SkepticBoyLee

Is there a website that lists all, or at least most of the major Christian denominations, date of establishment and their doctrinal differances or the reason for their formation?

Mageth

Here's one:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/

Chris Weimer

Wow, RT finally updated their site layout. Looks a lot better. Oh, and doesn't this belong in GRD?

SkepticBoyLee

Thanks Mageth! Can we start a discussion on denominational differances and their reasons? Are they mostly doctrinal? Political?

Often Christians use the excuse that the differances are rather minor. Dont they disagree on modes of salvation? This seems quite major to me.

Some believe in speaking in tounge and laying of hands and others dont. Some believe that one MUST be baptised. Some don't.

I made a challenge once on another baord. If God does answer prayers as they claim they can simply gather together, all the denominational leaders and simply pray to God to tell them what the correct interpretation is.

Toto

If the discussion develops as to the Biblical basis for the denominational splits, it can stay here. There's no real discussion yet.

SkepticBoyLee

I Thought about that Chris. Hopefully we can get into the history, as well as the reasons for doctrinal splits. I understand the original big splits, the reformation and the "Orhtodooxy" decided on in Constantines day. What I am interested in are the Protestant denominations, starting with Luterh, then to Calvin all the way to the present and the reasons and differances ofr these splits.

I have heard that there are 15,000 different denominations so certainly we can not get to all of them but perhaps we can talk about the more popular ones.

Chris Weimer

Historically, from the primordial masses of different Christian sects there grew one major orthodoxy that lasts to this day. It was split primarily along geographical regions - Roman Orthodoxy in the West, Syrian Orthodoxy in the East, and Coptic Orthodoxy in the South (Egypt). The iconoclasm debate (whether or not icons were considered graven images) sparked enough of a debate to split Roman Orthodoxy into two, now having Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Islam basically wiped out the other two, even though they exist in small numbers today. We have later on Henry the VIII who wanted to divorce his wife, so he usurped the church's power and started his own (though it is still very much related to the Catholic church in beliefs), and then Martin Luther was excommunicated and started his own church (Lutheranism) and the rest took off from there.

SkepticBoyLee

Many thanks Chris. I knew most of that (but not that the Muslims wiped out those 2 sects.) but it was good refresher.


What about Baptist, Methodist, Chruch of Christ, Presbeterian, Pentecostal, ect. ect. ect. How can I find out about all these major denominations, how they started and their differances.

Chris Weimer

Well, they didn't wipe them out totally, but surely you've noticed the lack of Coptic Christians in the Egyptian government.

gregor

http://www.creeds.net/

Another listing of Xian creeds and their major tenents.