QUOTE(MadMikkie @ Feb 22 2007, 02:41 PM) [snapback]103104[/snapback]
Blast it - I can't find where I had written about babylon. I wrote it down! and now I can't find it.
You have all these denominations....catholics, anglican/episcopalian, baptists, presbytarians, lutherans, calvinists - you name the Christ based mainstream churches - I can't remember them all - PLUS high and low church stuff. At the core of their belief is Jesus. Who He was, Who He is and Who He will be. All that stuff.
MM, excellent post. Is the Catholic (Universal) Church the great whore in Revealation? I don't know. Could be. I sway for yes with an asterick, meaning I am not totally convinced, and this is about as far I I wish to go down that road.
As for the Protestants, some of the Biggies are the Baptist, Assemblies, Pentecostal, Lutherun, Faith Free Evangelicals, COC, United COC, and Methodist to name a few. Within these cirlces are Charismatics (Pentcostals and Assmblies), practicing and teaching and preaching the "Spiritual Gifts".
Some believe in infant Baptism (Lutheruns), some believe in emersion, some in sprinkling, some Splashing, and Faith Free will accept all three.
Some believe in a closed communion, some open. Some do it quarterly, some every Sunday.
Baptism some believe is necessary to be saved. Others teach it is an act of Obedience but not neccssary for Salvation...we do it because the Lord said so. Some Baptise in the name of Jesus (UPC and COC), the rest in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit.
On and on we could go. The one core belief that a high percentage of the above mentioned believes is Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was Crucified for our sins, died and rose from the dead, and in order to be saved you must acknowledge you are a sinner, repent from the depths of your broken and contrite heart, and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life the rest of your days.
So yes the protestants within our own circle believe many diferent ways, but the above paragraph unites us in THE most important belief the Bible writes about.
One Father Son and Holy Spirit. Practising in diferent ways, but believeing the one most important thing, and that is Jesus is Lord!
The best condensed version I could do off the cuff in trying to show diferent beliefs within the Protestent Demoination, but also a unitied belief as well.