Have you noticed there is a Mormon guy on the latest Survivor? He's gonna have to move someplace less "Mormony" after he's done with that show I bet.

METHODIST

Methodism came to America from Ireland, brought by immigrants who had been converted by Charles and John Wesley. John Wesley also sent preachers with them, the most successful of which was Francis Asbury, who arrived in 1771. He preached far and wide from settlements to the frontiers. During the Revolution, Wesley took the side of the English, and Asbury took the side of the new American republic.

The church grew very rapidly, but schisms developed. The slavery problem split the Methodist Church into two. In 1845, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, were organized. The church in the South lost its black members during the Civil War. After the Civil War, both churches grew rapidly.

In 1939, the Methodist Church was formed, and the Methodist Protestant Church joined in the same union. At that time the Central Jurisdiction was formed for all the black members wherever they lived.

It existed alongside other jurisdictions. Then in 1968, it wa abolished and black Methodists were integrated into the church.

The United Methodist Church was created on April 23, 1968, when Bishop Reuben H. Muller of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of the Methodist Church merged at the General Conference in Dallas to form the United Methodist Church.

The combined church then had eleven million members, which made it one of the largest Protestant churches in the world.

An increasing number of women have been admitted to the ordained ministry and to denominational leadership as consecrated bishops.

In 1980, Marjorie Matthews was the first woman elected to the church's episcopacy.


This concludes the basic introduction to "Methodists".

Next up is "Orthodoxy".

That's interesting John.

I was a "Free Methodist".

I always assumed that the "Free" Methodists somehow rebelled against the Methodists to become a "Free" denomination. Much in the same way that the Prostestants in general had rebelled against the Catholic Church to become "Free" from Catholicism.

So I always thought of "Free Methodists" as kind of a miniature version of the bigger picture just repeating itself again (i.e. Protestants protesting against Protestantism).

I just looked it up and my original presumption seems to be fairly correct. The Free Methodists are call "Free" in part because they were against slavery and supported the idea that every person should be "Free".

However, they also believed in freedom of religion. And so the term "Free" also refers to that. They don't believe in dictating how other people should view God. This is why Free Methodists don't actively proselytize, and their 'missionary work' is aimed more at humanitarian issues than on spreading the idea that the Bible is the word of God.

In fact, I personally feel that it was precisely because my family was Free Methodists that I remained in the religion for as long as I did.

The principles held by the Free Methodists do not include proselytizing or judging the beliefs of others.

It's one of the meeker versions of Christianity. If the meek inherit the earth, then the Free Methodists have that one clinched.

In spite of their meekness as an individual demonination, I eventually had to discard the underlying doctrine in any case.

So anyway, that's my 2 cents on the Free Methodists.

Very interesting James. I didn't know that about Free Methodists. Thank you for telling me.

In the end when I go through this book, I see that each denomination has slight changes only, except for the Jehovah Witness and Mormon's who pretty much change the whole bible around.

The Deists are interesting for they want to see the religion as a historical perspective and leave out all the supernatural happenings that the bible claims Jesus did. They also find the Old Testament not the way of what Jesus was preaching. Like you have said that he pretty much preached the opposite. The Jefferson Bible by Thomas Jefferson is very interesting as he also tried to decipher what really could have happened.

Then the many other denominations with slight changes, adding or subtracting parabels or versus, or different ways of practicing sabbath or communion, changes the whole name of the religion.

In the end slight disagreements on the same book can seperate groups very easily when the books whole intent should be to bring people together. Unfortunately like many say there are too many contradictions or confusions to not allow this to happen.

Yet nevertheless, it is interesting how each religion started and for what reasons.

((Catholicism)) I find interesting for if one devotes themselves to this religion they must follow a complex system of rules called the Canon Laws totaling at the moment at 1,752.

((Amish)) is interesting for now there are new orders that allow many to drive cars, use electricity, or use a cell phone. I also find it astonishing that the majority of the children can only attend school up to the 8th grade and then they go straight to the farm to pick potatoes.

((Angilican)) primarily started because the King at the time wanted to marry a woman who can bear a son to continue his reign. If he didn't have this problem one can only wonder if this religion would have ever occurred.

((Baptism)) is interesting for Roger Williams was lucky to have the money to buy the land of Indians in Rhode Island to start his religion. Also I can understand he wanted religious freedom at the time, yet wonder why his curiousity never guided him to other religion possiblities. Nevertheless, his religion has now been grounded for a long time and many follow his lead.

((Christian Science)) primarily focuses on health issues. They use the bibles praises and followed Mary Baker Eddy who somehow experienced a sudden recovery from a severe accident. Her visions then grounded the religion. The study of Spiritual aspects of healing is this religions concentration.

((Congegationalism)) where the practice of this countries first pilgrims. Today it is slowly losing its members. I see them merging with a bigger Christian denomination if not already.

((Jehovah's Witness)) is a oddball for a denomination christianity as they have very strict guidelines and beliefs seperating themselves to the norm. They don't celeberate the common American holidays, except for one, don't vote, don't join the military, find all government structures the work of satan, etc. etc. Very strict and it seems once you are in, it is hard to get out without having them turn on you. At least that is how it is written on many documents.

