Denominations?

[Waiting2BwithHim]

The Bible talks about Christians. The Bible doesn't talk about different religions.

Where does all the different denominations of religion come from?

How did they get started?

If the Bible just talks about Christians then shouldn't we all just be Christians?

Again thinking outside the box if this makes sense

[nebula]

All the early Christians belonged to a single Church.

Guess which one it was!!

They called themselves "Followers of the Way."

[OneLight]

The Bible talks about Christians. The Bible doesn't talk about different religions.

Where does all the different denominations of religion come from?

How did they get started?

If the Bible just talks about Christians then shouldn't we all just be Christians?

Again thinking outside the box if this makes sense

Religion is man trying to reach God; where a relationship with Christ, that we are all called into, is God reaching out to man.

Man has developed the divisions within His Body. They all followed "The Way" at first, then man stepped in.

[nebula]

Where does all the different denominations of religion come from?

How did they get started?

The history of the church is something one should research on their own. For not all of it is agreed upon - as you will be soon finding out, I'm sure.

But the leadership of the Jewish sect called "Followers of the Way," later called "Christians" as the movement spread among the Gentiles, was centered in Jerusalem with the Apostles and James the brother of the Lord in charge. After Jerusalem fell in 70AD to the Romans after the failed Jewish revolt, the seat of leadership was moved to another city - either Ephesus or Antioch I think? Somehow (and this is debatable), the bishop (church overseer) of Rome either considered himself or was considered to be the head authority of the church. It became cemented as such when Constantine declared Christianity the state religion of Rome. Thus we have Pax Roman, the Holy Roman Empire; thus the "Roman Universal Church" ("Catholic" means universal, and thus "Roman Catholic Church" as it's now known as).

But there was a power struggle between Rome and Constantinople over which would be the base of power - thus there was the first split in the Church, that between "East and West", the Roman Empire vs. the Byzantium Empire. Greek Orthodox comes from the Byzantium Empire's Christianity.

Not all Christians followed the Pope (the new title for the Bishop of Rome), and they were killed off by the order of said pope. Baptists claim to have roots in such an off-shoot group who somehow managed to survive the persecution (so I've heard from one source anyway, so take that with a grain of salt). Ireland for a long time survived as a Christian body apart from Rome for many centuries.

But after many centuries, a monk by the name of Martin Luther had a life-changing revelation concerning the un-Scriptural practices of the Papacy and started a protest against those practices but that led to a split from the RCC. Later another man had revelation on more un-Scriptural practices and started a protest which led to yet another split. This cycle repeated itself over and over. Each split resulted in a new denomination. It wasn't their intent to split and start a new denomination, rather to reform what was there. But people and organizations being as unbending as we are, it was their only recourse.

So, that's rather a nutshell of what happened. It's more involved and complicated, but that's the gist.

[ByFaithAlone]

The Bible talks about Christians. The Bible doesn't talk about different religions.

Where does all the different denominations of religion come from?

How did they get started?

If the Bible just talks about Christians then shouldn't we all just be Christians?

Again thinking outside the box if this makes sense

We are all part of the Christian Church. The universal bride of Christ. As it says in the Apostle's Creed, "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (or universal or apostolic depending on your church)." Denominations were just meant to seperate those of different views of scripture and theology. Unfortunately, it does seem that many of us (including myself) tend to think of ourselves as Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, etc. over the simple follower of Christ.

[JohnD]

Um, if I may...

Jesus spoke of the Kingdom (of Israel) being off course by the infiltration of what he called weeds sown into the wheat field (Matthew 13). This was not just to slam the Jewish leadership which opposed him, but to point out that the devil who lost over the centuries whenever attempting frontal assaults learned and applied tactics like subtle infiltration to plant seeds of evil that would eventually grow into full fledged evil. Moses was asleep as the good field was sown with weed seed by the enemy. In Exodus 18 he took the advice of his father-in-law about the governing structure of Israel. On the surface it seems harmless, and actually a sound idea. But Moses did not so much as consult the Lord about this. And his beloved father-in-law was a pagan priest.

What difference does that make? Jesus thought it mattered when the demons cried out that he was the Holy One of Israel and told them to be quite. To shut up. Why? Were they lying? Most the time yes. They said things like he was A way to God not THE way... but sometimes they spoke the technical truth. Jesus silenced them then too. Because it matters from where even truth comes. Truth legitimizes its source. More often than not, this is why people fall into false religions, cults, and the various denominations. One preacher preaches water baptism another preaches speaking in tongues another preaches Jesus is not God another that Jesus is God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost all in one... some denominations believe in the methodology others in the liturgical approach... and on and on.

