Evangelisch vs. Protestantisch
Is there a difference in connotation or definition? One of my friends attends the Evangelische Fachhochschule Berlin which, they translate, as 'protestant.'
One of my friends whose grandmother is Swiss pejoratively referred to his father as 'protestantisch.' She's staunch Catholic and I'm wondering if this is simply an insult in her mind or if it is generally less PC than 'evangelisch.'
So... if not... What's the difference between the two? They connote different things in English (protestant being a general term for Christians outside the Roman Catholic Church with "evangelical" connoting those hoping to win converts, also 'televangelists' and mega-churches).
In most of German culture area 'evangelisch" means strictly Lutheran (nothing to do with American 'evangelical' churches).
German Switzerland is an exception because Reformation was preached there by Zwingli, independently from Martin Luther. Swiss protestantism is more akin to Calvinism (which is dominant in the French speaking part of the country) or to the Scottish Presbyterian kirk. The term "protestantisch" here fully applies.
(The main difference: the "Evangelischen" have bishops, die "Protestantischen" have none).
<<One of my friends attends the Evangelische Fachhochschule Berlin which, they translate, as 'protestant.' >>
-- Since almost all German (and Scandinavian) non-Catholic Christians are 'evangelisch', it makes sense to simply translate as 'Protestant'.
<< One of my friends whose grandmother is Swiss pejoratively referred to his father as 'protestantisch.' She's staunch Catholic and I'm wondering if this is simply an insult in her mind or if it is generally less PC than 'evangelisch >>
-- Between both religious groups there's a hidden hostility, sometimes not-so-hidden... It is little known that this led to a civil war in 1847 (the Sonderbund war) which opposed mainly Catholic cantons, which favoured a loose confederacy, to the Protestant part, which imposed a stronger federal organisation. The insurgency was crushed within one month by Gen Dufour (from Geneva).
Interestingly, this religious divide has made the linguistic divide unimportant since, aside from the central cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz, Confederate strongholds were the stauch Catholic bilingual cantons of Fribourg/Freiburg and Valais/Wallis.
This is the strange stuff Swiss national unity is built upon...
If I´m correct, in Germany the Lutheran and Reformed churches were united, and the result has been called 'Die Evangelische Kirche'. Both Lutherans and Reformed are Protestants because Reformation was a protest against the Catholic Church in the beginning of the 16th century. There are smaller confessional Lutheran churches in Germany which have been founded because of concern that the united Evangelical church doesn´t preserve the Lutheran doctrine pure.
Alguien sabe por qué los gitanos en España pertenecen a la iglesia evangélica? Es un detalle que siempre me ha parecido curioso.
I understand that there has been an outreach by Lutherans to gypsies. I heard a Lutheran gypsy talk about this once.
Morticia : « Alguien sabe por qué los gitanos en España pertenecen a la iglesia evangélica? ».
Pareil en France.
Yes, there is quite a difference between the two.
By the way, back to the original topic, religious people do remember the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but there are others for whom it is more of a secular holiday and a good occasion to enjoy each other's company. Even in the Middle Ages it was sort of a popular holiday, though the Christmas tree was not always a necessary ingredient to it, being introduced around the 18th century. Various countries celebrate it in their own way, but it is also an universal holiday everywhere where a form of Christianity was traditionally dominant. In my country it is essentially a family holiday, a time to spend with your beloved ones in peace for a couple of days, and for my family particularly an occasion to come together, because we live pretty much apart. It does have a calm, "inspired" atmosphere for me, especially when there is snow (last time there wasn't, hopefully it will be different this year). At any rate I think it is spoiled by all that shopping spree before. I never shop a lot for Christmas, and at home we also have a festive but simple meal. For me it is essentially about togetherness and not about presents.