When you “protest” something, it means you speak up about something you don’t agree with. The founders of religious Protestantism in the 1500s did just that—they spoke up about things they thought needed to change in the Catholic church.
One of these early leaders was named Martin Luther. He said that church and government should be separate. He argued that all believers have access to the priesthood, not only those who are called to work as official clergy.
Another protestant leader was named William Tyndale. He helped translate the Bible into English so that everyday people could read it. His translation was used to make the King James Version we use today.
Today, many different Protestant religions have evolved from those early leaders. Maybe you’ve heard of groups such as Adventists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, or Quakers.
A few of those groups should sound familiar if you’ve ever read Joseph Smith’s story. He had been learning about Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian teachings when he prayed about which church to join and received the First Vision.1
People sometimes divide the Christian world into two groups: Catholic or Protestant. But The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a third group. We are the restored Church of Jesus Christ! In addition to the truth that exists in other religions, the Savior’s restored Church contains the restored fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including authority from God Himself.
If you have any Protestant friends, you could ask them what their favorite Bible verse is. Then maybe you could share yours! Our prophet today, President Russell M. Nelson, has taught that respecting other religions and being “tolerant of neighbors with differences they hold sacred” is important.2
Tomorrow we’ll wrap up our interfaith connection series, so stay tuned!
To Think About
Notes
1. See Joseph Smith—History 1:9.
2. From “Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Apr. 1994 general conference.
Learn more about Protestantism here.