Soul Invictus

I was wondering if anyone could add to the differences in the ecumenical factions of Christianity. I asked a member of a local church what the necessity of denominations accomplished....basically what are they for. She spoke on how the churches needed to get past, because they serve the same god. Well, I didn't like that reply, because it didn't really address the issue I posed. I'm thinking that that reply was so that the church wouldn't appear lacking unanimity in beliefs, or fundamental differences in general.


I ask this question because Christianity is the largest religion on the planet, however there are several sects with this label, including Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal, Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as denominations of Baptist, Lutheran,Methodist, Anglican, Episcopalian, 7th Day Adventist, Mormon, COGIC,..etc

I'm looking for:

1) Clarification on comparing sects/denominations
2) A comprehensive list of these factions
3) When and why these unique identities or "differences" arose
4) Why they are necessary
5) What specifically make these factions unique?

Any and all feedback is appreciated

Whispers

http://www.religioustolerance.org


this place has ALL the answers....enjoy

wildernesse

Usually, most denominations differ on certain interpretations of the faith. I think that the only difference between the denom of the church I grew up in, and the denom of the church I went to youth group was that one believed that once you were saved all the grace you needed to "cope" with things in your life was accorded to you at that time, and the other believed that as you grew in faith (after salvation), you were accorded more grace and were more able to stand against temptation. That was the only difference, and probably based on what different verses of the Bible said about grace.

Denominations probably arise as a group differs on a theological point and then breaks apart on that issue. They're not "for" anything, it's just that people honestly disagree about what is "true".


Well, comparison points could be: Biblical inerrancy, baptism, communion, the end of the world, women in leadership, church governance. Not a comprehensive list, but a couple of things--just what springs to mind.

I doubt you can get a comprehensive list of all of the denoms of Christianity--simply because there also exists what are called "non-denominational" churches that can have any beliefs they choose but are not part of an organized group.

You could probably find a good history of Christianity somewhere that might could help you with the big historical splits--Roman Catholic and Orthodox, as well as Lutheran and Anglican etc. Also, most denoms have statements of faith and the history of their denom on their website. This could be a starting point for independent research. For example, this page states the beliefs of the United Methodist Church, and this page gives the history of the United Methodist Church, as well as brief explanations of the churches that formed the UMC back to 1736.

I don't think that anyone can explain what makes each denom individual and unique on a messageboard, but if I were to start on this project, I'd start at the beginning and work down with some kind of branching chart! (I can be methodical when I have to.) It would probably be interesting to see how society changes and responds to new theology and what brought about these changes.

--tibac

mike_decock

That would be an enormous project. As was mentioned earlier, the Religious Tolerance site has a good overview. Most major denominations have a website showing their history, beliefs, etc.

When I was a Christian, I rationalized it as different churches serving different personality types. To each their own flavor.

I don't think that any church is necessary so I can't really give a good answer.

Some factions are based on doctrinal or theological issues. For the most part, I think that denominations usually sprung out of one preacher getting a big following and going independent from his previous denomination.

-Mike...

CJD

Mike is right. It is a huge project. But it has been tackled already. Two books of interest are:

1. Leo Rosten's Religons of America, (Simon & Schuster, 1975). It's an almanac, and easy to use. While outdated in its statistical data, it is nonetheless very informative regarding the various positions on various issues among the religous.

2. Frank Mead and Samuel Hill's Handbook of Denominations in the U.S. 11th edition, revised by Craig Atwood (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001). Only those religions within the Abrahamic tradition are included therein. It also has a great appendix listing every denomination's web page.

Regards,

CJD

Shake

Thoughts and questions along lines similar to yours are what led me to question the idea of "organized religion" in the first place ... and led to my ultimate rejection of it.

Why? Because people are different, and they interpret things differently. If you've ever discussed a book in, say, an English class, you'd remember that not everyone had the same opinions of said book. This is the same reason that book clubs meet. So, the Bible is just another book, and open to interpretation.

To me, religion is a personal thing. I personally have no need for one, so I don't have one. Others do, and their beliefs vary greatly!