Protestantism
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Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes justification by God through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. The five solae summarize the basic theological beliefs of mainstream Protestantism.
The door to All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, where Martin Luther allegedly posted his Ninety-five Theses in 1517 detailing his concerns with what he saw as the Catholic Church's abuse and corruption. The Ninety-five Theses gave rise to Christian Protestantism as one of the world's primary religions, making Wittenberg the "cradle of Protestantism".
Memorial Church, finished and consecrated 1904, in Speyer, Germany commemorates the Protestation.
The Protesting Speyer, part of the Luther Monument in Worms, Germany
Two central figures of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin, depicted on a church pulpit; both Luther and Calvin emphasized making preaching a centerpiece of worship.
Purgatory
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Purgatory is a passing intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul. A common analogy is dross being removed from metal in a furnace.
Image of a non-fiery purgatory (Gustave Doré: illustration for Dante's Purgatorio, Canto 24 in Divine Comedy). Right: Dante and companions observe. Middle: willing souls gather round a sweet-smelling tree with fruit they cannot eat, to be purged of residual gluttony.
Dante gazes at Purgatory (shown as a mountain) in this 16th-century painting.
Purgatory, by Peter Paul Rubens. Top: Trinity, with Mary; Middle: Angels; Lower: purified souls being pulled up towards heaven; Bottom: souls in non-fiery purgation