What is the difference between Protestants, Baptists and Evangeslitics?

[vegan]

Having been raised a Catholic, I sometimes find myself like a fish out of water in "Baptist World."

COuld anyone help me with the following:

What is the difference(s) between Baptists and Protestants?

What is an Evangelical Christian?  Are Baptists Evangelical?  If not, what is the difference?

THank you.

 

[Blackhawk]

Okay well protestants are basically nonCatholics. And I am not just speaking of the RCC but all Catholic churches. i.e. the orthodox churches. So Baptists, Lutherans, methodists etc. would be protestants.

now Evangelicals are a subdivision of protestants and Baptists are evangelicals. One of the major beliefs of evangelicals is the primacy of the Bible. Basically that it should be interpreted literally (not figuratively, basically in the literary style of the writing.) Another is that the Bible is the guide as to what is true or right or not. Evangelicals use tradition to better interpret the bible but do not place tradition at an equal place as Catholics do. There are other beliefs that historically make an evagelical an evangleical and I will try to get them for you. nowadays though the term evanglical has lost much of its meaning. Nowadays no matter what ones beliefs are many are calling themselves evangelicals just because they belong to certain church.

Now Baptists are a denomination that are mostly evangelical however with the church governmental style of a Baptist church it does not have to be. Baptist churches are autnomous so they are not subject to the mother church as Catholics are to Rome. This could be good or bad.