How Many?

[MartinLuther]

Here is another definition from the same webpage on dictionary.com:

denomination

1. The act of naming or designating.

2. That by which anything is denominated or styled; an epithet; a name, designation, or title; especially, a general name indicating a class of like individuals; a category; as, the denomination of units, or of thousands, or of fourths, or of shillings, or of tons.

Those [qualities] which are classed under the denomination of sublime. --Burke.

3. A class, or society of individuals, called by the same name; a sect; as, a denomination of Christians.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Do you really want to use a single legal hierachy as part of the definition anyway?

Doesn't the catholic chuch operate as thousands of different independent legal entities - at least one for each parish, school, diocese, order, church organisation etc.?

[cmotherofpirl]

Do you really want to use a single legal hierachy as part of the definition anyway?

Doesn't the catholic chuch operate as thousands of different independent legal entities - at least one for each parish, school, diocese, order, church organisation etc.?

We have to operate within the laws of the country. For example. I was told recently in France all the Churches are owned by the State.

But if you want to be considered a Catholic Church, you answer to your Bishop who is in communion with the Bishop of Rome.

[Circle_Master]

I REPEAT --

de·nom·i·na·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-nm-nshn)

n.

A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith AND name AND organized under a single administrative AND legal hierarchy.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth

Edition

It only seems self-explanatory.

except that denominations such as "Brethren" do not have "one faith" or "legal hierarchy" or any "single administrative". yet they all have something in common, they believe in no pastor, and all should be schooled in Scripture

[Bruce S]

Svendsen is the one who is wrong. Barrett is the statistician, not Svendsen. He is also an Anglican clergyman. Svendsen does, in the final analysis, admit to 8,196 denominations. As I told him, that's plenty, plenty, to prove the fallacy of Sola Scriptura. That's the point of any Catholic who refers to the chaos that is Protestantism.

Svenden misrepresents the facts about the Catholic Church. Anyone who claims the "Rites" within Catholicism are separate "denominations" with different doctrines and beliefs has not bothered to learn the truth.

The VERY same "basis" that Bartlett uses to come to the 8,000 PLUS [it has now escalated to 30,000 within the Catholic fib machine] could be applied to the Catholic Church, for EACH diocese is INDEPENDENTLY an operating financial unit, just like those Protestant denominations are, THAT is how the number is arrived at.

A MOST, there are under a THOUSAND real denominations with more than a handful of adherants, at MOST.

Just come clean, you are using FRAUDULENT numbers to make a point that is not worthwhile.

POST the information on what they said about Catholicsm, post it.

I have read it, and you won't go near it.

[mulls]

Ironmonk,

prove it.

prove none of the 34,000 + preach the same Gospel as the rest.

are you willing to look up 34,000 so-called denominations and study their statements of faith and what they believe the Gospel to be?

if not, then I would retract this statement, immediately

you accuse others of lying quite often, now i am accusing you of the same. please prove me wrong.

start small.....find 100 completely different denominations, which have no affiliation with each other, and show how the Gospel of each differs from that of the next.

i'm serious.

bump for this.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

Don't tell me that each Diocese is a denomination. That is ridiculous. Keep it serious.

Who cares how many Protestant denominations there are. The fact that there may be less than 30,000 has no relevence at all. The fact that there are TWO different denominations creates a problem. It is also a well known fact that not all Protestants teach the same thing. Give me a break, this stuff doesn't even matter, give up on it.

[RJS]

Hey Mulls,

Here is about 120 (don't quote me on that because I didnt count them all) that I found in about 30 seconds:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/R...ions_and_Sects/

Hope that helps.

[Bruce S]

Don't tell me that each Diocese is a denomination. That is ridiculous. Keep it serious.

They are NOT "seperate denominations". But that is the BASIS that Bartlett used in coming up with the huge number of "different Protestant denominations"

He listed EVERY independent financial unit within Protestanism as a SEPERATE denomination.

See my point?

[Bruce S]

OK.

We now AGREE? There are UNDER a thousand differnt Protestant denominations and we WILL NEVER EVER have to answer the 20-30,000 charge again?

Will the BIG LIE not be used on this board again?

That should settle things.

Yes. Protestants ARE divided, SO is Catholicm. You know it, we know it.

Just keep the truth in these threads.

Christians squabble. Anglicans "are in communion with Rome" but are NOT members of the Catholic Church, that sort of confusion will not be resolved, but at least the reality will be interjected and the massive fibbing will end.

K?

[jasJis]

de·nom·i·na·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-nm-nshn) n.

A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith AND name AND organized under a single administrative AND legal hierarchy.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth

Edition

This is an excellent definition. Note the 3 Reqirements of the definition.

1.) Common Faith

2.) Common Name

3.) Oranized under a single heirarchy (adminstrative AND legal).

No. The different Diocese do not qualify as denoms becasue of One Faith, One Name (Catholic) and one hierarcy (the Pope/Vatican). Nether do the other Catholic Rites qualify as denoms, because again, they claim the same Faith in Dogma and Doctrine (Discipline is something else). Catholic, and in Communion under the Pope/Vatican.

That's why Eastern Orthodox are a different name. Catholic. Almost identical in Common Faith (Dogma and Doctrine), but refuse to be in communion under a single heirarchy.

The two Baptist churches by my house are two different denominations. Different Faith (one doesn't believe in OSAS as Doctrine). They both share the common name of Baptist, but are organized under different heirachies. They belong to two different Baptist "Associations" that are completely seperate in legal and adminsitration, with nothing in common. Catholic Churches must answer to the Bishop, the Bishop to the ArchBishop, the ArchBiship to the Vatican, etc. It eventually comes to one single heirarchy.

With this definition, I'd say that 20,000 denominations are a gross understatement.

[cmotherofpirl]

The VERY same "basis" that Bartlett uses to come to the 8,000 PLUS [it has now escalated to 30,000 within the Catholic fib machine] could be applied to the Catholic Church, for EACH diocese is INDEPENDENTLY an operating financial unit, just like those Protestant denominations are, THAT is how the number is arrived at.

A MOST, there are under a THOUSAND real denominations with more than a handful of adherants, at MOST.

Just come clean, you are using FRAUDULENT numbers to make a point that is not worthwhile.

POST the information on what they said about Catholicsm, post it.

I have read it, and you won't go near it.

A MOST, there are under a THOUSAND real denominations with more than a handful of adherants, at MOST.

THe bottom line Bruce is that Jesus only left one Church. Singular.

I'm sorry if that annoys you.

[mulls]

Hey Mulls,

Here is about 120 (don't quote me on that because I didnt count them all) that I found in about 30 seconds:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/R...ions_and_Sects/

Hope that helps.

sure, now just look at all of them and tell me how they each preach a different GOSPEL.

i don't care about the names or any other differences, i'm strictly talking about the GOSPEL.

[RJS]

sure, now just look at all of them and tell me how they each preach a different GOSPEL.

i don't care about the names or any other differences, i'm strictly talking about the GOSPEL.

:rolling:

If they taught the same gospel they would be the same church. And dont give me any of this "it is only minor differences that separate them. They are separated none the less.

:rolling:

The fact still remains that they are not part of Christ's ONE AND ONLY Catholic Church.

[littleflower+JMJ]

no one is gonna teach the same gospel, they have no shepard to guide them.

one verse could mean to someone that their going to hell, to another that means we're all granted heaven.

there is no unity outside of the catholic church, its merely what the pastor choses to believe in or what he thinks he should be believing in.

i have 3 baptist churchs in my town where each preacher teaches different things.........they fight all the time (happened at our graduation) because each one insists they are right.....they've lost alot of ppl like that and we got some new converts (whole familes) who have finished RCIA and are now amesome catholics.

see the Catholic Church is universal......a flock beign guided, God promised he would not leave His children orphan nor astray.

God bless and pax christi,

+JMJ

[mulls]

just tell me HOW all those gospels are different from each other, and I will believe you.

honestly.