What does the word 'Protestant' refer to?

Answer 1

Literally, one who protests. Protestantism is a movement originating in the "Protest" that Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest, made against the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther His protest lead to a split in Christianity that exists to this day from Catholicism and the other forms of Christianity. The term is commonly used to refer to all Christians who are not Roman Catholic, although some consider themselves merely New Testament Christians in the early church sense rather than Protestant. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity