Christians: Please clear this up for me?

Question

Let's go back to the early christians. In 431 the Nestorians split off, and in 451 the Oriental Orthodox split off from the main branch. Then in the 11th century there was the Great Schism, and we have Roman Catholicism (in western rite and eastern rite flavour) and Eastern Orthodoxy. Reformation in the 16th century where the Protestants split off, and somewhere along the line that branched and added Anglicanism and Restorationism. And don't even get me started on the Adventists, Anabaptists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed and Pentecostals, although I think they're all protestants or something.

I've seen some of you bicker with and pick on each other. How can you claim one faith? And how does this make the whole bible thing more likely? Shouldn't the word of God be unequivocal in its message and not open to such wide interpretation? Who is right?

Gummy: how is that in any way an answer to my question?

Rob, it is pretty certain that Jesus was a Jew.

is Christianity *gasp* evolving? Prone to the pressures of natural selection perhaps?

beta_fishy: how does adding one more to the mix clear things up? As I recall, LDS are not exactly a hit with the other denominations?

Answer 1

I'd go with jim darwin's interpretation, and say chuck that book, chase box and drink rum and coke

Answer 2

Hi Acid zebr,
After answering my question, I tracked you down, and here I am arriving on your screen with a crash!

With all the Q&A I have read on religion at this site, it seems to be the search for truth, and since those who search can never really know the true story; it is a matter of faith.

FAITH, believing with out knowing what you believe is so..

In answer to your question, to put it simply.
We are human beings, and it is in our nature to dig and delve into things. It doesn't mean we will come up with the right answer, but we search.

My view is, we each take from life what we need, some will have simple faith, others complicated questioning, or valid reasoning, and a fight to make sense of the matter.
It doesn't seem to change, however far back we go in the history of the fight to prove god, it's all down to faith, because we can't know

Therefore,we simply can't know who is right!

But surely, the bickering opens up debate, and that is always a good thing.
People questioning, reasoning, if at the end of that we don't arrive at the truth, so what? We keep searching...

I rather go for spirituality,what drives you and brings some kind of inner peace. It may be god, it may not, I'll get back to you;-)

Best wishes, Cassandra

Answer 3

What a great question! I'm a Christian and it annoys me too. If you ask any question it will probably annoy them.

Here's one answer- there's no excuse for it. We are messed up and messed up in all those divisions.

Here's another answer- Christianity is based on a specific set of doctrines and those theologians who protect these doctrines really get up in arms when someone believes something different- so much so that they are willing to split over it. Sometimes these splits are healthy and help correct the church when it starts going off in the wrong direction. For example, in the 1800's the Methodist church accepted Slavery. (I know it's very shameful) and so a group broke off and created the Free Methodists whom did not believe in slavery. It was a healthy correction to a church doctrinal fallacy.

Also- check into some newer churches- you might be surprised. I go to a new church plant and we do not fight over the details. There are a few specific points that distinguish Christianity from other religions, but all other details are open for debate. There are many, many churches across America that believe this. No, these are not Universalist churches. We Believe that Jesus is God and believe that God gave us his message in the Bible without fault. We hold the Bible in high esteem. There are many churches like this.

Thanks for your question. I'm sorry that we're so messed up...it's true- but that only proves our message b/c that exactly why we need Jesus.

Answer 4

It was one of the things that convinced me that, at core, Christianity wasn't what it claimed to be. Sincere faithful people being unable to be in agreement. and not just on trivial details.

The message ought to be clearer than that, if it was more than human.

And it's still going on. At a current conference in Africa , seven archbishops have refused to take communion with Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church. It doesn't look as though the Anglican church can stay together much longer.

"Conservative churchgoers were angered by that decision, as they believe homosexuality is contrary to the Church's teachings.

However, liberal Anglicans have argued that biblical teachings on justice and inclusion should take precedence."

Answer 5

Ok. Playing Devil's Advocate here for a moment (damn, perhaps the wrong idiom, but you get what I mean).

Maybe God's message WAS unequivocal. The trouble is he entrusted it to humans. And after that it's all down to chinese whispers.

And you know how those go. By the time you're halfway round the room 'Lamb of God' becomes 'Hamlet's kn*b' and you're facing another schism.
.

Answer 6

The Bible explains it in two verses.

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:5-6

Christ established his church upon his death which was the birth of Christianity. This was many years prior to the multiple denominations that came about when man decided he wanted to do things differently from what was taught in the scriptures.

The church of Christ is the church established by Christ himself while he was alive. We are not affiliated with any denomination but, instead, seek only to be Christians.

Each congregation is governed by its own elders, in harmony with the New Testament. We have no central headquarters or president. The head of the church is none other than Jesus Christ himself (Ephesians 1:22-23).

It is the Word of God that unites us into One Faith (Ephesians 4:3-6). We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles, and not the teachings of man. We are Christians only!

Answer 7

The Catholic Church is the church Jesus Christ founded and after 2000 years is still One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. It's not our fault that some Christians feel they need to divide the Body of Christ into denominations. Hopefully someday all the Protestants and others will return to the One True Church and then we will be truely one.

Answer 8

Exactly. You make a perfectly valid point. We refer to it as the Great Apostasy, when the true church was lost from the Earth. A restoration of the ancient church was necesary. It occurred in 1830.

Answer 9

We are not automotons and we are not clones. God created diversity in nature and in human personality, therefore, it stands to reason, that He appreciates diversity. There is diversity is the practice of faith because we are not all wired the same.

Some find more meaning in a rationalistic, word-centered approach to worship, others in music and inspiring visuals (architecture, stained glass, etc), others in yet other ways. The Quaker who sits in silence, the Orthodox who bows with incense, the Pentacostal who shouts and dances are all worshiping the same God.

The importance of Christianity lies in the central tenent that Christ died to re-unite human kind with God. *How* we chose to express our praise, thanksgiving, repentence, etc., is far less important than that we *do* it.

Answer 10

That's like asking the blind which part of the elephant is the correct one.
People are at different stages of spiritual understanding and thus some people stress some parts of the Bible at the expense of others, depending on their level of growth. It's wrong, but human nature.

Answer 11

The Baptists