Why are most Christians lumped together in many questions and answers?

Question

There are so many different kinds of Christians out there. Christianity has four main groups: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant. Protestant is often just a blanket term for many groups that don't fit into the other three. Subdivisons inside this include Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Evangelical, Mormans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists and more. Each one of these groups has a at least one tiny little thing that is different from the others.
So how can you lump all Christians together when there are so many different and diverse groups? For that matter, how can you lump anyone together? It doesn't matter if you use more specific terms: 'All Baptists hate gays.' It's not true, whether you use Christian or Baptist! Each person can think for themselves. Even in my church, people are split over different issues because we are DIFFERENT. We are not all just one huge person. So please respect that before saying we 'all' hate people or do this or that.

Answer 1

Probably the same reasons that Christians here of all types lump all non christians together..

Answer 2

Such grouping usually is done by athiests or agnostics who are either ignorant or are simply looking for answers and points.

First off, there are really 3 groups of Christians.

Orthodox - no internal schism other than with the Catholics and those who do not accept the 4th Ecumenical Council. Those Orthodox churches are in error and separated themselves from Communion and will be welcomed back with open arms if the error is rectified.

Catholic - no internal schism other than with the Orthodox

Protestant - splintered into 41,998 denominations due to rejecting papal leadership, church canons and traditions.

Some Protestant denominations like the Lutherans respect ancient church canons and laws. Some like the Episcopals and Anglicans reinterpret the Bible for their own interests.

For example, "All Baptists hate gays" has no root in the Christian concept of loving one's neighbor and blessing one's enemies.

Answer 3

Agree with Bob, there are only three Divisions in Christendom; Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant.

I understand with what you are saying SEC. There are some pretty stark contrasts between the Protestants of the Reformation and the protestants that draw their heritage back through another denomination (or a few denominations) to the arrive at the Reformation. Or even Restorationalist movements that don't even claim to trace their heritage back through the Reformation.

Answer 4

Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider themselves to be a "Protestant" religion, because its adherents did not split from some other established religion in "protest" of some handful of differences.

Jehovah's Witnesses have the true religion. They are Christian (of course), but they are unique for their rejection of paganisms, use of God's personal name, and global preaching by every active adherent. No other religious organization can claim such purity of worship.

These facts about Jehovah's Witnesses are perhaps relevant to this question. The more one compares this Christian religion with others, the more remarkable it is shown to be.

1. Jehovah's Witnesses have no paid clergy. Yet they remain tightly organized with more than 6.5 million active Jehovah's Witness preachers (about 16 million associate themselves with the religion). Even fulltime preachers and workers at their branch offices are unpaid volunteers.

2. There is no elite class among Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the few 'anointed' among them enjoy no special privileges in their congregations on earth. An anointed person (one of those relative few with a heavenly hope) is not elevated above his fellow congregants in any way, and he may not even qualify for appointment as a simple 'deacon' or elder. There are no titles; EVERYONE is addressed as 'brother' or 'sister'.

3. No person benefits economically from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the 8 to 20 men who serve on their Governing Body receive simply room, board, medical care, and reimbursement for certain personal expenses according to the exact same provision as every other branch volunteer.

4. About a hundred men have served on Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body committee during the past 125 years or so. The vast majority of them have spent the vast majority of their adult lives volunteering for their organization's purposes, and the vast majority have died faithfully and near-pennilessly while still under their legal 'vow of poverty'.

5. Amazingly, Jehovah's Witnesses did not splinter as a sect from some other religion. Instead, a truly tiny but sincere group of bible students studied only the Scriptures to determine the will of God. Thus their religion remains absolutely independent of and not carrying the sins of Christendom's history, yet carries the authority of Christ's teachings.

6. Despite the distortions of anti-Witnesses, throughout their modern history Jehovah's Witnesses have refused to claim divine inspiration or infallibility for their teachings. They have pointed to the bible (and not any particular translation) as the only inspired infallible means of knowing God's thoughts. For over 125 years, their teachings have been presented as merely the results of sincere bible research by imperfect but godly humans.

Answer 5

I agree there are many types. But in a forum like this there are limits on how many words we can use, how much time we have and so on so this is a shorthand that covers all those who accept Jesus in some fashion.

Answer 6

Pretty much for the same reason that most christians who post here refer to everyone who isn't christian as Atheist (or non believer, even though we do believe in God).