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2. The Protestant Christian Church
                                                              The Protestant Christian Church was formulated in 1529, when ‘protesters’ (hence
                                                   the name, Protestant) called for the reformation of Christianity during the Conference of the Diets
                                                   of Speyer Council. The Council had issued a legal statement meant to obstruct Martin Luther from
                                                   the teaching of his beliefs. Luther’s supporters “protested” and clashed with the Catholic Church,
                                                   It resulted in the Protestant Reformation and the establishment of the Protestants in their own church.
                                                              Martin Luther was a German Bishop in the Augustinian order. He had interpreted
                                                   a section of the New Testament Bible that examined how men can be reconciled to God; he questioned
                                                   whether it is achieved best by rituals of charity practices, or by true faith in Jesus. He held that neither
               1-2 Archbishop Emeritus Michael Mechai   the merit-making rituals, nor atonement to priests, can make people be reconciled with God, and that
                  Kitbunchu of Bangkok Papst performing   it was only by true faith that one could be united with God. In 1517, Martin Luther proposed “the
                  the ritual of anointing a Bishop  Ninety-five Theses” for Reformation, which became the origin of the Protestant denomination. In
               3-4 Inside the Christ Church Cathedral, of   the meantime, there were many conflicts between the Churches and the Kingdom over the share of
                                                   power and benefits. Particularly, it was the controversial act of Christian priests providing the sale
                  the Anglican Church denomination of   of “indulgences” to forgive a worshipper’s wrongdoings, but which earned vast sums of money for
                  England. It is a branch of the Protestant   the church, that caused a decline of faith in Jesus among many adherents. Martin Luther said only
                  Christian Church, established in 1904.   God alone could grant forgiveness. Consequently, Martin Luther was expelled from the Christianity
                  The use of an image of Jesus in Crucifixion    community in 1521, but he already had many followers who agreed with his theses and they formed
                  is different from other Protestant   themselves into a new denomination, called the Protestants. This denomination strictly followed the
                  churches, which usually do not have   practices of the scriptures in the Bible. They gave no acknowledgement to any regulations and orders
                  images.                          from the Pope in Rome and did not accept his authority or that of the Vatican administration. The
                                                   main differences between Catholicism and Protestant beliefs is over the interpretations in the Bible.
                                                   They do not agree with the Catholic position of a celibate clergy, the exalted position of Mary, the
                                                   Saints as equal to Jesus, and the worship of Madonna and Saints. The Protestant denomination is
                                                   widespread in North America and some parts of Europe, with many followers in Germany, England
                                                   and the Scandinavian countries.

































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