[markomalley]

I have heard the numbers between 20,000 and 30,000 Protestant denominations tossed about for years. I stumbled into this article a little while ago and it shows where the number originates.

Now that I understand the methodology used to arrive at the 30,000 number, I won't use it any more...as it appears to be inflated by the author of the "World Christian Encyclopedia." (I don't agree with his definition for a denomination)

Hopefully you actually read the content of the article and won't just react emotionally...(and that goes for both sides)

[FormerACLUmember]

“33,000 Denominations”

And that is just the Episcopalians after the gay mafia is finished with them!

[RightWhale]

That’s interesting, but I think there are more than 30,000 Protestant denoms. There are probably as many as there are gas stations, which is about 1/4 million in the USA alone. Where do islams fit in or don’t they count heretical sects of Christianity?

[netmilsmom]

I’m so glad you posted this!

[Ransomed]

What two countries don’t have a Roman Catholic “denomination”?

Freegards

[fproy2222]

we have been upgraded to “Marginal Christian”

[BlessedBeGod]

Bookmarked. Thanks!

[NYer]

Very interesting article and, regardless of whether one agrees with the definition of 'denomination', well worth the read. Missing, however, is the fact that our Lord founded one Church, not many. According to Scripture, Christ wanted us to be one (John 17:22-23).  We are all as a Church to be of one mind and to think the same (Philippians 2:2; Romans 15:5).  There is only to be one "faith" (Ephesians 4:3-6), not many.  For the Church is Christ's Body and Christ only had one Body, not many.  Also, since the Church is Christ's Bride (Ephesians 5:29), can Christ be married to more than one wife (essentially a spiritual form of the the sin of polygamy)?  No, Christ can only have one wife (i.e., one Church, not many).

Pope Paul VI addressed this quite succintly in his encyclical Ut unum sint

The unity of all divided humanity is the will of God. For this reason he sent his Son, so that by dying and rising for us he might bestow on us the Spirit of love. On the eve of his sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus himself prayed to the Father for his disciples and for all those who believe in him, that they might be one, a living communion. This is the basis not only of the duty, but also of the responsibility before God and his plan, which falls to those who through Baptism become members of the Body of Christ, a Body in which the fullness of reconciliation and communion must be made present. How is it possible to remain divided, if we have been "buried" through Baptism in the Lord's death, in the very act by which God, through the death of his Son, has broken down the walls of division? Division "openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and inflicts damage on the most holy cause of proclaiming the Good News to every creature".

[Salvation]

Wow!

Worth saving. Have already emailed it to someone.

[Jaded]

1 Cor 1:10

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

[restornu]

There is an error The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS is not a denomination and never has been!

[narses]

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[Alex Murphy]

Now that I understand the methodology used to arrive at the 30,000 number, I won't use it any more...as it appears to be inflated by the author of the "World Christian Encyclopedia."

Now that sounds familiar...

[Thorin]

Very interesting.

[TradicalRC]

Thanks for trying to shed some light on what has to be a murky guessing game. I always want to know thw sources for numbers; growing up I heard so many different numbers for the holocaust until it seemed to hover around six million and merely asking for the source on THAT topic can get you branded as a holocaust denyer.

I am still unsure about what the best methodology would be to arrive at a number for denominations. Perhaps an historical timeline that tracks the origins of the various denoms and splits while accounting for a genuine break in tradition versus a nominal difference.

By the way, the category listed as marginals could just as easily be labeled nominals.

[Salvation]

Bump for later to really read this.