Why so many Protestant denominations

[BCPoulsen]

Salvation can be obtained only through the Church.

It is still more accurate to say that salvation can be obtained only through** Jesus Christ**. Let’s be clear as to the purpose of the Church.

Why did the Savior establish His Church? Paul explained that the church is a means by which the members become edified and progress toward the full measure of the stature of Christ. (see Eph. 4:11-16). HIs Church helps us come unto Him and provides the truths and saving ordanances that enables us to benefit from His Atonement, but the Church in and of itself will not save a single soul. It is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we are saved. That is no small distinction.

 

[Harsalter]

Why so many Protestant denominations.

Well why so many Catholic denominations.

1. Conservative
2. Liberal
3. Eastern Rite
4. Traditional (sspx)
5. Charismatic Renewal
6. Folkloric

First, Catholicism is not a denomination. Please get that right.

And other than the Eastern Rite who still have the seven sacraments as they still have the apostolic succession, the rest of the categories are just leanings and liturgical differences. Thats all. The Catholic Church has one Pope and he is infallible. A Catholic will follow the teachings of the Church or they are not truly Catholic.

I think Mormons might disagree that they aren’t Christians.

On my path to finding the true Church, I went from being a baptist, to Mormonism and finally came home to Catholicism. Mormons are not Christian! To be Christian, you must believe in the Holy Trinity, three separate beings in one God. Mormons believe that God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different Gods. This is not consistent with Christian beliefs and also why their baptisms are not recognized by the holy Catholic Church.

And since the RCC split from the Holy Orthodox church, why were there any more splits after that?

Actually, the RCC split from no one, it was the other way around.

Surely we all know that there are not one billion Catholics who all believe the same things: doctrinally and morally.

Not even close.

There is no such unity among Catholics, so lecturing others about the very same problem only judges oneself.

It doesn’t matter what one billion Catholics believe, only what the ONE Catholic Church teaches and it is up to the one billion or so to follow the ONE Church’s doctrine or they are not truly Catholic.

The original question here (why so many denominations) is brilliant. Why haven’t the many Protestants asked that themselves? .

And why do they solely base their beliefs on sola scriptura, from the book canonized by Catholic Bishops, and the New Testament written by Catholics for Catholics?

there are only like 7 or 8 main Protestant denominations.

HA! There are more than that in my county alone.

I’ve read there are just as many catholic branches as there are protestant ones.

I read ‘Alice in Wonderland’ as a child too.

Back to the topic… can you present the writings of any first-century Christians which endorse the notion of sola scriptura? Just one will do.

Impossible as the New Testament was even complete at that point. The first few hundred years after Christ, the Catholic Church (Christians) worshipped mainly by sacred Tradition. Something Protestants don’t have and is why they do not understand how Christ wanted us to worship. But they go solely by that Book that Catholic Bishops canonized.

It is still more accurate to say that salvation can be obtained only through** Jesus Christ**. .

Christ is the Church and you can only be saved through the Church. Unfortunately, Mormons don’t even recognize the Holy Trinity and aren’t even Christians. At least Protestants got that right.

 

[COGHOBDOJ]

No-he had an emotionaL experience that he equates with experiencing Christ.

How presumptuous and pompous. I truly feel sorry for you.

 

[2ndGen]

Would somebody please explain the difference between a “rite” and a “DemonNation”, oops!

I meant, a denomination?

Thank you!

(for the dictionarily challenged that is! LOL)

 

[2ndGen]

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The Protestant church(s) foretold by Jesus in Scripture?

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The House built on The Rock…

Matthew 7
24
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
28
And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,
29
for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.​

Some things to consider?
For the Hebrews, water sometimes represented spirit (ala’ when Christ gave up His spirit, water poured from His heart, baptism in water, water turned to wine/spirit turned to flesh/Holy Spirit manifests itself in Christ to produce His first miracle, etc…).

Spirit was also represented as wind (Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon The Apostles, Jesus let out His last breath and died, etc…).

House often referenced a church (“Did you not know I’d be in My Father’s house?” when Jesus was found teaching in the Temple, Jesus calls the Temple His Father’s house when turning over the tables of the money changers, etc…).

Sand, made of soil; man is made of soil.

Best for last…rock, foundation of The Church,The Rock…Peter.​

Matthew 7 then?

Those who build their churches on men, their churches are destined to fall apart when tested by the spirits of descent, of jealousy, of courruption, of discourse, of disagreement, etc…
(can we say 34,000+ denominations?)

Where those who adhere to The Church that was built upon Saint Peter The Rock, their Church will stand firm in the face of adversity and the storms of life.

Now, which Church is it that has shown itself to be built upon The Rock?

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Matthew 16:18…where history meets scripture.

I still say it’s because churches that were started by men were founded on soil (sand) and when they were tested, they collapsed into countless denominations.

But The Church that was founded upon (Peter) The Rock that Jesus built, is still one, holy, CATHOLIC and apostolic Church.

 

[paarsurrey]

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I still say it’s because churches that were started by men were founded on soil (sand) and when they were tested, they collapsed into countless denominations.
But The Church that was founded upon (Peter) The Rock that Jesus built, is still one, holy, CATHOLIC and apostolic Church.

Hi

I appreciate, at least some people are working for unity. I always have liked it and I favour all such good intended moves.

Quran has also pointed out as to how the denominations in a faith/religion get formed:

[30:30] Nay, but those, who are unjust, follow their own low desires without knowledge. Then who can guide him whom Allah lets go astray? There will be no helpers for them.
[30:31] So set thy face to the service of religion with single-minded devotion. And follow the nature made by Allah, the nature according to which He has fashioned mankind. There is no altering the creation of Allah. That is the right religion - but most men know not -
[30:32] So you all turn to Him, in repentance, and seek His protection and observe Prayer, and be not of those who associate partners with Allah -
[30:33] Of those who split up their religion and have become divided into sects, every party rejoicing in what they have.
www3.alislam.org/showChapter.jsp?ch=30&verse=30

May be this helps those who want to see unity in Christianity.

Thanks

 

[2ndGen]

Hi

I appreciate, at least some people are working for unity. I always have liked it and I favour all such good intended moves.

Quran has also pointed out as to how the denominations in a faith/religion get formed:

[30:30] Nay, but those, who are unjust, follow their own low desires without knowledge. Then who can guide him whom Allah lets go astray? There will be no helpers for them.
[30:31] So set thy face to the service of religion with single-minded devotion. And follow the nature made by Allah, the nature according to which He has fashioned mankind. There is no altering the creation of Allah. That is the right religion - but most men know not -
[30:32] So you all turn to Him, in repentance, and seek His protection and observe Prayer, and be not of those who associate partners with Allah -
[30:33] Of those who split up their religion and have become divided into sects, every party rejoicing in what they have.
www3.alislam.org/showChapter.jsp?ch=30&verse=30

May be this helps those who want to see unity in Christianity.

Thanks

I’m a firm believer of “to each his/her own”…so long as they don’t attempt to step on my faith to raise theirs.

A true faith of God doesn’t need to beatdown the next faith to rise.

That is why I respect all faiths; I cannot honestly say that I know that there is only one Church for God. Only God can answer whom he accepts.

Romans 2 tells us clearly that those outside of Christianity can be made righteous with God.

Pax.

 

[mickey94558]

It appears you decided that you were more qualified to interpret scipture than the Chruch founded by Jesus. You traded the truth for emotion.

In reading yoiur posts I suspect it is not us you are trying to convnce that you made a good decision to seperate yourself from the Church-it appear you are trying to convince yourself.

Thank you estesbob for the “You traded the truth for emotion.” quote.
I was searching for a simple and direct way too explain too my daughter her error of leaving the Church and this sums it up.

Michael

 

[johnnydigit]

SyCarl and others, if certain passages are the key elements which separate you, how about you guys try and present the passage to an English professor who, hopefully, is non-biased? ask for him to help you to interpret the passage as objectively as possible. ask several for their opinions. heck, as 10 and see what you come up with. if it is a question of literature, i don’t see a better interpreter than a professional, which most of us are not.

after you get the proper perspective from a literary standpoint, consult qualified experts from several Christian denominations, including Catholics, for the whole picture. more light may be shed which may affect the results of the literary interpretations.

count the votes, and see who wins. i think your eternal soul is worth this little effort. i did. the final question is, will you accept the result or ignore it? i don’t want you to blindly choose either, i want you to properly and thoroughly consider all sides and stick with the right choice. if it’s protestant, then stick to it and be a stronger protestant for having done the work. your confidence and hopefully love for God will go that much stronger. pax.

