can anyone tell me the differences between Christian denominations?

[atari]

Im catholic, but I wasnt raised in a religious household.

Im totally clueless about most Protestant denominations especially, and If any would tell me the differences between them, or point me to a site that would help, that would be great. :-)

[Huntress]

I've been following your posts on thread, but now I'm confused. What denomination are you, anyway?

[mercy]

Absolutely Positively None. I am a simple Christian who has studied the Bible and accepted Christ as a little child. As The Christ suggested.

I stay away from churches but I'm glad they are there. I accept the fact that The Church can never be more than a crippled thing barely hanging on to what it has. These day it seems to do as much harm as it does good.

[infidel29]

"That you leave Christ nailed to the cross while those who left your tradition in an effort to return to the faith of the Disciples have an empty cross."

Christ upon the cross symbolizes the sacrifice of the son of God for all mankind, salvation. The cross without the corpus symbolizes the crucifixion, remembering the act.

"That you have a Pope"

Wasn`t Peter the first "Pope"?

"...question my own stupid blind faith in my Church's traditions which plainly violate the Bible and the faith they purport to enshrine."

Like the foundation for your faith being King Henry`s faulty penis? Had he been able to father a male child there would have been no protestant church for Luther to "reform". They were "protesting" the church of Rome which wouldn`t allow Henry to have a divorce/annullment. How many books of the bible have been left out in your version because the authors were not "divinely inspired"? Who says? Were any of us there? Luther a man, among others decided that these books should be left out for what reason? Laziness?

"It sure takes a long to translate these things, if they weren`t so long it`d be a lot easier, so why not leave some of the lesser known books out."

"Yeah, and while we`re at it, why do we have to say it in Latin? And why do we have to do so much kneeling, that`s really hard on my knees, I`m not as thin as I used to be?"

What exactly IS monday, Thursday?(sp.?) Is that after tuesday wednesday?

Why do I have to be "born again"? What if God saw to it that I did it right the first time?

Look we can all sit here and insult each other`s religions until Armageddon is really here. We all have our faiths and our beliefs and they`re all centered around the idea that God is our creator and Jesus, his son is our savior.

You see what the differences are atari? The various sects and alternative divisions within Christianity are slightly different at least, worlds apart at most. We`re all the same in the fact that each thinks they`re right and the others are wrong. I honeslty don`t know. Well, no, actually I know the Hari Krishnas are wrong:) Ultimately, read a bible, talk to pastors and priests of various faiths in your neighborhood. If you`re looking for a faith or church, follow your heart, God put it there and it won`t steer you wrong.

[mercy]

Henry's philandering had little to do with the Protestant reformation. It would have come eventually if Spain had defeated England and driven its Empire from the earth.

It would have come if the Roman Catholic Church had conquered Africa first and left Europe for later.

It came because the Bible was printed and people read the truth for a change instead of the inventions of the Popes and their Cardinals.

As to leaving some books out. Absolutely meaningless. I need little else other than Christ's conversation with Nicodemus to 'get' Christianity. At most I need a record that he lived, He quoted scripture, He died on a cross and claimed it was done as payment for out sins, He rose again and was beheld by many. No, I don't really need that last part. It just helps.

Your argument about a few arcane texts being left out of the bible and whether or not it matters is thinking like a Roman Catholic. All tied up in traditions and arguments while denying the simple truths of the Word.

What do the Apocrypha add to Jesus' life and instructions? What do they take away?

[infidel29]

Henry was the root, not the reform. The books being removed only shows that the reform was based on secular ideas and not necessarily directly from God. We could go back and forth ad infinitum, we`ll never see each others` point of view. I don`t wish to argue over something that is really beyond any of us to truly understand. We think we know, we believe as we will and ultimately think the rest of the world is wrong.

That is precisely what we as a nation are fighting against. Radical Muslims are killing those who believe in Christ world wide and we as Christians still argue that my bible is thicker than yours and tradition doesn`t always equal God`s will. It`s silly. God is still God, Christ is still Christ, and we are all his people. Heaven is the ultimate goal and it shouldn`t matter if one takes the freeway and one takes the highway, live a good and wholesome life, let God decide when we get there.

[aimhigh]

Wasn`t Peter the first "Pope"?

No, Peter was an apostle to the Jew, and Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

atari,

One of my traditional Catholic priests is the former diocesan director of CCD. He recommends three books for new or uncatechized Catholics.

History of the Catholic Church (author's last name is Laux)

My Catholic Faith (author is Bishop Morrow)

DeHarb's Catechism

You could find these books at any traditional Catholic bookstore online or brick and mortar. If they don't have them in stock perhaps the books could be ordered. I know Angelus Press carries the second book http://www.angeluspress.org/ Also check Catholic Treasures online http://catholictreasures.com

Oops. I almost forgot. You should have a good Catholic Bible. The Douay-Rheims Haydock Bible is considered the best.

[jaybee]

Your post is interesting to me.

I was an Episcopalian for 45 years, until today, when the Bishop of Maryland delivered an anti-war sermon to my parish. The talking points even included Abu Girab prison!

He is welcome to his opinion, but the smugness with which it was delivered, and the lack of any room for difference, have sealed my departure.

So where to go for a dyed-in-the-wool protestant who loves the tradition and the sacraments?

[Christian4Bush]

ROFLOLOLOL BUMP

[infidel29]

"Simon, (Peter) you are the rock upon which I will build my church" --Jesus

[AlexW]

"So where to go for a dyed-in-the-wool protestant who loves the tradition and the sacraments?"

Jaybee, I really don't know.
I am 60, raised in The Episcopal church, very active, and even a senior warden for over 5 years.
The church left ME about 5 years ago..I have not been back.

I will be living in central/east Europe for much of remaining days, and have only Catholic or Orthodox as a choice.
Most of the American protestant churches..Pres., Methodist., Lutheran...seem to be going down the tubes.
The episcopal church as I knew it is beyond hope now.

[Huntress]

I can definitely relate to that. I'm nominally a Baptist, but I really don't have a great deal of use for organized religion, either. It seems to me that just about every church hierarchy has an axe to grind about something, and is willing to interpret scripture to serve its agenda.

I would like to study Christianity more, but I run into similar problems when I look for books on the subject. Most authors have their own slants on the subject, so I find it difficult to find objective accounts of the history of Christianity or balanced interpretations of scripture.

[escapefromboston]

Jack Chick, is that you??

LOL

[mercy]

I highly suggest everything written by C.S. Lewis. Absolutely revalatory.

Won't help much with the history of the faith but will give you an understanding into human psychology (actually human spirituality) like no other.

Read his very small book entitled "The Great Divorce". It changed my life.

[stainlessbanner]

bttt

[1stFreedom]

>> "Change? Why would you want to change anything?"

Not. It would be more like

"Well in the past we changed light bulbs, but now we really don't"

Or

"even though light bulbs are permanant, we'll grant a ecclesial lighb bulb changing" ( a tounge in cheek ridicule of ecclesial divorce -- something prohibited by Christ and rather recently changed by the Orthodox church.)

[1stFreedom]

>>If you have any questions please feel free to email me or any other of the Orthodox here on FR.

Sure, when did Jesus say ecclesial divorces were fine? I don't remember that part of Scripture....

[1stFreedom]

>>I'm not sure exactly where on earth you guys dreamed up the crazy idea of a celibate priesthood

Uh, try reading scripture and you'll see that it's better to be celebate, but if you burn with desire, it's better to marry (my paraphrase).

[1stFreedom]

>> Baptists don't recognize each other in the liquor store.

ROFL .. good one.