Why are there 33,839 different Christian denominations?

[Zzyzx]

If Christianity is based upon the Bible, and if the Bible is “the infallible word of god” (or even the fallible word of god) why are 33,830 different Christian denominations recognized by the World Christian Encyclopedia?

Supposedly these denominations are all worshiping the same god from the same (or similar) ancient text. How can one god be “infallibly correct” in 33,830 different ways?

If there are at least 33,000 different “interpretations” of “god’s word”, it seems as though any interpretation can be just as valid as any other and words can be “redefined” to mean exactly the opposite of their common meaning.

[arayhay]

[

quote="Smersh"]

The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all. to say that is to twist Jesus's own words;

Mat 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Mat 15:2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
Mat 15:3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

I believe these words are directed to "Pharisees and scribes" not Christians? Or you cannot see the difference?

I can not stop laughing.

[Goat]

The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all. to say that is to twist Jesus's own words;

Mat 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Mat 15:2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
Mat 15:3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

I believe these words are directed to "Pharisees and scribes" not Christians? Or you cannot see the difference?

The Orthodox Church continues to this day in accordance with Christ's word that "the gates of hell" should not prevail against His Church. The Church continues to hold faithfully to the Apostolic Tradition in accordance with the command of St. Paul: "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2:15), not adding or subtracting from the deposit of Faith to accord with contemporary fads or fashions, for ultimately, the Truth of the Christian Faith is a person, the God-man Jesus Christ, who changes not, and whom Orthodox Christians worship and adore.

Also you fail to show HOW traditions make the Scriptures easier to understand, or do. They can but traditions can cross a line between usefulness and overreaching, so as to ADD to the Scriptures something not only unintended in the first place, but worse, they can override Scripture as to annul it.

I am not ashamed to admit that I don't understand the meaning of everything contained in The Holy Scripture. Moreover what if I don't understand it correctly? It's prudent to trust a guidance of one who already is in heaven and therefore his interpretation is beyond doubt. The Orthodox Church is designed as the perfect mechanism for preservation of The Truth. It is designed in such a way that neither government authorities, nor higher clergy can add to or deduct from The Teaching of Christ.

Thus the need for your TRADITIONS are to support something contradictory to what God has put in place. And because your traditions end up undermining the very words of God the father and the Messiah, Your foundation is exposed as quicksand.

And exactly what part of The Holy Tradition contradicts what God put in place? And allow me to ask what is your source of information of what God put in place? Were you an object of the exclusive revelation? Or is it simply you interpretation of The Holy Scripture? Why in the world should I value you interpretation more than that of Saints whose very life is the evidence of The Christian Teaching?


So you reject The Symbol of Faith? You reject The Christ himself if you read what it says.

Unfortunately such is the nature of heresy making idol of yourself. By rejecting heresy of the Roman catholic church protestants fallen into even deeper heresy. They replaced the pope of Rome with themselves. So each protestant is the pope for himself. Surely some industrious protestants build organizations of various sizes. This is why - there are 33,830 different Christian denominations recognized by the World Christian Encyclopedia.

The reason it was addressed to the 'pharisees and scribes' is those were the ones in power. At that time, there were no 'Christians'.

The heriarchy of the Church is the new Pharisees. Play your word games.. but it appears to me that the words attributed to Jesus are aimed at people who use the letter of the law, and ignore the spirit. They well twist the words to demonise others, and fail to see the essence of the tradition Jesus was preaching.

[arayhay]

The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all. to say that is to twist Jesus's own words;

Mat 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Mat 15:2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
Mat 15:3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

I believe these words are directed to "Pharisees and scribes" not Christians? Or you cannot see the difference?

The Orthodox Church continues to this day in accordance with Christ's word that "the gates of hell" should not prevail against His Church. The Church continues to hold faithfully to the Apostolic Tradition in accordance with the command of St. Paul: "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2:15), not adding or subtracting from the deposit of Faith to accord with contemporary fads or fashions, for ultimately, the Truth of the Christian Faith is a person, the God-man Jesus Christ, who changes not, and whom Orthodox Christians worship and adore.

arayhay
How can you avoid your own hypocrisy ?? You contradict the One you say changes not when you change what He says by pointing His statement at the Pharisees alone. In fact this is an attempt to control the Scriptures for the sake of you own Pharisitical traditions. And in this process You've not only abandoned the ot, but discarding the Words of the Messiah.

Also you fail to show HOW traditions make the Scriptures easier to understand, or do. They can but traditions can cross a line between usefulness and overreaching, so as to ADD to the Scriptures something not only unintended in the first place, but worse, they can override Scripture as to annul it.

I am not ashamed to admit that I don't understand the meaning of everything contained in The Holy Scripture. Moreover what if I don't understand it correctly? It's prudent to trust a guidance of one who already is in heaven and therefore his interpretation is beyond doubt. The Orthodox Church is designed as the perfect mechanism for preservation of The Truth. It is designed in such a way that neither government authorities, nor higher clergy can add to or deduct from The Teaching of Christ.

arayhay
At one time I too trusted OTHERS with what today I see as MY Spiritual responsibility. That's what your doing here. TRUSTING SOMEONE YOU SAY IS IN HEAVEN. Why would you trust someone who's believes not only can not be proven, but contradict the Scriptures. The answer for me was that I was lazy. You have to answer for yourself. If THE MESSIAH can't speak to your traditions AT ALL, how can you be sure that your traditions are in accordance with what is spoken of in; 2 Thes. 2:15-17.



2Th 2:15 Therefore,686, 3767 brethren,80 stand fast,4739 and2532 hold2902 the3588 traditions3862 which3739 ye have been taught,1321 whether1535 by1223 word,3056 or1535, (1223) our2257 epistle.1992
2Th 2:16 Now1161 our2257 Lord2962 Jesus2424 Christ5547 himself,846 and2532 God,2316 even2532 our2257 Father,3962 which hath loved25 us,2248 and2532 hath given1325 us everlasting166 consolation3874 and2532 good18 hope1680 through1722 grace,5485
2Th 2:17 Comfort3870 your5216 hearts,2588 and2532 establish4741 you5209 in1722 every3956 good18 word3056 and2532 work.2041


Who or why would you, or anyone want to relish a god who says one thing to the Jews and one thing to the church, and call himself CONSISTENT ?? Why would anyone want a god who has a double standard when it comes to how he deals with mankind ?? This is the slippery slope that christian's found when they implemented their impatiently constructed and obstructive doctrines in opposition to The Torah.

Thus the need for your TRADITIONS are to support something contradictory to what God has put in place. And because your traditions end up undermining the very words of God the father and the Messiah, Your foundation is exposed as quicksand.

And exactly what part of The Holy Tradition contradicts what God put in place? And allow me to ask what is your source of information of what God put in place? Were you an object of the exclusive revelation? Or is it simply you interpretation of The Holy Scripture? Why in the world should I value you interpretation more than that of Saints whose very life is the evidence of The Christian Teaching?

arayhay
A fair question. The part that is most disconcerting is that the traditions present an ALTERNATIVE way to that which is given EXPLICITLY with something that is implicit and use a highbrow arrogant doctrine of fear to intimidate and control their followers. My source are The Scriptures read in context.



[strike]So you reject The Symbol of Faith? You reject The Christ himself if you read what it says.

Unfortunately such is the nature of heresy making idol of yourself. By rejecting heresy of the Roman catholic church protestants fallen into even deeper heresy. They replaced the pope of Rome with themselves. So each protestant is the pope for himself. Surely some industrious protestants build organizations of various sizes. This is why - there are 33,830 different Christian denominations recognized by the World Christian Encyclopedia.

