There is basically only 3 real major denominations

[JohnB445]

1. Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox Makes up 3.8%
2. Roman Catholicism Makes up 15.9%
3. Protestantism Makes up 11.6%

cults, on the other hand, Makes up 0.4%

31.3% of the world are professing Christians, minus the cults (Did not include)

So in theory 31.3% or more depending on new believers, and nonparticipants in the survey, have a chance of salvation. Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world, however, around 70% of the world is unsaved and subject to damnation.

 

[SeventyOne]

I think 70% is very generous these days. Very, very generous. I don't think there will be many churches shut down the Sunday immediately following the rapture.

 

[dzheremi]

I don't think this is a healthy or helpful way to look at things. I'm Orthodox myself ('Oriental' if you must, so as to keep the Greeks from attacking me with a broom, but in our liturgies and among ourselves it's just Orthodox), but I've never gotten any indication that we are to say or think of the non-Orthodox world as being "unsaved" or "subject to damnation", or at least not any more than we may consider ourselves that way. In our liturgies the celebrant confesses himself to be the chief of sinners, and he is the one who is entrusted with the most holy blood and body of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ! And all of us confess likewise, because as it says in the Psalms, "if You should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

The answer is nobody. Nobody without God, Who can and will meet people outside of any of the listed traditions. How else do you imagine any of us who were not born into one in particular (I wasn't born Coptic Orthodox; I was raised Presbyterian and subsequently spent many years in agnosticism and in Roman Catholicism before being found in Orthodoxy) came to be in one? I didn't get lost on my way to Roman Catholic mass, I'll put it that way, with all due respect to those people.

From the Agpeya/Coptic Horologion, part of the prayer that ends every hour:

Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshiped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come...

 

[Radagast]

3. Protestantism Makes up 11.6%

But that's hardly a unified whole.

There's Anglicans (reflecting the unusual Reformation in England), Lutherans, Presbyterian/Dutch Reformed (influenced by Calvin), Anabaptists (Mennonites, for example), modern Baptists (who combine influences from several of the previous strands), and Pentecostals.

Differences between those groups are larger than between Catholics and Orthodox.

Plus there's a conservative/liberal divide running through almost all of those groups as well.

 

[JohnB445]

I don't think this is a healthy or helpful way to look at things. I'm Orthodox myself ('Oriental' if you must, so as to keep the Greeks from attacking me with a broom, but in our liturgies and among ourselves it's just Orthodox), but I've never gotten any indication that we are to say or think of the non-Orthodox world as being "unsaved" or "subject to damnation", or at least not any more than we may consider ourselves that way. In our liturgies the celebrant confesses himself to be the chief of sinners, and he is the one who is entrusted with the most holy blood and body of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ! And all of us confess likewise, because as it says in the Psalms, "if You should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

The answer is nobody. Nobody without God, Who can and will meet people outside of any of the listed traditions. How else do you imagine any of us who were not born into one in particular (I wasn't born Coptic Orthodox; I was raised Presbyterian and subsequently spent many years in agnosticism and in Roman Catholicism before being found in Orthodoxy) came to be in one? I didn't get lost on my way to Roman Catholic mass, I'll put it that way, with all due respect to those people.

From the Agpeya/Coptic Horologion, part of the prayer that ends every hour:

Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshiped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come...

Those who have genuinely trusted Jesus Christ redemptive work on the cross, been regenerated (repentance/New Birth). I'm sure are saved, I'm also sure God wants people to have the assurance of their salvation.

1. If they believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord, died for their sins, and raised from the dead.
2. If they have been divinely regenerated and are able to walk in an newness of life.

then I can be pretty sure those who meet those 2 criteria are most likely saved

 

[Jonaitis]

The irony is that despite having the reputation of being the largest religion in the world, we actually make up a small portion of Christendom, and much smaller than other major religions.

 

[JohnB445]

The irony is that despite having the reputation of being the largest religion in the world, we actually make up a small portion of Christendom, and much smaller than other major religions.