((Mennonite)) is interesting because they don't believe in baptism of a infant. They believe that only adults should be baptisted and only if they are a full pledge member or believer. I think the Amish were the same in the beginning and probably still are. They have a strong belief against fighting in a wars. They are also known for having a strong stance for peace.

((Mormonism)) another odd ball in the group, but have a very strong community especially in Utah. They find it important that military service should be served and even have a corps of chaplains who serve the United States Army to ensure that none would apply for conscience objection status. Very different then the Amish or the Mennonites would believe in this situation. They also have very strict laws concerning marriage, kissing, etc. etc.

((Presbyterianism)) is one of those religions like Congregationalists who spent half of their existence merging with other religion bodies to create more members. It almost sounds like a business if we look at the introductory I wrote a few pages back. In the end they believe the same thing practically as Christian's do.

((Adventist)) is for me the funniest of the bunch. I find it amusing that William Miller insisted that Jesus would return at a certain date. And when he didn't come he made another date and Jesus didn't come. One would think it would end here, but it didn't. Today they still believe this, but are not sure of the date. I also find it interesting that they worship sabbath on Saturdays instead of Sundays.

((Deism)) seems to be logical in many ways. The founding fathers or those other Deists in England tried to decipher the bible in a historical and logical perspective. They found that the apostles misconstrued the history for personal gain or even to ensure memberships to persue to great numbers, in which I must say they have. They tried to explain also that Jesus is misunderstood in many ways. They also claim that the Old Testament is in no way logical or even good to believe in. If you read Thomas Jefferson's work on Christianity, you will see what he writes. I have a thread on it if anyone is interested.

((Lutheranism)) - is pretty much the reason how the religion split into different denominations. Martin Luther posting his thesis and reasons on the Wittenberg castle door while accusing the malpractice of the Roman Catholic Church created quite a stir and helped create denominations afterwords, which seemed to have never ended for many hundreds of years later.

hey John...

lookin great in here...

many ditto's for all the effort, in your quest of promoting understanding, or one love.

peace to peace

Didn't Gardner plagarise Crowley and organize the Wiccan movement in the early 1900's?

Thankyou David,

It is very interesting and I haven't even scratched the surface. There are practically thousands of religious belief systems available on this planet. I am just about to complete most of the denominations of Christianity and will be starting with the Muslim faith next in which I am astonished to have never seen a Muslim on Mingle yet.

I think it is a good way to show others that everyone has different paths that they find suiting and pleasant for themselves. I am sure some cannot understand why some practice a certain way concerning their faith or religion, but at least in the end one understands how they work, which is in my opinion better then not knowing anything at all.

Although each religion has hundreds upon hundreds of pages to read about, I just want to keep it simple with little introductions to get a sense of how they started and for what reasons.

Well thats the very reason that I placed "founding" in parenthesis. The spirituality known as Wicca came into being much later of course. However, its roots are nonetheless based in early spiritual reverence of a god/goddess. I found this on religioustolerance.net which is a good site out of Canada.

"Wicca is a religion based, in part, on ancient, northern European Pagan beliefs in a fertility Goddess and her consort, a horned God. Although the religion is a modern creation, some of its sources pre-date the Christian era by many centuries. Most Wiccans do not believe that their religion is a direct, continuous descendent of this earlier religion. They see it as a modern reconstruction."


Now compare that with 2000 years? You are probably looking easily at the Paleolithic.

ORTHODOXY

Orthodoxy, also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the third great branch of Christianity. It came about in 1054 following the climax of the major cultural, intellectual, and theosophical differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, called the Great Schism.

At that time, the membership of the Eastern Orthodox Church was spread throughout the Middle East, the Balkans, and Russia with its center in Constantinople (present day Istanbul).

Today the church has spread from those original countries throughout the world and numbers about 300 million adherents. Within this group are the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and Romanian Orthodox churches, divisions that refer to the ethnic or natioanl backgrounds of their members.

These individual churches may vary slightly in the language used for worship or the music played during celebrations and holidays, however they share the same Orthodox tenets and beliefs.

more to come...

Interesting note:

Orthodoxy means "the state of being orthodox, what is authorized or accepted as right and true." The Orthodox Church stresses "right belief and right glory." It also means holding the correct or currently accepted opinions especially on religious doctrine. The word is used in Judaism to mean "right" practice of that faith.

Central Beliefs of Orthodox

Members believe that the Orthodox Church was founded by Jesus Christ and that it is th living manifestation of his presence. Orthodoxy further believes that the Christian faith and the church are inseparable, that it is impossible to know Jesus Christ, to share in the life of the Holy Trinity or to be considered a Christian apart from the church, and that it is through the church that an individual is nurtured in the faith.

Essentially, Orthodox adherents' beliefs are very similar to those of other Christian traditions.

For instance they recognize seven sacraments, but express them slightly differently from other faiths: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Confession. Oridination, Marriage, and Holy Unction.

When death occurs, they believe that the person's soul, being immortal, goes to God, who created it. Immediately after death teh soul is judged, which is called the Particular judgment.

The final reward is believed to take place later at the time of the General Judgment. During the time between Particular judgment and the General Judgment, which is called the Intermediate State, a sould has a foretaste of the blessings or punishments that will be accorded in the afterlife.

The church today is an invaluable treasury of rich liturgical tradition that has been handed down from early Christianity. There is grandeur in the works of liturgical art and music, and mystery in the Orthodox icons.

There is no one person who leads or speaks for the church, nor do all its members act separately. They are seen as a whole, the one "Mystical Body of Christ."

more to come...

Each Orthodox Church is led by a synod of bishops. The president of the synod is known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, or Metropolitian. Among the various bishops, the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is accorded a "place of honor" and is regarded as the "first among equals."


This ends the introductory of the Orthodox religion. If you have more to share then please do.

Next up is "Protestantism".

PROTESTANTISM

The key to Protestantism, if there is one, is its amazing diversity. The catlyst that gave virth to such diversity was the Reformation in the sixteenth century. While there was deep dissension within the Roman Catholic Church, which led to liberal Catholic reform earlier in the century, the traditional beginning of the Reformation occurred when Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk, posted his Ninety five Theses for debate on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, the eve of All Saints' Day.

Lutehr was a pastor and professor at the University of Wittenberg. In his theses he attacked what he saw as the theological root of corruption in hte life of the church. He insisted that the Pope had no authority over purgatory and that only the scripture was authoritative. His critique was against the doctrine of the church. In essence he said that the church was acting as a meiator or filter between the individual and God. To the Reformers the church seemed to be a transaction in place: The people would attend Mass, make confessions, do penance, and so on. and the church would give approval and access to God's pleasure.

Another part of the argument was that because Catholics lived in fear of failing to provide what the church said God required, and their only dispensation was via the church, church leaders ahd both political leverage and the ability to exert terror and compliance over the general populace.

Understandably this attack didn't sit too well with the Roman Catholic establishment and Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther in 1521.

John Calvin was the leading French Protestant reformer and the most important second generation figure of the Reformation. He was a highly educated man who studied Greek, Hebrew, and Latin in order to further improve his studies of the Scriptures. Because of internal religious strife in France, he went to Basel in Switzerland, The same thing eventually happenend in Switzerland as happened in France, and he was expelled from the country. Years later he returend to establish the Geneva Academy for the training of ministry students. In the mid 1560s, he produced what became his masterpices, "Institutes of the Christian Religion," which is considered by some to be the single most important statement of Protestant belief.

more to come...

CircuitRider,

I grew up Episcopalian. We go under Protestants.

I go to a Lutheran church. I would like to add that there are two types of Lutheran churches. There is Evangelical Lutheran and Lutheran Synod.

Hi there. I hope you are doing well.

Well thank you for adding this. Very interesting.

What makes the difference between the two factions? Is there a significant difference in practice or belief or is it that the they created two groups to handle the amount of members better?

You're welcome.

I found this. It can explain it better then I can. I grew up Episcopalian. The link has more information if you click onto the theology of ELCA.

Q. What are the main differences between the Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)?

A. In terms of the official position of our two church bodies as reflected in formally adopted statements of belief and practice the three main areas of difference between the LCMS and the ELCA are the following:

1. The doctrine and authority of Scripture. The LCMS believes that the Bible is without error in all that it says. The ELCA avoids making such statements, holding that Scripture is not necessarily always accurate on such matters as history and science. Differences between the LCMS and the ELCA on the authority of Scripture also help to explain why the ELCA ordains women to the pastoral office, while the LCMS does not, and why the LCMS unequivocally rejects homosexual behavior as contrary to God's will, while the ELCA has yet to take an official stand on this issue.

2. The ELCA, while affirming its commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as witnessed to in the Lutheran confessional writings, also tends to emphasize the historical character of these writings and to maintain the possibility of dissent to confessional positions that do not deal directly with the Gospel itself understood in a narrow sense.

3. The level of agreement necessary to join together in one church body. While the LCMS believes that the Bible requires agreement in all that the Bible teaches, the ELCA holds that disagreement in some matters of doctrine, such as the mode of Christ's presence in Holy Communion, do not prohibit church fellowship.


http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2146

Very interesting and thank you for adding this. I would say one group is a bit stricter as the other. At least it looks like it.

It looks like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America would have younger members joining it since the organization is still undecided with such issues as homosexuality, the bible in its accuracy, ordaining women, etc. etc.

Content thus far:

Page 1 - Brief introduction of Christianity - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176

Page 2 - Brief introduction of Catholicism, Amish, Anglican - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=2

Page 3 - Brief introduction of Baptists - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=3

Page 4 - Brief introduction of Christian Science, Gnostic Christianity*, Congregationalism, Jehovah's Witness, Mennonite, Mormonism - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=4

Page 5 - Presybyterianism, Raelians** - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=5

Page 6 - Adventist, Deism, Lutheranism - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=6

Page 7 - Methodist, Orthodoxy, Protestantism - http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215176?page=7

Page 8 - Protestantism continued,


* was not on the list

** was not on the list and is not a Christian denomination belief