Experiences and Emotion
Relationship with God
In Protestantism, the concept of universal priesthood means that each person is thought to have a and personal relationship with God without any human intermediaries (such as the clergy). People are encouraged to develop their relationship with God through prayer, worship and participating in church-based activities. Some describe feeling the presence of God during certain moments or rituals, such as when in prayer.
Becoming Protestant
The process of becoming Protestant varies depending on the denomination one wishes to enter. Among most Protestant traditions, baptism is considered to be an important marker of one’s commitment to God and admission into the respective church. Most mainstream Protestant denominations will consider a baptism completed by another church to be valid (e.g. someone converting from Catholicism to a Protestant denomination). Some denominations might re-baptise someone according to the church’s view on baptism (e.g. Pentecostal and Baptist).
Born Again
The concept of being ‘born again’ refers to a kind of spiritual rebirth of one’s spirit in the Holy Spirit. It is also sometimes used as an adjective to describe the movement that espouses this belief (‘born-again Christianity’). It is prominent in some denominations of Protestantism such as Pentecostal or Evangelical churches. Being 'born again' is understood as a distinct experience whereby one is given the ability to speak in a language unknown to them (known informally as ‘tongues’ or formally as ‘glossolalia’ or ‘xenoglossy’) by the Holy Spirit.
