They discovered that Protestants, or people who grow up in a Protestant communities, can channel suppressed emotions more effectively than their Catholic and Jewish counterparts.

The research, led by Emily Kim along with Veronika Zeppenfeld and Dov Cohen, claims that its not that Jews and Catholics don't suppress the same feelings about sexual taboos as Protestants, but they channel it into feelings of guilt, rather than through art or creative means.

The team of researchers from Illinois began by analysing a Californian study by Freud and Weber that began in the 1920s, which wanted to test if there was a connection between high IQs, creativity and religion.

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"Especially in a very secular world, we should always stress what is common in the Christian religion," said Merkel, who is the daughter of a Protestant pastor.

She was speaking during a rare appearance at the annual synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, where Protestant leaders were working to make the "Luther Jubilee" more ecumenical by involving Catholics as well.

The German Chancellor said she had learned that "even the word 'jubilee' used in connection with the Reformation can give rise to discussions", because Catholics attach a special meaning to "jubilee years" and would prefer the anniversary to be called a commemoration.

In preparation for the celebration, the Evangelical Church — Germany's largest association of Protestant churches — and the Catholic Church have plans to write a book on Christianity together in 2013 and to hold a joint Bible conference in 2015.

The Evangelical Church president, Nikolaus Schneider, told the synod that there may also be a reconciliation service scheduled for 2017 "that recognises before God all the injuries both churches inflicted on each other".

Evangelical Church vice president Thies Gundlach has expressed the hope that, despite their differences, a "wonderful friendship" will develop between Catholics and evangelicals as a result of the anniversary events.

He said the "many ecumenical achievements that render visible the truth and beauty of Christian faith 500 years after the Reformation and 50 years after Vatican II" are grounds for joint celebration. He referred to agreement on the importance of Scripture, baptism and a general acceptance of ecumenism.

Catholic Archbishop Werner Thissen of Hamburg told the synod he hoped for an agreement on how to mark the anniversary.

"Times have changed dramatically since Luther," he said, noting that the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 had "learned a lot from Martin Luther".

Sources:

Christian Post

Reuters

Image: MSN

A report from Reuters said German Protestants have invited Catholics to join in the celebrations, but it is still hard for some Catholics to accept the invite.

"It's not impossible in principle, but it depends on the character of the events planned," said Bishop Gerhard Feige, the top Catholic official dealing with Protestants.

In a statement for the Protestant Reformation Day holiday on Wednesday, Feige said Catholics consider the division of the western Church as a tragedy "and - at least until now - do not think they can celebrate this merrily."

The Reformation began in 1517 when German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door to denounce corruption in the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences to help build the lavish new Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Excommunicated by Rome, he won support from German princes who soon battled others who remained Catholic. The ensuing wars of religion killed about a third of Germany's population over the next century and spread to neighboring countries as well.

After Luther's break with Rome, dissent spread and thousands of new denominations eventually emerged, the largest being the Presbyterians, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists and Lutherans.

Luther is also a major cultural figure in Germany thanks to his pioneering translation of the Bible.

Commemorative church services, concerts and conferences leading up to 2017 are already underway around Germany.

Reuters said the mix of religious, cultural and commercial activities led Feige to ask what the Catholics were being invited to join.

"Many initiatives and plans may well be justified, but it's not always easy to find out what 2017 will be all about," he wrote in what he called his "Ten Catholic Theses".

"It would be good if the Protestants would work out some points more clearly," he said.

Sources

• Reuters
• Christian Post
• Image: Theological Matters