I'm not a Protestant, but I'm looking to better understand Protestant traditions and thought. Thanks in advance for your answers.

I've seen a few people online claiming they would never ask another believer to pray for them. Is there a ban on this in certain Protestant traditions? Is there any scriptural reason to forbid asking for prayers?

So hello i just want to make friends with other christian people cause honestly i feel lonely and just want to talk to someone and imma be honest im not 18 im just a kid trying to make friends.

The earliest they are the better

Are the teachings/rules of the Apostle Paul written in the Pauline epistles mandatory to follow/observe according to Protestantism?

Do I really NEED to belive in lutheranism to be Lutheran? Can't I be arminian?

I'm don't completely agree with any doctrine, catholic or protestant, but in protestantism, it's a bit less. My family is part of the Baptist church, and I agree with the most important part of the doctrine, but I disagree on theistic evolution being wrong, I believe that the bible is not meant to give us a scientific explanation, but a spiritual one, can I still go? Do I really need to agree with every single bit?

I don't trust any denominations, I don't fully believe in any of them, is it enough for me to follow the Gospel on my own?

I have a devotional version of the unspoken sermons of the Scottish Minister George MacDonald(A gift from my late father.) I wanted to know if any had thoughts on this specific unspoken sermon: “sad, indeed, would the whole matter be, if the Bible had told us everything God meant us to believe. But herein is the Bible itself greatly wronged. It nowhere lays claims to be regarded as the Word, the Way, and the Truth. The Bible leads us to Jesus, the inexhaustible, the ever unfolding Revelation of God. It is Christ “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” not the Bible, save as leading to him. And why are we told that these treasures are hid in him who is the Revelation of God? Is it that we should despair of finding them and cease to seek them? Are they not hid in him that they may be revealed to us in due time—that is, when we are in need of them?

There is more hid in Christ than we shall ever learn, but they that begin first to inquire will soonest be gladdened with revelation; and with them he will be best pleased, for the slowness of his disciples troubled him of old. The Son of God is the Teacher of men, giving to them of his Spirit, which manifests the deep things of God, being to a man the mind of Christ. The great heresy of the Church is unbelief in this Spirit. If we were once filled with the mind of Christ, we should know that the Bible had done its work, was fulfilled, and had for us passed away, that thereby the Word of our God might abide forever. The one use of the Bible is to make us look at Jesus, that through him we might know his Father and our Father, his God and our God.”

I was a protestant when I first converted, became catholic but now I'm interested in the Lutheran doctrine! Can someone help me with my questions?

I went to catholicism for a while, and I think I regret it, it makes me feel like I've sold my soul and that if I leave, God will send me to hell, I even got my first communion, but I don't want my confirmation, because it will make me feel even worse. How do I overcome that if I go back to being protestant? Will God still save me?

As of late, I have been investigating many parts of my faith and normality’s I’ve always been told to be true. One of these is the nature of Catholicism. During this investigation, I’ve become very interested in conversion. Two of my main reasons are as follows:

1. Protestant Church Gatherings often feel like community centres; lack of reverence for god

2. Lack of tradition. I.e doesn’t feel like the intention of Christ regarding church gatherings

3. Lack of “This is right and this is wrong”; scripture is too open for interpretation; who’s right?

If any of you care to, I would love to hear you argue for Protestantism and why I shouldn’t convert. With all of this said, there are many things I heavily enjoy about Protestantism, I just want to hear it from all of you. I posted something similar to this in the Catholicism subreddit.

God bless.

Christian theology often asserts that in Genesis, creation serves as a temple. God made the world and placed his image--humanity--within it. Due to the fall, we must be restored in Christ the Son who is the perfect image of God. Also, it is through Christ that we're reconciled. In this way, God dwells with humanity and fills all creation with his glory. This is why temple imagery appears for a final time in the Revelation of St. John. There God fulfills the very purpose of creation: To redeem and dwell with his church forever.

Does anyone have remarks they can add, or does anyone perhaps disagree? Feel free to express yourself.

https://preview.redd.it/5oyc5rp4rude1.png?width=4468&format=png&auto=webp&s=4cec4f25bb671e6565c40df2184031d7c7c456e2

I generally consider catholics and orthodox to be our brothers and sisters in the Lord. I'm wondering if it is a sin when they pray to a saint who has passed away. They explain that they do not believe that any of them are divine or capable of answering prayer but rather that they make intercession for us.

Lol... that phrase "makes intercession for us..." reminds me of a verse.

