Protestant Union of Germany

Protestant Union of Germany is a body composed of the members of the Evangelical Protestant Church. It has been in existence since 1863. Its aim is the complete separation of the Church from the State; a synodical Church system for all Protestant Germany; the union of religion and intellectual culture, faith and science, i.e. the advancement of the Christian religion in harmony with free investigations and ever-advancing intellectual culture, and the warning against everything hierarchical as well as against the radical denials of religion. It was projected in 1863 in the duchy of Baden, and in 1864 its headquarters were established at Heidelberg where the annual meetings of the Union, called the Protestantentag, were held and all business of the body was transacted. At present the headquarters of the Union are at Berlin, and since the unification of Germany the purpose is to organize a German National Church, for which the State shall apportion a tax upon every member and recognise the organism by collecting the tax so obtained. Every person belonging to this Church of the nation is to enjoy liberty of thought and utterance, giving even greater breadth of freedom than the members of the Anglican communion enjoy. See Dr. Lindsay's Letter from Germany in Zion's Herald, Boston, Oct. 5,1876. SEE PRUSSIA. (J. H. W.)