Religious Differences: Sects

I just consider myself a Christian. I don’t even like differentiating between Catholic and Protestant. So I can’t help you much, but I’d suggest starting here for general information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

 

agreed. i go to a presbyterian church. i grew up in an episcopal church. i've attended more churches than i could remember of all different flavors. i do not identify with a denomination, at all. i'm a Christian...Christ-follower...Jesus Freak....Follower of the Way...or whatever else.

 

all religions are sects of belief in the supernatural. they only differ in how much faith one puts in his own ability to control his destiny versus faith in his peer group's ideas of such.

 

Here's a link to a chart that compares some of the differences in beliefs.

Here's a link to a chart that compares some of the differences in practices.

In practice, Baptists tend to be literal in their interpretation of the Bible, and historically have a strong aversion to Catholic style church hierarchies.

They are the prototypical faith of the "tent revival", which began in the 19th century, but very much more conservative and traditional than some of the stranger tent revival types that evolved, like the Seventh-Day Adventists.

 

Yep, I am not in a denomination. I have been to several different denominations or sects church's.

I have tried to read up on the differences.

Our church is using the Bible to teach from. Probably most do and have varying differences over points in the Bible.

The Bible verses that people disagree over are in the minority although they compromise the majority of the divisions.

I really think people came up with the sects, God sees one unified body of people.

Part of it also is that different groups emphasize different aspects of the Bible. People tend to rally around strong points of emphasis. This is not bad.

If it helps any I believe that God knows who are Christians and who are not Christians, it is not just apparent if someone 'knows the man upstairs' and was baptized a Christian. I certainly don't believe that everyone going to a church on Sunday is going to heaven. That's where Christians believe they will be after death.

I used to go down to the overpasses near the bus station downtown Houston and share food and Bible scriptures with the people living there. They would swear at us, drunken, fight, have sex right there under the overpass at 2:00 am, some of them knew quite a few Bible verses and were adament about being 'good' with the man upstairs.

Always was a fun night.

 

that is the one I wanted

 

Failed to mention that there was a split in the Babtists. When I think of the Babtists I think of The Southern Babtist Church. There is also an American Babtist Church. I know little of how it is different.

 

I am Pentecostal and the only real difference is that we do not believe in the Trinity and believe that God is one. We also believe in baptisim in Jesus name as the Bible states in Acts 2:38

I believe all Christian faiths believe that Jesus is our savior and our way to Heaven and at the end of the day isnt that the point?

 

to experience more microevolution, look at the button next to the "reply to post" button... the one with the pencil lets you edit your own posts since you're one of them fancy contributing members...

 

I did it, I did it, I did it!

I am going to mutate any moment!!!!!!!!!!

 

...and also baptists.

 

sorry. it was early, and I spent my youth hearing my baptist Texan farmer relatives pronounce it like I was spelling it.

Let me give you an extreme examples to illustrate why it is important.

There was a famous early Christian Gnostic named Valentinius. This is the gentleman was formerly cannonised as St. Valentine, the namesake of the famous holiday. The assocaition is interesting, because Valentinius was basically a believer in extreme free love as a Christian sacrement. IIRC, he was associated in some way with the somewhat common early belief in a split between God and what is known as the Godhead.

Simplisticlly, the Godhead was believed to be the entity which was refered to as God in the Old Testament. The Godhead created the material world, and was a vengful, evil thing.

Conversely, God was the God of the New Testament. God believed in extreme rejection of the physical world as a necessary step to spiritual fufilment. Many of Valentinius' followers practiced riutual abortion on the grounds that it was evil to bring a child's spirit into the Godhead's evil material world, and some were reported to have actually eaten aborted fetuses with honey and herbs as a religious sacrement.

So.

Valentinius would say he was a Christian. I say I'm a Christian. IMHO, our two belief systems could not be considered the same. Failure to draw a line beyond which something can be considered heretical will result in incorporation of these ideas.

While it is important to accept that people believe something different from what you believe, and that you shouldn't attempt to judge the validity of their beliefs, it is also important to understand whether their beliefs and yours are compatable, and to what degree this is so.

 

thats awesome. Rarely do i ever meet people who say they are christians period. its usually, im baptist, im catholic etc etc.

 

yeah, i know..i get frustrated with that.

 

Well some who refer to themselves as Christian do not consider other sects as Christian. Just go to your local "Christian" bookstore.

 

Four Great Religious Truths

1- Muslims do not recognize Judaism as a religion.
2- Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
3- Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
4- Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters

http://www.danielcurran.com/2005/05/four-great-religious-truths.php

 

lol!

Muslims do recognise Judaism as a religion, though, just as they recognise Christians. As a Muslim friend said to me, the conflict in the ME has noting to do with Judaism. It has to do with Zionists. It’s political, not religious.

 

exactly,

and even more so, muslims have a special place of respect for jews and christians. They are called the people of the book. We are allowed to marry christians and jews and also eat food that they slaughter. (ie meat)

If you read your history, jews were allowed to live in the time of the prophet pbuh along with the muslims, and they were also allowed to stay in jeruselem after it was taken over by muslims.

 

Yeah, Catholic and Protestant are easy because Catholics are the "old" school and hierarchical way - the pope and church dictate what is spiritaul law, etc. Protestants, of course, have now developed (at the extreme)to where Christianity is whatever you want it to be and is extremely individual.

Baptists - more literal interpretation, adult baptism (getting saved - although that is a bit of a misnomer because it usually happens around age 12-14 and I have known many that are saved around 5-7). At their extreme belief, no drinking and dancing, but they almost never practice that in reality. Many many baptists do not think Catholics (or anything close) are "real" Christians. No such thing as a priest, just a minister or "brother" (meant to imply that anyone can go up on stage an testify). Began as a movement of the very poor so buildings are minimal (in decoration, but not always in size or technology) and tradition/pageantry is shunned. No trinity.

Episcopalian/Anglican/Church of England - all the same, basically "Catholic lite" (Because old Henry didn't want to play with the pope anymore and wanted to divorce, etc) - priests can marry, no nuns, follow the Catholic cycle, infant baptism. Different with Catholics in that anyone can take communion in their church. Episcopalians want to welcome everyone and anyone so they try to stay away from the more restrictive traditions, but they are the most "historical" and Catholic-like of all protestants.

Pentacostal - similar to baptists, but they are much more diverse in beliefs in that they can be more theologically liberal than baptists or more conservative. Adult baptism, tithing, personal interpretation, minimal tradition and pageantry, no trinity, etc.. Often, "non-denominational" means pentecostal. Not always, though.

EDIT: I should add that a lot of baptists/pentecostals, etc. feel that if you are not saved as an adult, then you will go to hell...no matter what kind of Christian you are.