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Quote for this week:
I have learned never to ridicule another man's beliefs, however strange they may seem--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This week features part II of a series of articles that I am writing about the difference in Christian denominations. Enjoy!
The Difference In Christian Denominations; Comparision of Beliefs
This is part II of the four part series that I will be writing, comparing the seven major Christian denominations (for those who didn’t read part I, the seven major denominations are Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed/Presbyterian, Anglican/Episcopalian, Methodist/Wesleyan, and Baptist). This article will be covering the differences and similarities in beliefs, including their views on God, Satan, heaven, and hell.
Let’s start with “the book”. Every one of the denominations lists the Bible as its sacred text. A few of the denominations, however, also list something called the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha, which is used by the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican Church, is a series of added books taken from the time in between Nehemiah and the birth of Christ. They only appear in the Greek version of the Bible and not the Hebrew version, which is the version of choice for the Protestant denominations.
Onto Gods & Spirits. Every single Christian denomination believes in some form of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is the belief that God exists in three forms, as the Father (God), as the Son (Jesus), and as the Holy Ghost/Spirit. They believe, however, that they are all of the same divine essence; that all three are equal in power, in eternity, and in majesty.
Another big thing that all the denominations agree on is the resurrection of Christ. The Presbyterian Church states that Christ “died, was buried, and was resurrected by God. For Christians, this resurrection is God’s most amazing miracle and proof that Jesus was indeed divine” (PCUSA).
This is the first big topic that the denominations disagree on: the presence of angels, demons, and Satan. The Catholic Church fully believes in all three, saying that the proof is in the Bible. The Presbyterian and Baptist Churches have opposite views on the subject. They both affirm their existence, but highly doubt the idea of guardian angels or the idea that Satan is a red figure with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. The Lutheran Church takes a stand in between the two extremes, and they believe that the presence of angels and demons is something that humans will never fully understand in this life.
Salvation is something that is key to every Christian denomination. Each denomination has a different way of approaching it however. The Catholic Church believes that salvation is achieved through baptism at birth, that it is lost through mortal sin, and that it can be regained by penance. The other denominations believe that salvation is a more personal choice, that one should choose God under his own power, and not by any outside influence.
The final comparison is their respective stands on heaven, hell, and purgatory. First, the dark stuff. Every denomination believes in an eternal hell, some even stating that “Hell, with its everlasting misery and separation from God, is the final abode of those who neglect (God’s) great salvation”. (WC) In essence, once you go to hell, there’s no coming back. The next thing is purgatory. Purgatory is the belief that there is a place between heaven and hell where the Christian souls go who haven’t repented for all of their sins. The only denomination that practices purgatory is the Catholic Church, who believes that it is God’s will to have a place “in between” so to speak, so that it will allow more souls to be saved. The final topic is heaven. Every single denomination also believes in heaven. The descriptions vary from “a blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ” to “a place of eternal glory and blessedness of Christ’s presence”. But it can all be summed up in one word – paradise.
These are only a handful of the beliefs of these denominations. If there is a belief that you would like to be compared that I did not include here, please submit it! I’ll try to get it in as soon as possible. But first, stay tuned for next week’s article, where I’ll be comparing and contrasting the denominations’ stands on social and ethical issues.
Let’s start with “the book”. Every one of the denominations lists the Bible as its sacred text. A few of the denominations, however, also list something called the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha, which is used by the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican Church, is a series of added books taken from the time in between Nehemiah and the birth of Christ. They only appear in the Greek version of the Bible and not the Hebrew version, which is the version of choice for the Protestant denominations.
Onto Gods & Spirits. Every single Christian denomination believes in some form of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is the belief that God exists in three forms, as the Father (God), as the Son (Jesus), and as the Holy Ghost/Spirit. They believe, however, that they are all of the same divine essence; that all three are equal in power, in eternity, and in majesty.
Another big thing that all the denominations agree on is the resurrection of Christ. The Presbyterian Church states that Christ “died, was buried, and was resurrected by God. For Christians, this resurrection is God’s most amazing miracle and proof that Jesus was indeed divine” (PCUSA).
This is the first big topic that the denominations disagree on: the presence of angels, demons, and Satan. The Catholic Church fully believes in all three, saying that the proof is in the Bible. The Presbyterian and Baptist Churches have opposite views on the subject. They both affirm their existence, but highly doubt the idea of guardian angels or the idea that Satan is a red figure with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. The Lutheran Church takes a stand in between the two extremes, and they believe that the presence of angels and demons is something that humans will never fully understand in this life.
Salvation is something that is key to every Christian denomination. Each denomination has a different way of approaching it however. The Catholic Church believes that salvation is achieved through baptism at birth, that it is lost through mortal sin, and that it can be regained by penance. The other denominations believe that salvation is a more personal choice, that one should choose God under his own power, and not by any outside influence.
The final comparison is their respective stands on heaven, hell, and purgatory. First, the dark stuff. Every denomination believes in an eternal hell, some even stating that “Hell, with its everlasting misery and separation from God, is the final abode of those who neglect (God’s) great salvation”. (WC) In essence, once you go to hell, there’s no coming back. The next thing is purgatory. Purgatory is the belief that there is a place between heaven and hell where the Christian souls go who haven’t repented for all of their sins. The only denomination that practices purgatory is the Catholic Church, who believes that it is God’s will to have a place “in between” so to speak, so that it will allow more souls to be saved. The final topic is heaven. Every single denomination also believes in heaven. The descriptions vary from “a blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ” to “a place of eternal glory and blessedness of Christ’s presence”. But it can all be summed up in one word – paradise.
These are only a handful of the beliefs of these denominations. If there is a belief that you would like to be compared that I did not include here, please submit it! I’ll try to get it in as soon as possible. But first, stay tuned for next week’s article, where I’ll be comparing and contrasting the denominations’ stands on social and ethical issues.