religion question..................?

Question

I understand that the basic point of religion is to accept Jesus as savior,and try to lead a good life, correct? my question is this...what is the difference between catholic, christian, baptist, mormon, blah,blah,blah (I dont mean to sound rude), its just that there are so many names and titles of these religious groups, what is the difference, and what is the point, help me understand.

Answer 1

the point is it is pointed out in the bible that there shouldnt be divisions in the church .. imo everyone should go back to the source and follow Jesus' teachings then there wouldnt be all these debates and disputes about simple doctrines that usually involve physical activities to try to do things Gods "way" ...

Answer 2

There are many differences amongst Christians.
1.) Catholics and Protestants use different Bibles (most of the books are the same, but the Catholic Bible contains books not recognized by Protestants.
2.) IMHO the most liberal to the most conservative in doctrine of the larger dominations follows:
-Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, & Mormon

The first 3 put greater emphasis on being a good person. Presbyterians are part of John Calvin's reformed churches and believe in TULIP, part of which more or less states that people are predestined to heaven or hell, and there is nothing one can do to change this. Further, one's success on earth is an outside sign of God's favor. Though I don't think you would hear this in many sermons today, that is their doctrine. Methodist's reject Calvanism. The last two believe being a good person has nothing to do with Heaven or Hell and only accepting Christ as Savior, Repenting, and being saved.

However, Mormons believe in the Book of Mormon, which they view as another devinely inspired text.

Lastly, Catholics are more into ornate catherdrals and ritual. A Baptist only recognizes the Holiness of the Trinity, no saints, no Mary, no Pope, etc. Their Pastor would wear just a business suit and their church will be more practically minded less with stained glass or icons (other than a cross)

Answer 3

First, religion is not just Christianity.
Christianity is made up of Catholics and Protestants: CATHOLICS ARE CHRISTIANS! Don't let anyone tell you they aren't.
Catholics are ritual oriented and rather strict.
Lutherans are diet-Catholic. If you take out the Pope and the bishops and confession and a few other things, You have Lutheran.
Methodists were started by Robert Wesley, he liked to do things a certain way. Every service is the same.
Presbyterian literally means "old way worshipping" and they do the same thing every Sunday too.
Baptists (some, not all) tend to be "Praise Jesus." "Amen" during service and I think it would be distracting.
Mennonites are very strict also and tend to have rules for clothing to wear, etc.

Mormons are not Christian they are different and have a different book.

Basically though, once you affiliate yourself, you make your own faith in your own mind, figure out what you believe and it shouldn't be the same as anyone else (unless you're a clone).

Good luck. Faith is a fulfilling path, whichever way you go.
And remember to research other things than Christianity too. There's Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism (kind of confusing) and Islam. Look into everything! :)

Answer 4

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).

Recommended Resource: The Master's Plan for the Church by John MacArthur.

Answer 5

The basic point is not to "accept Jesus as savior". That oddly enough is not taught anywhere in the Bible. And that is a prime example of why there are so many denominations. Men have diluted and interpreted the scriptures over the years to the point where the world doesn't even bother to look it up for themselves. The only salvation plan taught in the scriptures can be found in the Second Chapter of the Book of Acts. Pay particular attention to verse 38 and 39. That is the salvation plan.
The Bible has never changed and neither has the true plan for salvation. Look it up for yourself, don't take anyone's word for it!

Answer 6

Christianity is the religion of following Jesus Christ, accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour. All the others are branches and denominations of CHristianity.
Mormons (THE Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints) are Christians who believe in living prophets and apostles, continuing revelation from God and extra-Biblical scriptures.
Catholics, I think, believe that the line of succession of the head of the church has been unbroken since Peter. Almost all Christian churches are break-offs of Catholicism (Mormons being one exception).
Baptists, I think, are Christians that believe baptism should not be done in infancy, but the person being baptised should be able to make that decision for themselves, when they are old enough to understand all the ramifications.
Most denominations and sects of Christianity were formed because of smething in the Bible that some believed was more important than others believed. IMHO.

Answer 7

Well, I believe in God, and that He created us and this world. I also believe that because of His love for us He did not just leave us stranded here without knowing what we are supposed to do with our lives. So, He inspired prophets to write the Bible to teach us how to live. As far as I am concerned there should not be so many denominations. If we all follow the truths of the Bible 100% then there should be no room for debate. The problem is that most churches only follow part of the truth. Even when new truth is brought to light they have trouble giving up their old ways. There is a church out there who does follow all the Bible truths.

Answer 8

Religion is the belief in a supernatural being or a belief in what happens after death, etc. What your note refers to is the "Christian" Religion. What you list are spin-offs of Christianity- (Baptist-2 gods=god and Jesus, Catholic-3 gods=Father, son and holy ghost and way out there-Mormon-3 gods=God, Jesus and John Smith). There are lots more, like Hindu-which has multiple deities, Muslim-which believes in only 1 god, Jewish-2 gods, but one hasn't come yet, Buddhist-no god as they believe in reincarnation and on and on. Christians, Muslims and Jews seem to use violence to get their point across when they are having difficulty doing so, even though their gods are supposed to be loving. Buddhists and Hindus take the path of no violence. One has to wonder what a god would think about 50+ religions our there all claiming to do his (not her) bidding and many killing each other in his name. Many of these religions (Christian, Muslim, Jewish and more) copied the teachings of a person named Zoroaster who lived between 600 and 4000 years before Jesus, dropped him from the loop, and claimed his ideas as their own. Heaven, Hell, The vastness of the universe, equal rights for women, peace over war, the devil, anti-slavery, humane treatment of animals, etc. You ask what the point is. I think it is that religion is fueled by faith, which means that even though there is no historical proof for most of this stuff, people are to believe it anyway. Jesus and Mohammad and Zoroaster really lived. The Christians deny Zoroaster had many ideas the bible copied, even though there is scientific proof of Zoroaster's teachings. It goes on and on and usually does not make sense. Best way to get into religion if you want to go that route, id to read the teachings of each and make an intelligent choice. Religions are like clubs. Pick the one you want to join and pay your dues. There is a sense of belonging they provide. As for me, it is all just too convoluted, I will live a good life and treat people decently and let the chips fall when I die. Good luck!

Answer 9

Not all religions are Christian, so no, the basic point of religion is NOT to accept Jesus as savior. In fact, Christians make up only one-third of religious believers worldwide.

The following website has some good data on both the different sects of Christianity and other religions:

http://www.religionfacts.com

Answer 10

So many people tailored Christianity to fit their lifestyle. There are minimal differences between some and major differences between others. Mormons, for example, believe in some fruitloop called Joe Smith and they say Jesus was just some guy.

Basically if you follow the Bible you'll do alright. Heck with the labels.

Answer 11

One way to divide the Christian world is to classify them into liturgical, semi-liturgical, and nonliturgical.

Liturgical faiths place an emphasis on unity and this means rituals and ceremonies with prayers and creeds said in unison. Forms for worship and sacraments are followed, although there may be slight variations. Catholic Mass, for instance follows a Lectionary and "Missals" that prescribe exactly how the worship service is to be performed and followed. Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican faiths would be examples of liturgical churches. Mormons are outside of mainstream Christian belief, but are considered liturgical.

Semi-liturgical worship allows freedom in prayers and sermons and singing of hymns and praises, but have a liturgical emphasis on sacraments and things that the church feels a need for unity in. Reformed and Presbyterian churches follow this style of worship.

Non-liturgical churches would include Baptist and fundamentalist churches that have no prescribed format for worship or administration of the sacraments.

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