Why is the church divided?

Question

The church is divided. You cannot refute that assertion. Why do we have all these different denominations?. Are they the product of creativity or dissent?

Answer 1

The different denominations?
Why, dissent, dear! Remember Martin Luther? He didn't agree with the Catholic Church's rules, so he posted his complaints on his door, which got stolen, and he was eventually kicked out of the Catholic church and went on to found Lutheranism.
Calvinism, Baptism (originally Ana-Baptism, then became popular among African-American slaves), Methodism, etc. are all denominations which were created in order to express their own, slightly different, views on Christianity.

Now, all of the denominations (sans Catholicism, which is the mother hen, so to speak) are grouped under Protestant (to "protest" Catholicism), and Catholicism is, well, Catholicism.

Answer 2

There are so many denominations for several reasons. (1) Each denomination has a slightly different doctrine or emphasis from the others. (2) As people started churches, they simply gave them different names. (3) Denominations are good in that if you attended a Baptist church in one town, and then moved to another town, you could attend a similar Baptist church in the new town. The Lutheran denomination was named after Martin Luther. The Methodists got their name because their founder, John Wesley, was famous for coming up with “methods” for spiritual growth. Presbyterians are named for their view on church leadership - the Greek word for elder is "presbyteros." Baptists got their name because they have always emphasized the importance of baptism.

We, as believers, must believe the same on the essentials of the faith, but beyond that there is great latitude in how a Christian should worship, serve, and live his life. This latitude is what causes so many different flavors of Christianity. Diversity is a good thing, but disunity is not. If two churches disagree doctrinally, it is fine that they remain separate. This separation, though, does not lift the responsibility Christians have to love one another (1 John 4:11-12) – and ultimately be united as one in Christ (John 17:21-22).

Answer 3

The folks at Family Radio believe the Final Judgment and Second Coming of Christ will be in the fall of 2011.

For example see the book “Time Has an End” on line at:
http://www.timehasanend.org/public/en_time_has_an_end_cont.html

This group, whose primary teacher is one Harold Camping, also believes the Church Age has ended in 1988 and believers are to come out of the churches as they are now under the control of malevolent forces now that the Tribulation has begun. According to this group, this is why there is so much strife between and within church groups.

See the book Time Has an End, Ch. 10:
http://www.timehasanend.org/public/en_time_has_an_end_ch10.html

That said, the online audio lectures at Family Radio, are illuminating and worth a listen:
See: http://worldwide.familyradio.org/zusa/english/connect/audio_archive/echoes/frame/download/download.html

Finally, for the offline version of the Family Radio nightly call in show, where folks ask questions about the bible to Mr. Camping, see:
http://worldwide.familyradio.org/zusa/english/connect/audio_archive/forum/frame/

I am not endorsing Family Radio’s doctrines, but one is able to learn quite a bit by listening to these materials.

The fact that there is strife within and among the churches MAY be one of the signs of the end times.

Most of what you will read about the end times are pre-millennial views: the view that Christ's return will usher in a future millennium of Messianic rule mentioned in the book of Revelation before the final judgment. The believers of this doctrine also hold to the notion of a Rapture of the righteous beforehand.

Others hold that there will be only one second coming of Christ, at the time of the Final Judgment.

Then there are mixtures involving the views of the seven year tribulation and whether it is happening now, will happen later, etc.

These doctrines all fall under the general heading known as the study of end times, or eschatology.

Personally, I am an orthodox preterist.

For explanations of the various eschatological beliefs see: http://www.religioustolerance.org/millenni.htm

Answer 4

Because true believers in Jesus and his teachings finally have a chance to express themselves without the fear of reprisals, such as torture or executions by way of burning on the stake for not complying to the Vatican's historical dogmas, laws and credences.
Christianity was born way before the Catholic church appeared, more than 300 years hence, but with the onslaught of the pagan Emperor Costantine's doctrines set out as obligatory doctrines as written out in the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, anyone deviating from these was put to death. So how was any alterior opinion, interpretation, study or view ever possible? No wonder secret societies eventually emerged!
The seed of disharmony among Christians rests with the Vatican alone! And only because their true goal was power and wealth...and this is still going on today! Search out it's history and find that no part of it can be attributed to the teachings of Jesus.

My thoughts and beliefs, stem from a Catholic upbringing. From Birth, through upbringing, to enlightened education through history and my own personal voyage in search of the truth.
Enough and plenty information is available for anyone truely interested.

What's lacking is the will....! The Jesus user's time is up!

Answer 5

Since religion is based on unproven and unprovable assertions it doesn't take much for people to decide that they would rather believe a different unprovable assertion than the one that they are presented they start their own church and *Poof* a new denomination is born. There is nothing more to it than that.

Answer 6

There is division within the divisions even. Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace but, division Mother against daughter, Father against son etc.It is no big surprise that things are "melting". He has a reason for this. All of the Orthodox of the Christian religions will find common ground and become one again while the Left Wing "Progressionists" see much weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Answer 7

They are the product of a large number of people trying to find an absolute and irrefutable definition for an incomprehensible infinity.

Humans cannot comprehend the infinite and yet they operate on a desperate need to understand. What happens, all too often, is that desperation leads people to be mulish about defending their beliefs.

Answer 8

It's true . It will always be Until Christ returns. I think dissent and creativity are both good answers along with interpretation of the scriptures

Answer 9

They are a product of loss of Discipline - the root word of "Disciple".

The Creeds are clear....those are the essentials.

Read a great little book sometime - "Creed or Chaos" by Dorothy Sayer, a contemporary write of C.S. Lewis. It's out of print....but - it's a treasure!

Answer 10

because people decided to let their opinions speak instead of the word of God. If everyone didn't hush the Holy Spirit, then maybe the people, the demons and the influences wouldn't have their say.

Christ said the birds of the air nested in the branches. I guess it happened...