Confusion (Jesus Christ, gospel, beliefs, followers, America)

[Nomad]

If anyone can answer this question, please do.

Why are there so many denominations? Why so many interpretations of Christianity? With so many different versions it gets confusing.

Befuddled,
Nomad

[Buttons*]

Originally Posted by Nomad

If anyone can answer this question, please do.

Why are there so many denominations? Why so many interpretations of Christianity? With so many different versions it gets confusing.

Befuddled,
Nomad

Emperor Constantine took the Bible from a series of essays into the Bible we know today, expelling the books he didnt want, and keeping the ones he did. Well the Orthodox church and the Catholic churches were first. The protestands broke off of the catholic church because of Martin Luther and his thesis about God. There has always been a battle between the Catholic and protestant church, which is why you could possibly hear bitterness between the two religions. (people at my school dislike catholics... they're non-denom) Many people belied very strongly about a different passage or two, and sectioned off from there. The LDS church has an entirley different book ATTATCHED to the bible, and for that some people think they arent christian. Its all a matter of how you worship... but it does seem that we should all be of one doesnt it...hmm...

[Mike182]

Originally Posted by Nomad

If anyone can answer this question, please do.

Why are there so many denominations? Why so many interpretations of Christianity? With so many different versions it gets confusing.

Befuddled,
Nomad

because so many people interprit things differently, it kinda makes it fun

[Evenstar]

If we were all the same wouldnt the world be dull?

People would be boring.

And there would be no call for this forum... because we would have nothing to discuss.

[michel]

Hi Nomad!

I didn't know there would be an answer to your question on Goole, but there was !

From:- http://www.creatingfutures.net/f5.html


There's no denying that Christians have done an outstanding job of splintering off into a staggering number of denominations and sects. A 1995 census of religious groups in America identifies over 150 Christian denominations (including 19 different Baptist groups), and doubtless many more exist worldwide. Which of them, if any, is "right"?

First, it should be noted that differences of opinion among Christians are nothing new. The New Testament contains a number of accounts of disagreements and factions among the earliest believers. Unfortunately, this ancient trend has never changed and is unlikely to do so, given the weaknesses and shortcomings of Christ's followers. Though Jesus himself expressed the desire that his Church be characterized by love and unity (see John 17), Christians through the ages have rarely lived up to this standard.

Having acknowledged that, it is also important to realize that the vast majority of differences among Christians have arisen from disagreements over "non-essential" issues. Should baptism be by immersion or sprinkling? Can women be ordained as ministers? What form of church government should be adopted? Is dancing permissible for Christians? While some of these questions may be important and worth debating, none of them can be considered absolutely essential to the faith.

And with all that disagreement over peripheral issues, Christianity has remained remarkably consistent on the central beliefs that define the faith: the divinity of Christ, his sacrificial death for our sins, and the need for repentance and faith to enter into a right relationship with God. That is the heart of the Gospel, and it has never changed. Sure, some people have called even those basic beliefs into question, but in doing so they have placed themselves outside the Christian faith.

So it is probably impossible to find one group or denomination that is right about everything, but we can all be right about what matters most.

[Nomad]

I'd like to thank you all. It dose make things more interesting...
But theres always others who are overwhelmed with the many different denominations (ME!). How is one supposed to be "in tune with the almighty" when trying to bend to 150 of different beliefs at once?! I was born into a (non-practicing) Catholic family. I'm almost 18 and I've only been to church about a total of five times in my life. The most important thing I learned (in my oppinion) is, not to let the collection plate pass without putting in at least a dollar.

In short: I'm going through my "what the bleep am I gonna do with the rest of my life?" phase . I've always been one to ask guestions and cause general havoc in a religious debate, but I want to commit to something before I die . Religion is something I hope to commit to before I'm 25. Sorry if I'm confusing. I just seek answers. Whether there true or not is up to my faith.

Thanks

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Nomad

If anyone can answer this question, please do.

Why are there so many denominations? Why so many interpretations of Christianity? With so many different versions it gets confusing.

Befuddled,
Nomad

Hi, Nomad.

The Apostle Paul said that the gospel of Jesus Christ was built on a foundation of Prophets and Apostles with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. He said that this organization was to continue to exist "until we come into unity of the faith." He said that otherwise, we'd be tossed about like children, hearing all kinds of doctrines and not having any way to know which of them to believe. I think he was right.

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Why are there so many denominations?

Pride.

Why so many interpretations of Christianity?

Pride.

With so many different versions it gets confusing.

Sure does.... but there has been an answer to this confusion from the begining:

"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him." This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit."

Immaculata pray for us,
Scott

[Nomad]

(Curiosty, have fun!)

Then according to you, only the church that Christ entrusted to Peter is the "closest" to the "original" doctrine?

You yourself are a victim of pride. How can one be humble before God if one is proud among men(and women)?

I will give my oppinion now.

There is no true doctrine of the Christian God. With so many diffferent versions and rituals and prayers, one is tempted to follow other more "simple" paths. I myself have studied the occult (wicca, demonism, etc.) and have found one thing consistent in nearly every religion on the planet:

(Insert Religion Here) Is the only way to get to heaven, Hell, Enlightenment, Etc.

The promise of an everlasting reward at the end of life is what is consistent.

Nomad

My oppinion is not my final thought. Just what i have noticed

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Then according to you, only the church that Christ entrusted to Peter is the "closest" to the "original" doctrine?

You yourself are a victim of pride. How can one be humble before God if one is proud among men(and women)?

How does this make Scott a "victim of pride"? You're equating conviction with pride. The two are not the same thing at all.