However, she did say that her source identified these as the main groupings, which is probably correct.
It doesn't especially matter if some people would just as soon not be identified by that term. If they believe X, then its fair to identify them as such. And its not as though this word is an insult.
Not really, except for two groups of people: 1. Catholics who try to use it as a kind of insult and 2. people who do not know what the word means.
My personal opinion is that we routinely classify hundreds of groups of people, things, and ideas in order to make our understanding of them and comparisons between them more accurate and informative...and this one is no exception.
And that shouldnt be in the body of Christ.
I think it's really insulting when a person says, 'Please dont call me a protestant' and some ignoramus thumbs his nose at him and calls him that anyway.
If ppl want to categorize and label themselves with some religious group, thats fine for them, but there are and have been millions of ppl who are saved believers in Jesus that have no identification nor desire to have, with the group calling itself protestant, especially under todays protestant umbrella.
Millions have been saved long before any protestations to reform the Roman Catholic denomination were attempted, and many since have come to be saved by Jesus without knowing or needing to know what a 'protestant' (or catholic is), but they're members of equal standing in the body of Christ as much as any denominationalist or institutionalized hierarchy or popeship, and in those cases probably moreso.
Its really not right to insist on labeling someone something theyre not or maybe dont wish to be.
I'm not saying dont be a Baptist or a Methodist, etc, Im just asking, dont be that and then automatically assume or identify every other believer as a protestant that isnt RC or EO.
As Imalive pointed out ... That's just how it was for a long time, you assumed if a person wasnt a catholic, they were a protestant.
Most of us thought like that.
(Were you raised protestant or catholic?) was a common question, and no, I'm not saying it was always meant to be offensive, that's just how it was growing up.
Just, Maybe its time for a little more reformation in 2017-18 and drop an unnecessary label or stop applying it to ppl where it doesnt belong.