 

[2ndGen]

Thank you estesbob for the “You traded the truth for emotion.” quote.
I was searching for a simple and direct way too explain too my daughter her error of leaving the Church and this sums it up.

Michael

Someone once said “Some prefer comfort to truth.” with regards to people leaving The Church.

That’s a very Christlike saying if I ever heard one.

Jesus predicted that not all would be able (or willing) to carry the cross and that they would seek comfort over truth.

Give me my Cross please!
I’ll carry his burden gladly!
Yoke me with the truth!

 

[estesbob]

It is still more accurate to say that salvation can be obtained only through** Jesus Christ**. Let’s be clear as to the purpose of the Church.

Why did the Savior establish His Church? Paul explained that the church is a means by which the members become edified and progress toward the full measure of the stature of Christ. (see Eph. 4:11-16). HIs Church helps us come unto Him and provides the truths and saving ordanances that enables us to benefit from His Atonement, but the Church in and of itself will not save a single soul. It is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we are saved. That is no small distinction.

You can not seperate Christ from his Church. Saying on is saved through the Church is the same as saying one is saved through Christ.

 

[estesbob]

How presumptuous and pompous. I truly feel sorry for you.

Not presumtous-just the truth. I have the full weight of Scripture, 2,000 years of tradition and the unchaging teachings of the magestrium. You depend on your personal interpretaion of a book codified by the Catholic Church and a book that did not largely exist when Christ ascended to heaven. Have you ever stopped to think that everytime you open your Bible you are accepting the authority of the catholic Church?

 

[2ndGen]

You can not seperate Christ from his Church. Saying on is saved through the Church is the same as saying one is saved through Christ.

The Church doesn’t save.

Jesus does.

Yes, Jesus being the definition of The Church is “one” of several definitions of what The Church is, but ultimately, it’s not The Church that saves. This can be confusing to some as if to say that the institution does the saving.

Yes, Jesus “is” The Church…but it is The Christ that saves.



(Wow! That reminds me of some of my Trinitarian defenses! LOL)

 

[Harsalter]

The Church doesn’t save.

Jesus does.

Yes, Jesus being the definition of The Church is “one” of several definitions of what The Church is, but ultimately, it’s not The Church that saves. This can be confusing to some as if to say that the institution does the saving.

Yes, Jesus “is” The Church…but it is The Christ that saves.



(Wow! That reminds me of some of my Trinitarian defenses! LOL)

I agree with estesbob on this one. Christ is the Church, at least if you are speaking of the holy Catholic Church. Yes, Jesus saves, but he is the Church. You cannot separate them, although Martin Luther and others have tried.

 

[2ndGen]

I agree with estesbob on this one. Christ is the Church, at least if you are speaking of the holy Catholic Church. Yes, Jesus saves, but he is the Church. You cannot separate them, although Martin Luther and others have tried.

LOL!

And this is why this reminds me of my defenses of The Trinity.

Of the Trinity, which part became man?

The Son, right?

God The Father did not become man.

God The Holy Spirit did not become man.

God The Son became man.

All 3 could still be One with one part having one role.

This is, Catholic Doctrine.

Because The Church also teaches that salvation can be gained “outside” of The Church, would we be saying that those “outside” forms of worship are Christ? Of course not.

The Church didn’t exist “before” Christ. Christ existed before The Church. He is “with” us and we are grafted unto Him, but our oneness doesn’t make us a homogenous unit. He is The Tree. We are His branches. We didn’t sprout from Him because of our sin. We had to be first purified, then grafted unto Him. We, The Church that is.

Remember, Jesus said “I will build My Church” to Peter. There were Christians before The Church. The Apostles were already Believers before The Church was born in The Upper Room in Acts.

The Church can be many things to many people,
but there is only one Jesus Christ.

The Church is “used” for saving people (as are the sacraments, the intercessions of The Saints, etc…), but without Christ, it is nothing.

