[Faith Presses On]

There are not 50,000 Protestant denominations — or any other similar large number thrown out there. From the National Catholic Register:

“I regret to say that is not going to hap­pen here. There are not — repeat with me — there are not 33,000 Protes­tant denom­i­na­tions. There are not any­where close to it. It is a myth that has taken hold by force of rep­e­ti­tion, and it gets cited and recited by reflex; but it is based on a source that, even Catholics will have to con­cede, relies on too loose a def­i­n­i­tion of the word “denom­i­na­tion.””

The primary source for the claim says this about Catholics:

” And then the WCE some­how comes up with 242 Catholic denom­i­na­tions. That should be a big glar­ing red flag that it has been a bit — how shall we say? — free and loose with the word “denom­i­na­tion.””

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/we-need-to-stop-saying-that-there-are-33-000-protestant-denominations

[metmom]

Thank you.