Oh, good grief -- not that again.This claim you make is based on a book by David A. Barrett in the World Christian Encyclopedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the Modern World A.D. 1900—2000 (ed. David A. Barrett; New York: Oxford University Press, 1982). Barrett wrote that there were slightly over 20,000 denominations -- however, only 8,196 of these were Protestant. Before you get all gleeful again, note that every individual "non-denominational" church counted as its own denomination. Not only that, but he made distinctions between, say, a Methodist church that emphasized preaching and another Methodist church that emphasized modern praise worship.
What you may not want to hear is that Barrett also claimed that there were 223 Roman Catholic denominations.
I teach ESL classes and work with a Spanish-language Bible study at church. All of our members (except a handful) are "Catholic" -- but it's not a Catholicism that you would recognize. You can argue all the subtleties you want about dulia and hyperdulia but the fact is that poor Catholics in Hispanic countries are essentially polytheistic with a lot of shamanism thrown in. There's vastly more difference between your Catholic beliefs and their Catholic beliefs than your Catholic beliefs and any Protestant beliefs. I'mn perfectly comfortable worshipping in most Catholic churches but the things that they've been taught scare me. If you had a chance to work with poor Hispanic Catholics you would be shocked and disillusioned by the Vatican's claim of one church with one system of belief. It just ain't so.
For what it's worth, I don't ask whether the folks that I work with are in the country legally and I really don't care. We've had about 10 people over the past year who have came to know Christ and, you know what, not a one has joined our church. I'm fine with that, too -- we haven't asked anyone to join our church. They continue with our Bible study but most also attend local Hispanic Catholic churches. The only difference is that they now understand who Jesus Christ really is and what he has done for us. It has changed their lives.
Not an argument (I'm tired of all that) but I do want to set you straight on a fictitious claim that I see so often.
Your enmity and contempt for the Roman Catholic Church makes any input from you on the Church useless, even suspect.
Excuse me? While you're checking out encyclopedias, you should check out more information on Catholicism because you don't seem to understand that we know who Jesus really is and what He has done for us. Or worse, you do, and don't mind spreading a little misinformation. Are you teaching an ESL class or proselytizing those with little understanding of English? Do you speak of Jesus to non-Catholics as well?
For what it's worth, I don't ask whether the folks that I work with are in the country legally and I really don't care. We've had about 10 people over the past year who have came to know Christ and, you know what, not a one has joined our church. I'm fine with that, too -- we haven't asked anyone to join our church.
You don't care to ask if they are here legally but you do care to ask whether or not they believe in Jesus as defined by your faith, even as it differs, where it does, from their faith, under the guise of ESL classes. Alrighty then.