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German Protestantism

German Protestantism refers to the branch of Christianity that emerged from the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century in the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, which is now modern-day Germany. The Protestant Reformation was sparked by Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, who challenged various practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Protestant Reformation is traditionally dated to October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony. In his theses, Luther criticized the sale of indulgences and questioned the authority of the Pope, sparking a theological and ecclesiastical debate that led to the emergence of Protestantism. Lutheranism became the first and most influential branch of Protestantism in Germany. Luther's teachings emphasized the authority of Scripture, salvation by faith alone (sola fide), and the priesthood of all believers. Lutheranism spread rapidly throughout the Holy Roman Empire, gaining support from various German princes and rulers who sought greater autonomy from the Catholic Church.

The Protestant Reformation in Germany led to a period of confessionalization, during which territories and rulers aligned themselves with either Lutheranism or other Protestant denominations, such as Calvinism and Zwinglianism. This process contributed to the fragmentation of the Holy Roman Empire along religious lines and fueled conflicts such as the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, formally recognized Lutheranism as a legitimate religion within the Holy Roman Empire. It established the principle of cuius regio, eius religio ("whose realm, his religion"), allowing each prince to determine the religion of his territory. This legal framework provided a degree of religious tolerance in Germany but also perpetuated religious divisions.

German Protestantism had a profound impact on German culture, society, and politics. It influenced the development of education, literacy, and printing, as well as the rise of nationalism and the German language. Protestant theologians and reformers such as Philipp Melanchthon, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin played significant roles in shaping religious thought and practice in Germany and beyond. Overall, German Protestantism played a crucial role in the religious and political history of Europe, contributing to the emergence of diverse Protestant denominations and shaping the cultural landscape of Germany and other regions influenced by the Reformation.

There are no official statistics on religious groups. Unofficial estimates and figures provided by religious organizations indicate the Protestant Church (which is a confederation of the Lutheran, Uniate, and Reformed Protestant denominations) had approximately 24 million members in 2010. In the mid-1990s, most of the country's roughly 30 million Protestants were organized into twenty-four member churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland--EKD), headquartered in Hanover. Later in the decade, the church's headquarters relocated to Berlin. The mainline Protestant churches belong to one of three groups: Lutheran (ten); Reformed, or Calvinist (two); and United, or Lutheran-Calvinist (twelve). The largest number of congregations is in Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Thuringia, and Baden-Württemberg. Protestant clergy are permitted to marry, and women are actively engaged in the ministry. One of the most prominent women in the EKD and in Germany in the mid-1990s was Maria Jepsen, bishop of Hamburg.

In the early 1990s, about 5 percent of German Protestants attended weekly services. Annual baptisms declined from about 346,000 in 1970 to around 257,000 in 1990. Of the 257,000 baptisms in 1990, only about 12 percent took place in the former East Germany. Out of 219,000 confirmations in 1990, about 10 percent involved East German youth. Like their Roman Catholic counterparts, Protestant churches are well supported by taxes and contributions. The EKD also runs numerous hospitals and other social institutions and is a vitally important member of the country's system of social welfare. The main Protestant charitable organization is the Diakonisches Werk; it has about 350,000 employees.

In East Germany, Protestant churches became a focal point of opposition during the 1980s. This was possible because of an agreement with the authorities in 1978 that granted the churches a degree of independence. Opposition groups, composed of believers and nonbelievers alike, subsequently were able to meet at the churches, where they discussed peace issues and how East Germany could be reformed. In 1989 these churches, in particular those in Leipzig, became staging points for the massive demonstrations that led to the collapse of the communist regime