At least the beacon of light may be able to reach some despite the distortion of the gospel. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4)

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Well, Christ didn't say the path to salvation was wide.

 

[CleanSoul]

2. Roman Catholicism Makes up 15.9%

Just to clarify, the Catholic Church is not a denomination. It is the Church Jesus created. The other, (man-made) Christian Churches are the denominations.

 

[Radagast]

Just to clarify, the Catholic Church is not a denomination.

Well, of course it is.

It is the Church Jesus created.

If any denomination has the right to claim that, it's the Orthodox.

 

[Discussdocs]

I don't think this is a healthy or helpful way to look at things. I'm Orthodox myself ('Oriental' if you must, so as to keep the Greeks from attacking me with a broom, but in our liturgies and among ourselves it's just Orthodox), but I've never gotten any indication that we are to say or think of the non-Orthodox world as being "unsaved" or "subject to damnation", or at least not any more than we may consider ourselves that way. In our liturgies the celebrant confesses himself to be the chief of sinners, and he is the one who is entrusted with the most holy blood and body of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ! And all of us confess likewise, because as it says in the Psalms, "if You should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

The answer is nobody. Nobody without God, Who can and will meet people outside of any of the listed traditions. How else do you imagine any of us who were not born into one in particular (I wasn't born Coptic Orthodox; I was raised Presbyterian and subsequently spent many years in agnosticism and in Roman Catholicism before being found in Orthodoxy) came to be in one? I didn't get lost on my way to Roman Catholic mass, I'll put it that way, with all due respect to those people.

From the Agpeya/Coptic Horologion, part of the prayer that ends every hour:

Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshiped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come...

I like how you put this. I think you are right. Here in the west I feel like we tend to get it backwards. For me I believe that Jesus accomplished the Resurrection from the dead and that its universal for all people. Of course entrance into the kingdom will not and the unrepentant will have to judged for their sins. I like how you highlighted that the need for all is Jesus and by Jesus only are we saved. Do "Orientals" such as yourself affirm a more ancestral sin or original guilt type model? Just curious about the faith.

 

[dzheremi]

Do "Orientals" such as yourself affirm a more ancestral sin or original guilt type model? Just curious about the faith.

Hmm. I'd have to know more about those two to know how they differ before I answer for sure. I've never really gotten the sense from any of our prayers that they are about 'guilt', with the exception of some of the retiring prayers which talk about the seriousness of our sins (the litanies from Compline in the Coptic book of daily prayers known as the Agpeya), which anyway are about what we have personally done, not about guilt for what our first parents did in the beginning. If anything, I think the operative distinction is probably one of purity: we recite Psalm 51 many times a day ("You shall wash me with Your hyssop, and I shall be purified"), we practice churching after the birth of children, the Coptic word for "Priest" (owiib) is etymologically related to the word for "to be pure/holy" (owab; this is also the word we use for saints, e.g., pijori ethowab Abba Mousi "St. Moses the Strong"), etc. There is a big sense of the church being where God is among us, being the house of the angels and all of the saints, and so on. We take our shoes off before entering in recognition that we are standing upon holy ground, just as Moses did in the Old Testament when God spoke to him out of the burning bush.

I may not know the answer to your question, but I do know where it is good to go if you want to do something about it.

 

[Discussdocs]

Hmm. I'd have to know more about those two to know how they differ before I answer for sure. I've never really gotten the sense from any of our prayers that they are about 'guilt', with the exception of some of the retiring prayers which talk about the seriousness of our sins (the litanies from Compline in the Coptic book of daily prayers known as the Agpeya), which anyway are about what we have personally done, not about guilt for what our first parents did in the beginning. If anything, I think the operative distinction is probably one of purity: we recite Psalm 51 many times a day ("You shall wash me with Your hyssop, and I shall be purified"), we practice churching after the birth of children, the Coptic word for "Priest" (owiib) is etymologically related to the word for "to be pure/holy" (owab; this is also the word we use for saints, e.g., pijori ethowab Abba Mousi "St. Moses the Strong"), etc. There is a big sense of the church being where God is among us, being the house of the angels and all of the saints, and so on. We take our shoes off before entering in recognition that we are standing upon holy ground, just as Moses did in the Old Testament when God spoke to him out of the burning bush.

