I’m not a knowledgeable man about these types of things but I enjoy considering that things that some of you send in answer to my questions. This thought has weighed on my mind for some time now. I think that in Judaism there may be a few different sects or divisions, such as the Orthodox and Ultra Orthodox with maybe the just generally Jewish, for lack of a better term that I know of. But Christianity seems to have a lot of branches on the tree that other religions do not. I men, I don’t know of any sects in Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Amish, Islam or others that don’t come to mind right now. But Christianity seems to be an umbrella of many sects. Protestantism, Anglican, Episcopalianism, Presbyterianism, Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Southern Baptist, Lutheranism, Methodist, Pentecostal, Christian Scientist, Seventh Day Adventist and on it goes. Why the need for so many different branches of worship for the same deity? As I stated, I’m no expert so if some of these religions I’ve grouped as Christian, are not, forgive me but at the same time, also please enlighten me as to why there are so many to choose from and which one is the “true” one or ones. Thanks so much for your indulgence of my curiosity.
Great question. I've always thought the Amish were Christian, certainly they are new testament followers, and shouldn't that be the only pertinent requirement? Interesting that Catholic is left out of list, and LDS separated from it. I could never figure out why some people thought Catholics weren't Christian when they were really the first. I think my LDS friends think of themselves as a type of Christian, although many don't. As an outsider, I think of the many flavors just representing the wide variety of interpretations or area of focus, as well as difference on issues protested against. Perhaps if I were an organized religion believer I'd care more about the differences. BTW, there are reform, conservative, orthodox, hassidic, and other super orthodox forms of Judaism. And there are Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana, Zen, and other forms of Buddhism. Islam has Suni, Shia, Sufi and plenty of others. As I understand it, Taoism also has different sects or schools of thought. Same is true for Neo-Paganism -- many many different flavors. It must be human nature to need to split off and associate only with those thought of as kindred spirits for the rituals and beliefs one holds most dear.
That’s why I ask questions. I want to learn things that I don’t know. Thank you for such enlightening words. And I left out some that came to mind for the sake of brevity, which it appears I was lax with anyway.
Very well said, @D'Ellyn Dottir. Amish are definitely Christian by the more common definition. LDS folks generally think of themselves as Christian but most conventional Christians do not agree. Also usually excluded are the Jehovah's Witnesses. Catholics and Orthodox Christians were the original Church, they split in the Great Schism and have a number of rites within each. The Church as a body existed prior to the New Testament, at least the compilation that we are familiar with. I think, while the splintering of the Church began in Europe, it has thrived in the U.S. with the Constitutional protection of the First Amendment, and has been encouraged by the IRS tax exempt status, Thus creating a myriad of little denominations with little, if any, theological underpinning.
Which is why I became a non-denominational Christian. There has always been a fight between Grace and Works which caused and is still causing much of the splitting among Christians when in fact there shouldn’t be. What day is the Sabbath, how much to tithe, the Mosaic covenant, whether to use instruments to worship, whether to drive cars, confession of sins, stations of power within the sects, gifts of the Spirit, loss of salvation, eternal salvation yada, yada, yada. It all takes the focus off of Jesus the Christ on the cross and his resurrection. God isn’t going to call his children into heaven by alphabetical order and according to their denomination so to me, no denomination is totally wrong or totally right. God looks at the heart and He knows who accepted such a great gift of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His sequential resurrection and ascension. No sect, no denomination has more power than that one single series of actions. Ref: Romans 8:38-39
The Amish are a branch of the Mennonites, and the Mennonites are Anabaptist Christians, and there are sects among the Amish, as there are in Islam. Before the US decided to get involved, Muslims were generally at war with one another, largely over issues between the Islamic sects. While not everyone agrees, the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are generally considered to be Christians. There are divisions in Mormonism, as well. There are divisions in Judaism too, generally known as movements. Not everyone agrees in matters of Biblical interpretation, not even as to the books that should be included. People are like that.
