It has been over four centuries, since the beginning of the Protestant religion took place in America. Martin Luther, finding himself angry with the Catholic Church and wanting to break away from the restrictions and false beliefs planted inside many mines, started to define his own, new religion of Protestantism. Martin Luther believed the real way to find God, was through the soul of the person. Thus, a new religion was brought to the surface of the world, inspiring many people to question their beliefs and morals.
             Today, as we mark upon the 21st century, Protestantism is a very powerful belief, that has continued to make its mark upon society. The common beliefs that were started as the foundation of Protestants are still present in our society today.
             There are three main unifying themes that unite the many Protestant denominations: Individualism, Moralism and Higher law. Although many people have chosen to branch off to separate denominations the basic beliefs of Protestantism still implies in many situations.
             Under the guidance of Martin Luther, Protestants pressed for individualism. It was Luther's belief that the Roman Catholic hierarchy had become corrupt and their practices were not in the best interest of the church. He stressed "sola scritura" or the scripture alone, which meant that you did not have to hear a priest's homily to learn the way of the lord. Through this form of "sola scritura" one could establish a personal relationship with god and decipher his word in your own way. What this did for the religion was provide viable truths found in the scriptures not just "a series of doctrinal truth to be accepted" (Albanese 104). Individualism also provided for the word to be shared in a variety of ways and by a variety of people. "If each person was a priest, then each as an individual was offering worship to God. Worships in a group brought the fellowship of common worshipers but not, as in the ol...