[OLD REGGIE]

The Facts and Stats on 33,000 Denominations

It is sometimes worthwhile to read beneath the headline.

Despite the fact it is impossible to accurately compile a list of 33,000 Denominations, you might have noticed that the number of "Protestant" denominations listed is far from 33,000.

These 33,000 are subdivided into "6 major ecclesiastico-cultural mega-blocs", and ordering them by denomination size we have (I am rounding up or down slightly for convenience, using year 2000 figures) :

Independents (about 22000)

Protestants (about 9000)

"Marginals" (about 1600)

Orthodox (781)

Roman Catholics (242)

Anglicans (168)

***************************************************

Do you really want us to believe the following are "Protestant" Denominations?

Roman Catholics (242 denominations)

Now for the "Roman Catholic" denominations. These appear to be broken down by various rites:

Armenian (Eastern-rite Catholic)

Bulgarian (Byzantine rite)

Byzantine-rite (jurisdiction for more than one ethnic group)

Chaldean (Eastern Syrian rite)

Coptic (Alexandrian rite)

Ethiopic (Alexandrian rite)

Greek (Byzantine rite)

Hungarian (Byzantine rite)

Italo-Albanian (Byzantine rite)

Jurisdiction for both Latin-rite and Eastern-rite Catholics

Latin-rite Catholic

Malankara (Syro-Antiochian, Eastern Syrian), Syro-Malankarese

Maronite (Syro-Antiochian, Western Syrian)

Melkite (Byzantine, Greek Catholic; Arabic-speaking)

plural Oriental (jurisdiction for several Eastern rites)

Romanian Byzantine rite

Russian (Byzantine rite)

Ruthenian (Byzantine rite)

Slovak (Byzantine rite)

Syro-Malabarese (Eastern Syrian)

Syrian, Syriac-speaking (Syro-Antiochian, West Syrian)

Ukrainian Byzantine rite

When you walk behind a herd of oxen and liberally throw around what you pick up your hands might stink.

[Deo volente]

Your point is irrelevant, because I never said that the 33,000 denominations were all Protestant. Many of them are, however.

By the way, the Eastern Catholic churches are all under the jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome, so they are all part of the Catholic Church.

[Natural Law]

"When you walk behind a herd of oxen and liberally throw around what you pick up your hands might stink."

Folksy witticisms aside, if you don't like the number offer up another. Even if it is "only" 3,300 it is confirmation that even Protestants can't agree on the meaning of Scripture to the point of schism. In fact, the only thing Protestants can agree on is a hatred of Catholicism. How ironic that it is yet another thing they share with Islam.

[Quix]

Excellent points, as usual.

Thx.

[Mad Dawg]

It seems to me the term "denomination" as applied to those 'rites' that are all in communion with the Holy See and all agree on the basic articles (whatever THOSE might be) of the Catholic faith is applied differently to the different non-Catholic, non-Orthodox groups, where there are differences about articles of faith -- as I believe.

I know the new Anglican Rite will have to make declarations of conformity and have its rites and ceremonials approved and all that sort of thing. And the clergy will have to be ordained.

So I think the term is ambiguous.