Why do Christians like denominations?

[Lloyd]

I can't get my head around it... I really can't.

I've heard people speak with such pride at what denomination they are. Let me first explain that I am a Christian, a fellow believer in Christ, the Son of God. That's it as far as titles, in fact, I'm not bothered if someone classes me as a Christian or not, it makes no difference whatsoever, my belief is in Christ, I care little for the title. I believe in God, creator of all and trust him. So why are people so keen to announce what denomination they are? Or create a title around a subset of beliefs? Why are there 300 versions of Christianity? Are we not all one in Christ? I think it's madness, and find it disturbing that people seem to care more for the title or what they 'belong' to, rather than living for the Christ. Jesus came with a simple message, love God with all your heart, mind, body and soul and do all you can for other people.

 

[reba]

Some one once compared denominations to back yard fences. Nice fences make for better neighbours.

Keep up the good message and maybe some day the fences will be gone...

 

[Mike]

Actually, it seems few members mention what denomination they're with here, from what I see. Personally, I find more stable theology in a church that's kept in check, but I don't think much about whether someone's in a different denomination or a non-denominational church, as long as it's biblical.

 

[Danny63]

I have to agree with Mike here, I think that as long as your keeping things Biblical then your denomination does not matter to me.

The denominations can be traced back to the 16th century when the reformers broke away from the typical Roman Catholic Church, from that time there was 4 major protestant Churches, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, and Anglican. From these 4 over the centuries we now have thousands of denominations.

I believe offshoots of the main 4 where because of issues of baptism and communion, also in how we worship.
Your bottom line should be, Salvation by The grace of our lord, through our faith in Christ Jesus. No other way to get to heaven but through Jesus shed blood. All else is doctrinal interpretation and belief. Your true denomination should lay in-between Genesis and Revelations.

That is my simple way to put it.

 

[l'Chante]

Your true denomination should lay in-between Genesis and Revelations.

I can’t agree more. I do, however, like to know what denomination a person is because if you have the background, you can understand far better where they are coming from. <O:p</O:p
I work with a Christian lady who puts a lot of value in dreams, visions, prophesies, and speaking in tongues. Because I know which denomination she is from, I understand why these things are important to her.<O:p</O:p
I am from a far more ‘conservative’ denomination, but we both serve the same God – just in different ways.<O:p</O:p

 

[Mike]

IC, that could be true to a point, but there are variances among individuals within any denomination. I don't agree with some of the "official" doctrines of mine. In my home church alone, there are people who range from one end of the spectrum to the other in the way they live out their faith.

 

[Nathan]

Personally, I believe that 'denominations' are a sign and allude to the end times.

You will not find in the NT where 'diversity' of, in all reality, "beliefs" are considered the norm. That is, denominations, are not the work of God.

Denomination comes from two words; 'de' and 'nominare'.

de = completely. nominare = to name.

So what they are is just what the name says. Denominations name themselves as particular from others by their beliefs. This is NOT the will of God. Does it happen? Yes. Personally I believe it will attribute to the culmination of end time events because from this "diversity" we see will arise the Satanic divisive power that contributed to the division of peoples to begin with.

With this uprising we will see a "peace and safety" event unfold in which the enemy who made divisions will work to bring all things back into 'oneness'. This will lend itself to a VERY strong delusion for people. They will think that we are returning to the way things were originally intended. And indeed we will be. But just as he is a lier and the father of lies, he uses this 'half truth' to deceive many.

People will unite, thinking they are worshiping the true God, but in fact they will have fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Because just as the tactic of any wild predator is to 'scatter' the flock/herd, so Satan has with us, only to arrive to the point where he has infiltrated ALL denominational doctrine and contaminated it. It is no longer pure. And so with the desire to become one again, he will yet again rally the masses around false doctrine.

Sound crazy? Its been foretold from a long time ago. it is what it is. It will happen, and it is the reason behind denominations. Consider this; when you look at the denominational 'structure', the origin, you see a very intriguing thing. You see a very mighty and well established "trunk", and then years and years later you see a few "branches" come off here and there(reformation), then off those branches, you see more and more, so on and so on. It pictures a tree beautifully.

Mat 13:31-32 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Birds have never been descriptive of a "good thing" in scripture when dealing with prophecy. What we see in our lifetime is the fulfillment of this parable with the denominations.

 

[Jake]

Personally, I believe that 'denominations' are a sign and allude to the end times.

You will not find in the NT where 'diversity' of, in all reality, "beliefs" are considered the norm. That is, denominations, are not the work of God.

Denomination comes from two words; 'de' and 'nominare'.

de = completely. nominare = to name.

So what they are is just what the name says. Denominations name themselves as particular from others by their beliefs. This is NOT the will of God. Does it happen? Yes. Personally I believe it will attribute to the culmination of end time events because from this "diversity" we see will arise the Satanic divisive power that contributed to the division of peoples to begin with.

With this uprising we will see a "peace and safety" event unfold in which the enemy who made divisions will work to bring all things back into 'oneness'. This will lend itself to a VERY strong delusion for people. They will think that we are returning to the way things were originally intended. And indeed we will be. But just as he is a lier and the father of lies, he uses this 'half truth' to deceive many.

People will unite, thinking they are worshiping the true God, but in fact they will have fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Because just as the tactic of any wild predator is to 'scatter' the flock/herd, so Satan has with us, only to arrive to the point where he has infiltrated ALL denominational doctrine and contaminated it. It is no longer pure. And so with the desire to become one again, he will yet again rally the masses around false doctrine.

Sound crazy? Its been foretold from a long time ago. it is what it is. It will happen, and it is the reason behind denominations. Consider this; when you look at the denominational 'structure', the origin, you see a very intriguing thing. You see a very mighty and well established "trunk", and then years and years later you see a few "branches" come off here and there(reformation), then off those branches, you see more and more, so on and so on. It pictures a tree beautifully.

Mat 13:31-32 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Birds have never been descriptive of a "good thing" in scripture when dealing with prophecy. What we see in our lifetime is the fulfillment of this parable with the denominations.

Nathan,
With all due respect, this parable is not a prophecy, it is now. The Kingdom of God is in you and God reigns in you, this parable is speaking of what is now.

Denominations are a way for satan to divide us and to teach us lies. There is power in numbers and he has split those numbers.

 

[Nathan]

Nathan,
With all due respect, this parable is not a prophecy, it is now. The Kingdom of God is in you and God reigns in you, this parable is speaking of what is now.

Denominations are a way for satan to divide us and to teach us lies. There is power in numbers and he has split those numbers.

No offense taken. But in like manner, prophecy does not have to be something that only takes place in the future. It can have a beginning the moment it is uttered. The main thing of prophecy is that it is on going until it has been known to be finished.

Yes. You are correct. The kingdom of God is in me, and I am in it. But this parable is representative of the kingdom as a whole. Not just in one individual. This time of denominations, what we see now, has a direct relation to the parable.

'Birds' and 'nests' are very indicative of negative things. So is leaven, which is used in the very next parable. This all follows the previous parable of the wheat and tares, which we know does not speak of an individual but the whole of earth. That is the only parable explained for us in writing, but it is a prophecy of the end times. Jesus says so Himself.

Mat 13:36-43 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Its an ongoing process. The parable of the woman and bread has this same theme. But we can see it in perfect picture form through the parable of the mustard seed.

 

[matt633]

Personally, I believe that 'denominations' are a sign and allude to the end times.

You will not find in the NT where 'diversity' of, in all reality, "beliefs" are considered the norm. That is, denominations, are not the work of God.

Denomination comes from two words; 'de' and 'nominare'.

de = completely. nominare = to name.

So what they are is just what the name says. Denominations name themselves as particular from others by their beliefs. This is NOT the will of God. Does it happen? Yes. Personally I believe it will attribute to the culmination of end time events because from this "diversity" we see will arise the Satanic divisive power that contributed to the division of peoples to begin with.

With this uprising we will see a "peace and safety" event unfold in which the enemy who made divisions will work to bring all things back into 'oneness'. This will lend itself to a VERY strong delusion for people. They will think that we are returning to the way things were originally intended. And indeed we will be. But just as he is a lier and the father of lies, he uses this 'half truth' to deceive many.

People will unite, thinking they are worshiping the true God, but in fact they will have fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Because just as the tactic of any wild predator is to 'scatter' the flock/herd, so Satan has with us, only to arrive to the point where he has infiltrated ALL denominational doctrine and contaminated it. It is no longer pure. And so with the desire to become one again, he will yet again rally the masses around false doctrine.

Sound crazy? Its been foretold from a long time ago. it is what it is. It will happen, and it is the reason behind denominations. Consider this; when you look at the denominational 'structure', the origin, you see a very intriguing thing. You see a very mighty and well established "trunk", and then years and years later you see a few "branches" come off here and there(reformation), then off those branches, you see more and more, so on and so on. It pictures a tree beautifully.

Mat 13:31-32 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Birds have never been descriptive of a "good thing" in scripture when dealing with prophecy. What we see in our lifetime is the fulfillment of this parable with the denominations.

Interesting. All thats been happening. End times IMO is after the ressurection up till today. Denominations are present in Acts, various epistles, and Christ letters to the seven churches in Revelations.

 

[handy]

The way I look at denominations is probably much the same way Moses looked at divorce...and let's not forget Who was inspiring Moses to write the Law....

Unfortunate, but, given man's sinful condition, necessary.

In a perfect world, there would only be one Church...Luther's 95 thesis would have been addressed, and the Church would have remained unified and strong....in a perfect world.

But, as it is, what are we going to do? I changed denominations not long ago. Why? Because the denomination I was in voted to allow practicing gays and lesbians to be ordained as ministers. I was part of many who tried to work from the inside to keep this from happening, but it happened anyway. So, we are supposed to stay there?

For all who are against denominations...OK, are you willing to go back to the RCC? OK with all their doctrines and practices? If not, then you are practicing denominationalism, whether you belong to a recognized denomination or not.

My pastor has a deep love for the RCC and in many ways, our church service could be mistaken for a Mass. But, as he says, there are important differences in what we believe and why we believe them and as long as those differences exist, we can't pretend that they aren't important.

I tend to stay in denominations, even though I've changed fairly radically in the theology going from Calvinist to Lutheran. However, I find that there are advantages in denominations...they tend to have a structure that makes for stability, and good educational principles, even if the result of one's Christian education is to leave the denomination, such as when I left the Orthodox Presbyterian church. I was baptized in a non-denominational community church, which no longer exists. A few bad pastors (and in non-denominational churches, pastors tend to take on too much responsibility, not always, but often) and the church closed it's doors, the congregation scattered.

Purists might say, "Hey, we should all just join little house churches and let the Holy Spirit lead us, just like the early church." Sounds good in that perfect world. But, just take a good look at what's out there on the internet as far as home grown theology...all proclaiming that they listen only to the Holy Spirit or are based on the Bible alone...all having diverse, contradictory and often bigoted views.

Besides, that's not really the way the early church functioned anyway. The first church council was in Jerusalem, and all the other churches around Asia Minor recognized their authority and the authority of the apostles to settle differences and set doctrines. There was church authority, and a hierarchy. And, even then, it wasn't long for important divisions, divisions that couldn't just be written off with a "Let's agree to disagree on this." attitude, to arise.

The reality is, there is indeed one Church, One Body of Christ. As of today, this Body is made up of Lutherans, Calvinists, Roman Catholics, Baptists, and some home-grown home church people as well. There will come a day when the Body will be truly unified and truly the Bride of Christ.

 

[Sinthesis]

Why do Christians like denominations? They make it easier to count all our money!;)

Personally denominations don't bother me all that much provided they adhere to the fundamentals of Christianity. That said:

Rom 14:13 - Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in [his] brother's way.
Rom 14:14 ¶ I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that [there is] nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him [it is] unclean.
Rom 14:15 - But if thy brother be grieved with [thy] meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.​

Then there's this:

Jhn 14:2 - In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.​

What do you suppose the mansions represent? Perhaps denominations within the Father's house?

mansions = Strong's G3438 = monē

monē/money (ironic:D)

 

[Jake]

No offense taken. But in like manner, prophecy does not have to be something that only takes place in the future. It can have a beginning the moment it is uttered. The main thing of prophecy is that it is on going until it has been known to be finished.

Yes. You are correct. The kingdom of God is in me, and I am in it. But this parable is representative of the kingdom as a whole. Not just in one individual. This time of denominations, what we see now, has a direct relation to the parable.

'Birds' and 'nests' are very indicative of negative things. So is leaven, which is used in the very next parable. This all follows the previous parable of the wheat and tares, which we know does not speak of an individual but the whole of earth. That is the only parable explained for us in writing, but it is a prophecy of the end times. Jesus says so Himself.

Mat 13:36-43 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Its an ongoing process. The parable of the woman and bread has this same theme. But we can see it in perfect picture form through the parable of the mustard seed.

I am going to study this more, thanks Nathan.

 

[Lloyd]

The way I look at denominations is probably much the same way Moses looked at divorce...and let's not forget Who was inspiring Moses to write the Law....

Unfortunate, but, given man's sinful condition, necessary.

In a perfect world, there would only be one Church...Luther's 95 thesis would have been addressed, and the Church would have remained unified and strong....in a perfect world.

But, as it is, what are we going to do? I changed denominations not long ago. Why? Because the denomination I was in voted to allow practicing gays and lesbians to be ordained as ministers. I was part of many who tried to work from the inside to keep this from happening, but it happened anyway. So, we are supposed to stay there?

For all who are against denominations...OK, are you willing to go back to the RCC? OK with all their doctrines and practices? If not, then you are practicing denominationalism, whether you belong to a recognized denomination or not.

My pastor has a deep love for the RCC and in many ways, our church service could be mistaken for a Mass. But, as he says, there are important differences in what we believe and why we believe them and as long as those differences exist, we can't pretend that they aren't important.

I tend to stay in denominations, even though I've changed fairly radically in the theology going from Calvinist to Lutheran. However, I find that there are advantages in denominations...they tend to have a structure that makes for stability, and good educational principles, even if the result of one's Christian education is to leave the denomination, such as when I left the Orthodox Presbyterian church. I was baptized in a non-denominational community church, which no longer exists. A few bad pastors (and in non-denominational churches, pastors tend to take on too much responsibility, not always, but often) and the church closed it's doors, the congregation scattered.

Purists might say, "Hey, we should all just join little house churches and let the Holy Spirit lead us, just like the early church." Sounds good in that perfect world. But, just take a good look at what's out there on the internet as far as home grown theology...all proclaiming that they listen only to the Holy Spirit or are based on the Bible alone...all having diverse, contradictory and often bigoted views.

Besides, that's not really the way the early church functioned anyway. The first church council was in Jerusalem, and all the other churches around Asia Minor recognized their authority and the authority of the apostles to settle differences and set doctrines. There was church authority, and a hierarchy. And, even then, it wasn't long for important divisions, divisions that couldn't just be written off with a "Let's agree to disagree on this." attitude, to arise.

The reality is, there is indeed one Church, One Body of Christ. As of today, this Body is made up of Lutherans, Calvinists, Roman Catholics, Baptists, and some home-grown home church people as well. There will come a day when the Body will be truly unified and truly the Bride of Christ.

Hey Handy,

What's RCC?

I still don't get the denominations thing. I don't see it's purpose other than to have fellowship with a group of people who have an understanding of scripture they deem the correct interpretation.

For me, there is one teacher, Christ and one way, Christ. He is the only right way, everyone else's interpretation falls short. I'm not saying we shouldnt have fellowship with each-other, it's beautiful that we all strive to find the truth and that's the reason why even on websites like this, we want to learn more and proclaim the wonder of God.

I guess for me personally, I don't want to belong to anything other than Christ. No sect, no order, no denomination, nothing, just Christ. As a stated in the opening post, the message Jesus gave is pretty clear, atleast to me, love God with all your heart and live for other people. You don't need a denomination for that.

Cheers - thank you for the response and to everyone else.

 

[D4Christ]

The denominations can be traced back to the 16th century when the reformers broke away from the typical Roman Catholic Church,...

Weren't people trying to differientiate themselves long before the 16th century?

1 Cor 1 (NLT)

<SUP>10</SUP> I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. <SUP id=en-NLT-28334 class=versenum>11</SUP> For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. <SUP id=en-NLT-28335 class=versenum>12</SUP> Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”
<SUP id=en-NLT-28336 class=versenum>13</SUP> Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! <SUP id=en-NLT-28337 class=versenum>14</SUP> I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, <SUP id=en-NLT-28338 class=versenum>15</SUP> for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. <SUP id=en-NLT-28339 class=versenum>16</SUP> (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) <SUP id=en-NLT-28340 class=versenum>17</SUP> For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Paul had a problem with people saying they belonged to one person or another. I think there is truth in what Nathan posted---these fractions and separations in the church have done more to weaken us and could be a setup for use in the falling away that happens at the time of the end.

Deirdre

 

[handy]

Lloyd, sorry, RCC = Roman Catholic Church

I think there is truth in what Nathan posted---these fractions and separations in the church have done more to weaken us and could be a setup for use in the falling away that happens at the time of the end.

I don't disagree with this...but again I wonder...what should one do then when one sees error being taught as truth and sin being welcomed in as "normal" even "beautiful"?

 

[Nathan]

The way I look at denominations is probably much the same way Moses looked at divorce...and let's not forget Who was inspiring Moses to write the Law....

Unfortunate, but, given man's sinful condition, necessary.

In a perfect world, there would only be one Church...Luther's 95 thesis would have been addressed, and the Church would have remained unified and strong....in a perfect world.

But, as it is, what are we going to do? I changed denominations not long ago. Why? Because the denomination I was in voted to allow practicing gays and lesbians to be ordained as ministers. I was part of many who tried to work from the inside to keep this from happening, but it happened anyway. So, we are supposed to stay there?

For all who are against denominations...OK, are you willing to go back to the RCC? OK with all their doctrines and practices? If not, then you are practicing denominationalism, whether you belong to a recognized denomination or not.

My pastor has a deep love for the RCC and in many ways, our church service could be mistaken for a Mass. But, as he says, there are important differences in what we believe and why we believe them and as long as those differences exist, we can't pretend that they aren't important.

I tend to stay in denominations, even though I've changed fairly radically in the theology going from Calvinist to Lutheran. However, I find that there are advantages in denominations...they tend to have a structure that makes for stability, and good educational principles, even if the result of one's Christian education is to leave the denomination, such as when I left the Orthodox Presbyterian church. I was baptized in a non-denominational community church, which no longer exists. A few bad pastors (and in non-denominational churches, pastors tend to take on too much responsibility, not always, but often) and the church closed it's doors, the congregation scattered.

Purists might say, "Hey, we should all just join little house churches and let the Holy Spirit lead us, just like the early church." Sounds good in that perfect world. But, just take a good look at what's out there on the internet as far as home grown theology...all proclaiming that they listen only to the Holy Spirit or are based on the Bible alone...all having diverse, contradictory and often bigoted views.

