[wagglebee]

Perhaps, but then these diverse interpretations also exist in the Protestant world.

And the reality is that most of the beliefs that Protestants condemn Catholics for are SHARED by Lutherans (many Marian beliefs, the Real Presence, the Sacraments, including Confession).

[Boagenes]

I'm a Lutheran (LCMS) and I don't believe the Marian beliefs, nor does *any* Lutheran. Nothing the Catholic church teaches about Mary is believed by Lutherans apart from the fact that she was the mother of our Lord and that she conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. We recite the Apostle's Creed.

Also, no Lutherans practice private confession. We practice a general confession. But private confession to a pastor, inside a little booth, that we do not do. I believe the church, in the Lutheran Confessions, still supports the notion of private confession, but it is not considered a sacrament nor is it at all practiced by any Lutheran body that I've ever heard about. Sacraments in the Lutheran Church are believed to be only those that contain some outward sign - Baptism (the water) and the Lord's Supper (bread & wine).