[/strike]

arayhay
The primary use of a abstract, disconnected, and isolated Scriptures is what lead to so many varieties of christianity. a rift existed to be sure, but what followed didn't address the friction. It intensified it. The answer was not to severe or rupture the whole with the cleaver of selfishness. Rather the answer was/is to submit to the Spirit in servant-hood so as to make the concerns of others greater than our own.

[Catharsis]

arayhay,

>>>The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all. to say that is to twist Jesus's own words<<<

By your posts, you clearly demonstrate your lack of knowledge of the Holy Tradition, yet accuse the Orthodox Church of inventing "traditions". Can you please pin-point institutionalized "traditions", contrary to Tradition, that have been invented by the Orthodox Church?

>>>Mat 15:3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?<<<
>>>Mat 15:6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.<<<

These clearly refer to human traditions, not the Tradition. You illuminate your ignorance on the subject matter by preceding the biblical extracts with the statement: "The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all". As is obvious from the given passages, the term "your tradition" refers to human traditions, not the Tradition.


>>>of which yours is the doctrine of demons. Thus i've sticken it.<<<

You've stricken yourself.

[Goat]

Without saying who is right or wrong, or if any are indeed right at all. I will just point out the ongoing discussions between various Christians about who is right and who is wrong when it comes to theology shows why there are so many denominations.

There are so many denominations because Christians can not decide among themselves what is a valid interpretation and what is not.

[arayhay]

Without saying who is right or wrong, or if any are indeed right at all. I will just point out the ongoing discussions between various Christians about who is right and who is wrong when it comes to theology shows why there are so many denominations.

There are so many denominations because Christians can not decide among themselves what is a valid interpretation and what is not.

Thank you for pointing out the obvious. The previous post is an excellent example of you point;

arayhay,

>>>The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all. to say that is to twist Jesus's own words<<<

By your posts, you clearly demonstrate your lack of knowledge of the Holy Tradition, yet accuse the Orthodox Church of inventing "traditions". Can you please pin-point institutionalized "traditions", contrary to Tradition, that have been invented by the Orthodox Church?

>>>Mat 15:3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?<<<
>>>Mat 15:6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.<<<

These clearly refer to human traditions, not the Tradition. You illuminate your ignorance on the subject matter by preceding the biblical extracts with the statement: "The Holy Scriptures are not tradition at all". As is obvious from the given passages, the term "your tradition" refers to human traditions, not the Tradition.


>>>of which yours is the doctrine of demons. Thus i've sticken it.<<<

You've stricken yourself.

Here is someone, chatharsis, who transforms THE COMPARISON between' The Commandment' and' their traditions' into a bout between traditions of men and traditios of God. Merely for the purpose of hanging on to traditions/doctrines that are unverifiable. when their 'traditions' SPEAK for 'them', they do so in ways so as to support only what they want/need them to support, so as to build an alternative to what God has said WILL NEVER CHANGE. But in doing so 'they' abandon the One they claim to serve.


Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
Jer 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his name:
Jer 31:36 "If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever."
Jer 31:37 Thus says the LORD: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD."
Jer 31:38 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
Jer 31:39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah.
Jer 31:40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever."

When He says 'if this fixed order departs from before Me' He's saying in effect; If I ever become powerless over these things. This is precisely what false doctrines do sotto apeak. They forage for any semblance of truth that will serve their agenda, and strike what God says through a manic blindness fueled by harsh, and exaggerated draconian imperatives of their own making. THEY UNABASHEDLY DEPOSE GOD.

I don't mind in the lest being ignorant of some freeze dried list of traditions that serve to support hatred of the very people i know God wants me to bless. Gen 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Gen 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Gen 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
Gen 12:4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.


Here is a Statement that God will bless those who bless the Children of Abraham. Later known as the Nation of Israel. Not Rome, or America, or Greece, But Israel. An Israel that when they came out of Egypt were a MIXED MULTITUDE.
This should debunk any scandal of particularity either for or against Israel. The people of Israel were always the primary, no singular anthology, a living omnibus to the world on God's behalf. If one steps outside of this dialog, one has muted the Master. To try to remove them is futile, and incompetent. No matter what level of rigor or severity swirls from this falsity.

