Thanks for your answer Dean, and yes I've read both of those confessions and they are the Westminster almost word for word except edited parts to justify credobaptism as you mentioned along with church autonomy and biblical authority over anything else....fact is...Presbyterians are NOT Baptists period. And IMHO and in a LOT of others opinions "Reformed" Baptists are not truely Reformed. Trust me I just made the transition. The 2 biggies are the PCA and the PC(USA). And NO I wouldn't suggest excluding the other Reformed denominations such as:
Associated with the Dutch Reformed (
Gereformeerde Gemeenten (Dutch)) churches in the
Netherlands.
The PCA is the second largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, after the
PCUSA. Its motto is: "Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith and Obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ."
The Presbyterian Church in Canada, formed in June 1875, as a union of 4 Presbyterian groups in the Dominion of Canada (created in 1867); These "Continuing Presbyterians", did not join the United Church of Canada in 1925, of Presbyterians, along with Methodists, Congregationalists, and Union Churches.
Most Presbyterian churches adhere to the
Westminster Confession of Faith, but the Presbyterian Church (USA), in order to embrace the historical expressions of the whole Reformed tradition as found in the United States, has adopted a
Book of Confessions which includes the Westminster Confession of Faith.
- Presbyterian Churches have split a number of times. Many of these historic splits have been resolved. From the continuing branch churches, some have split in turn. Only some of the continuing branches from the main bodies are listed here, with the year of their separation.
One of the most conservative of all Reformed/Calvinist denominations, the PRCA separated from the Christian Reformed Church in the 1920s in a
schism over the issue of
common grace.
The RCA is the oldest Reformed church in the North America, formed by Dutch immigrants in earliest colonial times.
Nothing against baptists...but that's like saying that Anglicans and Lutherans should share a forum
because they honestly share a LOT of their doctrines, etc....not good enough. It is mentioned that Presbyterians and Baptists share a lot in common, and that's true...why do Baptists get a distinctive forum and not Presbyterians and the truely Reformed churches...it's all about denomination identity, which has been well done on CF for everyone but us Presbyterians. To use the Baptist comparison as Dean mentioned...dispensationalism is not a Presbyterian characteristics/doctrine and it is however a Baptist doctrine....credobaptism is not a presbyterian doctrine ever...the existence of the concept of a presbytery is never a Baptist concept for that goes against local church atonomy...creeds and confessions are not held by the majority of baptist churches(and most reformed baptist churches don't hold to them anymore exclusively like the majority of reformed/presbyterian churches do exclusively. There are many many more differences to where I deem it's warranted for at least a serious review by the CF administration. Is that such a crime Dean?
HONESTLY I am sick of being made into an "exclusivist" in the worst sense of this word concerning this subject!!!! Which has been done mind you.
I've already been labeled a troublemaker by posting a poll in the Semper Reformanda forum concerning this very subject...although it wasn't worded as detailed in concern as I have done here.
In NO way am I suggesting to get rid of a forum for fellowship between ALL Calvinists...it's a good thing...but I believe an exclusive Presbyterian forum is in order. I know for a fact that one of the side-effects of my arguement/poll in Semper Reformanda regarding the new SoF's(the reported and locked one) is that there is now a new thread in the Baptist forum for ALL calivinsts...I guess people felt like I was wanting to exclude others from Semper Reformanda by asking that it be made into a true to the Reformed faith forum...well I guess that's a fact...is this so wrong?
I hope that the administration of CF in the very least give honest and prayerful consideration to this idea and don't just respond without thinking about it first.
As always thankyou for listening.