Why are there so many versions of Christianity

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Hello Everyone

I’m a catholic and have been struggling with my faith. I would like to know how to get stronger. I also was wondering if God is real, why are there so many versions of Christianity and not only one?
 
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Luckily God knows this and he doesn’t leave us alone even in non Catholic Churches
 
One could argue that there are so many versions of Christianity and other religions because only the Catholic Church was begun by Jesus and is therefore the true religion and the others may be a reflection of the difference and diversity of people and their needs. Some might argue that the diversity is a reflection of God and may suggest that actually all roads lead to Rome.

Whatever the case, and obviously as a Catholic I believe that our Church is the only true one, God is real. God is reality itself.

Pray for a strong faith our prayers are always heard and God is love.
 
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God allows people to accept Him or reject Him, partially or fully. Non-Catholic Christians accept Him partially and reject Him partially, as they reject those who He has sent to them (His Church).
 
This is actually a question best answered by picking up a history book. And it actually makes for fascinating reading.

Long story short, Jesus did establish a Church, but because of human frailty, some people splintered away.
 
The reasons there are so many thousands of versions of Christianity is because of the way the New Testament was written. The first century Christians depended mainly on the preaching on the apostles, far less on New Testament scriptures. So in writing New Testament scriptures, there was not that much attempt to be very comprehensive or complete, it was written mainly to people who already heard and understood much orally. Therefore much in the New Testament is not very clear, and us reading it without the understanding the first century Christians had, cannot be able to understand much, a lot can appear to us contradictory and a lot very unclear. So the result has been that many verses can have more than one logical interpretations. So the result has been that today’s churches disagree on many doctrines, based on various interpretations of many verses.
 
There are two ways to think of “versions” of Christianity.
  1. There is legitimate Christian diversity: The one Christian Faith with many expressions.
  2. There are aberrations and divisions, which do not amount to the One Church founded by Christ.
As for #1 It would be absurd to say Roman Catholicism is the only legitimate expression of Christianity, for the very same Church encompasses a variety of other theological and liturgical traditions as well, such as the Byzantine rites, the Syriac and Maronite, the Chaldean, the Syro-Malabar, the Coptic, etc.

As for #2, There have been divisions in Christianity since the beginning — groups that are esablished in opposition to the orthodox community founded on the Apostles. Gnostics in the first century; Pelagians and Arians in the fourth; Protestants in the 16th, and many in between and many more after.

We don’t say that the latter groups are 100% in error. The fact that many of them are regarded as “Christian” even by the Catholic Church can only make sense if they are, in some sense, based in Christ and his revelation. Valid Baptism incorporates one into Christ’s Mystical Body, which is the church.
 
Because people have free will. But the true Church has always stood firm. And like St Paul said: the heretic stands self condemned.
 
If I can an “outsider’s” position, the diversity in Christianity stems from the makeup of Christianity.
  1. Most believers believe that many parts of its fundamental texts are figurative. Will believers be “caught up in the air” with Jesus? Is the Eucharist the literal body and blood of Christ? When Jesus said “Some of you will not taste death” when he returns mean he should have returned in the lifetimes of at least some of the apostles? This and thousands of other questions can divide Christianity. Even when something is considered figurative by some, they may disagree as to which figurative interpretation to use.
  2. There is no way to verify or falsify most of these various interpretational disputes. There is no smoking gun or definitive evidence to provide any certainty one way or the other. Believers of various stripes will often use Biblical passages to try and prove their interpretations of other passages. Those on differing sides will provide their own supporting passages. There are no clear winners in such disputes.
  3. Many are not convinced by claims of authority. This not only includes initial authority at the time of Jesus, but an authority that lasts eternally. Just like above those passages that claim authority are neither provable nor falsifiable, but simply assertions.
 
Lee1 said:
obviously as a Catholic I believe that our Church is the only true one…
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Not so sure its obvious.
The Orthodox would say the Roman Church went heterodox while they remained orthodox…hence their name.

For myself I believe the Catholic Church is best for my salvation…that doesnt mean it has to be the “true Church”. I am not sure what such an expression helpfully says.

It may well be that all the Churches are deficient in some way by reason of the scandal of incomplete unity.
 
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Hi Sophie.
What is the scandal of incomplete unity? Or is that phrase self explanatory?

Edit: I personally think that since Jesus was God incarnate and He began the Church that it is The Church.
I also think that having read about quite a few saints and the amazing occurrences in their lives that those things also add validity to my assessment, that the Catholic Church is the right and true and proper channel through which to worship and serve God.

I am a simple man Sophie and incapable of an intellectual argument sad to say.
 
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someperson said:
I also was wondering if God is real, why are there so many versions of Christianity and not only one?
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Because of a novel doctrine, two Latin words, “Sola Scriptura”. God allows man’s freedom, and some men freely took that doctrine and ran wild with it.
 
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someperson said:
I’m a catholic and have been struggling with my faith. I would like to know how to get stronger.
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It doesn’t seem like anyone answered this question. So I’ll concentrate on this one.

If you want to strengthen your faith start with your strengths. I found myself in a similar position about 5 years ago. I had faith but wouldn’t really say I was FULLY living out my faith until I was challenged on why I was Catholic and not one of those “so many” other Christian versions. Well being the type of person I was (unable to slow down and smell the roses) I knew there was no way I would be able to read or pray my way to the faith.

So I started by adding podcasts to my gap time. Gap time are those endless hours of the day when you don’t need to pay 100% attention to the task at hand. Like when you are driving or cutting the grass or typing to someone on an internet forum. I started with…

Catholic Answers Live
Called to Communion
Open Line Monday
Ascension Presents

This site has some awesome talks…

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/download

After a couple years of podcasts I was finally able to cut out some time and energy for reading (without falling asleep). Love my Ignatius Study Bible. I’ve read so many books from this website that I’ve lost count.

It’s taken me about five years now but my prayer life is just starting to make some headway.

The point that I am making is what my priest told me when I confessed that I wasn’t spending enough time in prayer. He said you need to do what you can with what you got and what you are capably of at this very moment. If you are having troubles with prayer but doing well with reading and listening about Jesus then keep it up, even the time you spend learning about Jesus is still spending time with Jesus. Keep up the good work and your prayer life will grow as you grow.

Hope this helps,

God Bless
 
Lee1 said:
What is the scandal of incomplete unity?
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Good question, I suppose I am just wrote repeating the usual Papal docs without thinking too deeply about it.
I suppose the consideration is that Jesus taught his disciples to love one another and prayed we would all remain one. In a sense diversity does not fracture such unity…but perhaps the separated Churches signify more than a reasonable diversity.
 
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