i dont understand...?

Question

what are all these different branches of christianity? are they considered seperate religions or what? who are catholics, what is Presbyterianism, etc...??

Answer 1

How to pack this into a nutshell? Christianity started around 2,000 years ago. By the 300's, it was centered around the eastern Mediterranean region and accepted throughout the Roman Empire. As the Roman Empire began to fall apart, the church leadership got divided into two geographical parts; the group in the West, centered in Rome, and the group in the East, centered in Constantinople. They had very different cultures and did things in different styles. Time passed. These two groups had become the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. If you lived in Western Europe, you followed the Roman leadership, and if you lived in Eastern Europe or Russia, you followed the Orthodox group. Due to some serious problems in the Roman leadership, some Europeans began to protest against the church. These people were called Protestants because of this. Some of the Protestants left the Roman church and the Roman church also made some major changes to correct the problems. All of these groups should be considered Christians, as they believe in the major teachings of Christ.

In the Protestant movement, people of some countries established their own kinds of churches. Some of these churches had their own cultural flavor, or had some minor difference in teaching. Lutherans began in Germany, Presbyterians came from Scotland, Methodists and Episcopalians came from England. In America, a huge number of separate denominations (sub-groups of Christianity) started up, because people felt free to express their religions as they wanted.

I am sure that many of the more wacky answers you get on YA are from people of denominations that take their differences 'way too seriously. As far as I'm concerned, I will spend eternity in heaven with all these people, so why argue with them now?

Answer 2

The differences can be very subtle. Roman Catholics Have the Pope. Bisenteen Catholics don't believe the church should have a single highest leader. The other christian religions have other issues (equally as suttle) that seperates them one from another.

Answer 3

The other day, the president of the United States, George Bush, Jr., said that all non-profit religions pray to the same God.

That must be right, right, since he's the duly elected president of the United States and wouldn't fib to anyone ever?

Bill Clinton might but never George Bush, Jr.?

Answer 4

Presumably, at some point, there was one christian religion. But, people being what they are, they disagreed on things. Some didn't like eating fish on Friday, or listening to what the Pope said. A big schism was when Henry VIII wasn't allowed yet /another/ divorce, hence the Church of England.

If you want to see this in microcosm, and speeded up, follow the formation of any unmoderated group online. They tend to clump up and denounce each other very, very quickly.

Answer 5

May I suggest you read the epistle of James chapter 1 verse 5

Only one church is correct, and it is the one which bears the actual name of Jesus Christ. This means its not the Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Catholics,Plymouth Bretheren, Jehovahs Witnesses. Nope, it's none of these!

It's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. This is NOT a crazy cult.

Answer 6

for the most part they seem to spring from different interpretations of both personal revelations and the bible itself. As with any ancient poetic work there is a great deal of room for personal interpretation and it is very easy for people to decide what parts they feel are more important than others, so from each of these small or large schisms different churches arise...

Answer 7

All religion, other than the Jewish religion, which was created by God, is made by man and is man’s attempt to please their gods and control other people. All religions have rules, rituals and laws to follow. Every religion believes that they have the answers for redemption. The answer for redemption through religion, lies within man’s ability to perfectly follow it’s teachings which man can not do. Jesus is the only one who followed religion perfectly.

Jesus is God’s way to reach down to mankind with love, forgiveness, acceptance and grace. Jesus is not a religion. He is God and He is the way for man to have fellowship with God.

When we come to Jesus, we are full of the original sin nature and the sins that we have committed. He cleanses us when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and repent of those sins.

Our redemption and salvation results from Jesus’ willful and sacrificial death on the cross to take our place for our sin nature and our sins. He is the only atonement possible because He is without sin. Jesus does it for us because we are incapable of following any religion perfectly. He did follow the law perfectly.

Coming to Jesus as our Lord and our Savior, not religion, is what God requires for us to become forgiven, sanctified, and have the personal relationship with God that He intended from the start. Jesus is the only way to God.

Answer 8

Put them in a search engine and see what people have to say about each organization.

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Answer 9

Christian means followers of Christ. Catholic is a religion created by man. Catholics follows Virgin Mary and worship images.

Answer 10

Christianity is ONE religion- it does not have branches.

The so-called "branches" are counterfeit Christianity.