Good Morning everyone as it is a wonderful day with alot of sun, heat, humidity, and breeze from the Atlantic Ocean. Well at least it is here in Miami anyway.

Today as promised I will start with Catholicism. Many believe that it is no different then Christianity. In principle you may be right, but there are differences in practices. I hope you enjoy what I have as only a introduction to the religion.


CATHOLICISM

Catholicism is the oldest continuous branch of Christianity, tracing its roots back to the first century C.E. Today Roman Catholics( as they are also known) throughout the world outnumber all other Christians combined, about 1.1 billion. While Catholicism has its own rituals and customs, it is a form of Christianity.

History of Catholicism

Christianity became more widely accepted when Constantine rose to political power within the Roman Empire. Constantine was sympathetic to the Christians because his mother was a member of the faith, but it is said that his personal conversion was prompted in 312 C.E. when he had a vision of a cross with the message "in hoc signo vinces" meaning "by this sign shall you conquer" in Latin.

Constantine took this as an instruction to place the "chi rho" cross insignia on his army's battle shields, after which his troops were victories in the batlle at Milvian Bridge near Rome. (In the Greek alphabet , chi and rho are the first two letters in the word Xristos or Christ).

The victory propelled Constantine to sole authority over the Western Roman Empire, and one of his more significant acts following the battle was pronouncing the Edict of Milan in 313, which granted religious freedom to Christians.

Over time, as Christianity spread, theological interpretations began to diverge in the East and West. Councils were held to establis orthodoxy and to try to eliminate heresy, and the struggles to affirm dogma sometimes became violent.

Church leaders held the first Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. specifically to combat the rise of Arianism, a widespread belief begun by an Alexandrian priest named Arius who believed that Christ was in fat a supernatural creature not quite human or divine.

Although officially disavowed, Arianist beliefs remained common throughout Europe until the seventh century. Councils such as that held in Nicaea became increasingly politicized. In 1054, the divide between Rome and the Eastern churches became permanent, with the eastern factions - notably Greek and Turkish churches - forming the Eastern Orthodox Church, while the western part became Roman Catholic Church that would eventually take its instructions from the Vatican in Rome.

But, probably the most decisive era in the history of Roman Catholicism was during the Protestant Reformation, which started on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. During the years after, several groups broke away from the Roman Catholicsm to form their own churches.

The HIstorical development of the Catholic Church has been fraught with complicated dissension, not the least of which is the longstanding claim that itis the only authentic successor of the Christian church started by the apostle Peter. Perhaps somewhat in response to this dissension, the Catholic Church has also long been one of the most hierarchical and dogmatic of the Christian faiths, , with a clear chain of command and starkly enunciated theological dogma.

The Roman Catholic Church conducted its liturgy in Latin well into the twentieth century, until sweeping changes were mad at the Second Vatican Council. Known more familiarly as Vatican II, the landmark council took place from 1962 to 1965, led by Pope John XXIII and after his death in 1963 by Pople Paul VI.

The sixteen documents enacted as a result of the council detailed how the church would funcition going forward, adapting and relating to the needs of a modern culture. In other words, the Roman Catholic Church was, and still is, seeking to update itself.


more to come...

Are there married priests?

Although priests are not allowed to marry, there are some exceptions. As of 2005, there were actually less than 100 married men out of some 44,000 Catholic priests in the United States. A loophile in papal doctrine allows married converts to Catholicism to join the priesthood.

The Hierarchy in Catholicism

Jesus Christ is the invisible head of the Roman Catholic Church, and by his authority, the Pope is the visible head.

Over the centuries, the Bishop of Rome became the leading authority in both civil and religious matters and assumed the title Pope from the Latin papa and the Greek pappas, meaning "father." The Pope acted as the supreme teacher and is still recognized as having the supreme religious authority within the church.

The hieracrchy of the Roman Catholic Church is a structure of authority that weaves its way up from the parish priest all the way to the Pope.

The Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary is revered as the mother of God and holds a unique devotional position in the Catholic Church. Catholics gave her the title "Queen of Heaven." They believe that she rules over death in the capacity.

According to the gospels of St.Matthew and St.Luke, Jesus Christ has no natural father and was conceived by Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. Most Christian churches and Islam accept the idea of Jesus' virgin birth.

Sin, Confession, and Penitence

The Catholic Church teaches that penance is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ. The church recognized two kinds of sin: venial and mortal. Venial sins concern lesser offenses and carry lesser consequences. Mortal sins are obviously more dire, as are their consequences.

It used to be that Cathoics were instructed to observe a weekly rite of confession. More recently, however, this sacrament has declined in ritual observance, although it does remain an important part of a Catholic's spiritual life. To make an act of confession, the penitent has to enter the confessional. This is typically a sort of booth with a division creating two halves. There is a small, screened sliding door in the division. The penitent sits in one half, the priest in the other.

more to come...

Holy Writings of the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church bases its studies on the Holy Bible. It includes 46 books in the Old Testament; the Protestant version has 39. Both bibles include 27 books in the New Testament.

The Ten Commandments hold an important place in Catholic teachings. Young Catholics are expected to memorize and understand them. They differ slighty from the Commandments as given in Exodus 20 in the Old Testament in that they have been simplified.

The Ten Commandments as they are taught to Catholics are:

1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the nae of the Lord thy God in vain.
3. Keep holy the Sabbath.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Beliefs and Rituals

The Catholic Church has extensive and clearly enunciated rules' one such set is called Precepts of the Catholic Church. While different sources may express them in vary ways, they essentially all come down to the same thing. Her's is an example:

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall humbly receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the Holy Days of Obligation.
5. You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.
6. The faithful have the obligations of supporting the Church.

Another, even more extensive list of rules is Canon Law, a complex systems of rules totaling, at the moment, 1,752. Regularly reviewed and updated, they defines the internal structure and describes the rights and obligations of a Catholic religious life. The Canon Laws affect everything from how and whem marriages take place to the way in which church teachers are chosen.

Catholics believe that the soul of a dead person goes to purgatory, a sort of unresolved state, if he or she has not completely repented for any wrongdoing. That is why the living pray for the souls of the dead; they believe their prayers will shorten the time the sould spends in purgatory.

Views on Controversial Topics concerning Catholicsm

The Catholic Church has set itself in staunch opposition to the legalization of abortion. The view of the Vatican is that life begins at the moment of conception and thusly any procedure that would destroy a fetus is tantamount to murder. The only exception to this rule offered by the Vatican is in cases where abortion is considered necessary to preserve the mother's life. For similar reasons, the church is opposed to the uses of any artificial means of birth control, such as the pill, condoms, or IUDs.

In countries with large Catholic populations - such as the United States, Italy, and Ireland - the church's stances on these topics has set many of its members against trends in those societies, which over the past few decades have seen a generally more liberal attitude towards abortion, birth control, and divorce (which the church also opposes in most circumstances).

While more moderate Catholics disagree with the Vatican on some of these issues, conservatives in the church view opposition to such things as nonegotiable elements of Catholicsm.

This has put pro-choice Catholics in occasionally awkward positions, most dramtically seen during the U.S. 2004 election, when an archbishop famously said he would refuse to serve communion to Catholic candidate Senater John Kerry, due to his pro-choice voting record.

Curiously, however, even though the Vatican has strongly condemned capital punishment and preemptive wars (such as the invasion of Iraq), the support of a large number of American Catholics for those postiions has not caused the same controversy as that over issues like abortion and birth control.

So this concludes the introduction of Catholiscm. I hope you enjoy the read and if you are interested in learning more about this religion, I am sure there are quiet a few Catholics lurking around here in the forums.

Tommorow I will give a introductory of the religion called "Amish" and what started this belief system.

Ultrecht Catholic priests are allowed to marry. There are way more little sects, cults, etc. Look in your local phone book and read them out loud for a laugh.

I must respectfully disagree with your idealogy because:
From the start, you are leading one to believe that all on your list are different religions... They're not.

Here is a revised list:

Christianity:**

Protestantism snd Catholicism are the two divisions of Christianity...

Catholicism:

~Catholic
~Angilican (Episcopalian)



Protestantism:
~Amish
~Baptist
~Christian Science
~Congregationalism
~Mennonite
~Presbyterianism
~Adventist
~Lutheranism
~Methodist
~Orthodoxy
~Quakerism
~Pentecostalism

All of the above are Christian Denominations... Differing in interpretations of The Bible, but adhering to the idea of The Trinity...

Acknowledging:

~YHWH (YAHWEH) as GOD The Father... The Creator of all...

~YESHUA... The Messiah (Gr. Anointed One") as the ONLY Begotten SON of YAHWEH, His Birth, Death and Ressurection, and Acension to Our Father (GOD) in a Glorified (indestructible) Body... our High Priest, and, the ONLY hope of the saving of mankind's souls from total destruction...

~The HOLY GHOST or SPIRIT... (One and the same) ...The PNEUMOS (Breath) of GOD that has resided within mankind, since his creation, and will continue to live on, even after death of the flesh body.)




Non-Christian:

Islam**
Judaism**
Deism
Jehovah's Witness
Mormonism
Unitarian Universalist Association
Hinduism
Buddhiism
Jeedism
Confucianism
Taoism
Jainism and Baha'i
Sikhism
Shinto
Hare Krishna
Rastafarianism
Scientology
Shamanism
Yoruba
Zoroastrianism
The Druids
Native American Religions *
African Religions
Australian/Aboriginal Faiths
The Maori Faith
Polynesian Religions
New Age Spirituality
Spiritism
Wicca and Witchcraft


_____________________________________________________________________________________
** Please Note: Islam, Judaism and Christianity are ALL three Abrahamic religions, believing in ONE GOD.

...Quran claims to attest the Holy Books (Torah and the Gospels) revealed before it. But it also says that it oversees them. This means that Quran "points out the alterations made by vested interests" in the Holy Words.


Bro Clark, DC,PhD

While agree with your other points, I think you have made a mistake in your assertions that Jehovah's Witness, Mormonism, Unitarian Universalist Association are non christian faiths, while they don't follow the traditional christian teachings they all have their origins in christianity.

The following religions we will be reading about on are prevalent Christian faiths.

The majority of the Christian denominations follow the established forms, beliefs, rituals, and customs of traditional Christianity. Of course there are exceptions to be noted.

Amish
Anglican
Baptist
Christian Science
Congregationlism
Jehovah's Witness
Mennonite
Mormonism
Presbyteriansim

The lesser known ones will include:

Adventist
Deism
Lutheranism
Methodist
Orthodoxy
Protestantism
Quakerism
Unitarian Universalist Association

That is correct CircuitRider,

Islam, Judaism and Christianity are Abrahamic religions, believing in one GOD.


For those who don't believe in these religions they would call them Mediterrenean Mythologies.

It is a choice each individual would make when deciding to believe in such a religion or not.

Let us cover Amish a Christian denomination religion that some follow.

AMISH

The Amish, also called the Amish Mennonites, originated in Europe as followers of Jakob Ammann, a seventeenth century elder whose teachings caused a schism among members in many parts of Europe. Ammann was not an easygoing man because of his strictures and orders.

He introduced the washing of feet into services and taught the plainness of dress and habit that became part of the Amish way of life.

The Amish began migrating to North America from Europe in the early eighteenth century and settled first in eastern Pennsylvania. A settlement is still in that part of the country. Schisms again occurred after 1859 between the Old Order and the New Order, resulting in the formation of smaller churches or amalgamations with the Mennonite Church.

Each Amish settlement is generally made up of about seventy-five baptized members. If a group becomes any larger, a new group is formed because members eet for services in each other's homes.

They have no church buildings. Each district has a bishop, two to four preachers, and an elder. Holy Communion is celebrated twice each year. Services are conducted in a mixture of English and palatine German, known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Adults are baptized when tney are admitted to formal membership, generally when seventeen to twenty years of age.

The Amish believe in the Trinity and affirm the scriptures, particularly the New Testament.

The Amish are famous for their way of life, which even today includes homemade plain clothing without buttons; hooks and eyes are used instead. The men wear broad-brimmed black hats and bears without moustaches. The women wear bonnets, long dresses with capes over the shoulders, shawls, and black shoes and stockings. No jewelry of any kind is ever worn. The mode of dress is said to be in keeping with the early traditions established in Europe.

They live without telephones or electric lights, drive horses and buggies rather then automobiles, and shun modern farm machinery, although they have a reputation for being excellent farmers.

Their children attend school only through the eighth grade. After that, they work at their family farm or business until they marry.

The Amish feel that their children do not need more formal education than this. Although they pay school taxes, the Amish have fought to keep their children out of public schools.

In 1972, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark unanimous decision that exempted the Old Order Amish and related groups from state compulsory attendance laws beyond the eighth grade.

However, some Amish students do pursue higher education by enrolling in their own colleges, seminaries, and Bible schools.


This concludes for Amish. I am sure you can get more about this religion if you google it. I don't think you will find one who believes in this faith here on the internet, yet perhaps I am wrong and a few dabble around on here. Who knows?

Perhaps there are small Amish communities "New new order" that do drive cars now, use electricity, and a computer.

Later on I will introduce "Anglicans".

Ahh very interesting. Okay (Ultrecht) Catholic priests are allowed to marry. Got it and thank you for the information.

So we have the introductory of Christianity, Catholiscm, and Amish a denomition of Christianity. One of many that is.

The next Christian denomination is Anglican.

ANGLICAN

The Church of England is the mother church of the Anglican Communion; it has a long history. The Anglican Church was created in the sixteenth century by King Henry VIII who wished to get an annulment from his first wife, the aging Catherine of Aragon, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn in an effort to produce a son and heir for the throne of England.

When Pope Clement VII refused to grant the annulment, King Henry took over the English Church, broke with Rome, and created the Anglican Church.

He was then able to have the Archbiship of Canterbury, Thomas Cramer, pronounce the marriage to Catherine null and void, which left him free to marry Anne Boleyn.

The Church of England spread through out the British Empire spawning sister churches throughout the world; part of this colonial expansion and influence spread into India and North America. All together this activity made up the Anglican Communion as it is today, a body headed spiritually by the Archbiship of Cantebury, which has about 80 million or ore adherents, making it the second largest Christian body in the Western World.

The Episcopal Church in the United States came into existence as an independent denomination following the American Revolution. It now has about two or three million members in the United States.

The Church routinely requires its clergy to hold university as well as seminary degrees. For more than twenty years, the American Episcopal Church has ordained women to the priesthood.

In 1988 it elected the first Anglican woman bishop, Barbara Harris.

more to come...

Interesting note:

Though Henry VIII established this new church in order to wed Anne Boleyn, he had actually already done so in secret, Incidentally, Anne Boleyn gave birth to a daughter, the future Queen of England, Elizabeth I.

Central Beliefs of Anglicans


The Anglicans include features from both Protestantism and Catholicism; they prize tradtional worship and structure and operate autonomously. They have few firm rules and great latitue in the interpretation of doctrine. They consider the Bible to be divinely inspired, and hold the Eucharist, or the act of Holy Communion, to be the central act of Christian worship. Anglicans have a reputation for respecting the authority of the state without submitting to it; likewise, they respect the freedom of the individual.

A major influence not only on the faith but also on Enlgish society in general, is "The Book of Common Prayer", which is used by churches of the Anglican Communion. Since its publication in the sixteenth century, it continues in various editions as the standard liturgy of most Anglican churches of the British Commonwealth. Most churches outside the Commonwealth have their own variants of the prayer book.


Expansion

The expansion of Anglicanism was directly related to British colonization. The Church of England's great missionary societies went out into all the English colonies and promoted Christian knowledge. They were instrumental in creating a decentralized body of national churches that were loyal to one another and to the forms of faith inherited from the Church of England.

The scope of the missionary work was immense, and Anglicanism spread from Nigeria to Kenya, South Africa, India, and Australia. It also traveled east to China and Japan. As was stated earlier, in America, the Revolution was the force behind the organization of the Episcopal Church, which was completed in 1789. The first American bishop, Samuel Seabody, was consecrated in Scotland in 1784. The Anglican Church of Canada had its own organization in 1893.

Interesting note:


In 2003 after the church consecrated Gene Robinson of New Hamsphire as bishop, controversy erupted due to the fact that Robinson was openly homosexual and lived with his partner.

As happened multiple times in other Christian denominations (such as Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists) during the decade, the debate over gay rights, and particulary gay clergy, became a fractious issue in the Anglican faith.

The specter of schism was raised at the 2008 Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, during which protesting conservative Anglicans held a rival conference in Jerusalem.


This ends the introductory of Anglican's. I am sure there is alot more to study if one wants to with this faith, yet I want to keep each one short and to the point. Don't hesitate to add information or disagreements. I claim not to be an expert in the field of theology and will gladly read your information if you have any to offer. I am sure there are a few Anglican's who have more to offer.

Also don't hesitate to explain why you enjoy the religion you chose if you represent a certain religion. I look forward to hearing from you.

The next Christian denomination I will introduce is "Baptisism or Baptists". I will write about it tommorow morning though, as I am tired now.

Have a great day and thank you for taking the time to read all this stuff!

There are indeed members that believe in driving cars, depending the individual sect they are usually either all black or all white with all electronics removed as well as all chrome pieces. I grew up in a southern Iowa community that had many active Amish communities near by. I read once that some sect believed it acceptable to use cell phones (ah here it is: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/amish.html ) a very interesting article about the Amish I might add.

Well there you go. Something I wasn't certain about and now know. Thank you for the information.

I can see the "new new order" of Amish followers driving in white ferrari's with black seats using blackberries that are either black or white. I can see it now.

(No offense to the Amish community intended. I am known to sometimes have a dry humor at times. My apologizes to any Amish reading this.)

Granted there are some who follow Christian beliefs in UUA, but the other two reject Christ as Messiah, denying his power... As such, they are rejected/not recognized as Christians...