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Christendom · Dec 19, 09:26 PM

To the best of my knowledge, Christianity stands alone in history. Admittedly, history is herself unique; each of her religions is also unique, so I should elaborate. No other religion has spread as much as Christianity, or shattered as hard. Islam ought to take notes, since it may soon control Europe. At least it should take care and not raze the libraries. There will be our example to learn from and our mistakes to avoid.

Meanwhile, I find myself in what might be the last rotten gaps of a decadent civilization, searching through what might the rubble of an ancient temple for… a bad D&D module, apparently. Wikipedia maintains a rather objective List of Christian denominations. How did all this happen? Father Arnold Damen writes,

Christ sent His Apostles throughout the whole universe and said: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

Christ did not say, “Sit down and write Bibles and scatter them over the earth, and let every man read his Bible and judge for himself.” If Christ had said that, there would never have been a Christianity on the earth at all, but a Babylon and confusion instead, and never one Church, the union of one body. Hence, Christ never said to His Apostles, “Go and write Bibles and distribute them, and let everyone judge for himself.” That injunction was reserved for the Sixteenth Century, and we have seen the result of it. Ever since the Sixteenth Century there have been springing up religion upon religion, and churches upon churches, all fighting and quarreling with one another. And all because of private interpretation of the Bible. [ link ]

There you have it. Unless you aren’t sympathetic to this Catholic reasoning.

[D]enominations have clearly grown since the birth of the New Testament Church. Why? Because of pagan influence. Because of Jewish hatred toward Jesus Messiah, instigating hatred and discord toward the Apostolic Christian church, by influencing the leadership of Rome. For these reasons, and because of Rome’s lust for power and global influence, we have denominationalism as we know it today. [ link]

That’s what a oneness pentecostal might say. A Restoration movement Christan will argue differently.

The denominations have failed to teach the truth on some of the most fundamental and obvious of biblical truths. Is it any wonder that they flounder with regard to the moral issues which plague our country? If the bible is not the standard of authority with regard to our salvation and our relationship with God, then why should we trust it with regard to these moral issues? We will prove that the denominations have rejected the bible as their standard of authority. [ link]

This, and many other fascinating details, occupy my mind.

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