I’ve started to investigate the foundations of my faith. I think the catalyst being the Holy Spirit. My heart feels a call to awake in faith and understanding. As I’ve begun this process of waking up I see around me a battle ground that has long been taking place. I see Protestants and Catholics giving their best apologetics, I’ve found convincing arguments in Catholicism from G.K. Chestertons ‘Orthodoxy’ but I’ve also read George MacDonald ‘knowing the heart of God’ and ‘Lilith’ his theology leans more reformed and I love it.

There are some things to me that seem anti christ like, for example the papacy and celebrity pastors/prosperity gospel pastors. Both seem to have nothing to do with our Lord, the creator of the universe who had zero luxury and had zero mansions or fancy garments. Our humble creator wore modest clothes and rode a donkey into Jerusalem to suffer a painful death.

To address the title of this post, I’ve recently begun reading Saint Thomas Aquinas’s ‘Summa Theologica’ and I love it. I am no scholar, and it takes me a long time to even move between the articles in the questions but to me it’s revolutionary. And recently I’ve heard that Luther did not like Thomas’s theology and I wanted to know why?

I pray for wise council if I can find any. May the Holy Spirit guide any who are willing to educate me. Amen.

Hello everyone.

I am in a situation where my wife might divorce me, because i do not live up to her requirements and because she has some fears regarding my autism that makes her ancious ti have children with me.

and i have been trying to figure out that if this happens, where do i stand as a christian. But all the priests and theologians i have talked with have been giving different answers.

some of the answers are:

- you cannot remary, but divorce is not a sin
- divorce is a perpetual sin
- divorce is not a sin, the church cannot marry you but there is nothing wrong with remarying legaly.
- if one party is no longer in love, divorce and remarriage is fine.
- in some circumstances divorce and remarriage is acceptable.
- divorce and remariage is only a sin in some circomstances.

i love the lord and i love my wife, but if the worst should happen i cant live without knowing where i stand because uncertanty is a realy big trigger for me.

please help me :(

What happens when a person is mistaken on what is or isn’t a sin. For example if someone says x is okay, because they don’t believe x is a sin. The same person has faith in Christ and is repenting of their sins. Are they eternally damned for being mistaken?

I grew up culturally Catholic but had a born-again experience in college. I was re-baptized at my college church, which is led by a well-known pastor, but I’ve had terrible experiences in evangelical Christian circles. For context, I go to school in the South, and I’ve found that the church structure often feels flawed. For example, putting ten college girls in a small group that only meets once a week doesn’t create enough space for genuine confession or accountability. I also grew tired of the performative culture—things like Instagram posts saying, ‘I love you so much—can’t do life without you!’ when, in reality, we’ve never spent time together outside of life group. Also, I find it not beneficial at all to seek repentance in these small group settings because it quickly turns into a rant session. And it’s especially difficult to grow because again, these are 10 college girls who all struggle with the same things. Wouldn’t it make more sense to seek repentance with someone who is older and wiser?

I’ve struggled with how hard it is to pursue true repentance in these spaces, and I also have theological concerns. I take issue with how communion is neglected and how baptism is viewed as merely symbolic rather than something sacred and transformative. At the same time, I know I don’t want to return to Catholicism because I disagree with certain doctrines, like the veneration of Mary and the concept of purgatory.

What I do know is that I can’t stay in the evangelical church any longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for finding a church or tradition that better aligns with my values and desire for deeper faith?

(posted with moderator permission; thank you!)

Hi all, my name is David de Jong, I'm a professor at Western Carolina University. When this particular set of studies is all wrapped up and published, I’ll return to post an update for y’all.

I’ve been asked a few times to clarify why I’m posting this to subs with religious orientations. Because the study is about assessing attitudes towards masturbation, it is important that the sample includes people reflecting a wide range in those attitudes. And that includes folks who are religious, because we know that religiosity interacts with sexuality in interesting and important ways, particularly around things like masturbation. For those of you who check out the survey, you’ll see quite a few questions that ask about religious beliefs and related issues.

Happy to answer any more questions! Here's the invite:

Researchers at Western Carolina University are inviting people to participate in a 10 minute study.

The goal is to better understand attitudes towards masturbation. You will be asked personal questions about masturbation and sexuality in general.

To participate, you must be 18 or older. You are welcome to participate regardless of whether you have ever masturbated.

We ran a similar study on the same topic in February/March 2024. This is a different study, and it is fine to have participated in both.

Your responses are completely anonymous. No identifying information is collected.

If you are interested in participating, please follow this link:

[link removed due to recruitment cap met for this location]

Thank you!

