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Were there 3 main branches of Christianity; Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican? Or is Anglican considered part of the Protestant branch?
I think Anglicanism would be considered under the Protestant umbrella as Henry VIII's main motive seemed to be his desire to get away from papal authority. However, I just recently heard it called the “bridge” between Catholicism and Protestantism. I do believe it retains more in common with Catholicism than with other denominations of Protestantism.
Both brands of Orthodox Christians are a result of the first great Schism in the church having to do with the nature of God. Roman Catholics espouse the doctrine of the Trinity while the orthodox specifically refute the divinity of Jesus if I remember correctly. Anglicanism is directly related to Catholicism because the Pope refused to grant Henry VIII an anullment.
Were there 3 main branches of Christianity; Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican? Or is Anglican considered part of the Protestant branch?
I would say the three main branches of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Church. (I suppose Protestants could be called a fourth branch. I?m not picky.)From the Roman Catholic Church comes the Protestant movement. The term "Protestant" comes from the protests against the doctrine and/or leadership of the Catholic Church. The Anglicans are Protestants; they split from Roman Catholic Church when they ceased to acknowledge the authority of Pope. There are doctrinal differences among the churches. However, all recognize the divinity of Jesus. The great Schism was primarily about who should be the supreme leader. The Roman Catholics follow the Pope whereas the Eastern Orthodox Church recognizes the Patriarch of Constantinople as the supreme leader. The Coptic Church has it?s own leader. However, the Coptics did not have a high survival rate (thanks in part to Islam) and weren?t much of a player when the Great Schism occurred.The Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, etc. are not separate churches; they all recognize the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. It would be more accurate to say the Orthodox Church in Greece, the Orthodox Church in Russian, etc.
Daniel,I stand corrected. You are correct about the Great Schism. I should have done the research. I am a practicing Roman Catholic, I should have known better. A good explanation can be found here: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm
there is of couse the Catholics, podistants and orthodox but I belive there should be one more...................I belive that baptist are their own because the people the who left John the baptist and followed Jesus early in his ministry were called baptist. the ideas have changed a little but we are still the origonal church 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew[a] over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan?the one you testified about?well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him." 27To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less. 31"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God[c] gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."[d]
I agree with Wikipedia that Baptists are Protestants. Like other Protestant groups the Baptists descend from Christians that left the Catholic church in a doctrinal dispute.Here's the first part of the Wikipedia article:A Baptist is a member of a Christian denomination characterized by the rejection of infant baptism in favor of believer's baptism by immersion. While the term Baptist has its origins with the Anabaptists, and was sometimes viewed as pejorative, the denomination itself is historically linked to the English Dissenter or Separatist or Nonconformism movements of the 16th century.Baptists are typically considered Protestants...
My 2?. I was taught in parochial school that Christianity can easily be separated into two groups. 1. Roman Catholics and 2. Everyone else. The logic was that Catholics were first and all the other groups split from the Catholics at some point.
Yes, the Catholic say they were first, but that doesn't make it true. Following the Apostles all bishops were equal in authority. And for that matter the Armenian Church predates the Roman Catholic Church.First century Christianity was overseen by the Apostles. The death of the Apostles coincided with great persecution, the net effect being the Church was left without central leadership.In time leaders arose such as the Bishop of Rome, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and others. But before this happened each and every Bishop was co-equal.If the Catholic Church was first then why the need for all the Church Councils to set doctrine? And why were these councils held in Asia Minor instead of Rome? (Early Christian history runs counter to Catholic teachings regarding the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, Papal bulls, the infallibility of the Pope, the right of the Pope to speak ex cathedra, etc. wouldn't you say.)
