess you would run across a number of ideas that would boil down to one of these two options 85% or more of the time:

1) All Catholics are Roman Catholic

2) Their are a few Greek Catholics and other Catholics but they are basically Like Roman Catholics only with different clothing.

I'm guess if you polled the populace of Protestants and even Catholics you would get those kind of responses. I was surprised years back from a coworker who was Catholic who strangely didn't know their were Orthodox Christians, she thought that termed only applied to Jews. When I mentioned about Christians in places like Greece, Russia, Ethiopia etc. she kind of looked at me blankly and seemed to believe all Christians around the world were either Roman Catholic or Protestant.

Mark Quayle said:

If one 'sneers' at the RCC, and these are all similar in form or habit to the RCC, then how does that make the RCC any less 'sneerable'?

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Some criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church, for example, the historical falsehood that it was founded by Emperor Constantine, are disproved by the mere existence of the Assyrian and Oriental Orthodox churches.

Also, until the 13th century, when most of them were killed, the Assyrian Church of the East was the certainly largest church in the world in terms of geographic area, and possibly, the largest in membership. Then Tamerlane killed all of those living outside the Fertile Crescent and the Southwestern India (the Indian Orthodox church was founded in Kerala in the first century, a city with a sizeable Jewish expatriate community, many of whom converted; other Kochin Jews did not, and most have emigrated to Israel; Vidal Sassoon is the most famous Indian Jew; St. Thomas the Apostle founded the Church of India and was killed by a spear thrown by a Hindu Maharaja scandalized by his Christian teachings around 53 AD, and there is a shrine on this site).

I'm not your average Protestant. I don't fit a stereoyype of thinking all Catholics are Roman Catholics. And I'm not judging people who were raised or converted to any of the above named churches. I've been to the Vatican and took instruction in Cathollicism. I was a Mormon for a long time (my mistake). My parents weren't interested in any religion.

I want to read my Bible for guidance and obey Christ. I pray that I will be conformed to the image of Christ. I believe in the Holy Trinity. Being a Christian is more imortant to me that belonging to a denomination.

Mark Quayle said:

If one 'sneers' at the RCC, and these are all similar in form or habit to the RCC, then how does that make the RCC any less 'sneerable'?

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As a Protestant, I would not phrase it that way. It just seems to me that all Protestants should ask themselves how it is that other than the Waldensians, who began in the early 1200's, pretty much all Christians prior to the 1400's/1500's were Apostolic Christians who believed in essentially the same theology as the Catholic Church, with fairly minor variations. Quite frankly, there is no good answer to the problem that this poses. Either the Protestants are right and the Christian Church went astray somehow from soon after Jesus until at least the early 1200's or the Apostolic Churches are closer to the truth and the Protestants have erred, at least in some respects. Having said this, as I have stated many times on CF through the years, unless and until the EOC and the RCC (and preferably the Oriental Orthodox also) can bury the hatchet and once again become one Church, I see no urgent need for Protestants to try and determine which of the other three branches of Christendom is the best.

Even here in Germany, which is not too far away from Russia, Greece and other countries of Orthodox faith, we have basically no clue of the exact beliefs of these different denominations. I guess the first thing that comes to mind when you hear of "Eastern Orthodox" is "the thing with the icons" and "Mary". That's already enough for European Protestants to reject any of the churches you named, without asking further questions. Sad but true.

Basil the Great said:

As a Protestant, I would not phrase it that way. It just seems to me that all Protestants should ask themselves how it is that other than the Waldensians, who began in the early 1200's, pretty much all Christians prior to the 1400's/1500's were Apostolic Christians who believed in essentially the same theology as the Catholic Church, with fairly minor variations. Quite frankly, there is no good answer to the problem that this poses. Either the Protestants are right and the Christian Church went astray somehow from soon after Jesus until at least the early 1200's or the Apostolic Churches are closer to the truth and the Protestants have erred, at least in some respects. Having said this, as I have stated many times on CF through the years, unless and until the EOC and the RCC (and preferably the Oriental Orthodox also) can bury the hatchet and once again become one Church, I see no urgent need for Protestants to try and determine which of the other three branches of Christendom is the best.

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Just for starters, I don't see any teaching nor practice of Mariology nor praying to the Saints by the NT church and the Apostles, just for starters. And I do see the agreement to the doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration of the Scriptures.

There is only one church, that of the whole assemble of every one who believes Jesus is there Lord and Saviour, who has ever, is or will ever live.

That one belongs to the local church, to a minority sect, to an established church organisation' is completely irrelevant.
No one is saved because they followed rituals or literature or didn't follow them, it is not about belonging to a church of any nature but of ones faith in Jesus.

