What is Lutheranism? Comparison of Lutheranism and Calvinism. Similarities and differences between Lutheranism and Calvinism: the table

Lutheranism refers to the Protestant current in Christianity. This is one of the oldest directions that arose in the 16th century. At present, Lutheranism is spread out where it originated - mostly Scandinavian countries, Germany, Estonia and Latvia.

History of the origin of Lutheranism

The history of Lutheranism began in 1517 in Germany from the Protestant movement. A Catholic theologian named Martin Luther decided to purge the religion of dogmatic errors, in connection with which he was declared a heretic. Later he became a reformer, but before that he was forced to hide in the Wartburg castle in Eisenach under the name Georg Junker, where he translated the New Testament into German. Later in Lutheranism he became known as Luther's Bible. In 1529, Protestantism officially became a Catholic movement after twenty signatures were placed under Speyer protest. It was a protest of fourteen cities of the Roman Empire and six princes. But six months later a dispute took place in the city of Marburg between Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, which led to the split of the Protestant camp into Lutheranism and Calvinism.

This will be followed by the death of Martin Luther and the Schmalkald War, in which the Lutherans will be defeated. They will receive legalization only in 1555 due to the Augsburg religious world. This agreement allowed representatives of the imperial classes to choose their own religion and recognized Lutheranism as a religion in the territory of the Holy Roman Empire.

Peculiarities of the Faith

Answering the question about what Lutheranism is, one can not help describing the fundamentals of the doctrine, which, by the way, is very close to Catholicism. The basis of Lutheranism is faith in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is the one power of one God.

At the heart of philosophical doctrine lies the equality of all before God. Clergymen in Lutheranism do not have any privileges, including when taking the sacrament.

Sacraments of the Lutheran Current:

• Epiphany.
• Participle.
• Confession.

Baptism is a sacrament leading a person to Christianity, the sacrament binds man and god, and confession helps in the remission of sins.

There is no rigor in observing the funeral, wedding and chrismation in the Lutheran churches. A clergyman in Lutheranism is just a profession, and nothing more. She does not go beyond and does not raise the priest in rank before the parishioners. The highest church service - the liturgy - is accompanied by hymns.

Features of Lutheranism

The principles of Lutheranism are based on the Book of Concord, written in 1580. The total number of Lutherans around the world today is approximately 85 million people. This relatively small number is divided internally into several different directions and churches. The main feature of Lutheranism is the lack of a unified church and integrity.

Difficulties on the way to the formation of a unified church were marked by geographic, dogmatic and historical reasons.

According to the Book of Accord, three symbols of faith are recognized as Lutheran:

• Nicene.
• Afanasyevsky.
• Apostolic.

However, not all Lutherans recognize the Book of Concord as a single theory. Today liberal trends in Lutheranism are quite common, which allow not attending worship services.

Church of Sweden

The largest church of the Lutheran is the Church of Sweden, whose parishioners are more than 60% of the country's population. By the number it is almost 6.5 million people. Few of them attend services regularly, but refer themselves to the successors of this particular religion.

The Lutheran Church of Sweden is considered liberal because it is united in the World Lutheran Federation. Here, the women's priesthood is allowed, including from among the sexual minorities, and since 2005 the church has registered homosexual couples, in connection with which an absolutely new rite was even invented.

The split of Protestantism and its consequences

Discussing the question of what Lutheranism is, one can not help but touch upon the history of Calvinism. In fact, both directions flow from the reforming trend of Martin Luther, but Calvinism denoted itself for the first time on the dispute in the city of Marburg, which is mentioned above. This disputation split the Protestant reformers into two camps - German Protestants and Swiss Protestants.

Despite the fact that Calvinism got its name after the name of Jean Calvin, the split was made possible thanks to the efforts of Ulrich Zwingli, who had a dispute with Martin Luther himself. The dispute was the formality of the sacrament, on which Zwingli insisted, which was one of the main ideas of the reforms of Catholicism. Luther insisted on keeping the sacrament as the main sacrament.

After the death of Zwingli, the case was continued by the French theologian John Calvin. Calvin is considered a true reformer, from which the true course - Calvinism - has gone. The differences between Lutheranism and Calvinism are quite significant, if we look at these directions today, after the passage of centuries. Earlier, when the founders were moving the ideas of reformism, the differences seemed even more serious.

Comparison of two directions

Initially, Calvinism was born as a purification of the church from everything that is not necessary for it according to the Bible. He expected more serious reforms of the church. Let's compare Lutheranism and Calvinism. The table described below will allow us to consider this issue in more detail.

The similarities between Lutheranism and Calvinism lie in the fact that these currents were originally reformatory and took their origin from Protestantism.

Basic similarities of currents

Lutheranism and Calvinism, in fact, pursued a single goal - the reform of the church. Unlike Martin Luther, Jean Calvin went much further in his reforms. Among the similarities, we can note a symbolic rejection of the ordinance of the priesthood, as well as significant steps in the rejection of ritual, although Calvinism in this regard has a more rigid direction.

Historical contradictions, geographic preconditions and other reasons have exerted considerable pressure on both directions, and therefore the religion itself, whether Calvinism or Lutheranism, has not come down to our days as a single stream and the church. The Calvinists are divided into three camps:

• Presbyterianism.
• Congregationalism.
• Reformism, originally originated and preserved in Europe today as a true current.

This similarity of Lutheranism and Calvinism is limited.

Differences between two currents

Based on what Lutheranism is, Martin Luther himself could not fully determine the importance and essence of the sacred mysteries and the doctrine of salvation.

As the development of Calvinism was the result of more rigorous reforms than Lutheranism. The church in Switzerland was completely cleared of works of art, monasticism was strictly rejected, while in Lutheranism it was preserved for a long time. In Calvinism, the initial relation to mysticism and something unknown was negative. Burning was practiced at the stake. Comparison of Lutheranism and Calvinism today has a different character.

About Lutheranism and Calvinism today

Lutheranism today is one of the most liberal religious movements, where there is no monasticism, but there is an ordination of the female. The confessional direction of Lutheranism is still disputing about this issue, as well as the issue of same-sex marriages, but all disputes with the liberal current are limited only to conversations.

Calvinism today has remained a fairly strict religion. True believers do not count any holidays except Sundays, perform prayers in simple churches and even on the street. Many condemn Calvinism for excessive simplicity.

Instead of concluding

Arguing over the question of what is Lutheranism and what is its difference from Calvinism, you suddenly realize how, after the lapse of centuries, the minor disagreements between Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli gave the world two completely different branches of Christianity in their direction.

With the passage of time, they were somewhat modified, but in general they retained their primitiveness.