Jack, I think others here have made the valid point that most of the world religions have doctrinal divisions. Unless someone has a good study to reference otherwise, I wouldn't assume that Christianity has more than all of the others. D'Elyn, while it is true that Roman Catholicism claims to be the first and only true church representing Christ on earth, this is not supported by scripture or historical documents of antiquity. The church started in the first century immediately after Christ's death and grew organically long before there was any formal Catholic hierarchy or recognized Catholic Church in Rome. Don, you make a good point that Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons consider themselves Christian, but for anyone who'd agree, I'd add that JW's deny the deity of Jesus - which is the most basic, core belief of Christianity - and Mormons are Pantheists, believing that Jesus was just one god out of many, and that they themselves will become gods like him. Let no one confuse non-Christian cults with Christian denominations. To answer your question Jack of why there are so many Christian denominations to choose from and which one is the “true” one? Personally, I think it's a natural reflection of human behavior to seek new, different, or preferred beliefs or value systems. And, it develops more from a deviation from the Bible than from an honest interpretation of it. In that respect, the Protestant denominations reflect the Bible's Christian doctrines more accurately than Catholicism, since the RCC adds numerous, significant doctrinal beliefs based upon church tradition over Biblical scripture. With evangelicals most respecting the Bible's authority as the inspired word of God, I'd label them as the best representatives of "true" Christianity, regardless of the denomination or church name they claim. Unfortunately, they represent merely 1/3rd of the Christian populace, suggesting that people are easily mislead or distracted. That's why one shouldn't judge the viability of Christianity upon people or church's actions. Judge it upon the Bible and its collaborating evidence.
Not everyone has the time, the resources, or the inclination to do a study on all of the religions in the world, or even all of the Christian denominations and sects. Yet, it does make sense to determine, from a close reading and study of the Bible, for Christians, what it is that you believe about God, about Jesus, the Holy Spirit and, perhaps even more importantly, what your role is supposed to be, and then find a denomination or church that isn't contradictory. Keep in mind that the Scriptures should determine your beliefs, not the other way around. Of course, if there are contradictions between the church that you are looking into and what you believe about God, consider the possibility that you could be wrong, and whether these are truly salvational. There are a lot of teachings in the Bible that could lead to doctrinal disputes, but not nearly so many that are salvational. There is room for disagreements over most of the things that have divided the Church, but that doesn't mean that anything goes. Where there is a disagreement, are the positions truly supported by Scripture? Does it really matter? Can you have fellowship with someone who you disagree with? As for that last question, I think that would depend on the nature of the dispute. Is it salvational? Can someone really be a Christian if they don't believe that Christ is divine? I would say, probably not, but it's not for me to decide. Can someone be a true Christian if they don't believe that instrumental music should be used in the worship service? Well, yeah; I don't think that's a salvational issue, but it is an issue that has divided churches. I am uncomfortable in a church where people are speaking in tongues, but I can't deny that speaking in tongues has a Biblical basis that goes back to the very formation of the Christian church. Am I uncomfortable because I believe that this gift was intended only for the original apostles, and that it's use today is phony and pretentious, or am I uncomfortable with it because my cultural background is more reserved and it seems weird to me? I don't know the answer to that because I can't truly say whether people who speak in tongues today are actually exhibiting a gift from God, or whether they are caught up in a mass emotional display that they truly believe to be a gift from God, or if they are faking for the sake of approval in a church where people are expected to do that. I don't know, so I don't question it, but neither do I seek out Pentecostal churches. Is speaking in tongues salvational? I don't think so because the Biblical basis for it has only a few people doing it and, even then, there was a practical purpose for it. If indeed, someone is pretending to speak in tongues because it's expected of them, is that really so different than the practice of public prayer that most churchgoers are familiar with, where the prayer is actually being offered for the benefit of the other people in the congregation and not to God at all. Most of the things that have divided the Christian church are things that are not salvational, but that doesn't mean that they should all merge and become one universal church because I have a strong feeling that would be one in which God is not invited.
I grew up around Baptists and Methodists and was even baptised by full immersion in the Platte River by my grandmothers preacher. Baptist have always seemed very dogmatic and un yielding to me. I have not been in a Baptist or Methodist church since I was a Pre Teen. I was married by a Presbyterian minister.
They are not really theologically alike at all. I don't think the Baptists (Southern) have changed much, but the UMC is going through a conflict and may someday split into at least two divisions. The American Baptist Church is all over the place and I don't think they even have a clue as to what they believe.
Not being religious I did not know the definition and had to look it up after reading the word in a post.
Like Protestants and, to a much lesser extent, Catholics, there are several flavors of Anabaptists, and some of the traditional Anabaptist denominations now consider themselves to be Protestant.
America has many forms of religion aka gods. Although I beleive we were founded on one God. Our Supreme Coort Frieze has Moses,Mohammad,Confucious, ans more.This one put on the wall of Sprpreme Court in the 1930s by a Jewish sculptor. Moses with Bible in hand,Mohammad with Quran and sword ,etc, https://groups.google.com/g/realamass/c/JB5kKM5i9KU
There also overwhelming proof that Islam was created by the Catholics. ACatholic widow married Moham Watch The Islamic Connection by Walter Veith.Keep in mind this is not my ideas or even opinions,I'm just somebody who has always seeks out the truth.It led me to many studies.