why are there so many denominations of christianity?

Question

Why does christianity have so many denominations...?

Ok i understand how they got there. But then how do i know which is the "intended" way? (Seems to me that preachers have been twisting the word of god for years before) Like when people werent allowed to read the bible.

Answer 1

Because people interpret things differently

Answer 2

Each denomination of christianity is based on a different interpretation of the bible. Every time that someone decides to interpret God's word differently, normally a new religion is born. Look at the past, such as Martin Luther and the forming of Lutheranism, or John Wesley and Methodism.

New denomitains form based on someone's personal experiance, or something that a person, or group of people believes needs changing in the current denomination.

Answer 3

Because ever since the Protestant Reformation by Luther in 1517, people were allowed to read the Bible for the first time. Scholars disagreed on the doctrines, so they interpret things differently. As a result there are so many Christian Denominations.

Answer 4

"Why are there so many denominations?"

In the early 1500s, a German monk named Martin Luther was so conscious of his sins that he spent up to six hours in the confessional. Through study of the Scriptures he found that salvation didn’t come through anything he did, but simply through trusting in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ. He listed the contradictions between what the Scriptures said and what his church taught, and nailed his "95 Theses" to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Martin Luther became the first to "protest" against the Roman church, and thus he became the father of the Protestant church.

Since that split, there have been many disagreements about how much water one should baptize with, how to sing what and why, who should govern who, etc., causing thousands of splinter groups. Many of these groups are convinced that they alone are right. These have become known as Protestant "denominations."

Despite the confusion, these churches subscribe to certain foundational beliefs such as the deity, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his" (2 Timothy 2:19). Thomas Jefferson once wrote of a preacher, Richard Mote, who "exclaimed aloud to his congregation that he did not believe there was a Quaker, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist in heaven, having paused to give his hearers time to stare and to wonder. He added that, in heaven, God knew no distinctions.

Answer 5

It all started after all the apostles of the church were murdered. The reason the apostles existed were to teach the members of the church true doctrine and call them to repentece, why did they need to exist if all people needed to do was ask to be saved? There were extremly neccessary through the scriptures as satan tried to mislead the saints constantly. The apostles guided the church and recieved revelation for that was neccessary for it's members at that time.

It is very clear as you look through history how neccessary the apostles were. After they were all murdered the church had no authority. The bishops of the time were all confused about church doctrine because there were no apostles to ask about it. After those bishops died the church did no know how to appoint new bishops for it's masses, as the apostles were the only ones who had appointed and chose those under them. The bishops were chosen by majority vote of the people. This eventually led to small wars, assasination and violence as to who would be bishop.
Later new doctrines were added to the church. The trinity (or legos as it was called by the gnostics who started teaching it) began to be taught and became an enforced doctrine by constantine (who was not a christian at the tiime but a sun worshiper). He established the Cathlic church and changed the sacrament, baptism, bishop requirments, just a couple from off the top of my head. All churches branched from the Cathlic church.
Now there are about 600,000 different denominations of christianity.

The main reason is there is no authority from God on the earth to ask questions about doctrine, as there always were in the scriptures. People find a verse, interpret it a different way, and start a church. Now several members of the same church all have different interpretations about the bible. They are confused as they have no direct authority from God to ask their question. Everyone interprets the scriptures a different way and people are even confused on what they consider scriptures.

There is only one God, One church, One way to heaven. An example: I live in arizona. You cannot take high way 101 and get to Los Angelos, you have to take I-10. There is only one road to salavation. God would not be God if he taugh several different ways to get back to him. You need to find that way.

Answer 6

The slippery slope of Protestantism. Division begets division. Satan's strategy is divide and conquer. Satan can't go after God, so he goes after God's children to try to confuse them and lead them away from the Church that God founded 2,000 years ago when Jesus walked the earth.

"Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation," 2 Peter 1:20

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours."
2 Thess. 2:15

"But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth." 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 15

"one Lord, one faith, one baptism," Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 5

Answer 7

Because none of them know how to interpret the Bible correctly. Go to a few Christian churches and you will see- they all teach from the same Bible, but say it teaches different things, and of course 'their denomination is the true one'. Well I say (and so does the Bible) that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

Answer 8

Well said ES. I would add that denominations are a tool that individuals created to divide the body of Christ...as in divide and conquer...ES is right, God does not recognize denomination, man does and it becomes an issue when man uses these denominations to exclude individuals from worshipping God because they don't conform to their way of worship. Just my 2 cents!

Answer 9

Many groups of people have different interpretations of what the bible says. Because of some of these differences they have different denominations.

Answer 10

Because so many people interput the Bible differently and the contex of which stuff is said in the Bible. But the Bible also says to respect people for what they believe and that they are not wrong they just think of it differently. i.e. like seven day baptist who go to church on saturday not sunday. i go to church on sunday not saturday. but do i think going to church on saturday is wrong or evil? of course not, i respect what the believe the bible says about taking the sabbath as a day of rest. So i hope that helps.

Answer 11

Because so much of the bible makes no sense and is full f hypocracies. It leave a lot of room for people to fill in the blanks or choose what part are important and what parts aren't.