Besides, that's not really the way the early church functioned anyway. The first church council was in Jerusalem, and all the other churches around Asia Minor recognized their authority and the authority of the apostles to settle differences and set doctrines. There was church authority, and a hierarchy. And, even then, it wasn't long for important divisions, divisions that couldn't just be written off with a "Let's agree to disagree on this." attitude, to arise.

The reality is, there is indeed one Church, One Body of Christ. As of today, this Body is made up of Lutherans, Calvinists, Roman Catholics, Baptists, and some home-grown home church people as well. There will come a day when the Body will be truly unified and truly the Bride of Christ.

I think you have a point with denominations and divorce. But it also makes one think about what Jesus said about it. Definitely not what was intended. And it should not be just brushed over with "grace".

Nope. Not willing to go with the Roman Catholic Church. No one said the Roman Catholic Church was the original church. I believe that it had a part of the church in it, and still may today. Denominationalism is when a group of people get together and call themselves by a name. If one just wants to be a Christian, he is not being denominational. You are probably not going to find a church that just has this as their name; "Christian". They all add something too it.

I am not saying that denominations are evil. But they are a tool to be used by Satan. Not only that, but they were predicted by the Lord Himself. I think that there are believers in just about each and every denomination (whether recognized or just home churches) that there is out there. The point is that at the end, when they ALL become corrupt, Jesus calls for His followers to come out from among them.

Rev 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;"

If there were not believers IN the denominations, then there would be no cry for them to come OUT.

Denominations are a tool of Satan, but still able to be inhabited (until a time) by Christ-followers. But unless we recognize them as such, we will not heed the call to come out. Prophecy is rich on this subject, there can be no mistaken of its significance.

 

[Nathan]

Lloyd, sorry, RCC = Roman Catholic Church




I don't disagree with this...but again I wonder...what should one do then when one sees error being taught as truth and sin being welcomed in as "normal" even "beautiful"?

You must "come out" from among them...;) Precisely what you did. But not all wickedness is so easy to distinguish. Every denomination out there is breeding false doctrines. There will be a time when the true followers of God, the ones who "keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus"(Rev 14:12), must come out totally.

So one asks, "if thats the case, then who do you believe? Who do you worship with? Doesn't this seem all a little chaotic and crazy?". And to that I would say yes. It is absolutely chaotic and crazy. Just as Christ said it would be. In fact He said there would be such great tribulation that if it were not shortened even the elect would not be saved. Its going to get bad. A testing beyond all testing. To see who truly loves God and has faith in Christ. Brother against brother. Father against child. The only thing that you will have to hold on to is faith. And if its not grounded in the absolute only rock that is unmovable it will cause you to be washed around.

Denominations are for doctrines. Plain and simple. A diversity of doctrines for a diversity of people. If we do not like something this one teaches, we move to the next. On and on it goes. If we do not find something that any of them teach, we start our own. Does no one seem it odd that there has been an EXPLOSION of 'churches' started in just the last little time in history? Does it not cause a pause of some sort to walk down the street and find church after church lined up next to each other with more being built all the time? Each one, "called" by a different "name".

 

[Danny63]

Weren't people trying to differientiate themselves long before the 16th century?

Indeed they did but we did not call it back then denominations, I was just stating when Denominations officially where recognized as such.

 

[D4Christ]

I don't disagree with this...but again I wonder...what should one do then when one sees error being taught as truth and sin being welcomed in as "normal" even "beautiful"?

I don't know if there is much we can do against millionaire media giants that pose as Christ followers. We should expect to some extent that men have always had itching ears, and that as we near the time of the end more people than not will follow the lies. However, we each can be responsible for our own individual behavior and if they means tuning out of popular programming and not being afraid to say why, then we have done our parts to say no to the lies.

Dee