INTRODUCTION

             My group had to do a project on the following topics: Architecture of the protestant churches, the Youth of Germany and their faith in god, and the Protestant movement.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES

             After our visit to a number of churches in Germany and after speaking to a number of priests and teachers; we gathered the following information about the architecture. We learned that, unlike the catholic churches, which are generally grand, the Protestants believed in simplicity. There were not many pictures on the walls as there are in the catholic churches. They believe in keeping things simple inside the church because if there is a lot of grand decorations, the people will not focus on the Bible being read, but instead will be distracted by the attractive wall paintings and so on. Also, there are not many Protestant churches in Augsburg and even throughout Germany there are not many when compared to the Catholic ones.

YOUTH OF GERMANY AND THEIR FAITH IN GOD

            We learned that the youth of Germany are not very spiritual and religious. A priest in a church told us that the youngest people who visited the church were aged 35 to 40 years. When we questioned a few youngsters about why they didn’t visit churches often, they simply said that they weren’t interested! Even our host partners, being around 15 or 16 years old, expressed that they did not find the need to visit churches and that no one forced them to go to the churches.

THE INTERVIEW WITH A PROTESTANT PRIEST

            My partner, though being a catholic, made arrangements for me to visit and speak to a protestant priest. As he did not know much English, the interview went on in German. We asked him questions about Martin Luther and the Protestant movement. He had much to say! ...

PROTESTANT MOVEMENT AND MARTIN LUTHER

         Martin Luther was born on the 10th of November, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He started the famous Reformation movement. He was strictly against the act of the Catholic church for selling ‘Letters of indulgence’ or the ‘Pardon certificates’ to the people for the sins they have committed. Many people bought these pardon certificates. This indeed made the church earn a lot of money! He also wrote a long list of 95 complaints against the church. This was known as the 'Ninety Five Theses'. The copies of the Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks and spread throughout Europe within a month or two. Thus, people from different parts of Europe got actively involved in this movement.

         The Reformation has profoundly afflicted the modern view of politics and law. Prior to the Reformation, the church governed politics, controlled emperors and kings. 

Differences between Catholic and Protestant Churches

Differences between Catholic and Protestant Churches

ETERNAL LIGHT

The eternal light is originally a Jewish symbol .It is continuously burning lamp found in Catholic churches. It is not found in Protestant churches. The continuously burning lamp signifies that God is forever there.

PRAYER

In Catholic churches , people kneel on wooden benches called the pew at the time of prayer. However in protestant churches the people do not kneel but only sit on the benches .

INTERIORS

In a Catholic church the interiors are lavish and decorative. However in Protestant churches the interiors are simple.

Protestants believe lavish interiors to be a distraction. They believe that if the interiors are beautiful and decorative, people would pay more attention to the interiors and would not concentrate on the Bible being read.

HOLY CROSS

In Catholic churches it is mandatory to have Jesus Christ On the holy cross. However in Protestant churches Jesus Christ may or may not be found on the cross.

The Holy Mass, Sacraments, Festivals and Weddings in Germany.

THE HOLY MASS

The Holy Mass is basically the gathering of the faithful who share in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is an essential factor in every Christian's life but unfortunately, Germans are not very keen on attending mass even on Sundays when it is compulsory. This attitude is found mainly among the youngsters. On interviewing a priest, we found out that people who are between the ages of thirty and forty are the 'youngsters' in Church. Reaons may differ but the main reason behind this attitude is lack of complusion and disinterest.

BAPTISM, COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION

According to the Church, a sacrament is an institution of inward grace. It is a ceremony or ritual which brings people closer to God. The first sacrament which every Christian receives is Baptism which cleanses you off the sins our first parents- Adam and Eve committed. It is given to infants. In Germany, it is the naming ceremony of the newborn. Holy Communion is given to children who are between the ages of 8 and 12. It enables them to take part in the Eucharist i.e share in the Body and Blood of Jesus. During the Eucharist, bread symbolzing Jesus' body and wine symbolizing His blood is given. It is a grand ceremony in Germany and the children look very sweet dressed in white gowns and suits. Very adorable! Confirmation is given to older, more mature children and confirms that they are soldiers of God. It is also a big ceremony.

FESTIVALS

Germans celebrate three festivals- Christmas, Easter and Pfingsten (The Pentacost).
Christmas, as you all know, is the birth of Jesuss Christ. Being the most important festival for the Germans, it is celebrated with great grandeur and fun. The celebrations begin on the 6th of December which is St. Nikolas day (Santa Claus day ;) ) Easter, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the symbol of new life. Friends and neighbours exchange gifts, Easter eggs and chocolates in the  shape of Easter rabbits. 50 after Easter comes Pfingsten or the Pentacost. It is believd that after the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit annointed all the apostles with tongues of fire. This enabled them to speak different languages with which they spread Christianity throughout the world. It is celebrated for three weeks and Germans have their vacations duting this time.

WEDDINGS

A wedding ceremony in Germany is sure to be filled with rich tradition and style.
German wedding customs are wide ranging. The symbolic evening event is called Polterabend, meaning the evening with lots of broken porcelain, is followed with a large, casual party that continues until the early hours of the morning.Customs China is smashed for good luck at the Polterabend - the more the better!The traditional rice toss is an ancient symbol of fertility. As the newlyweds leave the wedding chappel, they throw coins to the children watching.