Bible Question:
What are the main reasons for all the different denomiations in Christianity? Is it disagreement over beliefs, or is it related to something else? Do all Christians share the fundamental belief of the Trinity? I guess I would have to say I belong to the Sunni muslims, the biggest group, Sunni comes from the word Sunna meaning the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad, meaning I should be studying his life and following his example. I believe that if I follow the original teachings, I will be on the right path. I dont believe in a free lunch, so no I dont have the assurance I will be in heaven. Its upto God to decide :) Isa |
Bible Answer: Isa - Wow. This is not an easy question to answer, at least not in a short amount of words. However, here's my attempt: The main reasons for different denominations is in fact what you suggested - fundamental disagreement over critical (to some) issues of belief or doctrine. The biggest split is between the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant denominations, which covers just about every non-Catholic denomination out there. That split happened back in the 16th (?) century, I believe, and doesn't show any signs of ever being resolved. The reasons are many, but Protestant objections to Roman Catholicism include veneration of Saints, prayers to Mary (the mother of Jesus) or any special status for her, the infallibility of the Pope on issues of doctrine, the belief that Catholic tradition holds an equal status with Holy Scripture, and the doctrine that salvation is achieved through a combination of divine grace and human works. There are also a few more books in the Catholic Bible than there are in the Bibles used by everyone else. If you'd like more details on the Catholic/Protestant split, try doing an Internet search on "The Reformation" or "Martin Luther". You'll be buried in details, but you'll find more than you ever wanted to know. Unfortunately, there are a HUGE number of Protestant denominations (over 20,000 I've heard). Differences between them range from subtle differences in very complex theological areas, to ethnic/geographic differences, to disagreement on very basic issues, like the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. Some denominations are home to millions, others to just a few thousands. There are a lot of very strange, splinter groups out there that purport to call themselves Christians, but that many/most feel are truly not. (The Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Scientists, and the Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moom come to mind.) Some folks, like me, believe that throughout history, there has been a true "Christian Church" that existed and exists, made up of all those who believe the the core doctrines of the faith, regardless of the denomination they happen to belong to. We try to differentiate between A Christian Church, and THE Christian Church. That's why when people criticize some of the horrible things that were done by "The Church" during the crusades, for example, you will hear people say that that wasn't really Christianity - it was a misguided and flawed human organization. Hope this helps - I'm sure many other folks on the forum could do a better job in answering this, or perhaps expanding on it. Jim D. |