As Jesus said to the woman at the well, a time is coming when we will worship in spirit and in truth.

Churches, the groups of believers are there to encourage one another, be challenged and to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

Old Lady said:

I'm not your average Protestant. I don't fit a stereoyype of thinking all Catholics are Roman Catholics. And I'm not judging people who were raised or converted to any of the above named churches. I've been to the Vatican and took instruction in Cathollicism. I was a Mormon for a long time (my mistake). My parents weren't interested in any religion.

I want to read my Bible for guidance and obey Christ. I pray that I will be conformed to the image of Christ. I believe in the Holy Trinity. Being a Christian is more imortant to me that belonging to a denomination.

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Indeed, the fact there are denominations is a tragedy that ultimately exists because of two schisms in the fifth century and one in the eleventh (Protestantism happened to a large extent because of Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague seeking to restore to Czech Christians things which were lost, like a vernacular liturgy and communion in both kinds, when the country was conquered by Austria and the Eastern Orthodox were forcibly converted to Latin Rite Roman Catholics).

Friedrich Rubinstein said:

Even here in Germany, which is not too far away from Russia, Greece and other countries of Orthodox faith, we have basically no clue of the exact beliefs of these different denominations. I guess the first thing that comes to mind when you hear of "Eastern Orthodox" is "the thing with the icons" and "Mary". That's already enough for European Protestants to reject any of the churches you named, without asking further questions. Sad but true.

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There are lots of Orthodox in Germany. The Syriac Orthodox have a monastery and convent in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

The Liturgist said:

There are lots of Orthodox in Germany. The Syriac Orthodox have a monastery and convent in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

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Perhaps, but I was describing it from a protestant's point of view. I could not even name an Eastern Orthodox church in my city (which has 1 million inhabitants, so there probably is one somewhere).

REASONS FOR THE REFORMATION AND PROTESTANTISM

I think many people forget here as shown in the OP, that Protestantism and it's roots in the reformation of the 16th century was never about "let's go out and start making other church's". This idea of course leads to the OP being discussed here that the first Church's therefore are the correct Church's.

This was not what Protestantism was about at all. Protestantism was a call for reformation from those within the Roman Catholic Church that could see that the Church was departing the very teachings of the Word of God which are the very principles of faith that it was built upon and to give up it's corrupt practices and teachings and return to the pure Word of God and to give the Word of God to the people of God.

Some interesting articles provided below if anyone is interested on the reformation and a call to God's people to return to the pure Word of God...

The Protestant Reformation - Returning to the Word of God.
The Bible and the Protestant Reformation.

According to the scriptures today there is another reformation coming for both the Mother Church and it's daughters (Protestantism) that have departed Gods' Word (Revelation 18:1-5). According to the scriptures God's people are in every Church (John 10:16) living up to all the knowledge of His Word that he has revealed to them (Acts of the Apostles 17:30-31; James 4:17).

God is calling his people where ever they may be to return to the pure Word of God (Revelation 18:4). Jesus says that the hour is coming and now is that the true worshipers will worship God in Spirit and in truth *John 4:23 because God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth *John 4:24. God is calling us back to his Word *John 6:63; John 17:17.

God's sheep will hear His Voice (the Word) and follow him. Those who do not hear and do not follow are not God's sheep according to John 10:26-27. God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

According to Jesus none of us are worshiping God if we follow man-made teachings and traditions that break the commandments of God in Matthew 15;3-9. So the question I must ask myself is who do I believe and follow; God or man? For me only Gods' Word is true and we should believe and follow them according to the scriptures (Romans 3:4; Acts of the Apostles 5:29).

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God's true Church therefore is not those that have been around the longest therefore but those who believe and follow Gods' Word (His Sheep). I think the sooner we all realize this the better.

God bless all.

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The Reformers were not ignorant of church history. Calvin’s Institutes are full of quotations from Catholic theologians. The Reformers thought the church had started out right, but error built up over time, with the most serious problems being in the last few centuries.

The OP confuses the Reformers and mainline Protestant theology with American pop theology.

The OP also seems to have an attitude I often see: if Protestants only understood Church history they would become Catholic. In fact the more I have learned about the early church the more I’m glad to be a Protestant.

hedrick said:

The Reformers were not ignorant of church history. Calvin’s Institutes are full of quotations from Catholic theologians. The Reformers thought the church had started out right, but error built up over time, with the most serious problems being in the last few centuries.

The OP confuses the Reformers and mainline Protestant theology with American pop theology.

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You put your finger right on the very issue that I also noticed in the OP. Thank you.