TLDR: Do you have suggestions for evangelizing as Episcopalians?? —— I am eager to find ways to share the joy and hope that we have as followers of Jesus with the community outside my parish. I look around and see so many people who sense that something is missing from their lives, sense a void that isn’t filled by what secular culture has to offer—endless streaming services, Prime delivery for any consumer product you can imagine, politics as a secular religion, making an idol out of individuality, and the idea that achieving your “authentic self” is a life well lived.

I would say that it is a God-shaped hole, and it is selfish of us to keep the joy and hope that we have as followers of Jesus bottled up inside our churches. Moreover, we are called to spread the Good News.

And that is something that, from my experience, makes many Episcopalians very uncomfortable. That includes me.

When I think of evangelism in America, I think of, well, evangelicals with aggressive—and sometimes belligerent—sales pitches for salvation.

I am not interested in that approach, and I certainly don’t think I would get very far with it in Seattle, where I live. But I am eager for my parish to share what we have with the broader community. We already put a lot of effort into ministries helping others with zero evangelizing and no strings attached.

What have you done or seen done that has shared the Good News and had people respond and join our community??

Some ideas I have (and I have no idea if these are good): Holding outdoor services in summer at a popular nearby park, inviting community neighbors to a picnic and other events throughout the year, setting up a prayer booth in parks or at events (offering to pray with people who have something weighing on them). One idea that I’m half serious, half joking about has to do with a couple guys who show up outside every major sports event with bullhorns and a repent-or-burn message. I’d love to set up a little ways away and say, “God loves you. Period. This guy over here, he probably means well but he’s got a twisted view of Christ. Following Jesus is a hard path. It’s not about getting your heaven-card punched or getting out of hell. It’s about being a partner with God in love and creation, serving others in His upside-down kingdom. And it will change you, it will free you, it will fill you with joy and hope.”

Hi,

This is my first post I hope to not break any rule.

I am Catholic and I am looking for a new Church. I mostly agree with the doctrine of the Arminianism and I am specially interested in the Lutheran Church.

I am asking here to get informed before attending to a mass: does the Lutheran Church leans towards the idea of free will or the idea of predestination?.

Thanks

Hello everyone, I came here today to ask you all a question. I am working on a piece of writing featuring a Protestant Pastor but I’m very unfamiliar with Christianity and am trying my best to be accurate to it. I was initially calling him ‘Father’ but have since been told that is a Catholic term. What would be the equivalent, if any?

I think one way to look at the history of Christianity is to view it in terms of two viewpoints: the evangelical and what I would call the sacramentarian. I think both approaches have been around, more or less, since the ancient period. Here is how I describe them:

The evangelical is focused on Scripture and always seeks to return to it for correction and authenticity. It recognizes spiritual rebirth as fundamental and says that it occurs independent from the sacraments. It happens when God, or his Spirit, grants someone new life. Only then do they have a testimony and reason to join other Christians in the fullest sense. am

Sacramentarian is the name I would assign to the notion that people are saved through the church. Through its sacraments, through its leaders and their assigned functions, and through their participation with the whole program to the end of their lives.

In reality, churches probably exist more on a spectrum. But for the sake of greater understanding, which side do you think aligns with what the writers of the NT (and of course Jesus himself!) had in mind when they referenced church, salvation, sacraments, church leaders, etc.? Were they fundamentally what we would today call evangelical or sacramentarian?

So i was baptised as a Catholic Christian at early age, after that at school i switched to learn Evangelicalism and went through the process of Protestant confirmation. Most of the knowledge of Christianity faded after i went to high school, and now im at university studing pharmacy. In the recent months i again started to get interest in Christianity and to get closer to God. But i have no idea what to do in my situation, which type of Christianity i "belong" to and how do i start my journey again. If any of you can help me sort my situation it it would be much appreciated. Thank you I also posted this at r/Catholicism, interested how different answers will i get.

Hi everyone, it’s going to be my first time going to church tomorrow at my local one. I’ve attended church in the past but I’ve never really considered myself a Christian. I’ve decided that I want to go this Sunday, now that I’m older and I can appreciate what’s being said to me more. But I wanted to know which service I should attend.

The church is Protestant and does 2 services, 8am is holy communion and 10am is family worship. There’s not much more information on the church’s website. What’s the difference between the two services? Would it be inappropriate for me to attend the 8am service as someone who is going for the first time?

Question for all protestant traditions! I am a Catholic and am curious on how you all would make light of this verse (especially the once saved always saved fellas). "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins"