Why so many denominations?

[shturt678]

It doesn't matter what churches you guys belong to; the posts are supposed to be about some particular denomination. So far, that's not happening.



Count that as settled at least.

I came up with Lutheran, ELCA = denomination and Baptist, DTS = denomination? Math never was my high point?

 

[Norah63]

What ever denomination that Steven is talking about, that's the one I am finding a really good one. In Jesus Christ we will never go astray. Is His a denomination?

 

[Albion]

What ever denomination that Steven is talking about, that's the one I am finding a really good one. In Jesus Christ we will never go astray. Is His a denomination?

The best I can tell, Stephen is recommending that we belong to NO denomination or church but just find a personal, intellectual connection with God.

 

[Norah63]

Sounded like he went to several different church gatherings. Looking for the best in all of them. For sure we must have our own salvation with God, that is a private and public matter imo.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Sounded like he went to several different church gatherings. Looking for the best in all of them. For sure we must have our own salvation with God, that is a private and public matter imo.

Humans are very poor followers; who would not want to belong to "their" Church.

 

[Norah63]

I didn't get that. Being in Christ is being in the church. We follow him as he leads us in which ever congregation, or denomination we attend. I was raised in a church that is now Community of Christ.
It has teachings that to me are too liberal so I don't attend there. However a home bible study gives much more fellowship and traditional teaching. Spiritual growth is the goal for each of us I would think. As for the bread and wine it can be taken in the home as well as a congregation. Happens for shut-in's all the time.

 

[Albion]

I didn't get that. Being in Christ is being in the church. We follow him as he leads us in which ever congregation, or denomination we attend. I was raised in a church that is now Community of Christ.
It has teachings that to me are too liberal so I don't attend there. However a home bible study gives much more fellowship and traditional teaching.

Need to decide which of those you are going to promote.

Spiritual growth is the goal for each of us I would think. As for the bread and wine it can be taken in the home as well as a congregation. Happens for shut-in's all the time.

Are you saying that you are going to boycott all congregations but have reason to expect that a pastor, deacon, eucharistic minister or someone like that will come to your home to serve you personally? I'd like to hear more of the details of that proposal.

 

[shturt678]

denominations/non-denomination's "Statement of faith" is subjective of course, and must be based upon something objective, ie, the Bible.

Bibles, especially after about 1918, are viewed by most to be the infallible Word of God. Unfortunately, not true. This is the primary main cause of so many denominations. Fallible, errant, and non-inspired Bible translations, ie, the original Autographs were definitely infallible, inerrant, and inspired, promote diverse 'statements of faith' where each think they have the one valid statement.

Just ol' old Jack's opinion

 

[Norah63]

What happened to the priesthood of every believer? As a believer, taking communion with my Lord, is any place it is done.
That's why there are so many denominations, cause there are so many opinions.
Should one attend a denomination just because it is established by men's law?

 

[shturt678]

What happened to the priesthood of every believer? As a believer, taking communion with my Lord, is any place it is done.
That's why there are so many denominations, cause there are so many opinions.
Should one attend a denomination just because it is established by men's law?

The "priesthood" of any beleiver are all those that are a part of the great Una Sancta on earth, wouldn't you agree?

This must be based upon the objective Scriptures in truth without shades of truth, wouldn't you agree?

Basing one's prieshood upon non-inspired Bible translations that promote diverse denominations would be just another shade of truth, ie, damnable lie, wouldn't you agree?

One scrutinizes the Context of non-inspired Texts in order to receive an inspired interpretation, and by the same token one goes to Church to have fellowship with the Triune God, ie, He's in there somewhere?

Just ol' old Jack's non-shady view

 

[now faith]

Because,there is much more to religion than God or even truth of his word.

Religous sects also involved trade and politics,somewhat like our two party system.

There has been so much bloodshed over it that it most certainly is more than worshipping God.

Often times it reminds me of free masonry,where there is favor found in society if you have the right handshake.
The one true belief is found in Gods Word his living Word,that is always a safe place to dwell.

Everything else is a matter of opinion.

 

[shturt678]

Because,there is much more to religion than God or even truth of his word.

Religous sects also involved trade and politics,somewhat like our two party system.

There has been so much bloodshed over it that it most certainly is more than worshipping God.

Often times it reminds me of free masonry,where there is favor found in society if you have the right handshake.
The one true belief is found in Gods Word his living Word,that is always a safe place to dwell.

Everything else is a matter of opinion.

We just have to narrow down all the diverse to extremely diverse opinions of which, or what Bible translation (Text or interpreation of said Text) = to the Living Word of God?

Just ol' old Jack that does appreciate you and your words.

 

[Norah63]

As you referred to my post Jack, then no not being catholic, that doesnt apply.
The objective scriptures?? You need to make that a little clearer.
As to the last, any revelation from rhe Holy Spirit that I recieve is God's word to me.
Personal relationship with the living God.
Jesus Christ alive and returning again, good gospel news!

 

[shturt678]

As you referred to my post Jack, then no not being catholic, that doesnt apply.
The objective scriptures?? You need to make that a little clearer.
As to the last, any revelation from rhe Holy Spirit that I recieve is God's word to me.
Personal relationship with the living God.
Jesus Christ alive and returning again, good gospel news!

 

[VolRaider]

History speaks for itself.

Before the Reformation, there were two major schisms that persisted: Oriental Orthodox and Orthodox. All others were supprress and fixed. In the West there was the Western Schism in the middle ages. There were also a host of heretical groups throughout the ages: various Gnostic groups, donatists, etc. After and since the Reformation, we now have Lutherans, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, Seventh Day Adventists, "Non Denominational", Wesleyans, United Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Word of Faith, and more. There are also now very unorthodox groups with no basis in history like the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnessses, Clans Christadelphians.

All of the groups listed here have contradicting beliefs on one or more major issues. All of them are "read[ing] Scripture ... and gain understanding through the Holy Spirit." The Reformation was about political change as much as it was about theological change. Religion in general did not have the power it once did. It made schisming over disagreement OK and sparked the events that would remove the power of the Churches to deal with such schisms (that mostly came around the Enlightenment).

You mentioned Gnostics, Donatists, etc. as pre-Reformation. I'm curious - were there any pre-Reformation groups that adhered to the Nicene Creed outside of the Catholic and Orthodox churches?

 

[Bill McEnaney]

For me, the shortest answer to that question is the phrase "scripture alone."

 

[pathfinder777]

For me, the shortest answer to that question is the phrase "scripture alone."

or even shorter "human nature"

 

[Albion]

You mentioned Gnostics, Donatists, etc. as pre-Reformation. I'm curious - were there any pre-Reformation groups that adhered to the Nicene Creed outside of the Catholic and Orthodox churches?

The Gnostics and Donatists are 'pre-Reformation' only in the sense that they came before the Reformation. They aren't otherwise related to it.

But the Waldensians and Hussites are often considered to be forerunners to the Reformation, and they didn't protest against anything in the Nicene Creed, as far as I recall.

 

[Bill McEnaney]

or even shorter "human nature"

Sure, because Adam and Eve wounded it when they fell.

I've met many evangelicals who put me to shame with their admirable piety, Lutheran Pastor Walter Litke, say, whom I met when I belonged to his church's youth group. He adored Our Lord, loved Holy Scripture, and preached wise, deep sermons. Still, although many evangelicals will disagree strongly with me, I believe that sola scriptura implies rationalism that the dictionary defines at Dictionary.Reference.com.

the principle or habit of accepting reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct.

Our Savior's evangelical followers don't mean to be rationalists in that sense of the word. They know that that God revealed what the Bible teaches. But if there's no infallible interpreter of it, we act as though we're the authorities over scripture, even when we insist that it's an authority over us.

"Sola scriptura" has enough meanings that to me, it sounds like a nearly meaningless slogan. Friends of mine tell me that the Bible is our only inerrant, authoritative source of divinely revealed truth. Their point seems understandable enough to me until I find evangelicals who redefine it.

I can't adopt any version of that doctrine when I remember that the Bible, or my fallible interpretation of it, suggests that in the sense of the phrase I've described here, sola scriptura refutes itself. In Our Blessed Lord's day before any divinely inspired writer wrote any New Testament book, the Old Testament was the only Bible. So if ancient Christians believed sola scriptura before they got the New Testament, they would have thought the Old one was the only scripture that they needed. Since the Bible includes the New Testament, it's hard for me to believe that they needed only the old one.

 

[Albion]

"Sola scriptura" has enough meanings that to me, it sounds like a nearly meaningless slogan.

Can you give some example of that? Because there's only one meaning that I'm familiar with--(use) Scripture Alone (to determine doctrine).

I know that there's such a thing as SolO Scriptura that some people talk about, but Sola Scriptura is Sola Scriptura as far as I know.

Friends of mine tell me that the Bible is our only inerrant, authoritative source of divinely revealed truth. Their point seems understandable enough to me until I find evangelicals who redefine it.

Such as?