I may not know the answer to your question, but I do know where it is good to go if you want to do something about it.

Let me clarify a bit. Original sin in the West is closely linked with original guilt. Meaning not only did Adam bring death upon humanity, but he brought his guilt on them. In other words every person born is worthy of the final judgment simply for being born. Ancestral in the East only affirms death on the race instead of guilt.

 

[dzheremi]

Ah, that's right. The second one is closer, then. Our father HH St. Athanasius the Apostolic writes a lot about mankind's liability towards death in his On the Incarnation, for instance, without ever making individuals guilty of anything by virtue of being born. If I recall correctly, that view came later with saints from the western tradition, like Augustine.

Edit: There is a prayer in the liturgy where the priest says "For no one is pure, even if his life be but a day", but that is very different than saying "For everyone is guilty, even if his life be but a day" or whatever the corresponding view would be in the original sin and guilt model. You're not guilty of anything just for being born, but you do have to deal with the consequence of the introduction of sin into the world which had previously not known it, I suppose, since that's the world as you know it.

 

[Discussdocs]

Ah, that's right. The second one is closer, then. Our father HH St. Athanasius the Apostolic writes a lot about mankind's liability towards death in his On the Incarnation, for instance, without ever making individuals guilty of anything by virtue of being born. If I recall correctly, that view came later with saints from the western tradition, like Augustine.

Edit: There is a prayer in the liturgy where the priest says "For no one is pure, even if his life be but a day", but that is very different than saying "For everyone is guilty, even if his life be but a day" or whatever the corresponding view would be in the original sin and guilt model. You're not guilty of anything just for being born, but you do have to deal with the consequence of the introduction of sin into the world which had previously not known it, I suppose, since that's the world as you know it.

Thanks for this. So would you understand that our sin warrants us to be condemned by God or just living in unrepentant continual sin? Thanks for all of the prayers and liturgy. Super helpful.

 

[dzheremi]

I'm not sure what that distinction means. If you're living in unrepentant continual sin, then it makes sense to say that your sin warrants condemnation.

 

[Discussdocs]

I'm not sure what that distinction means. If you're living in unrepentant continual sin, then it makes sense to say that your sin warrants condemnation.

The distinction being "we all sin every now again" to someone remaining in unrepentant. I think you answered it. I was just curious and I agree.

 

[dzheremi]

Oh. I think I see now. I don't think that's a distinction we make. I've never been told in confession, for instance, that such-and-such a thing doesn't matter (or matters less) if it wasn't habitual.

 

[bbbbbbb]

I'm not sure what that distinction means. If you're living in unrepentant continual sin, then it makes sense to say that your sin warrants condemnation.

All sin warrants judgement (condemnation), but we sinners love to live in denial, thinking that God somehow winks at sin, especially our own sin.

 

[The Liturgist]

1. Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox Makes up 3.8%
2. Roman Catholicism Makes up 15.9%
3. Protestantism Makes up 11.6%

cults, on the other hand, Makes up 0.4%

31.3% of the world are professing Christians, minus the cults (Did not include)

So in theory 31.3% or more depending on new believers, and nonparticipants in the survey, have a chance of salvation. Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world, however, around 70% of the world is unsaved and subject to damnation.

You forgot the Church of the East, which used to be the largest denomination, stretching from Edessa to Tibet and Mongolia.

Also I myself think a distinction must be made between Magisterial Protestants like Lutherans, Anglicans and high church Calvinists, Radical Reformers like Anabaptists and Mennonites, and Restorationists like the SDA and Pentecostals.

And then we have Anglo Catholics, who further confuse the model.