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2 Questions: how many Christian denominations are there .. based on what & sourse

twin.spin

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There are certian people (mostly LDS) who just love to make the claim that there are 30,000 christian denominations. Of course they say this to validify themselves for their "restoration". Be that as it may... what has me curiously wondering ... partly because I feel that number of 30,000 is exagerated
  1. Just how many really are there ? (based on correct Biblical standards)
  2. How did you come to that number
If you are to use wikipedia.org as a source,
  • That isn't near 30,000 (if all were from the list)
  • Many are obvious non-christian
    • if that is a acceptable list to start from...whom would you remove (being that I'm not familier with everyone)
 
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filosofer

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The numbers I have seen in research over the past 20 years is that there are 30,000 - 35,000 Christian denominations in the world (thus, does not count LDS, or RLDS, etc.). I don’t have the sources right at hand, though. I had done quite a bit of this kind of research for many years (1986-1999).

 
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twin.spin

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You have to consider that each branch of a denomination is also called a denomination (ELCA is a denomination, LCMS is a denomination, etc).
Exactly. So that is what I'm attempting to figure....
How many denominations would be considered "Christian"
This (again) from Wikipedia a list of just the Lutheran denominations:

Lutheranism

  • Apostolic Lutheran Church of America
  • Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
  • Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America
  • Church of the Lutheran Confession
  • Concordia Lutheran Conference
  • Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church "Concord" (Russia)
    • Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (Germany)
    • Evangelical Lutheran Synod (United States)
    • Lutheran Church of Central Africa Malawi Conference
    • Lutheran Church of Central Africa Zambia Conference
    • Ukrainian Lutheran Church
    • Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (United States)
  • Evangelical Catholic Church
  • Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran
  • Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
  • International Lutheran Council
    • American Association of Lutheran Churches
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church - Synod of France and Belgium
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church of England
    • Gutnius Lutheran Church
    • Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
    • Japan Lutheran Church
    • Lanka Lutheran Church
    • Lutheran Church—Canada
    • Lutheran Church—Hong Kong Synod
    • Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (United States)
    • Lutheran Church of Australia (associate member)
  • German Evangelical Church in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (no longer in existence)
  • Laestadian Lutheran Church
  • Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  • Lutheran Church of China (no longer in existence)
  • Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (United States)
  • Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church (United States)
  • Lutheran Ministerium and Synod - USA
  • Lutheran World Federation
    • Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Arcot Lutheran Church
    • Batak Christian Protestant Church
    • Church of Denmark
    • Church of Iceland
    • Church of Norway
    • Church of Sweden
    • Church of the Faroe Islands
    • Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Himalayan States
    • Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway (associate member)
    • Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chotanagpur and Assam
    • Indian Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Lutheran Church of Australia (associate member)
    • Malagasy Lutheran Church
    • Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Simalungun Protestant Christian Church
    • South Andhra Lutheran Church
    • Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church
 
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DaRev

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Exactly. So that is what I'm attempting to figure....
How many denominations would be considered "Christian"
This (again) from Wikipedia a list of just the Lutheran denominations:

I would consider "Lutheran" a "denomination". Those listed are independant Lutheran church bodies even though what they may teach and practice can be quite distinct.
 
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DaRev

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Darev its a dictionary technicality. By definition a synod would be a denomination.

In a given context, that is true. I'm using the word in a different context, though. In my earlier post I broadened it even more by saying there are two "denominations", catholic and reformed.
 
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twin.spin

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In a given context, that is true. I'm using the word in a different context, though. In my earlier post I broadened it even more by saying there are two "denominations", catholic and reformed.


In that given context then ........... when somebody is saying that there is 30,000 ( + or -) based on that given context

How many denominations would be considered "Christian" (based on correct Biblical standards)




 
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DaRev

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In that given context then ........... when somebody is saying that there is 30,000 ( + or -) based on that given context

How many denominations would be considered "Christian" (based on correct Biblical standards)

Well, list the 30,000 you are talking about and we'll go through them one at a time.
 
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twin.spin

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Well, list the 30,000 you are talking about and we'll go through them one at a time.


Catholic Church
  • Catholic Church
Eastern Catholic Churches
Eastern Orthodox Church
Oriental Orthodox Church
Assyrian Church of the East
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion also includes
 
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twin.spin

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Other churches self-identified as Catholic
Orthodox
Oriental
Western-Rite
Assyrian
Anglican
Pre-Lutheran Protestants
Lutheran *** see post 5th January 2011 08:25 PM ***



Reformed Churches
 
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twin.spin

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Presbyterian
Congregational Churches
Anabaptists
Brethren
 
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twin.spin

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Baptists
 
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twin.spin

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Methodists
Pietists and Holiness Churches
Spiritual Baptists
Apostolic Churches – Irvingites
Charismatics
Neo-Charismatic Churches
African Initiated Churches
United and uniting churches
 
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twin.spin

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Pentecostalism
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement
Southcottites
Sabbath-Keeping Churches, Adventist
Sunday Adventists
Sacred Name Groups
 
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twin.spin

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British-Israelism
Miscellaneous/Other
Messianic Judaism
Then to exclude cults like LDS, JW's, Non-Trinitarian, Other non-Trinitarians, Unitarianism and Universalism, Bible Student groups, Swedenborgianism, New Thought, Syncretistic religions incorporating elements of Christianity and Esoteric Christianity
 
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