[Smersh]

arayhay
At one time I too trusted OTHERS with what today I see as MY Spiritual responsibility. That's what your doing here. TRUSTING SOMEONE YOU SAY IS IN HEAVEN. Why would you trust someone who's believes not only can not be proven, but contradict the Scriptures. The answer for me was that I was lazy. You have to answer for yourself. If THE MESSIAH can't speak to your traditions AT ALL, how can you be sure that your traditions are in accordance with what is spoken of in; 2 Thes. 2:15-17.

And yet I insist on being humble enough to say I need a yardstick to verify that my interpretation is not a heresy. You proudly proclaim that YOU know when someone contradicts The Scripture. The question is do we contradict The Scripture or your private interpretation of it? Forget not:

Jas 4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Who or why would you, or anyone want to relish a god who says one thing to the Jews and one thing to the church, and call himself CONSISTENT ?? Why would anyone want a god who has a double standard when it comes to how he deals with mankind ?? This is the slippery slope that christian's found when they implemented their impatiently constructed and obstructive doctrines in opposition to The Torah.

Spoken as a true jew or a child of devil. Jn 8:44 .

arayhay
A fair question. The part that is most disconcerting is that the traditions present an ALTERNATIVE way to that which is given EXPLICITLY with something that is implicit and use a highbrow arrogant doctrine of fear to intimidate and control their followers. My source are The Scriptures read in context.

So do jews read The Scriptures (Old Testament) doesn't stop them from worshiping the devil does it?

Rev 2:9 I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

goat

The heriarchy of the Church is the new Pharisees. Play your word games.. but it appears to me that the words attributed to Jesus are aimed at people who use the letter of the law, and ignore the spirit. They well twist the words to demonise others, and fail to see the essence of the tradition Jesus was preaching.

Clearly all heresies are started by bishops and priests. Being part of clergy guarantees nothing. In fact I would be the first to admit that many of the Orthodox bishops are heretics and are seeking to destroy The Church. So what? They can't change The Dogma and when they try they only expose themselves as servants of evil that they are.

Here is a Statement that God will bless those who bless the Children of Abraham. Later known as the Nation of Israel. Not Rome, or America, or Greece, But Israel. An Israel that when they came out of Egypt were a MIXED MULTITUDE.
This should debunk any scandal of particularity either for or against Israel. The people of Israel were always the primary, no singular anthology, a living omnibus to the world on God's behalf. If one steps outside of this dialog, one has muted the Master. To try to remove them is futile, and incompetent. No matter what level of rigor or severity swirls from this falsity.

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

[arayhay]

arayhay
At one time I too trusted OTHERS with what today I see as MY Spiritual responsibility. That's what your doing here. TRUSTING SOMEONE YOU SAY IS IN HEAVEN. Why would you trust someone who's believes not only can not be proven, but contradict the Scriptures. The answer for me was that I was lazy. You have to answer for yourself. If THE MESSIAH can't speak to your traditions AT ALL, how can you be sure that your traditions are in accordance with what is spoken of in; 2 Thes. 2:15-17.

And yet I insist on being humble enough to say I need a yardstick to verify that my interpretation is not a heresy. You proudly proclaim that YOU know when someone contradicts The Scripture. The question is do we contradict The Scripture or your private interpretation of it? Forget not:

Jas 4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Who or why would you, or anyone want to relish a god who says one thing to the Jews and one thing to the church, and call himself CONSISTENT ?? Why would anyone want a god who has a double standard when it comes to how he deals with mankind ?? This is the slippery slope that christian's found when they implemented their impatiently constructed and obstructive doctrines in opposition to The Torah.