Jesus is “not” The Church, nor is The Church co-equal to Jesus Christ…The Church is part of Christ as are we. We are not Christ, but are with Christ. What makes us one with Him is our obedience and will.

There are 3 persons in the Trinity. There are no subdivisions for each person.

Just out of curiosity, does Scripture state that Jesus “is” The Church anywhere?

Thanks.

Pax.

 

[estesbob]

LOL!

Because The Church also teaches that salvation can be gained “outside” of The Church, would we be saying that those “outside” forms of worship are Christ? Of course not.

It teaches just the opposite.All salvation is through the Church:

***“Outside the Church there is no salvation” ***

846* How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: *
*Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; **he is present to us in his body which is the Church. *He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

*847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: *
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337

*Note the bolded part also affirms that Christ and the Church are one and the same. *

The Church didn’t exist “before” Christ. Christ existed before The Church. He is “with” us and we are grafted unto Him, but our oneness doesn’t make us a homogenous unit. He is The Tree. We are His branches. We didn’t sprout from Him because of our sin. We had to be first purified, then grafted unto Him. We, The Church that is.

Correct-since Christ and his Church are one in the same the Church did not exist before Christ.

Remember, Jesus said “I will build My Church” to Peter. There were Christians before The Church. The Apostles were already Believers before The Church was born in The Upper Room in Acts.

The Church can be many things to many people,
but there is only one Jesus Christ.

And there is only one Church

The Church is “used” for saving people (as are the sacraments, the intercessions of The Saints, etc…), **but without Christ, it is nothing. **

Since Christ is the Church that is definately true
.

Jesus is “not” The Church, nor is The Church co-equal to Jesus Christ…The Church is part of Christ as are we. We are not Christ, but are with Christ. What makes us one with Him is our obedience and will.

Both Scripture and the Doctirnes of the Church affirm that Christ and the Church are the same.

There are 3 persons in the Trinity. There are no subdivisions for each person.

Agreed

Just out of curiosity, does Scripture state that Jesus “is” The Church anywhere?

John 15 :5-8
]

 

[jmcrae]

Would somebody please explain the difference between a “rite” and a “DemonNation”, oops!

I meant, a denomination?

Thank you!

(for the dictionarily challenged that is! LOL)

Denominations are separate political entities (totally different leadership from each other), with differences in doctrine, practice, and discipline.

Rites are different ways of doing the same thing, in union with the same Church. There are 24 Rites in the Catholic Church, all in full communion with Pope Benedict XVI. The majority of us here in the West are members of the Latin Rite. We have our own Masses (we have two Masses, at present; the Tridentine, and the Pauline), a Code of Canon Law, and a set of disciplines that are particular to us. Each of the other 23 Rites also has its own Mass, its own code of laws, and its own set of disciplines, while each being in full communion with all 23 others, because of being in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.

 

[SacredHeartFan]

I’ll bet anything that there are at least 50 of them that believe the same exact thing! The Eastern Church is at least trying to come to terms with Rome. (i do NOT mean to offend anyone)

 

[BCPoulsen]

Christ is the Church and you can only be saved through the Church.

Is this not the same attitude that blinded those in power at the time of Christ - The scribes and Pharisees? Each of their traditions that came from the Law of Moses pointed to Christ yet they crucified their King. Each of the ordinances and sacraments instituted by the Savior and His Apostles also points to Christ and helps turn our hearts to Him. It’s important that we don’t forget from where our salvations comes. We need to be very careful that we don’t put anything ahead of Christ.

I say it again, the church cannot save us. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are save.

Peter obviously understood this. After healing a crippled man, he said the following to Jewish leaders who had come inquiring:

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:10-12

The Church is there to help us to come unto Christ. It quickly becomes a deterrent when it takes our focus away from He who saves.

Our Heavenly Father cares about each of His children - Catholic and Non-Catholic alike. He provided the means that we can be redeemed from the grave and from sin. - God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.- John 3:16

 

[Harsalter]

Is this not the same attitude that blinded those in power at the time of Christ - The scribes and Pharisees?

I would be uncomfortable with this also if I wasn’t a Christian. And Mormons, as you claim to be, are obviously not Christians as Mormonism rejects basic Christian doctrine.