wellwisher
Well-Known Member
I do not see any problem with this, since it is consistent with the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a herd effect, but rather it is more individual; inner man. Much of the separation into many different sects is based on people finding a place where they can best commune with the spirit. In the Southern part of the USA, there are tons of small independent Churches, built around a preacher, who may be spirited within their little flock.A common sentiment I see here is the notion that Christianity is hopelessly divided in its teachings. That there are "thousands" of sects all of which teach mutually exclusive things. To be sure, the divisions are a scandal, but I think these divisions are often overstated. There is a historical Christian orthodoxy agreed upon by most mainstream Christian traditions. Yes, there are serious disagreements among them: nonetheless Catholicism, Orthodoxy and most forms of traditional Protestantism agree on quite a lot in regard to who Jesus was and what God expects from the human race in terms of moral conduct.
That we have seen the emergence of bizarre cults mostly originating in the United States these past two-hundred years is not an argument against the existence of a Christian orthodoxy. A Jehovah's Witness ranting about "Churchianity" and "Christendom" does not prove that the Christian tradition is bereft of any and all agreement. The proliferation of sects (mainstream and heretical) is a mostly Protestant phenomenon. Catholicism and Orthodoxy - which together comprise majority of the world's Christians - still exist and maintain the historical faith more or less intact.
I used to go church hopping, when I lived down south, to see what this was all about. What I found was these small individual churches were very intimate, due to their small size. Often the elder men would have titles under the preacher; brothers and elders. It was like a big extended family in a small school room, where all knew each other and taught and worked together. The larger Churches tend to make one more anonymous; lecture hall. Different people commune in the way that is best for them. I more preferred the lecture hall so I could drift off and not be singled out and made to stay in the room; inner voice instead of outer voice.
I liked the large older Catholic Churches due to their Beauty and Grandeur. They had the high cathedral ceilings what were often painted and murals of heaven and bible stories, the large ornate pillars, all the stain glass windows, the relief drawings between all the windows, sculptures, then the alter with the gold, marble and velvet, the organ and choir. The old time Latin mass added to the mystery. All I needed to do was to keep track of the crowd when it was time to stand, knell and sit, and then I could drift off again.
Last edited: