How do denominations fit into the church?

[martyychang]

Spoiler alert: "The Problem with Denominations"

[MattPMc]

Denominational divisions are a distraction, but they’ve also been a solution to ecumenical differences of opinion throughout the ages. The existence of the Church in its original form, at least as far as the Gospels and Letters of Paul suggest, would be perceived as little more than a cult in its day, and not much better than that today.

I would certainly agree that the formation of the Catholic Church - the first “official” denomination of the followers of Christ - was a means to control those who wanted to practice the things that Paul and others had been spreading about the teachings of the one called Jesus.

Then you come across the ecumenical councils like Nicea where the Word of God - the Hebrew portion still being finalized at this time - was dissected and selected what would become scriptural canon... denouncing quite effectively other books and letters which may have better explained Jesus’ nature than certainly the Synoptic Gospels could offer.

Denominations are divisions and the myriad reasons for their existence are distractions from the message of Jesus.

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