The weed seed planted in Israel did grow into the Sanhedrin. The very body of leaders Moses agreed to have in Exodus 18 became the body of leaders that condemned the Holy One of Israel to death and turned him over to the Romans which they hornswoggled into doing their dirty work for them. Then they proceeded to teach and to preach an anti-Jesus dogma among the Jews even declaring the one thing that could take away one's Jewishness was becoming a believer in Jesus. This abdication of leadership in the Church and the persecution of the Church (first at their hands and later at the hand of the Romans) kept the Church underground until Roman Emperor Constantine saw in Christianity a cohesiveness his crumbling Empire sorely lacked.

Constantine legalized Christianity and began the foundation work for it becoming the religion of State (which would morph, itself, into the Roman Catholic Empire). Some good did come out of the 4th Century CE in that the Church councils were able to compare the totality of scripture for the first time and discover such factual doctrines as the Trinity and the deity of Christ and the security of salvation. But a lot of misinterpretation and self serving doctrines were formed as well. As I said the Roman Empire collapsed and in place of its empty shell the Roman Catholic Empire hatched... a transmutation that transcended the Roman government into that which outlasts kings and kingdoms... religion. The Emperor became the Pope. The Senate became the Cardinals. The governors became the Bishops. Monsignors, Fathers, Nuns, Monks... right on down the line. And the Capitol remains in Rome (Vatican city).

Enter the dark ages. Most blame the age on other things going on in the world. But it was the imprisonment of the Church. And when the Protestant Reformation came (though it was a very bloody thing to dare cross the Roman Empire Church) they did not reform nearly enough. The ideal was to get back to the roots of Christianity. Roman Catholicism had effectively expunged from the faith everything Hebrew it could in the name of riding the faith of legalism. But it threw the baby out with the bathwater like a second wife would any remnant of a first wife. And the reformers started from a Roman Catholic base rather than a Hebrew base. And from that point on it became pretty much a determination of opinions as to which "denomination" is the correct one... or the most comfortable one... or the one that "I" agree with the most...

[JohnD]

As far as being members of the Church...

We are all members of one body; the body of Christ. We are all called to be priests of God. Every one of us. This may or may not mean a call to preach or be in full time ministry of one sort or another... touching on this matter and the divisions problem the Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 12 (NIV)

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?

20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,

24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,

25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

[ByFaithAlone]

Wow it's JohnDB. I didn't realize you were on both this forum and hebrew roots. That's awesome. Nice to see you!

[Dragoon]

The Bible talks about Christians. The Bible doesn't talk about different religions.

Where does all the different denominations of religion come from?

How did they get started?

If the Bible just talks about Christians then shouldn't we all just be Christians?

Again thinking outside the box if this makes sense

I think its a good box to get out of

As others have done a good job answering this from scripture, please allow me to ask:

If the Body of Christ exists outside of Christian denominations

(I would not include denominations which deny the inerrancy of scripture here, though some of their individual members may be part of the Body);

a) in what manner should we greet eat other when we meet?

b) how should we cooperate in the Great Commission?

c) how can we dispel the world's perception that we are divided?

d) how many churches are really necessary in any given square mile area?

e) <insert your own questions here>

[nebula]

You write:

Somehow (and this is debatable), the bishop (church overseer) of Rome either considered himself or was considered to be the head authority of the church.

The "somehow" is that Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom, and he passed his authority on to successors. These successors stayed in the city where Peter died. As early as 90 AD we have evidence of papal authority coming from Rome when Pope Clement answered with authority a request for guidance from the Church at Corinth.

Constantine's declaration had nothing to do with it. Constantine merely made it legal to be Christian in Rome, he did not make Christianity the religion of the empire.

Sigh. We've been through this before.

Rome had an established body of believers following Jesus by the time Paul got there the first time, and there is not indication in the New Testament that Peter traveled to Rome before Paul did to have established this body of believers.

There is more evidence for Peter having established himself in Antioch and Corinth than in Rome.

The Church was always the "Catholic Church", or "The Way" or simply the Church. There was no distinction between these titles. These were simply different names for the same group. Jesus only started one Church.

No it wasn't. The word "church" is of Germanic-Celtic origin and refers to the meeting place for a religious gathering.

The word "Catholic" is not found in the New Testament.

from L.L. catholicus "universal, general," from Gk. katholikos, from phrase kath' holou "on the whole, in general," from kata "about" + gen. of holos "whole" - http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=catholic

The origin of the word katholikos as applied to the "church" is explained here: http://www.genusa.com/fellowship/WhereUniversalCameFrom.html

So to claim it was always called this is blatantly false.

Here's an early mention the Catholic Church from Ignatius, who was a disciple of John:

"See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles. Do ye also reverence the deacons, as those that carry out the appointment of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrneans, 8:2 (c. A.D. 110).

Being John's disciple doesn't mean he followed in John's footsteps - anymore than Judas followed in Jesus' steps!

Jesus never meant for us to follow man, but to follow Him.

Read the article above I posted on this.