Spoken as a true jew or a child of devil. Jn 8:44 .

arayhay
Joh 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

You say that Jesus is speaking to THE JEWS. But He is a Jew Himself. This is how you interpret the Scriptures backwards. Here is the lamest interpretation of Scripture that could be given. The Messiah is talking to a select few who prove, just as you have , that they serve hasatan [the adversary]. Just as you do. To apply this statement to ALL The Jews only promotes your evil agenda of condemning others. People you don't have a clue about besides what other deluded Jew haters told you. You hate them in ignorance because you have dehumanize them. To say that hate is promoted in the Scriptures is utterly preposterous, and indefensible. Yet you thrive in this sick environment. You can't even see that YOU portray God as a God of Hate with your advocating His, [yours is real], alleged hatred for the Jews. This is the type of deviation of a deceiver, devoid of any purity at all. Incompatible with The Master, King of the universe.

arayhay
A fair question. The part that is most disconcerting is that the traditions present an ALTERNATIVE way to that which is given EXPLICITLY with something that is implicit and use a highbrow arrogant doctrine of fear to intimidate and control their followers. My source are The Scriptures read in context.

So do jews read The Scriptures (Old Testament) doesn't stop them from worshiping the devil does it?

Rev 2:9 I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

goat

The heriarchy of the Church is the new Pharisees. Play your word games.. but it appears to me that the words attributed to Jesus are aimed at people who use the letter of the law, and ignore the spirit. They well twist the words to demonise others, and fail to see the essence of the tradition Jesus was preaching.

Clearly all heresies are started by bishops and priests. Being part of clergy guarantees nothing. In fact I would be the first to admit that many of the Orthodox bishops are heretics and are seeking to destroy The Church. So what? They can't change The Dogma and when they try they only expose themselves as servants of evil that they are.

Here is a Statement that God will bless those who bless the Children of Abraham. Later known as the Nation of Israel. Not Rome, or America, or Greece, But Israel. An Israel that when they came out of Egypt were a MIXED MULTITUDE.
This should debunk any scandal of particularity either for or against Israel. The people of Israel were always the primary, no singular anthology, a living omnibus to the world on God's behalf. If one steps outside of this dialog, one has muted the Master. To try to remove them is futile, and incompetent. No matter what level of rigor or severity swirls from this falsity.

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stoniest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The Bible can be summed up in one word, LOVE. Unless its in the hands of a wicked, hateful pack of wolfs. Like you and those who you represent.

You run from the issue because you can't face the ground shattering truth that you serve the wrong side.


YOU SIMPLY PUT QUESTIONS BEHIND YOU BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FACE THEM.


You and your orthodox demons can still get free if you look to the Savior. Yeshua. A Jew who came to save the world.

So it still stands. You have not rebuffed the TRUE statement that your traditions are not supported by the Scriptures.

[john_anthony_gonzalez]

If Christianity is based upon the Bible, and if the Bible is “the infallible word of god” (or even the fallible word of god) why are 33,830 different Christian denominations recognized by the World Christian Encyclopedia?

Supposedly these denominations are all worshiping the same god from the same (or similar) ancient text. How can one god be “infallibly correct” in 33,830 different ways?

If there are at least 33,000 different “interpretations” of “god’s word”, it seems as though any interpretation can be just as valid as any other and words can be “redefined” to mean exactly the opposite of their common meaning.

Because no one is perfect

[Zzyzx]

If Christianity is based upon the Bible, and if the Bible is “the infallible word of god” (or even the fallible word of god) why are 33,830 different Christian denominations recognized by the World Christian Encyclopedia?

Supposedly these denominations are all worshiping the same god from the same (or similar) ancient text. How can one god be “infallibly correct” in 33,830 different ways?

If there are at least 33,000 different “interpretations” of “god’s word”, it seems as though any interpretation can be just as valid as any other and words can be “redefined” to mean exactly the opposite of their common meaning.

Because no one is perfect

Are you admitting that the bible is not perfect, or does your satement apply only to people using the bible "imperfectly"?