Final answer:
Protestant churches recognize baptism and communion as the two principal sacraments because they are seen as directly instituted by Jesus and are supported by New Testament scripture. These sacraments are understood symbolically in Protestant traditions, in contrast with the Catholic belief in transubstantiation for the Eucharist. The focus on these two sacraments played a role in the spread of Protestantism alongside its scriptural emphasis and theological distinctions from Catholicism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Protestant churches recognize two principal sacraments: baptism and communion. These sacraments are seen as having been instituted by Jesus and are directly referenced in the New Testament. The sacrament of baptism is believed to cleanse original sin and was a practice even newborns were subject to in medieval Christianity due to high infant mortality. The sacrament of communion, or the Eucharist, follows Christ's Last Supper, and although originally tied to the idea of transubstantiation in Catholicism, it is seen by Protestants as a symbolic commemoration rather than a literal transformation of bread and wine into Christ's body and blood.
In the development of Protestantism, such as within Anglicanism after the Elizabethan Settlement, a compromise was reached that maintained certain traditional elements of Catholic liturgy, yet stressed a departure from the belief in the priest’s ability to perform miracles such as transubstantiation during the Eucharist. Instead, communion in the Protestant faith became a symbolic reminder of Christ's sacrifice, stressing individual faith and comprehension of this sacrament as a re-enactment of Christ's sacrifice.
As Protestantism spread, it did so with the foundational belief in these two sacraments. In areas where Protestant churches gained followers, the simplicity and direct Scriptural backing for these practices may have contributed to their expansion, contrasting with the Catholic Church's additional sacraments which did not hold the same emphasis in Protestant theology.