What a crock! Romanism is as much a mixed bag as modern Protestantism regarding doctrine and theology, and always has been.
That is simply not true. There is but one Catholic Catechism which gives the Catholic Faith to all who wish to know what it is and to obey it.
What you are referring to are the dissidents, rebels, and outright heretics who infest the Church. Their rebellion and teaching is not the official voice of the Church.
There is still only one teaching on baptism, the Sacraments, hell, Christ, God, etc.
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It used to be much more unified liturgically, but even that has given way in the modern era.
Again, this is an administrative issue. The issue of the many numbers of Protestant denominations, however, is an issue of authority, doctrines, and leadership. We have but one authority over us, one Church, and one set of doctrines which are outlined in the Catholic Catechism.
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What's even more ridiculous about your claim is that you lump in the Eastern Orthodox with this "Catholic Faith," but the Eastern Orthodox in a great number of cases are quite as happy to condemn the Papists to eternal damnation as are the Protestants, and certainly they differ from Rome in a great deal of matters liturgical, theological, and doctrinal.
Again, sir, you do not know what you are talking about. There is a very small difference between the praxis of the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. It mostly has to do with the issue of the papacy and the "filioque" clause of the Nicene Creed.
Orthodox and Catholic are agreed on the number of the Sacraments, of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, on being "born again" in baptism, in liturgical format, and just a host of other things.
As my name should indicate, I am Eastern Orthodox in union with Rome. Therefore, I have been to Roman Masses as well as to our own Liturgy. The differences in them are minor at best.
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I wish I could remember the link, I think perhaps William has it? But it shows how many denominations are really within Protestantism, and even goes on to show how many are within Roman Catholicism!
There are no denominations in the Catholic Faith like there are in Protestantism. The idea of a denomination indicates major disagreement about some point of doctrine or administration of the denomination. For instance, Lutherans are different from Baptists because Baptists do not accept "baptismal regeneration". The difference between the Coptic Church, the Byzantine Church, and the Roman Church, to name a couple, is an ethnic difference. We all adhere to the same Catechism of the Church and have the same head over the Church -- the Holy Father in Rome.
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The numbers are not quite as disparate as Roman apologists would like.
I agree. However, when Jesus prayed that the Church be one, I think He had in mind complete unity. Therefore, I don't think that any more "churches" than one is acceptable or what God had in mind.
Cordially in Christ,
Brother Ed
Last edited by OrthodoxCatholic; Sat Jan 01, 200510:55 PM.
