To: gerard mangiardi who wrote (544089 ) 2/23/2004 9:44:22 AM From: Neocon Respond to Actually, that is not true. Luther and Calvin were theologians, and they claimed to purify doctrine by judging, as much as possible, on the basis of Biblical attestation, rather than tradition, although they clearly accepted tradition to some degree, as a guide to reading the Bible. However, they considered their readings pretty authoritative, and established hierarchical churches. Only a few Protestant denominations encouraged the individual to interpret Scripture for himself, and even then, there was some guidance presumed by the sheer fact of membership and submission to the particular sect. The main difference between Protestantism and the Catholic Church was over the role of extra- scriptural tradition.
